Archive for April, 2006

The April edition is up at Winds of Change. Sort of a Super-Linkzookery focused exclusively on the military and transformation:

Some of This Month’s Targets of Opportunity Include: UAV plans; killer drone swarms; WALRUS mega-blimp extict?; Russian airlift for NATO; Hydras and Hellfire; space challenges; Secret weapon: two-way radios; Nano-sensors; Fighter jets as battlefield surveillance – brilliant or dumb?; money-saving supercarriers?; Littoral Combat Ships; Missile defense updates; Energy conservation now a Pentagon issue.

Murodc simply fails to see how you can top this. Don’t miss it.

Bush diverting oil from reserve to pumps
President also orders investigations into whether industry is price gouging

AP/MSNBC:

Under pressure to do something about high gasoline prices, President Bush on Tuesday announced a series of measures, among them temporarily halting deposits to the nation’s strategic petroleum reserve to make more oil available for consumer needs.

In a speech on energy policies, the president added that he had ordered investigations into whether the price of gasoline has been illegally manipulated.

Probably a good move regarding the reserve, which should ease supply issues a bit and (more importantly) calm folks down a half-notch or so. The noticeable effect at the pump won’t be much to speak of, but it might settle futures prices a bit. Murdoc hopes that it’s only a short temporary halt, though.

Note that this is simply a move to stop adding to the SPR, not a move to pull oil from the reserve. That, in Murdoc’s humble opinion, would be a big mistake. Releasing a bit from the reserves in times of true crisis, such as the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, makes sense. Trying to manipulate prices with it does not. The time may come when that reserve is our military’s lifeline.

I’ve been warning folks for years (long before I started MO) that we need to pump the reserve to maximum capacity, then expand capacity and pump some more. It’s for national emergencies and, though current high prices are a severe discomfort for citizens and businesses alike, they do not constitute a national emergency. Things are happening or threatening to happen that could cause an oil emergency like we’ve never experienced. That’s what the SPR is for, and don’t tell me that filling it and expanding it even during a time of high prices is an accident.

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Tony Snow likely to take White House post

I’ve meant to write about this several times, but I’ve been freakin’ lazy. Besides, the Bush Administration could put Gandhi in as Press Secretary and we’d still hear about how the Bush administration is too hard on the White House press corpse.

I liked Tony Snow (for the most part) when he anchored ‘Fox News Sunday’. That was the one news program I watched regularly, but since he stepped down I’ve not tuned in very often. I’m not sure that being Murdoc’s favorite TV news personality qualifies one for White House Press Secretary, but it’s got to count for something.

For what it’s worth, I hope it’s Snow. I think he’d probably do as well as anyone in that no-win position, and he’s generally got his ducks in a row when he argues a point. But we all know that the Press Secretary gets marching orders, so I guess we’ll have to see.

If Snow’s not available but the administration wants to stick with the Fox News connection, maybe they could try Col. David Hunt. Even for a week or so, just to cause a few aneurysms among press corpse members.

Soldiers shouldn’t make ‘mirror’ images of combat patches (subscription only)

In Army Times (subscription only) recently:

[A] worldwide message from the Office of the G-1 (Human Resources) at the Pentagon emphasizes that units are not authorized to modify shoulder sleeve insignia without prior approval from the G-1.

Specifically, the directive wants to make sure soldiers know they cannot make mirror-image changes to insignia that are worn as combat patches.

Combat patches, “shoulder sleeve insignia — former wartime service” or SSI-FWTS, are worn on the right shoulder and signify that a soldier has seen combat with the unit the insignia represents. At issue are the patches for units which “face” one way or another, such as the horse on the 1st Cavalry Division’s patch or the Indian chief’s head on the 2nd Division’s patch. A few examples of “reversed” patches are in the image. Click for a better look.

Murdoc finds this directive a bit odd considering the fact that the US Flag on the right shoulder is required to be “reversed”

As far as that, goes, however, it’s also required to be red, white, and blue, not the “subdued” version of greens and black. I’ve seen many pictures of US troops with these subdued flag patches and I expect that we’ll continue to see pictures of troops with “reversed” combat patches.

The full text of the recent directive is in the extended entry.

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The dust is settling from the first annual MilBlog Conference, though the shockwaves may be reverberating for a while yet. A good time was had by all.

I’ll have more to say about some things that were covered at the conference in the days to come, but I first want to point out some of the great folks I was finally able to meet. Many of them are guys (and gals) that I read on a regular basis, and some of them are folks that I have extensively communicated with electronically over the past few years. But nothing can take the place of meeting face to face, shaking a hand, and tipping back a few with your comrades-in -blogs.

First, Murdoc’s hat is off to Andi of Andi’s World. She was the driving force behind this, and the stunning success is due in large part to her efforts.

