Archive for September, 2005

He served country; now he can join it

GR Press:

For Vincent Corazza, this day was a long time coming.

More than 20 years after he escaped communist Vietnam, five years after joining the Army National Guard and four years after applying for citizenship, he is becoming an American citizen.

“I always felt like I’ve been an American,” said the 28-year-old Grand Rapids resident. “What I think the feeling is is relief.”

He had joined the National Guard without a green card, which isn’t allowed. That fact messed up his attempts to become a US citizen.

His journey toward citizenship began in 1982, when his mother put him in a canvas-covered boat to smuggle him out of Vietnam.

I wonder how many people sneak out of American in canvas-covered boats to go to Vietnam and join the military, especially since Bush was elected.

In any event, we’ve got a good one and we’re keeping him.

Yesterday I noted a Strategy Page post about the return of the LAW. Defense Industry Daily has more details, and had already noted the comeback in March. Check ‘em out.

It seems that the real world, especially the parts of the real world without high-tech military equipment, is bringing back some old-time favorites. I’ve long carried on and on about the M14 rifle, and I noted the M79 ‘blooper’ grenade launcher.

UPDATE: Speaking of DID, Joe Katzman has a great post up at Winds of Change: The US Military’s Futuristic “Helicopters”

He notes the Joint Heavy Lift (JHL) rotorcraft.

This is a futuristic aircraft that would carry roughly the capacity of a modern C-130 Hercules Transport, but with the ability to take off and land like a helicopter.

This reminds me of something that I recall seeing some time back. Apparently, while brainstorming ideas to rescue the Iranian hostages by force, someone came up with the idea of using rockets on a C130 to allow it to land on a soccer field in Tehran, using the rockets to stop it once it touched down. Then, once the hostages were loaded, rear-firing rockets (RATO) would allow the plane to take off again from the field.

Was this a totally pie-in-the-sky idea? Was it ever tested? Is it even feasible? Does anyone know?

Afghan Rebels Change Tactics Amid Losses

Afghanistan:

Four years after a U.S.-led invasion ousted the Taliban from power, insurgents are no longer able to carry out large-scale attacks and lack centralized coordination, said Col. James Yonts, spokesman for the 21,000-strong U.S.-led coalition force in Afghanistan.

“What we are seeing is a change in tactics,” Yonts said. “They no longer have that pool of resources that they can mount a serious offensive against us.”

Instead, he said, small pockets of insurgents are resorting to roadside bombs often targeting civilians and harassing attacks on police posts.

Despite the weakening of the Taliban/Al Qaeda/Rebel forces, the roadside bomb scenario will no doubt continue for years, just as it will in Iraq. But just as we wouldn’t abandon our own territory because a group of Timothy McVeighs and Unabombers blew up stuff, we shouldn’t legitimatize the actions of terrorists and common criminals in the nations we’re helping establish.

For what it’s worth, Afghanistan will always be a backwater and no level of democracy or security will ever change that. But it may as well be FREE and FREINDLY backwater.

Predators fly first four-ship sorties

Manpower crunch?

The latest upgrade to the MQ-1 Predator, known as the Multi-Aircraft Control, or MAC system, entered operational testing with the first two-ship and four-ship Predator sorties being flown over a four-day period.

Testers performed two-ship sorties Sept. 12 and 13 and progressed to four-ship sorties Sept. 14 and 15.

During these sorties, members from the 53rd Test and Evaluation Group, Detachment 4, tested the MAC ground control station on its ability to enable a single pilot to simultaneously control four Predator aircraft over the skies of southern Nevada.

As the capabilities and endurance of UAVs improves, things are really going to change. A small detachment will be able to operate a full squadron of surveillance and combat support birds from the safety of a bunker or college dorm on the next continent.

The system allows one pilot to actively engage a target, while three other Predators are flying nearby on standby status. While one pilot controls all four Predators, sensor operators assigned to each Predator are able to collect data using the sensor ball, located on the front of the aircraft, Colonel Tanner said.

Operators from the 53rd Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla., and 57th Wing at Nellis AFB, Nev., will conduct operational test missions with the MAC system during the next few months in order to evaluate the new two- and four-ship Predator mission capabilities.

UPDATE: Video of Hellfire strike from Predator at Stratepy Page.

Iraqi Sergeants and the Fate of the Nation

This topic was touched on a couple of weeks back here on MO. Strategy Page points out that the NCO corps of most Arab armies have long been neglected, and the Iraqi army was no exception.

