More photos from the Ottawa Incident.

Gloves are off. The US Army steps firmly onto Marine Corps turf.

via DoD Buzz

As it rethinks its global posture for a possible shift to the Asia-Pacific region, the U.S. Army wants to buy a new fleet of small boats and upgrade existing watercraft, an official said.
The land force and largest branch of the U.S. military has more than 100 vessels in its inventory — including the Cold War-era Landing Craft Mechanized-8 “Mike” boat, as well as the larger Logistics Support Vessel, LSV, and Landing Craft Utility, or LCU-2000 — to support combat and humanitarian missions.
The Army is gearing up to solicit proposals to replace the so-called Mike boats as part of a new acquisition program to buy three dozen craft called the Maneuver Support Vessel (Light), or MSV(L), according to Scott Davis, who heads the service’s Combat Support and Combat Service Support office in Warren, Michigan.

There is no such thing as a crowded battlefield, at least when you're talking about friends or allies.

THERE IS SUCH a thing as services stepping onto each others designated roles and functions.

100 New Mike boats?

During a time when the Army is having trouble getting funding for its Ground Combat Vehicles?

This might be bluff and bluster but its clearly a shot across the USMC's bow.  The gloves are off and they've stepped firmly into Marine Corps turf.  Is this in response to the SPMAGTF-CR's that Amos stood up?

Is it part of the chess game with the budget?

Unknown.  What I do know is that this will raise eyebrows in Marine Corps circles.

...I will say that but it's purely and simply fucked up...via FoxTrot Alpha.

"This is very serious, I would go so far as... well, I won't use Scanian [southern dialect of Swedish]. But I will say that but it's purely and simply fucked up that something or someone has entered this way into Swedish territory."Sverker Göransson, General of the Swedish Army, Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces

Read the entire story here. 

Armed response pic to the terrorist attack in Canada...

Canadian Forces soldier shot at National War Memorial in Ottawa, Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2014.
An RCMP intervention team run next to a Parliament building in Ottawa Wednesday Oct.22, 2014. A Canadian soldier standing guard at the National War Memorial in Ottawa has been shot by an unknown gunman and there are reports of gunfire inside the halls of Parliament.

And this is why Tannerite will soon be illegal...

I just don't understand some portions of the gun community.  The open carry clowns just don't seem to be able to understand that they're hurting more than they're helping...AND they're scaring the mushy middle of the public when it comes to supporting gun rights.

Then we have the Tannerite freaks.  They keep posting videos like you see above that show exactly how powerful this "novelty" device is.

Even worse?  They take pride in doing things with the stuff that just give potential terrorist ideas.  Blowing up an old barn?  Wow, the terrorist says...I could do that to an inhabited building!  Blowing up an old Ford Bronco?  Seems like the perfect compact IED!

Gun community!  GET YOUR HEAD OUTTA YOUR ASS!

Is Canada facing a complex terrorist attack? Updating this continuously....

News is on right now that Ottawa is under lock down.  A madman with a gun is on the loose and he's spilling blood.

What I wonder is if Canada is facing a complex terrorist attack.

Several days ago a Canadian soldier was rundown.  Reports state that he was attacked by a radicalized Muslim.  Now we have this.

One of the scenarios that I've talked about is a small group activating and setting up sniper hides in all parts of a city.  Have you noticed how much manpower modern police deploy to handle one shooter?  Four or Five active shooters at the same time would CRIPPLE a major city.

More to come I'm sure.

UPDATE:  This is looking more and more like a terrorist attack.  Just plain awesome.  Canada has lax immigration laws and this shit just bit them in the ass.  According to news reports we're next.  I guess this might be our Oct surprise.

UPDATE 1:  Supposedly they're now hearing explosions.  Nope, it appears that there is some type of running gun battle and not explosions.

UPDATE 2:  If you don't conceal carry you're a fool.  Too many dangers in today's world.  I heard a grown man being interviewed and he has barricaded/huddled in a corner in his office.  You do realize that this barricade and hiding thing was designed to protect school kids after the Columbine affair!  Besides the idiocy of a man expecting another man to protect him, you also have the sad fact that law enforcement always gets their after the fact.

UPDATE 3:  The attackers are supposedly wearing all black with "Arab" head dress.  Sounds like ISIS wannabe's to me.

AAV replacement challenge...nope, just a procurement train wreck.

Keeping the AAV in service till 2030 and beyond is like asking Gulf War 1 Marines to ride into battle in LVT's from WW2.

Check this out via Forbes...

The details of how this plan emerged are complicated and depressing, because General Amos gradually came to realize that he lacked the resources to implement his vision of what the top Marine Corps ground modernization priority should look like due to congressional spending caps on military spending. Not only would the new amphibious vehicle not be able to offer the enhanced survivability and maneuverability of a planing system — it would move more slowly through the water like the existing vehicle — but it would have wheels rather than tracks, because that’s what the service could afford (tracked vehicles have traditionally been preferred for all-terrain mobility).
In effect, the lesser of two amphibious vehicles the Marines had been planning to develop became the centerpiece of near-term modernization, and the idea of replacing the existing AAV was deferred for the umpteenth time.

But wait there's more...

The larger question here, though, is whether the Marine Corps can finally firm up its plan for modernizing amphibious vehicles and make some progress on fielding new systems. As the capabilities of prospective adversaries have advanced, many observers have begun to question whether amphibious warfare has a future. Failing to field modern systems capable of safely transporting warfighters from ship to shore exacerbates concerns about the dangers involved. Thus, if the Marine Corps wants to sustain political support for its most distinctive mission, it needs to start bending metal soon.

I don't even need to see the budget to know that the Marine Corps can't afford the F-35, CH-53K, buy more MV-22's, the JLTV, upgrade the M1A1 to US Army M1A2 Tusk standards and afford the ACV.

The USMC procurement train wreck is a reality.