What does an MEU bring to America's war bag????

Common wisdom has SOCOM as the tip of the spear in this century.  Policy makers are increasing the size of that organization while the conventional forces are being reduced.  Silly move and it can be categorized as style over substance.

Against a population that has effective law enforcement and even a marginal armed forces, units like the Navy SEALs can be hunted down and eradicated.  They are simply too lightly equipped to survive against a large, organized enemy.

Even with that being said, SOCOM is due to increase in size from over three US Army Divisions to almost four.  I can't explain the thinking behind that but it is in error.  

A balanced force that brings an amazing amount of firepower is the Marine Expeditionary Unit.  It has 2200 men and is capable of unsupported combat operations for up to 15 days...(via Wikipedia)....

A typical MEU has approximately 2,200 Marines and sailors. It is equipped with:

Qty	Nomenclature	Element
4	M1A1 main battle tank	ground
7 to 16	Light Armored Vehicle	ground
15	Assault Amphibious Vehicle	ground
6	155mm howitzer: M198 or M777	ground
8	M252 81mm mortar	ground
8	BGM-71 Tube-Launched, Optically-Tracked, Wire-Guided (TOW) missile weapon system	ground
8	FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile	ground
4 to 6	AH-1W SuperCobra attack helicopters	aviation
3	UH-1N Twin Huey utility helicopter	aviation
12	CH-46E Sea Knight medium lift assault helicopter	aviation
4	CH-53E Super Stallion heavy lift assault helicopter	aviation
6	AV-8B Harrier jet	aviation
2	KC-130 Hercules re-fueler/transport aircraft Note: usually maintained in the continental United States	aviation
2	Reverse Osmosis Water Purification Unit	logistics
1	LMT 3000 water purification unit	logistics
4	Tractor, Rubber Tire, Articulated Steering	logistics
2	TX51-19M Rough Terrain Forklift	logistics
3	D7 bulldozer	logistics
1	Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement dump truck	logistics
4	Mk48 Logistics Vehicle System	logistics
7	500 gallon water containers	multiple
63	Humvee	multiple
30	Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacement trucks	multiple

Many types of equipment are, or will soon, undergo a transitory phase as they are replaced. Some examples include the MV-22 Osprey replacing the CH-46, the Marine Personnel Carrier replacing the LAV-25, the F-35 Lightning II, the Ch-53K Super Stallion replacing the CH-53, and the H-1 upgrade program (where the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom replace the AH-1W and UH-1N).

That my friends is a capable, medium weight force that is deployed world wide and because we have several of these MEU's afloat at any one time, they are able to respond to trouble spots quite rapidly.

MARSOC is NOT the face of the Marine Corps and they are NOT the tip of the Marine Corps' spear.

Its the MEU.

The MEU is the tip of America's spear and the Battalion Landing Team is the tip of the MEU.

 

AOV Blowback...Talk too much and you get to work for the CIA....

Check this out from Military.com...read the whole thing but the juicy bits....

The notion of longer-term assignments to the CIA does not sit well with some senior special operations commanders, who want their units to remain autonomous in order to keep their troops under Defense Department legal parameters. If CIA-assigned troops are captured, for example, they are treated like spies, not protected by the Geneva Conventions, which govern the treatment of prisoners of war.

This part is a steaming pile of bullshit!  Prisoners whether identified as soldiers or spies are not treated well in the Middle East.  SOCOM has dreams of being a Combatant Commander and wants control of the war effort in Afghanistan once conventional forces pull out.  The idea of being put under the operational control of the CIA is a bitter pill for them to swallow. 

But putting special operations troops in the CIA's employ in Afghanistan could be attractive to the Afghan government because it would make the troops less visible and give Afghan President Hamid Karzai the added bonus of being able to say U.S. troops had withdrawn from his country. Technically, he would be right: Troops would have been rendered as spies by answering to the CIA's Kabul station chief instead of a U.S. military commander.
Such troops would presumably augment the CIA's current training and partnership with Afghanistan's own elite paramilitary intelligence forces, the Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams.
Afghan officials, and the general public in Afghanistan, express much warmer sentiments toward the CIA than to U.S. special operations troops, after a decade of occupation has built up anger and bitterness over civilian casualties from special operations night raids. The CIA as an institution seems to have escaped that collective Afghan resentment, with Afghan officials eager to tell visiting reporters that they regularly work with "OGA," or "Other Government Agency," the slang term for the CIA.

Another bitter pill.

Counterterrorism Pursuit Teams (hmmm thought they had a different designation) are probably some good guys but this news will test SOCOMs vaunted "one fight" mantra.

It'll test it to the breaking point for some units.

We'll see exactly how this supporting command functions when its no longer in the lime light.  The only forces I'm sure that won't have a problem with this tasking (if its true) is US Army Special Forces and US Army Rangers.

But SEALs?

I see them heading to N. Africa real quick.  More headlines, less control and they won't have to fall under the control of the CIA.  They also have the "Bullfrog" of the teams as head of SOCOM so he'll protect his spoiled brats.

