Raw Intel

The latest iteration of the People’s Republic of China’s highly successful island hopping campaign in the Southwest Pacific has brought us to another round of the US national security nomenklatura and chatterati pounding away at their keyboards trying to figure out not just what is going on, but what China’s goals are. Everyone continues to talk each other in circles, your humble blogg’r included. Towards the end of last week it started to dawn on me that perhaps part of the problem is that “we” continue to think ourselves in to the same intellectual box canyons. As a result, at the end of each iteration we don’t make progress and the Chinese get more islands. The last …

Americas The US Space Force wants to send a satellite to the moon in order to help detect, track and identify artificial objects operating there. A draft Request for Proposals was published recently for the spacecraft, called the Cislunar Highway Patrol System (CHPS) satellite. The satellite will expand the Space Force’s space domain awareness by one thousand times. The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Space Vehicles Directorate will be in charge of developing CHPS. The Defense Department (DoD) is ending a study on how to streamline and better protect its vast array of often incompatible ground terminals for satellite communications to introduce some changes next y…

May the Christmas spirit find you where ever you may may be. The US Navy wishes you peace on this day, but if you don't want peace ... well ... in the finest traditions back to George Washington, we can handle that too. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=OMcBgSuXY-Y:gLo1h91AncI:F7zBnMyn0Lo…

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2394/2283121435_9a6ede08e9_o.jpg25 FEB 1852. Discipline. Honor. Sacrifice - and steadfast leadership. Do you really know what they mean? How do you know you, as well as the men and women under your command, can do what is needed - and do it with cold firmness? Are you ready for the Birkenhead Drill?To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about, Is nothing so bad when you’ve cover to ’and, an’ leave an’ likin’ to shout; But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew, An’ they done it, the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too! Their work was done when it ’adn’t be…

If you think Critical Race Theory in high schools is of questionable utility, then you will love what has come to the United States Naval Academy Midshipmen. With the CNO endorsing one of the most high-profile race essentialists, Kendi, to the Navy at large there are no guardrails to the most divisive, and in many ways racist ideas from being brought into all levels of our Navy. You can call it “racial essentialism,” CRT, or just plain racism … but what we’ve tried to warn everyone about for over a decade and a half is here with bells on. There is bad news, and there is good news. First, the bad news; do you know who Claudia Rankine is? Neither did I until a little birdie…

Cessna 208B: note ISR turret (click to view full) Iraq’s air force has been very slow in getting to its feet. A handful of Seeker light observation aircraft with their distinctive bubble-shaped fronts, a few Comp Air light propeller aircraft, a couple of old, refurbished C-130E transports, and a slowly growing fleet of helicopters. A few Hawker Beechcraft King Air 350s have been ordered for transport and surveillance duties, and an RFP for armed counterinsurgency aircraft has only given Iraq a set of unarmed T-6B trainers. Even subsequent orders for F-16C/D fighters and L-159 advanced trainer and attack jets leave the Iraqi air force a long way from being able to secur…

Americas Rolls-Royce won a $21.8 million contract modification, which exercises an option to provide depot repair of T56-A-427 engines utilized on E-2 Hawkeye aircraft, to include repair of the power section, torque meter, gearbox and accessories in accordance with Navy depot manuals and approved repair practices. The Hawkeye is an s an American all-weather, carrier-capable tactical airborne early warning (AEW) aircraft. Work will take place in Texas, Canada and Indiana. Expected completion date is January 2022. The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford completed Combat Systems Ship’s Qualifications Trials, a milestone in validating its defenses, the US Navy said. The five…

There is one area of agreement among navalists, the US Navy is beset with a whole series of hard, long building problems, ignored for too long. Many, including our highest ranking uniformed leadership, seem incapable of not only acknowledging them, but coming up with a plan to address them. As we enter 2021 and the third decade of the 21st Century, what are our greatest challenges, and what are some steps we can take to start the process of meeting them? Returning to Midrats this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern to discuss this and related issues he raised in this recent article, The Navy Has Problems and Must Be Bold to Fix Them, will be Bryan McGrath, CDR USN (Ret.), Manag…

Americas Boeing won a $12.8 million order, which provides for the rework, repair, and overhaul of 16 Harpoon capsules and six all-up round encapsulated Harpoon missiles for the Navy. Work will be performed in St. Charles, Missouri; and Burnley, Lancashire, England, and is expected to be completed in September 2024. The Florida-based 125th Fighter Wing […]View the full article

Americas Sikorsky won a $550.4 million modification, which is for Lot IV low rate initial production and delivery of six CH-53K aircraft and associated aircraft, programmatic and logistics support, rate tooling and physical configuration audits. The CH-53K Super Stallion can be fielded from amphibious assault ships for the transportation of personnel and equipment. The aircraft can be operated from austere and remote forward operating bases. It is Marine Corps’ heavy-lift replacement for the CH-53E Super Stallion. Designed to lift nearly 14 tons at a mission radius of 110 nautical miles, in Navy high/hot environments, the CH-53K is designed to lift triple the baseline CH-…

