Archive for March, 2005
1-72nd Armor training exercise in South Korea. That should be the cover on a book or something. From yesterday’s Frontline Photos.
Last week it was released that “crew error” had caused the crash of a Predator UAV last year in Nevada during training. Now one went down near Balad in Iraq, north of Baghdad.
Doesn’t seem to be any info on the latest crash in the article. All the details are about the crash last year. Probably mechanical problems or crew error and not a shoot-down.
Rev. Sensing of One Hand Clapping has a son in the Marines. He’s got some pics up from a visit this past weekend. His son is assigned to an AAVP7A1 amtrack.
A former Marine left a comment in another post that driving one of these things is like “driving a house.”
I posted a pic of a whole neighborhood of Marines making their way north some time back. Can you believe those amtracks have put so many miles on them?
ROBODOC GETS PENTAGON CASH: A reader tipped me off to this story yesterday, but DT beat me to it. This thing is like the Terminator, only nicer.
NAVY’S NEW TARGET: SWEDISH SUB: I noted the plan to contact out aggressor work for our anti-sub force last fall, and now it’s official. We’re leasing a GOTLAND-class sub and crew from Sweden to practice against. The GOTLANDs are diesel-powered and have Air Independent Propulsion, the latest and greatest in the world of underwater quietness. As one who’s long begged our military to not ignore the threat of quiet subs (sort of the guerrilla fighter in naval warfare) I like this move. There will be some US personnel aboard as observers, and I hope we run these tests in a realistic manner. If it means a carrier gets “sunk”, don’t change the rules. We need to know how this sort of confrontation would go down.
DARPA: TRANSLATE THIS: An electronic device for fast 95% accurate translations. Of anything. DT even has a pic of the Gorn up.
MISGUIDED “MINUTEMEN”: DT doesn’t like the Mexican border “Minuteman” idea and raises some good points. But there is a very serious problem down there, official agencies are simply incapable of handling it, and the government shows no inclination to beef up security.
Related: In a development totally 100% not related to the “Minutemen” in any way, shape, or form, U.S. agency poised for big border security operation. Critics and federal agencies will naturally deny it, but this is already a victory for the “Minutemen”.
The goal is to “establish and maintain operational control” of the border, according to planning documents for “Operation Full Court Press,” the initiative’s code name. The operation will redeploy Black Hawk helicopters and significant numbers of air and ground resources from around the country, the documents say.
I’m sorry. But it seems to me that if we need to “establish operational control”, that means we don’t have it right now.
Let me repeat: We do not have operational control of our border. That’s apparently official.
This operation is a good thing, but it’s being put together by pulling resources from other areas. This operation should be temporary, and the exit strategy should be to stand down when no more illegals are crossing over.
Eisenhower rejoins fleet as overhaul ends
After a four year, 2.5 billion dollar pit stop, the USS DWIGHT D EISENHOWER is back at sea.
They did more than change right side tires and add a half-pound of wedge, though.
The overhaul included the reconstruction of the ship’s island, the installation of a new antenna mast and new radar tower, an upgrade and modernization of combat and communication systems, and overhaul of the ship’s hull, mechanical and electrical systems, as well as the refueling of its two nuclear reactors, the Navy said.
That splash of gas will last the EISENHOWER 25 years. It’s the only time she’ll ever be refueled.
UPDATE: A commenter thinks I’m jumping the gun when I say that’s the only time the EISENHOWER will ever be refueled. Upon reflection, I think he’s right. Though this is the only planned refueling for the ship over her projected lifespan, who knows how long she’ll actually end up serving?
I stand corrected.
Airport Security Breach Delays Holiday Travelers
The Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport:
“An image of a revolver appeared on the X-ray,” said Paul Wisniewski, the airport’s federal security director.“It occurred when X-ray operators were changing positions, relieving each other, which caused some confusion,” said Wisniewski. The passenger was allowed to proceed because of that.”
Once police caught up with the passenger, they found no gun so they cleared the concourses and began their search.
They never found it, however
believe it is no longer in the airport
The moral of the story is: Sneak your revolver onto an airplane while the security personnel are changing positions. It’s apparently okay then.
Thank goodness they got that gun out of the airport. (via Michelle Malkin)
Random Nuclear Strikes points out the lowdown on professional protesters:
“I was walking through the Dallas airport with some colleagues and one of them recognized two of the same protestors we had seen outside the event in Albuquerque. We had some extra time, so we decided to talk to them. They were very polite and explained to us they had just come from protesting an event nearby. One of them very quickly identified themselves as professional protestors.”“Not that they just liked to protest, but that they actually got paid by liberal interest groups to travel the country protesting. Here they were, sitting in the airport TGI Friday’s having a burger and getting ready to travel to New Orleans for another protest. They were good kids and wanted to talk. We tried discussing some of the benefits of Social Security reform. They listened, but weren’t too interested. Not because they had opposing views, they just said they weren’t too educated on the details. They even admitted they didn’t know who it was they were going to protest in New Orleans.”