Also, Buckethead of the Ministry of Minor Perfidy was kind enough to show me what the Mall is like on a rainy day and guide me to the first stop on the planned MilBlog Pub Crawl. The rain put a damper on the Crawl Buckethead organized (we only ended up hitting two spots, Finn McCool’s Irish Public House and Marty’s) but the festivities were nonetheless, um, festive.

Others I was able to spend a great deal of time with include:

• John Noonan and Charlie Munn of OpFor, formerly at www.enlisted guys don’t come here.com
• Pinch from Instapinch
• Bill Roggio from The Fourth Rail
• Heidi from Euphoric Reality
• CJ of A Soldier’s Perspective
• Col Austin Bay (Conference MC) of Austin Bay.net
• Matt from Blackfive
• Uncle Jimbo from Military Matters
• The Donovans from Castle Argghhh!
• Chuck from From My Position
• Rachelle the Army Wife
• Princess Cat from A Swift Kick & A Band-aid
• Grim from Grim’s Hall

Fortunately, Murdoc bailed before things got real messy.

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I’m headed out to the MilBlog Conference. Posting will be light.

A reader sends in a couple of great pics of the civilian version of the military’s Polaris ATV. We’ve heard many reports of the military, particularly Special Forces, making use of various ATVs over the past few years.

This is from the April 2004 Polaris press release announcing the contract awarded to supply these handy little vehicles:

The agreement, a result of more than two years of collaborative design work with Special Operations Command (SOCOM), includes the Polaris Sportsman MV (Military Version) model designed specifically for military use. The MV boasts the chassis and engine of a standard Sportsman 700, the most powerful automatic-transmission all-terrain vehicle in the world, but incorporates a number of unique features, making it ideal for military use in all types of terrain. Each Sportsman MV features:

• Infrared lights for enhanced night vision
• A roll bar to protect the vehicle
• Run-flat tires & Keyless ignition
• A fortified steel exoskeleton & enhanced suspension for greater support, increased protection, and the ability to cover rough terrain.
• Metal front and back racks that can carry two-times the cargo of a standard all-terrain vehicle
• Front and back winches capable of towing 2,500 lbs. each
• Increased fuel capacity for longer range travel

Some of them were dumped out the back of aircraft and parachuted to the ground in Afghanistan. (And other places, I’m sure.) ATV Connection writes

After building a number of these vehicles for SOCOM, a light bulb went off. Why don’t we sell these same vehicles to the public, minus the parachute and roll cage/gun mount?

They’ve also got a great letter from an 82nd soldier who used the Polaris to find a landmine.
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F-16 Fighting Falcons from the 64th Aggressor Squadron at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., line the flightline at Eielson AFB, Alaska, on Tuesday, April 18, 2006, for Red Flag – Alaska. The exercise, formerly known as Cope Thunder, provides joint offensive counter-air, interdiction, close-air support and large-force employment training in a simulated combat environment. Red Flag – Alaska runs through May 5. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Justin Weaver)

See: Cope Thunder exercise now Red Flag – Alaska. (Image from af.mil)

21st Century Reporting of the Doolittle Raid

Harold Hutchison at Strategy Page has a collection of pieces reflecting how he thinks the Doolittle Raid in 1942 would have been reported if the 2006 media covered it. Here’s a sample:

New York Times Editorial, April 21, 1942: “Without a doubt, the decision to risk two carriers and their escorts to launch a raid that could do so little damage can only be described as incredibly stupid. The fact that the cost of this raid included all sixteen bombers, with most of the aircrews missing, only increases the level of disaster involved. By allowing this mission to go forward, Secretary of War Stimson and Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox have shown that they lack the judgment to carry this war to victory. If they will not resign, then President Roosevelt should fire them.”

Go read the whole thing.

You have probably noticed the links to AmericanSnipers.org on Murdoc Online. If you haven’t checked this group out, why not give it a try?

They are a great volunteer organization that collects gear for our overseas snipers and gets it to the guys who need it. It’s a bit shameful that our snipers, who are playing such a huge role in Iraq, Afghanistan, and other less-publicized places today often don’t get the specialized gear that they need to be at the top of their game.

AmericanSnipers.org means to remedy that situation. They’ve helped snipers in over 300 platoons so far, but as word of their effort spreads the demand keeps growing. Couple this with the fact that the Army recently announced it was going to double the number of snipers that they train and you can see that our snipers and designated marksmen are going to be short of gear for some time to come if we leave it to the official channels.

Murdoc’s been fortunate enough to get an opportunity to write a regular column in a shooting sports trade magazine, and I just sent off my first attempt. It’s a write-up of AmericanSnipers and, if I get the gig, my second will feature a couple of the items often included on sniper wish-lists.

I’ll be writing more about these guys as time goes on, but don’t wait for me. Go check out the site, see some of the great things they’re doing, and consider buying some cool AmericanSnipers gear or making a donation of cash or equipment.