Americas L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace won a $23.5 million modification, which extends services and adds hours for continued depot level maintenance, logistics, and sustaining engineering services in support of the C-12 Navy aircraft and the C-12 Marine Corps Reserve aircraft. The Beechcraft C-12 Huron is based on the Super King and 1900 series platforms and serves with the United States military as a utility transport among other roles. Work will take place in Louisiana, Japan, Bahrain, Cuba, North Carolina and Maryland. Estimated completion will be in January 2023. Boeing won an $18.7 million modification, which exercises options to procure the following aircraft…

Every few years I repost this little bit from 2005. It is time again. I'll add the commentary I put with it in 2013 and have slightly modified some personal items to keep it up to date. In a culture where more often than not, all your neighbors are really just transients - they move in an out every few years, chasing whatever they are chasing. Their families are scattered hither and yon; few really related to anyone. I've wondered for awhile what impact the reality of the rolling, self-imposed Internally Displaced Persons has had on our nation - perhaps causing us to miss something. Is it a net-gain, or a net-loss? Well, perhaps I am projecting; I have always thought…

I guess to answer this post's title question, we could start by listing to what they are telling us. It really could be that simple. If things went sideways in Ukraine, what have the Russians been working on? They've told us and in places, showed us. Are we ready? I'm pondering over at USNIBlog. Come by and see what the General of the Army has to say. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=z2xSGKgpjc4:U8jshxJr-zg:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=z2xSGKgpjc4:U8jshxJr-zg:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogs…

As we first pointed out here last August, Mozambique needs to be in your scan. Though we may be pulling back from engaging with global Islamic extremism, it is not pulling back from the world. Especially on the African front of the bleeding edge of Dar al-Islam, they are pressing wherever opportunities reveal themselves. The problem in Mozambique is reaching the point that the regional power, South Africa, may get involved. South Africa will press for urgent military action by regional body SADC to quell an Islamist insurgency in Mozambique threatening to destabilize neighbouring countries, the foreign minister said on Friday. It will make this call at a summi…

Was it Ukrainian Special Operations forces? Did the Ukrainians operationalize their Grom SRBM? Did the USA sneak in some ATACMS along with HARM missiles to strike Saki Airbase in Russian occupied Crimea? My bet is in that order, and in time we will find out … but there is one thing I do know for sure; this is just another reminder that this regional conflict is telling us a lot about what we need to understand about the future of war that will manifest itself in the likely big war to come in the Western Pacific. Multiple explosions on Tuesday rocked a Russian air base in occupied Crimea — killing at least one and wounding several others, Russian authorities said. Videos…

I'm not sure what percentage you can assign to greed, what to wishful thinking, and what to outright corruption, but the last four decades the West has not just sold companies, manufacturing, and economic leverage to the Chinese Communist Authorities - but at critical nodes through the world's critical choke points we've sold and leased to them unique land and resources they now control. How can smart nations try to recover from such a strategic mistake? Well, Australia is trying to figure that out. Details over at USNIBlog. http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=yIl2AUoC8zA http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?d=qj6IDK7rITs http://feeds.feedburner.com/…

Americas Boeing won a $198 million contract modification, which provides for the integration of a ground control station that provides command and control capability in support of the MQ-25 air vehicle for the Navy. The Boeing MQ-25 Stingray is an aerial refueling drone. In early December Boeing has flown its MQ-25A test asset (T1) with an aerial refuelling store under its wing for the first time. Earlier this year the US Navy exercised an option to acquire three additional MQ-25 air vehicles, bringing the total aircraft Boeing is initially producing to seven. The Navy intends to procure more than 70 aircraft, which will assume the tanking role currently performed by F/A-…

All the usual caveats apply; yes she is officially a communist country. On Freedom House's Freedom Index she scores a 19, right there with Russia and the Democratic Republic of Congo ... but one point better than Egypt's 18. Egypt. You know, the nation that is #4 in foreign aid from the USA, right between Jordan and Iraq. The nation that has everything from M-1 tanks to Apache helicopters and we conduct exercises with on a regular basis? Yes, that Egypt. So, yes with the caveats ... but that clearly is not a barrier to good partnerships. Sometimes - within reason - you take the world as it is. Of course, we fought a long and devastating (especially for the Vietnamese No…

Americas AeroVironment won an $86.4 million deal for the RQ-20B All Environment 3 and the Long Endurance Puma unmanned aircraft systems. RQ-20B is a block 2 upgrade of the Pointer Upgraded Mission Ability-All Environment (Puma AE) small unmanned aircraft system (UAS) designed and built by AeroVironment. Work will take place in California. Estimated completion date ist September 29, 2023. The 40th Flight Test Squadron has taken delivery of the first of two government-owned Kratos XQ?58A unmanned aircraft. The Autonomous Aircraft Experimentation team will take use the aircraft for developmental ground and flight testing. The first flight is scheduled later this month. The …

Americas Northrop Grumman Systems won a $4.8 billion deal for Global Hawk development, modernization, retrofit and sustainment activities for all Air Force Global Hawk variants. The contract provides for management, including program, business and technical areas; engineering efforts, including configuration management, data management, reliability, availability and maintainability, and related areas of concern such as technical refresh, diminishing manufacturing sources, etc.; studies and analyses; design, development, integration, test and evaluation; contract/production line closeout/shutdown; training; sparing; overseas contingency operations support; fielding; cyber …