R. Lee Ermey's SOUND OFF Forum

[marinejim]

One of the intriguing things about recently-departed defense secretary Robert Gates -- pretty much a lifetime spy -- was his concern that the U.S. toolkit was out of whack when it comes to weapons v. diplomacy. He'd frequently mention how there were more sailors on an aircraft carrier, or musicians in the Pentagon's bands, as there are foreign service officers working for the State Department. Does he have a point? Debating the issue is your Battlander joined by John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and Nora Bensahel and Dave Barno, two of John's colleagues at CNAS.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/07/27/is-u-s-national-security-gun-heavy-a nd-butter-light/#ixzz1TL3BI4vW

[marinejim]

"Is U.S. Military Personnel Policy Ready For The 21st Century?"


Many experts say the industrial-era personnel system still in use by the Pentagon -- with its up-or-out promotions, its non-vesting pension system for the first 20 years, and its decrepit means of evaluating officers -- was perfect for World War II. But now that we have an all-volunteer force reliant on skilled people who often can find work elsewhere, is the current system the best way to maintain the world's best military? John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and your Battleland correspondent tussle with the issue, with help from Dave Barno, a retired Army lieutenant general, and Nora Bansahel, a former Rand Corp. military strategist now at CNAS.



Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/07/28/is-u-s-military-personnel-policy-rea dy-for-the-21st-century/#ixzz1TRR7uwAW

[marinejim]

"Should The U.S. Military Be the World's Cop?"

Following World War II, perhaps it was inevitable that the U.S. military would be consigned to walking beats around the world like a neighborhood cop -- from Europe to Asia -- especially as the Cold War heated up. But now that the Cold War has been over for a generation, does it still fall to the U.S. to patrol the world's hotspots -- especially when that means that other, just as wealthy nations, might be getting a free ride? Your Battleland trooper debates the topic with John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security, along with Nora Bensahel, a military strategist now at CNAS, and retired Army lieutenant general Dave Barno.

Read more:

http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/07/29/should-the-u-s-military-be-the-world s-cop/#ixzz1TVLn13Pt

[marinejim]

Fort Hood Planning Foreshadows the Way of the Gun

If press reports are accurate, the young soldier arrested for allegedly planning to shoot troops near Fort Hood was inspired by Major Nidal Hasan, who slaughtered 13 people at Fort Hood in November 2009. Pfc. Naser Abo, 21, also had in his hotel room bombmaking materials and a copy of an article from Inspire, published by al-Qaeda's Yemen branch.

It also turns out that a bloodbath may have been averted in this case because the police in Killeen, Texas got lucky. A local gun store owner grew suspicious of Abdo's odd behavior when the soldier came in to buy smokeless gunpowder, shotgun shells, and a magazine for a semiautomatic handgun. The store was Guns Galore, the same place Hasan bought his gun used in the massacre.

What is perhaps scariest is that terrorists working alone or in groups have figured out how remarkably easy and deadly it is to use guns to wreak terror. They are easy to get, hard for authorities to track, and, of course deadly. There is no need to try to get through airport security.


Ask the Norwegians. Anders Behring Breivik killed eight people with his spectacular bombing in Oslo, but was able to murder 68 with gunfire. The 2008 terrorists in Mumbai managed to kill 164 people and wounded at least 308, mostly by gunfire.

I was in Washington in the fall of 2002 when John Allen Muhammad and his teenage accomplice Lee Boyd Malvo used one sniper rifle to keep millions of people buzzing with stress and fear for three weeks in Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia. I was probably more likely to get struck by lightning than a bullet from Muhammad's gun, but I was looking over my shoulder when I went to put gas in my car. It was scary.

The gun is just too easy and too deadly. Terrorists have increasingly figured that out. America should get ready for the way of the gun.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/07/29/fort-hood-planning-foreshadows-the-w ay-of-the-gun/#ixzz1Tax0B1uf

[marinejim]

Budget Trigger is Pentagon's Armageddon, or Maybe Not a Big Deal

Quote:

The debt deal trigger that could impose a separate round future cuts at the Pentagon will gut the Defense Department budget, dramatically weaken the military, and place national security at risk. Or, the cuts are not that steep and are not that big of a deal, depending on who you ask.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/02/budget-trigger-is-pentagons-armagedd on-or-maybe-not-a-big-deal/#ixzz1TyDafVRH

[marinejim]

UK: Brother, Can You Spare an Aircraft Carrier?

Quote:

A report by a defense panel in the British parliament explores the impact of upcoming budget cuts on the UK military. Among other shockers, there is an upcoming 10-year period where the Brits will have no -- zero -- aircraft carrier strike capability while old carriers are retired and new carriers are not in the ocean yet.

The Chair of the committee, James Arbuthnot said this about the report from the findings:

This is a clear example of the need for savings overriding the strategic security of the UK and the capability requirements of the Armed Forces. The Government needs to outline its plans to manage the gap left by the loss of these capabilities and lay out detailed plans for their regeneration.

That's a heck of a gap.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/03/uk-brother-can-you-spare-an-aircraft -carrier/#ixzz1U553v7Fm

[marinejim]

"So There I Was..."

So there I was, tightening the velcro on my flak vest. One of my crewmembers pointed out to me the warning label the lawyers wrote on the inside in case it failed to perform as advertised. It said something about this piece of equipment not being rated to stop ballistics or projectiles. Good to know.