However, now the Iraqis have seen, up close, how effective well trained and respected sergeants can be. So American efforts to convince Iraqi officers and troops to adopt the Western type of NCO is showing results. But it’s slow going. For generations, Iraqis have gotten by with sergeants who got no respect, or authority. And not much additional pay, either. As with the officers, the young troops are more willing, and able, to accept these new ideas than the older NCOs who served in Saddam’s army. Another advantage the Iraqis have is the willingness of Jordan to help train NCOs. Jordan, which enthusiastically adopted the British model of what an NCO should be, have the best NCO corps in the Middle East. So the senior Jordanian NCOs can talk directly to their Iraqi counterparts, and convince them that they can make the change (from officer’s lackey to the guy-in-charge.)

But building an effective NCO corps will take at least a decade. The young sergeants, especially the ones getting combat experience, are proving their worth right now. But it will take years for them to acquire the experience and wisdom to become platoon and company sergeants. The platoon sergeants will be particularly valuable, because a major weakness in the Iraqi army was having young lieutenants in charge of platoons, without the assistance of an older and more experienced platoon sergeant.

“At least a decade”. Seems to me that we ought to consider staying the course for more than another six months.

Incidentally, this underscores why I believed at the time and continue to believe today that we were right to disband the old Iraqi army and start over from square one. We didn’t want the old Iraqi army, regardless of whether it would have been loyal or not. We want a new Iraqi army that is professional and capable. Yes, this decision was a serious short-term trade-off with massive security implications. But we are in Iraq for the long haul.

I’d be curious to see what many of those faulting our military and government for not keeping the old Iraqi army intact would be saying today if we had, by the way. That move would have rightly been fair game for those who, rightly in many cases, criticize Americans for taking the short-term solution to long-term problems in the name of expedience.

The upcoming elections are going to be a huge exam for Iraqi military and police forces, I think. They’re going to be shouldering the majority of the security, and their performance will probably have a lot to do with the schedule for the draw-down of US forces in Iraq.

While the “smart move” for the insurgency and terrorists would probably be to lay low for the next year or so and let American forces begin withdrawing, they might find that a year of security in Iraq hurts them more than it helps. So they’re stuck fighting battles that they cannot win against forces growing in strength daily. They dare not fight openly because of their weakness, and they dare not wait to rebuild. They will not give in, to be sure, but what chance they ever had for a meaningful victory is quickly vanishing. Today the Americans are too strong, tomorrow the Iraqis will be too strong.

Rock. Hard place.

Iraq is a quagmire, I tell you.

Murdoc’s results:

You are a Social Liberal (60% permissive) and an… Economic Conservative (78% permissive) You are best described as a: Capitalist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid

I don’t know that I’m really as socially permissive as this makes me look, but I’m not changing any of my answers. (via Jokers to the Right)

The stuff’s been coming in pretty heavy over the past 48 hours or so, and I’ve been tinkering with the filter settings. If you’re getting blocked or your comment’s not showing up or anything else weird is going on, it’s probably because I’ve screwed something up. Drop me a line at mofeedback@sbcglobal.net if you encounter weirdness.

I’ve been confirmed to screen the new film SERENITY tomorrow, as has the rest of the blogosphere.

All I have to do is exactly what they want me to do, which is link to the Serenity site and post this poorly-written synopsis:

Joss Whedon, the Oscar

Tonight’s “Battlefield Diaries” on the Military Channel

documents the heroic efforts of the 5-20 SCBT from Ft Lewis, WA on September 4th of last year. On that date, the 5-20 raced into the hostile city of Tal Afar (near Mosul in NW Iraq) in an effort to rescue the crew of a downed Kiowa helicopter.

Tonight at 10PM EST. (via Stryker Brigade News)

LAW Goes Back to the Future

Strategy Page notes that the LAW rocket launcher is making a comeback. Though woefully outdated for use against armored vehicles, the AT4 and SMAW are a bit heavy and expensive for use against many of today’s targets.

The LAW has several advantages. It is compact (20 inches long, 2.6 inches in diameter), light (7.7 pounds) and cheap (about $2,000 each). It’s 2.2 pound warhead can still knock out light armored vehicles (and unarmored ones as well), but it most often used against enemy troops inside bunkers and buildings.

See Strategy Page for the rest.

MO noted another approach to the need for more appropriate shoulder-fired bunker busters in May when the Marines announced they’d be getting the Predator Short-Range Assault Weapon-Multiple Purpose Variant (SRAW-MPV) .

Plus, Strategy Page has finally added permalinks. Hallelujah.