Archive for September, 2008
BoingBoing TV: WWII Boatpunk: Aboard the SS Jeremiah O’Brien, with Todd Lappin
Also, a photoset from the O’Brien on Flickr.
I’ve actually had Man of the People: The Maverick Life and Career of John McCain by Paul Alexander for a couple of weeks now, but am just getting around to posting it.
“Among the many legends who have made America great stands John McCain. Man of the People, Revised and Updated lyrically tells his quintessentially American story: a seemingly ordinary man doing extraordinarily heroic and selfless things–out of a pure devotion to his country. This dynamic biography shows why it’s easy to imagine him among the ranks of Jefferson, Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan, who led America with such daring and wisdom. McCain’s life is so organically American, so true to the legacies of the leaders who preceded him, that the greatest chapter of his story is still to be written.”
–Monica Crowley, panelist, The McLaughlin Group; host, The Monica Crowley Show“John McCain is a real man. By that I mean he has faults and weaknesses like anybody else. But he has supplemented those with a ferocious courage and intensity. Paul Alexander brings McCain’s life to life in a way the reader will never forget.”
–Bill O’Reilly, anchor, The O’Reilly Factor“Man of the People, Revised and Updated is nothing short of the definitive text on what makes John McCain tick. The complexity of this man is not well understood–unless you read this book. Alexander’s must-read chapter on the infamous 2000 South Carolina primary–’The Dirtiest Race I’ve Ever Seen’–is the most comprehensive telling to date of that sad moment in our politics.”
–Craig Crawford, Washington journalist, cqpolitics.com“If I were looking for a politician to clean the corporate pigsty, it would be John McCain. In Man of the People, Paul Alexander artfully captures the drive, the integrity, and the tenacity that make John McCain such a one-of-a-kind politician.”
– Arianna Huffington, cofounder and Editor in Chief, The Huffington Post
You gotta love that last one.
A new edition revised for the 2008 races, published by Wiley.
I wanted to do a big post on the M2 machine gun and the failure to find a replacement for it after last week’s announcement that the US Army was going to be ordering (mentioned in Linkzookery) nearly 30,000 new M2s. I wanted to follow up on March’s Still looking for a new Ma Deuce. The alternatives just haven’t got it done.
Well, Strategy Page beat me to it: Irreplaceable.
UPDATE: In the comments:
The lightweight .50 only has one realistic application – use on a lightweight remote weapons station, where you don’t have the weight budget to absorb the recoil of an M2. Otherwise, it’s an unnecessary capability. The .50 machine gun will always, and should always, be a mounted (or fixed site) system. The days of the dismounted .50 maneuvering on the modern battlefield are gone. Why? Because no matter how much you lighten the gun, you still don’t have the weight budget to hump 100-round cans of .50 ammo around, and the ammo ain’t getting any lighter. The 20 lbs different between the two guns is negligible in a mounted role (remote weapons stations aside). So the light weight argument for the XM312 is a red herring.
Yesterday, Lt Col P at Op-For noted the anniversary of the Inchon landing in 1950 and posted a picture that I could have sworn I’ve posted here before. Since I can’t find the photo, I’ll post it now:
Inchon Invasion, September 1950 First Lieutenant Baldomero Lopez, USMC, leads the 3rd Platoon, Company A, 1st Battalion, 5th Marines over the seawall on the northern side of Red Beach, as the second assault wave lands, 15 September 1950. Wooden scaling ladders are in use to facilitate disembarkation from the LCVP that brought these men to the shore. Lt. Lopez was killed in action within a few minutes, while assaulting a North Korean bunker.
And, regarding amphibious landings in modern warfare, see They won’t fall for that again?
New tanker award might take up to 4 years, General Schwartz says
A new contract for aerial refueling tankers could take as long as four years to award if the next administration decides to initiate the program from a “cold start,” U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff General Norton Schwartz said.
The schedule possibilities could range between “the most aggressive possible” of as little as eight months to the “most lengthy” course of as many as 48 months, Schwartz told reporters Monday at a press conference today in Washington.
