Raw Intel

The “Out Years” is fantasy. It is a place where people wishcast the future they want. Let’s take a quick look at this gem from the Annual Long-Range Plan for Construction of Naval Vessels for FY 2007. How'd that work out for us? From that report looking forward nine years to 2016, it shows us having spent money on building in that time period … what exactly? Seven (7) DD(X), aka DDG-1000, and six (6) CG(X). Yeah … so be careful trusting these documents. That is why I simply refuse to listen to anyone’s pontifications on 2040 or 2045. Come on people. It’s insulting. Let’s stick with that template of 9-years above, it's bad enough. From today that window would get us to 20…

Perhaps one day the full story will come out how Iran's top nuclear weapons scientist was taken out, but until then we'll just have to give a nod of respect to the Israeli's ability to execute superb clandestine operations in the Islamic Republic. Tom Rogan at the Washington Examiner has a nice "Top-5 Takeaways" list you really should read in full ... but here's the summary: 1) Biden will not be able to return America to the JCPOA nuclear accord without significant complication 2) There was likely some U.S. intelligence support for this operation 3) Israel's covert intelligence presence on Iranian soil is growing 4) The attack will fuel Iran's paranoia and provoke re…

Are you ready for this fight in your Navy? As we have covered here in previous Thursdays, the CNO is an enthusiastic supporter of one of the primary advocates of the divisive "anti-racism" socio-political philosophy - Ibram X. Kendi. The CNO created conditions where the Diversity Maoists will take the his support as top cover to take their divisive and sectarian secular religion in to your workspace. What is "anti-racism?" I highly recommend that everyone read the letter by Paul Rossi, at least at the time he wrote the letter, a teacher at Grace Church High School in Manhattan. “Antiracist” training sounds righteous, but it is the opposite of truth in advertising.…

Americas Cracks have been found on the tails of Canada’s CH-148 fleet, the problem affects 19 out of the 23 helicopters. The issue surfaced on November 26 when one of the helicopter underwent scheduled maintenance and the cracks were discovered. Subsequent checks on three more rotorcraft also found cracks on those aircraft. So far only two were unaffected and two more are yet to be inspected. Segers Aero won a $9.6 million contract action for the establishment of the T-56 Engine and Quick Engine Change Intermediate Level Maintenance Facility. The deal provides for training for the maintenance, repair and overhaul repairs of the T-56 engine. Work will take place Alabama a…

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…

Want to know an organization's priorities? Follow the money. The skunk at the navalist picnic last week, in an already tough year, was the unexpected - by almost everyone - rather clunky MEMORANDUM of June 4, 2021 put our by the Acting Secretary of the Navy. You can read it in full here or below, but it outlines some significant cuts in to the Navy's teeth, - The Navy cannot afford to simultaneously develop the next generation of air, surface and subsurface platforms...prioritize of of the following (sic) capabilities and re-phase the the other two after an assessment of operational, financial, and technical risk. ... - The Navy cannot afford to own, operate, and…

If geography is destiny, then Singapore is a nation of destiny. Sitting astride one of the world's most critical chokepoints, this polyglot island republic with a population of Denmark on a spot of land 1/4 the size of Rhode Island. For her size, she has a modern, large, and capable navy and military - important for what has always been a rough neighborhood. What makes Singapore's national security requirements unique, and what role does she play as the Indo-Pacific Theater becomes the center of global concern? Returning to Midrats this Sunday from 5-6pm Eastern to discuss this and more will be Blake Herzinger. Blake is a Non-resident WSD-Handa Fellow with the P…

This may get lost in the background noise, but if you are concerned about the rule of law, democratic governance and security in the Pacific, you would be hard pressed to find more important news than this; Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to beef up defence and security cooperation at a virtual summit on Thursday, in the latest move to strengthen ties amid China's rising military power and economic clout in the Indo-Pacific region. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the two leaders will sign a Reciprocal Access Agreement, which will for the first time set out a framework for the two countries' defence forces to cooperate with each other. What do t…

All month I tried to ... no ... I asked myself to come up with something good at the 1-yr anniversary of the national humiliation that was our negotiated retreat/surrender of Kabul a year ago, but here I am the night of the 30th and the morning of the 31st ... and I have pretty much nothing. "Good?" No. I failed you and myself. I'm not all that happy about it either - but that kind of fits the moment. I looked at the subtitles of the posts I did a year ago on the 31st of August, 5th of September, and 7th of September of 2021; - the fault, shame and humiliation is all ours; all red, white, and blue; - the good in the shadows; - the people, promises, and reputation we le…

This has been a difficult year, and many of us are not where we want to be this Christmas, or with who we want to be with. This too will soon pass, but to my nation's enemies, in the Christmas spirit, I will offer you this reminder for this evening; 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=rWXnE8x9-i0:8_ConCv0yH8:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=rWXnE8x9-i0:8_ConCv0yH8:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=rWXnE8x9-i0:8_ConCv0yH8:V_sGLiPBpWU http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/F…