Reminds me of a guy I knew. Except he didn’t need to be paid. I’ve mentioned him before:
This is absolutely true.
He shrugged and said he wasn’t sure, and did I know if there was a schedule of planned protests so he could see what worked out for him schedule-wise?
San Francisco crew members honored for heroism
20 crew members of the USS SAN FRANCISCO were recognized for their actions after the nuclear sub collided with an undersea mount. Three days earlier, six crew members had been recognized in a far less positive light for their actions before the collision. One crew member was killed and two dozen more were seriously wounded in the collision.
Two crewmembers — Lt. j.g. Craig Litty and Hospital Corpsman 1st Class (SS) James Akin — were given the Meritorious Service Medal for administering emergency triage to 70 injured crew members and organizing the crew’s mess into a makeshift emergency trauma center. Akin also was commended for his assessment of injuries and recommendations for which injuries most required transfer off the sub, which “enabled the ship to adopt the correct posture with respect to operational risk management,” according to the citation.
Nine Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals were awarded, as well as four Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals and five letters of commendation from Submarine Group 7.
One additional interesting note is that the story says the sub will
transit to Hawaii this summer for further damage assessments
Most of the previous stories I’ve seen were written in a way that seemed to presume the sub would be repaired and rejoin the fleet, which sort of surprised me. “Further damage assessments” indicates that maybe repairing the sub isn’t a given.
The pressure hull wasn’t damaged, so repairs are certainly possible, but in this day and age of deactivating subs with life left in them I would think that perhaps one other sub would be kept on longer and the SAN FRANCISCO deactivated. The SAN FRANCISCO is not one of the “Improved” LOS ANGELES class subs, so keeping one of the other non-”Improved” subs online for a little longer would not bring a loss of capability, though I know that there’s a lot more to it than that.
UPDATE: I had the wrong link in the story. Thanks to a reader tip it’s been fixed.
Logan hasn’t learned post-9/11 lessons: Airport sweep uncovers lax security, nets 14 aliens
Via Jay Tea at Wizbang: Logan Airport, the departure point for two of the 9/11 planes, is apparently symbolic of what I think is wrong with America’s World War 4 security: Just about everything.
In what amounts to the largest security breach at Logan International Airport since the 9/11 terrorist attacks, more than a dozen illegal immigrants with unfettered access to the terminal – and possibly beyond – were arrested at the airport yesterday, according to a source and federal officials.Relatives and loved ones of victims killed in 9/11 called the security lapse a “disgrace.”
“They’re putting everybody at risk,” said Mary Bavis, the mother of Mark Bavis, who was on United Flight 175, one of two planes hijacked out of Logan and crashed into the World Trade Center towers in New York. “I just can’t understand how that can happen. We’re supposed to have so much more security.”
The 14 Brazilian nationals – 12 men and women, and two juveniles – worked as airport janitors for Hurley of America, a company with offices in Stoneham, officials said. One of the men was wanted on a fugitive warrant for evading deportation. [emphasis mine]
This particular story neatly summarizes my disgust with failed/ignored improved security measures AND the illegal immigrant problem. George Bush, who I support fully on most issues, wants to give these guys a free pass.
Well, not these guys, I’m sure he’d say if you asked him. These guys present a potential security hazard. But the other 11 million guys are all okay. They just want a better life for themselves. And besides, some of their family members are registered voters.
At least I’m not bitter.
A force of 40 or 50 insurgents successfully ambushed the convoy the MPs were providing security for a week ago. The ‘Minutemen’ were heavily armed with RPGs and automatic weapons. When the MPs moved between the convoy and the attackers, more insurgents opened fire from behind them. Textbook. The insurgents had the MPs right where they wanted them.
Then the Kentucky National Guard let loose.
When it was over, 27 of the attackers were dead, several more captured, and the rest scattered.
Not too shabby for National Guard MPs. Not too shabby at all.
Three of the MPs were wounded, two of them seriously.
These weapons and more were recovered. The caption reads
Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester, from Bowling Green, Ky., a team leader with 4th Platoon, 617th Military Police Company, 503rd Military Police Battalion, 18th Military Police Brigade, stands in front of a captured weapons cache after her squad repelled an insurgent attack on a coalition supply convoy southeast of Baghdad on Sunday.
Women are barred from combat units, but, as we’ve seen, even if the unit doesn’t go to combat the combat sooner or later comes to the unit.
This incident was almost immediately overshadowed by the raid on a Tikrit insurgent base two days later in which 80 insurgents were killed, but it’s important that we don’t overlook the fact that US National Guard forces not only carried the day against a successful, determined ambush, but they pitched a shutout. (Pic found at Frontline Photos (3/25/05)).