The blowback continues...its there for all to see....if you're willing to open your eyes and read between the lines.

11th MEU Flight Ops and Battalion Landing Team Training.

The MEU is the tip of America's Spear...and the Battalion Landing Team is the tip of the MEU...

Marine pilots and sailors aboard USS Makin Island prepare an AH-1Z Super Cobra for takeoff here March 1. The pilots serve with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit is deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.  Photo by Lance Cpl. Claudia Palacios

Pilots flying an AH-1Z Super Cobra approach USS Makin Island here March 1. The pilots serve with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit is deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.  Photo by Lance Cpl. Claudia Palacios

Sailors and Marines position a pair of CH-46E Sea Knights aboard USS Makin Island here March 1. The helicopters were flown by pilots serving with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 268 (Reinforced), the aviation combat element for the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit. The unit is deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.  Photo by Lance Cpl. Claudia Palacios

Sgt. Jeffrey D. Lanuzo loads ammunition before a shoot aboard USS Makin Island here Feb. 26. Lanuzi serves with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit's ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 3/1. The unit is deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.  Photo by Cpl. Gene A. Ainsworth III

Marines Serving with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit's ground combat element, Battalion Landing Team 3/1 load ammunition before a shoot aboard USS Makin Island here Feb. 26. The unit is deployed as part of the Makin Island Amphibious Ready Group, a U.S. Central Command theater reserve force. The group is providing support for maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet area of responsibility.  Photo by Cpl. Gene A. Ainsworth III

F-35A AF-14 First Flight

Lockheed Martin test pilot Bill Gigliotti flew the ninth production model of the F-35 Lightning II, F-35A AF-14 (Air Force serial number 09-5001), on its inaugural flight on 2 March 2012 from NAS Fort Worth JRB.

I wonder how long it will be before there are more F-35's than F-22's?  Regardless critical mass has been achieved.  The Canadians have had there meeting with partner nations and haven't changed a thing.  Reductions in the buys of the F-35 have been relatively small and will not affect the program.  More importantly the USAF isn't backing off its buy and seems to be getting off the UAV bandwagon.  Amazing things happen when you start thinking outside of counter insurgency and start focusing on peer threats.

PS.

Does anyone know the total number of F-35's?  Test and production models...

Base newspaper has unusual take on AOV...Wahlberg to play in Lone Survivor movie...

16th MP Brigade Patch is used to represent Ft. Stewart...the base paper that published the unusual AOV movie review.

First up is the news that Wahlberg is going to play in the Lone Survivor Movie....

Mark Wahlberg is reportedly in talks to star in a new project with ‘Battleship’ director Peter Berg. ‘Lone Survivor’ will star Wahlberg as a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan who is the lone survivor of an ambush attack.

FirstShowing reports that along with Wahlberg, Ben Foster and Taylor Kitsch will have starring roles in the new film as well. With the recent success of ‘Act of Valor,’ it’s clear that the American box office is still receptive to war-based flicks.
Director Peter Berg more than capable of managing the film as he camped with a Navy SEAL unit in Iraq for a month before penning the script, that is also based partly on the memoir by Marcus Luttrell.
Berg’s other project ‘Battleship,’ which stars Liam Neeson, Rihanna and Brooklyn Decker, is due for a May release of this year.

Its a shame that Act of Valor couldn't remain a recruiting movie, circulated for recruiting only.  It would have made its way to the public through unofficial means and would have been well received...especially after the Luttrell story came out.  Heroism on steroids.  Sacrifice beyond belief.  That movie is how the SEALs should want to be portrayed.  Instead we have the ego play that is AOV...which leads me to this....

 And why would people not flock to see this movie when our culture is nearing the tenth year of following a myriad of reality television shows? The movie raked in $25 million over opening weekend.
The Navy SEALs are elite athletes and their recent actions have been heroic, I give them that. Their official motto is:  "Ready to Lead, Ready to Follow, Never Quit." Other navy seal quotes are: "The only easy day was yesterday!" and, "Don't  bother running, you will only die tired."
However, the SEALs certainly are not "Quiet Professionals." The arrogance that surrounds them has also bitten them in the recent rescue attempt that killed British aid worker Linda Norgrove. Something they were not so eager to fess up to, or make a movie about.
Act of Valor is action packed, violent and glory-seeking. In my opinion, it hits too close to home for many who have lost loved ones in our community, or the many wounded warriors who have sustained life-changing injuries over the past nine years during the war.
The glimpse into the SEALs' secretive world does not leave much to the imagination and what they do is really no secret anymore.
At least on the movie's web page, www.actofvalor.com, it promotes the Navy SEAL foundation though donations on the site that directly supports the community and their families.

The blow back continues.  The wrong guy is in charge of SOCOM.  The over reach that is that command will bite them in the ass and I can't wait for it to happen.

Canadian demonstration CF-18 and a Modest Proposal...

Absolutely beautiful.

The Canadians outdid themselves with this.  As a matter of fact our European allies generally do a better job at this than we do. 

And that is a shame.