Brisbane-based Skyborne Technologies has unveiled its CODiAQ robotic weapons platform at AUSA 2025, introducing a new class of autonomous ground systems that combine four-legged mobility with modular lethality and AI-assisted targeting. The system — formally named Controller-Operated Direct-Action Quadruped (CODiAQ) — is designed to deliver direct-fire precision using Skyborne’s proprietary payloads while remaining lightweight, low-cost, […] The post Australian firm arms robotic dog with grenade launcher first appeared on Defence Blog.View the full article

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-bofj1zka7Tc/T4CfKmxTi9I/AAAAAAAABrg/ovZNCx9QrWY/s320/Thatcher_Pinochet.jpgPeople think they know the story of General Pinochet. 95% don't. In many respects, all you have to do is look at the political and economic stability he left Chile and compare it to the leftist dictators' legacy in Latin America. It speaks for itself. My long time readers know my views; no reason to go over them again. There is a lesser known story that all should know, and fleshed out the debt Britain owes the General. The following is from a man I wish we could have as our Secretary of the Treasury or Federal reserve; the great man José Piñera.General Pinochet and the F…

Americas Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division’s (NAWCAD) UX-24 Unmanned Test Squadron, teamed up with Military Sealift Command and the crew of MSC’s fleet replenishment oiler USNS Joshua Humphreys (T-AO 188) to test a new concept in material transportation, while the ship was underway in the Atlantic Ocean, July 15-16. The Blue Water logistics Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) carried out three test flights by transporting an internal cargo consisting of simulated repair parts. AeroVironment, Inc. introduced standardized modular payload interface kits for RQ-20B Puma tactical unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) recently. The Modular Payload Standard was established by US Sp…

Even though it shouldn’t be necessary, I guess I should start this out by saying I actually support think tanks. I have a whole gaggle of acquaintances and friends who are associated with this think tank or another. They can produce good work – and even though some have clear biases in either their mission or their people – there is good value to read from smart people you disagree with on issues of substance. As long as you know they may or may not be objective – that is fine. As always, a serious read of contrary opinion will either by the strength of their argument make you reassess your previously held position, or by the weakness of their argument, further reinforce …

Americas Raytheon won a $7.8 million delivery order for the repair of 10 line items associated with the APY-10 radar system used in support of the P-8A aircraft. The AN/APY-10 is integrated into the Boeing mission control and display system aboard the Poseidon for control, display and data distribution. The radar also will provide ultra-high-resolution imaging modes for maritime and overland operations. The radar fits in the nose of the Poseidon. Work will take place in Florida and Texas. Estimated completion will be by May 2023. According to the US Navy, an at-sea experiment with emerging technologies brought over 100 scientists and military personnel together in Califo…

Yes, we will continue to discuss LCS because we don't seem to have quiet fully realized the many lessons ... hard, expensive lessons ... of the program. Thanks to the GAO, we have some great info on the maintenance nightmare ... and a kind admission from the CNO that, yes, the anti-transformationalist were correct. 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/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=43cRkrT8qZM:A7awAYnzeR0:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=43cRkrT8qZM:A7awAYnzeR0:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV…

While I'll take second fiddle to no one on the challenge west of Wake, it is important to keep in mind that not only are the Chinese not 10-ft tall, they also do not hold the strong hand strategically or geographically. Why? I've gone to a rather bespoke chart room over at USNIBlog. Come on by and leave north up behind. 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=lLySfX50f9A:WBi8M02GqFo:gIN9vFwOqvQ http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=lLySfX50f9A:WBi8M02GqFo:-BTjWOF_DHI http://feeds.feedburner.com/~ff/blogspot/FAFV?i=lLySfX50f9A:WBi8M02Gq…

Americas The US Air Force Life Cycle Management Center’s Agile Combat Support Directorate started the process of replacing its existing inventory of High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), also known as Humvees, with the new Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The service has a need for 3,230 vehicles and they will be bought via an Army contract with Oshkosh Corporation. However, not all HMMWVs will be replaced, the current process is to swap out the up-armored variant. Air Force units are expected to start receiving the new JLTVs starting from September 2021, after having mission specific equipment installed at Naval Information Warfare Center. Developed by …

Americas Lockheed Martin Space won a $25.7 million contract modification for Trident II (D5) missile production and deployed systems support. Work will be performed in Utah,Colorado, California, Florida and various places below one percent (0.2%). Work is expected to be completed July 1, 2025. The Trident II Strategic Weapon System (SWS) is deployed aboard Ohio-class (Trident) submarines and consists of: the Trident II (D5) Submarine Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM); Reentry System; and supporting Shipboard Systems. The Pentagon announced on August 1 that the L3Harris and Air Tractor team has won the Armed Overwatch program. Armed Overwatch will provide Special Operatio…

You graduated from the Naval Academy with the world at war. While it seemed your nation’s politicians were saying they would do all they could to stay out of this war – you probably knew better. It was a big war, and one side was being fed and armed from our side of the ocean. After graduation you get assigned to a battleship – and within a year, your nation goes to war. Your battleship was not just any ship, she was the USS Connecticut (BB-18), the flagship for The Great White Fleet a decade earlier, and now flagship of the Fifth Battleship Division. Yet, your war never really came. You spent the war never leaving the east coast. You spent the entire war on what you rea…