UPDATE: Strategy Page has a first draft of the After Action Report for this engagement. It is a must-read. Here are some excerpts:
On Sunday afternoon, in a very bad section of scrub-land called Salman Pak, on the southeastern outskirts of Baghdad, 40 to 50 heavily-armed Iraqi insurgents attacked a convoy of 30 civilian tractor trailer trucks that were moving supplies for the coalition forces, along an Alternate Supply Route. These tractor trailers, driven by third country nationals (primarily Turkish), were escorted by 3 armored Hummers from the COSCOM (Corps Support Command, which takes care of supply). When the insurgents attacked, one of the Hummers was in their kill zone and the three soldiers aboard were immediately wounded, and the platform taken under heavy machinegun and RPG fire.
Along with them, three of the truck drivers were killed, 6 were wounded in the tractor trailer trucks. The enemy attacked from a farmer’s barren field next to the road, with a tree line perpendicular to the ASR (Alternate Supply Route, one of the main roads used for supply convoys), two dry irrigation ditches forming a rough L-shaped trenchline, and a house standing off the dirt road. After three minutes of sustained fire, a squad of enemy moved forward toward the disabled and suppressed trucks. Each of the enemy had hand-cuffs and were looking to take hostages for ransom or worse, to take those three wounded US soldiers for more internet beheadings.
News reports I read previously made no mention of wounded COSCOM troops or killed/wounded third-country nationals. These three wounded soldiers are not the same three noted in the news stories.
The MP Squad (Raven 42) had been trailing the convoy at a slight distance. When the convoy came under attack, they “arrived on the scene like the cavalry”.
They arrived on the scene just as a squad of about ten enemy had moved forward across the farmer’s field and were about 20 meters from the road. The MP squad opened fire with .50 cal machineguns and Mk19 grenade launchers and drove across the front of the enemy’s kill zone, between the enemy and the trucks, drawing fire off of the tractor trailers.The MP’s crossed the kill zone and then turned up an access road at a right angle to the ASR and next to the field full of enemy fighters. The three vehicles, carrying nine MPs and one medic, stopped in a line on the dirt access road and flanked the enemy positions with plunging fire from the .50 cal and the SAW machinegun (Squad Automatic Weapon). In front of them, was a line of seven sedans, with all their doors and trunk lids open, the getaway cars and the lone two story house off on their left.
One of the MPs Humvees was hit by an PRG, knocking the .50 machine gunner unconscious. After this hit, the men in the Humvee immediately behind dismounted but were all wounded by machine gun fire. The soldiers in the hit Humvee see this and dismount. The .50 gunner comes to and gets back into the fight in a serious way, taking down a number of insurgents in the trench.
One of the soldiers who dismounted from the hit Humvee was described as a
team leader Sergeant with her M4 and M203 grenade launcher
This could very likely be the team leader in the photo. She
runs low on ammo and runs back to a vehicle to reload. She moves to her squad leader’s vehicle, and because this squad is led so well, she knows exactly where to reach her arm blindly into a different vehicle to find ammo-because each vehicle is packed exactly the same, with discipline.As she turns to move back to the trenchline, Gunner in two sees an AIF (enemy- Anti-Iraq Forces) jump from behind one of the cars and start firing on the Sergeant. He pulls his 9mm, because the .50 cal is pointed in the other direction, and shoots five rounds wounding him. The sergeant moves back to the trenchline under fire from the back of the field, with fresh mags, two more grenades, and three more M203 rounds. The Mk 19 gunner suppresses the rear of the field.
Now, rejoined with the squad leader, the two sergeants continue clearing the enemy from the trenchline, until they see no more movement. A lone man with an RPG launcher on his shoulder steps from behind a tree and prepares to fire on the three Hummers and is killed with a single aimed SAW shot thru the head by the previously knocked out gunner on platform two, who now has a SAW out to supplement the .50 cal in the mount.
The team leader sergeant–she claims four killed by aimed M4 shots.
The Squad Leader–he threw four grenades taking out at least two AIF, and attributes one other to her aimed M203 fire.
Not bad…for a girl.
Meanwhile
The gunner on platform two, previously knocked out from a hit by the RPG, has now swung his .50 cal around and, realizing that the line of vehicles represents a hazard and possible getaway for the bad guys, starts shooting the .50cal into the engine blocks until his field of fire is limited. He realizes that his vehicle is still running despite the RPG hit, and drops down from his weapon, into the drivers seat and moves the vehicle forward on two flat tires about 100 meters into a better firing position. Just then, the vehicle dies, oil spraying everywhere. He remounts his .50 cal and continues shooting the remaining of the seven cars lined up and ready for a get-away that wasn’t to happen.
That’s quite a day at the office.
Although I’ve excerpted quite a bit, you really should go read the rest. It includes a medic using an AT4 anti-tank rocket to take out a sniper who was threatening the wounded men the medic was treating. Why would a medic know how to use an AT4? Because he had been “forced” to familiarize himself with it the day before even though everyone knew he’d never use one. And another complaint about the shitty M9 pistol.
Remember, these are not only Military Police (not infantry) but they’re Kentucky National Guard citizen soldiers (not active Army). How’s that for getting the job done?
Really, go read the whole thing.