We have demonstration teams for our Harriers I know for a fact and why don't we follow the lead of others (not in all things mind you but in this case, its a damn good idea).

Lets dump the haze gray and get that bird outfitted in some striking colors with US Marine Corps emblazoned proudly on the side?  Selling the Marine Corps is something that we've got to get started on again.

Despite what some in HQMC believe, I think that the funding war is nothing more than a fight for the life of our Corps. 

And don't you believe that many aren't after our missions.

The US Army is DESIGNING medium weight Brigades that are supposedly air transportable that fight across the spectrum of warfare.

SOCOM (to include our own Recon/Force Recon and MARSOC) are aiming to be the small wars specialist.  Something that we took pride in doing for over 100 years...

The USAF is touting its ability to respond to disasters using its C-17 and C-130's...even going so far as establishing task forces to get the job done.

We're fighting for the life of our Corps.  Painting an airplane to start selling the Corps is a simple step to start the process...and well done Canucks!

SOCOM Is Gobbling Up Marine Air Assets.

A U.S. Marine Corps CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter provides close air support at Hurlburt Field, Fla., Feb. 29, 2012, during exercise Emerald Warrior 2012. Emerald Warrior is an annual two-week joint/combined tactical exercise sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command designed to leverage lessons learned from operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom to provide trained and ready forces to combatant commanders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Matthew J. Bruch/Released

 

 

A US Marine Corps CH-46 is participating at Emerald Warrior 2012.

Now why would that be?

It because we don't have strong leadership in the Marine Corps anymore.  We have a cabal of "individuals" that lust after being called Special Ops.

But does it make sense?

NO IT DOESN'T!

SPECIAL OPERATIONS COMMAND HAS 66,000 MEMBERS!


That's equal to 3 US Army Divisions.


It has air assets from the ....


23rd Air Force  which is composed of a number of USAF wings all tasked with supporting SOCOM.


HSC-84 and HSC-85 US Navy Helicopter Squadrons tasked to provide support to SOCOM.


160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment tasked with providing support to SOCOM.

Answer this for me.

SOCOM is due to grow to over 80,000 personnel in the next 5 years.  With a force that large are we talking about Special Ops or are we talking about another service that continues to leverage resources from the other services despite an ever expanding budget, kept in the black with little accountability.

SOCOM is a rabid dog that has lost its way and needs to be restrained.

This is nonsense.

Let me repeat myself, in less than 5 years SOCOM will number OVER 80,000 people.  That's larger than the entire British Army.

That's almost the size of the British Army and Royal Marines---combined.

That's half the size of the US Marine Corps.

And we have some brain dead desk jockey sending assets to participate in a Special Ops Exercise?

Sad.  Pathetic.  Depressing.

Free-falling for Freedom

Quietly the USMC got its full allotment of LPD-17 class ships.

via UTSanDiego.

Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems division in San Diego has been awarded $55 million to help provide advanced electronics for LPD 27, a planned San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock warship. The 684-foot vessels are designed to carry and land Marines, as well as amphibious assault vehicles. They are among the toughest troop carriers ever built.

The Defense Department says Raytheon will work on the ship's control, navigation and communications systems, and search sensors. Much of the work involves integrating the complex systems carried aboard such vessels.

Two of these ships -- the New Orleans and Green Bay -- are home-ported in San Diego. And the newly built San Diego is scheduled to operate out of San Diego Bay.

Long lead items are already being awarded for the LPD-27.  On the down low the USMC got its full allotment of these ships.

Interesting.

With the capability that we've seen for these ships to operate MANY more helicopters than the ships that they're replacing (they're almost a mini-LHD) I'm finally understanding why there wasn't a bigger roar from HQMC when it came to the Navy reducing the number of amphibs.

If these ships can be made to operate reliably then the Secretary of the Navy's view that a smaller Navy doesn't mean a less capable one will be borne out....at least in the Gator Navy that is.

Chart via Wikipedia.

Ships of the class

Name	Number		Launched		Home port	Status
San Antonio	LPD-17		12 July 2003		Norfolk, Virginia	Active
New Orleans	LPD-18		11 December 2004		San Diego, California	Active
Mesa Verde	LPD-19		19 November 2004		Norfolk, Virginia	Active
Green Bay	LPD-20		11 August 2006		San Diego, California	Active
New York	LPD-21		19 December 2007		Norfolk, Virginia	Active
San Diego	LPD-22		7 May 2010			Under construction
Anchorage	LPD-23		12 February 2011			Under construction
Arlington	LPD-24		23 November 2010			Under construction
Somerset	LPD-25					Under construction
John P. Murtha	LPD-26					Under construction[7]
	LPD-27					Materials being purchased[8]

The best snipers in the world...US Marine Scout Snipers

A Marine Scout Sniper conceals himself as he sites in on his target aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico, Va., during the Scout Sniper Training Course. Sniper students must successfully complete three phases of training: marksmanship and basic field craft; unknown distance and stalking; and advanced field skills and mission employment before obtaining the 0317 military occupational specialty.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Lance Cpl. Cody A. Fodale