We all know that talk of “eight months” is simply unbelievable. Haven’t we been hovering near the “most aggressive possible” level for five years now?
And this:
the Pentagon last week said the current fleet of 445 KC-135 planes, averaging over 40 years old, “can be adequately maintained to satisfy Air Force missions for the near future.”
I like how the KC-135s flip between ‘okay for now’ and ‘on the verge of falling out of the sky’ depending on the day’s political situation.
UPDATE: Also see Snakes and Ladders at Flight Global:
Will Gates’ mandated “cooling-off” period finally allow a rational, fair and intelligent selection process? Will the politicians content themselves to a strictly observational role? Will either Boeing or Northrop Grumman abstain from a protest?
What is likely now is the opposite. This is when the real political manoeuvring, posturing and scheming begin. Gates’ abrupt cease-fire will not stop the gamesmanship it will force it to a new level.
Boeing had this one in the bag years ago and it got away amid a lousy lease deal and a significant amount of corruption. Now, thanks to the latest delay, the competitors not only have more time time lobby their plane, they have an opportunity to lobby for changes to the requirements.
XRLQ: Snopes Hits New Low
“But seriously…” usually indicates that what was just said wasn’t 100% serious.
Steve Schippert on the worsening situation.
Blackfive notes some new solar-powered street lights in the Baghdad area.
Army Starts Down Path of M4 Replacement
DefenseTech:
The Army recently issued a solicitation to industry asking for a view of what’s out there to replace or refine the M4 carbine and M16 rifle.
The solicitation, issued Aug. 22 by Program Manager Soldier Weapons through PEO Soldier, asks industry for their ideas on “the enhanced carbine and subcompact small arms technology.” The solicitation asks for industry to look specifically at performance and production capacity at this point — ignoring the main gripe about the M4′s susceptibility to jam due to its gas operated system.
It notes that calibers other than 5.56 are allowed, and it also notes a “subcompact” weapon when asking for production rate info on submissions.
Of course, the XM8 might be worth revisiting. The HK416 is probably going to get some attention, as well. And the Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) will certainly be in the running. The latter two are already in use with US Special Forces.
Here’s a picture of Murdoc with a Mk16 SCAR-L at this past spring’s SHOT Show:
All three of these rifles waxed the M4 in dust chamber testing late last year. Not long after this test, the Army announced that it was looking at a number of M4 carbine upgrades, including a better magazine. I haven’t heard anything more on this since then.
UPDATE: Meant to mention that, as far as a subcompact personal defense weapon goes, you could do a lot worse than the TDI – KRISS Vector. .45 and virtually no felt recoil. What’s not to like? (Pic of short-barrel version here.)
Besides, you could then argue that a .45 SMG means 9mm pistols have to go to remove 9mm ammo from the logistics line. Win – win.
The Taliban Calls Out The Canadians
Strategy Page reports that Taliban spokesmen have announced that they are going to concentrate their attacks against Canadian troops in Afghanistan in order to influence the upcoming elections.
Most Canadian politicians recoiled at this Taliban threat, and vowed not to be intimidated. But the Canadian people, via strident coverage of Taliban threats, and army losses, are influenced. The Islamic radicals have plenty of fans (largely among the Moslem community) in Canada who report, via email and pro-terrorist message boards, what the mood is in Canada. So the Taliban are feeling pretty sure of themselves, and some of them believed that openly boasting about their strategy would speed up the process.
Isn’t it odd that the Taliban would come out and say this so clearly? I’m going off the account in Strategy Page (which doesn’t link to its sources) and know very little about exactly what this “announcement” really was. But this seems odd.
Could we be seeing games within games here?
Regardless, the Canadians have been doing a pretty bang-up job in Afghanistan for years with little recognition in the US or support at home. We need them on our side.
With things in Iraq looking (on the surface, at the current time, etc. etc.) as if they’re settling down significantly, we’ll be seeing a lot more attention on the long campaign in Afghanistan. That fight is going to go on for a long, long time, and the end state is not going to be a particularly pretty one no matter who wins in the end. The eventual victor is going to be the one who has the determination to stick it out.
