Archive for December, 2008

Coasties often get overlooked, so here’s a cool pic:

(Dec. 14, 2008) A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter arrives to evacuate a merchant sailor who was injured on the Liberian cargo ship 'Marie Rickmers' from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). The Sailor was taken to Abraham Lincoln the previous night by a San Diego Coast Guard helicopter and medically stabilized before being flown to San Francisco for treatment. Abraham Lincoln is underway conducting training and carrier qualifications. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Colby Neal/Released)

U.S. and NATO commanders are fed up with the “protection” scam being run them on the supply route from Peshawar, in the Pakistani tribal territories, to Kabul.

Army to meet goal, but it’s not enough

Army Times:

The Army will meet its end-strength goal of 547,000 this fiscal year, three years earlier than first planned, but that still won’t be enough to meet operational demands, a senior official said.

The Army needs to grow by at least 30,000 more troops to meet current demand, Army Undersecretary Nelson Ford said Tuesday. An end-strength of close to 580,000 is needed to meet the demand, he said.

I think this has been pretty clear for quite some time. The divisional reorganization helped a little. The expansion will help a little. The drawdown in Iraq will help a little. Together, those factors will make a noticeable difference.

But the tempo in Afghanistan is kicking up and will probably kick up more before it settles back down. Demands elsewhere will continue to put a lot of pressure on our forces.

And left unsaid during almost all of this talk about the end-strength of the regular Army are the spectrum of daunting tasks facing America’s special forces. Everyone keeps saying that it takes a decade to substantially grow your special forces. Well, it’s been over seven years since 9/11.

Still, even with all the worrying issues, it’s sure nice to see that this growth goal is going to be reached early. I expect that recruiting will continue to pick up. Some of that will be due to the lessening violence in Iraq, but I suspect that more of it will have to do with the economy and the employment situation in the civilian world.

USS California (BB 44) under construction at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. The only dreadnought-era battleship built on the West Coast.

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Direct gas bullpup.

Pics, info and video at The Firearm Blog.

Grumman unveils the X47B UCAS-D air vehicle one at its Palmdale, Calif., manufacturing facility. Photos by Jeff Swann

Northrop Grumman release:

PALMDALE, Calif., Dec. 16, 2008 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Northrop Grumman (NYSE:NOC) today unveiled the first of the U.S. Navy’s new unmanned combat aircraft at a ceremony here attended by Navy officials, state and local government representatives, suppliers and Northrop Grumman employees. The new aircraft, designated the X-47B Navy Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS), is the first of two aircraft Northrop Grumman will produce for the Navy to demonstrate unmanned combat aircraft operations from the deck of an aircraft carrier.

“Unveiling the first X-47B UCAS aircraft signals a sea change in military aviation, made possible through the Navy’s vision and leadership,” said Scott Winship, Northrop Grumman vice president and Navy UCAS program manager. “I’m extremely proud of the Northrop Grumman-led industry team for its tireless dedication and hard work accomplishing this important milestone.”

The Navy awarded the demonstration contract to Northrop Grumman in 2007 and aircraft assembly was completed in just over a year.

First flight is scheduled for fall of next year.

Read the rest here.

Details of the engagement in which ten Special Forces soldiers earned the Silver Star.

Outnumbered around 10 to 1, they killed 150 to 200.

Bill Roggio writes at the Weekly Standard: Invest In Pakistan’s Military At Own Risk

The Pakistanis are complaining that we’re not funding their military build-up quickly enough.

So what has this investment bought the United States? The Taliban have taken control of all seven of the tribal agencies bordering Afghanistan and is in control or has a strong presence in much of northwestern Pakistan. The Taliban, al Qaeda, and a host of jihadi groups maintain training camps throughout the region. Last summer, U.S. military and intelligence officials told me there are more than 150 camps and more than 400 support locations (safe houses, weapons storage locations, etc.) in the northwest.

And remember the much-publicized drilling for anti-UAV fire? Are they wanting us to supply the ammunition so they can shoot down the Predators we’re having to use because they aren’t doing their job well enough?

Panther Ausf. A of 1st SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, France, June 1944.

Just played a game of Panzerblitz with my son. Don’t charge fortified 88mm guns with T-34Cs. I had numbers on my side. For a little while…