Quote:

- Officer X is a young, gay military officer who is currently serving on active duty despite the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ban on open service. He is a pilot and regularly flies throughout the world both in and out of combat. His views are his alone and do not reflect the opinions of the U.S. military, its branches, or any organization.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/04/so-there-i-was/#ixzz1UA8LI7XB

[marinejim]

Length of Army Combat Tours Decreased

There is some good news in the world. This ain't the biggest deal, but we'll take it.

The Army will reduce the length of many combat deployments from 12 months to 9 months. This is also down from the height of the Iraq war, when many soldiers spent 15 months at war. The shortened tours don't begin until early 2012 and don't apply to units that deploy before then.

Also, Army Secretary John McHugh says that "high demand and low density units and individual deployers" will still go to war for a year at a time. Sorry folks.

While it is "only" three months less, its hard to imagine how big a deal that is to a guy or gal at some isolated FOB in Afghanistan.



Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/05/length-of-army-combat-tours-decrease d/#ixzz1UG33XIze

[marinejim]

A "Golden BB" Downs a U.S. Helicopter in Afghanistan, Killing 38

A deadly golden BB apparently found its target over Afghanistan early Saturday, killing 31 U.S. special operations troops and seven Afghan along for the mission to learn from the best. The "golden BB" is the combat aviator's worst nightmare: a lucky shot that – if it hits in the right place – can doom a helicopter and all aboard. Helicopters are more vulnerable than fixed-wing aircraft; they fly slower, and their mechanical parts – a tail rotor, mechanical shaft or fuel tanks, for example – more likely to lead to disaster when struck.

Read more:

http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/06/a-golden-bb-downs-a-u-s-helicopter-i n-afghanistan-killing-38/#ixzz1ULkrIAv1

[marinejim]

may they rest in peace


How the Taliban Brought Down the SEALs' Chopper


I have flown in CH-47 Chinook helicopters over Afghanistan, like the one shot down Saturday that killed 38, including 22 members of the elite SEAL Team 6. Believe me, it's not a ride for the faint-hearted. In addition to straps for rucksacks and weapons, you need one for your stomach.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/08/how-the-taliban-brought-down-the-sea ls-chopper/#ixzz1USH3cbSE

[marinejim]

"Why Are We at War With Libya?"

This week on Command Post we're taking a look at what has been going on for more than five months -- yikes, by my watch that's nearly half a year -- in Libya. This was supposed to be a flick-of-the-wrist military action by the most powerful military alliance in the history of the world. NATO chieftains expected the barrage would lead to Muammar Gaddafi's political, if not literal, demise in short order. But that hasn't happened, and with every passing day NATO seems to be more lashed to the word hapless. But back to the start of this campaign on March 19: just what makes Libya worth risking any American lives or U.S. taxpayer dollars? John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security and your Battlelander discuss the U.S. national interests at stake in Libya -- or the lack thereof -- with Paul Hughes, a retired Army colonel now with the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Andrew Exum, a former Army officer who led Rangers in Afghanistan and Iraq, and now a CNAS senior fellow.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/08/why-are-we-at-war-with-libya/#ixzz1U Xk4uAW4

[marinejim]

Some Really Fouled Up Navy Paperwork




Some stuff you can't make up. Here's a World War II request from the submarine USS Skipjack pleading for toilet paper -- nearly a year after its captain first requested it. "During the 11-1/2 months elapsing from the time of ordering the toilet paper and the present date the SKIPJACK personnel, despite their best efforts to await delivery of subject material have been unable to wait on numerous occasions," the missive said. Check out the letter here.

http://timemilitary.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/tpltr.png

You can't say the Navy doesn't have a sense of humor: when the Skipjack next pulled into port, it was greeted by a dock piled high with toilet roll pyramids, countless toilet roll streamers flying from every available post, and a brass band wearing toilet paper neckties. h/t I Like the Cut of His Jib!

Read more:

http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/10/some-really-fouled-up-navy-paperwork  /#ixzz1UdOIfBUe

[marinejim]

Fog of War: Taliban Claim Chinook Killer Still Alive


As soon as we heard Marine General John Allen, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, was going to brief Wednesday morning, we knew he'd have something positive to say: a U.S. F-16 terminated the Taliban who downed the CH-47 Chinook in the Tangi Valley over the weekend with extreme prejudice early Monday.

But as sure as day follows night, the Taliban have now responded to Allen's assertion:

"This is not true," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told the news agency AFP Thursday. "After seeing the enemy statement, we contacted the mujahed [fighter] who shot down the helicopter and he's not dead. He's busy conducting jihad elsewhere in the country."

It's the ideal action/reaction by each side: no way for the U.S. to prove it got him, and no way for the Taliban to prove it didn't.

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/11/fog-of-war-taliban-claim-chinook-kil ler-still-alive/#ixzz1UjKr5Fsb

[marinejim]

Carrier Wars: Who's Crazier --

U.S. Imperiling National Security by Shrinking to Nine Carrier Strike Groups, or China for Selecting Nine Captains for its One Used Russian Flattop?

Read more: http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/11/carrier-wars-whos-crazier-u-s-imperi ling-national-security-by-shrinking-to-nine-carrier-strike-groups-or-china-for-s electing-nine-captains-for-its-one-used-russian-flattop/#ixzz1UpZVcNsM

[marinejim]

The Pentagon's Amazing Failure

You'd be hard-pressed to know Thursday's $120 million test-firing of the Pentagon's Falcon Hypersonic Technology Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) was a bust from the press release issued in its wake by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Read more:

http://battleland.blogs.time.com/2011/08/12/the-pentagons-amazing-failure/#ixzz1 UvMXGPrM