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unhappycamper
unhappycamper's Journal
unhappycamper's Journal
November 29, 2012
Special Operators Try Again To Get More Dough, Control; Battles Likely With Hill And JCS
By Otto Kreisher
Published: November 29, 2012
WASHINGTON: After a decade of war in which they played a key role and were rewarded with a doubling of their forces and budget, Special Operations leaders want still more -- more people, more money and more authority to decide where their troops go and what they do.
Those goals are likely to clash with the conventional military's traditional lines of authority and the certainty that their force structure and funding will drop as Washington struggles with a soaring national debt.
~snip~
Although the troops under SOCOM have doubled during that decade of war to about 70,000 today, Reid said the command expects to add another 5,000 men to meet the seemingly ever-growing demand for special operators. Those forces, plus a steady demand for more weapons and high-tech equipment, clearly would require more funding in an era of declining defense budgets.
~snip~
The most controversial of McRaven's goals for SOCOM was a quest for the authority to move SOF units to any part of the world where the command sees a looming threat without coordinating with the regional combatant commander, and more direct control over those forces while deployed.
Special Operators Try Again To Get More Dough, Control; Battles Likely With Hill And JCS
http://defense.aol.com/2012/11/29/special-operators-try-again-to-get-more-dough-control-battles/Special Operators Try Again To Get More Dough, Control; Battles Likely With Hill And JCS
By Otto Kreisher
Published: November 29, 2012
WASHINGTON: After a decade of war in which they played a key role and were rewarded with a doubling of their forces and budget, Special Operations leaders want still more -- more people, more money and more authority to decide where their troops go and what they do.
Those goals are likely to clash with the conventional military's traditional lines of authority and the certainty that their force structure and funding will drop as Washington struggles with a soaring national debt.
~snip~
Although the troops under SOCOM have doubled during that decade of war to about 70,000 today, Reid said the command expects to add another 5,000 men to meet the seemingly ever-growing demand for special operators. Those forces, plus a steady demand for more weapons and high-tech equipment, clearly would require more funding in an era of declining defense budgets.
~snip~
The most controversial of McRaven's goals for SOCOM was a quest for the authority to move SOF units to any part of the world where the command sees a looming threat without coordinating with the regional combatant commander, and more direct control over those forces while deployed.
November 29, 2012
Vice Adm. David Venlet was named to lead the Joint Strike Fighter program in 2010 after problems had left it behind schedule and over budget.
Costliest Jet, Years in Making, Sees the Enemy: Budget Cuts
By CHRISTOPHER DREW
Published: November 28, 2012
LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — The Marine version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, already more than a decade in the making, was facing a crucial question: Could the jet, which can soar well past the speed of sound, land at sea like a helicopter?
~snip~
With a record price tag — potentially in the hundreds of billions of dollars — the jet is likely to become a target for budget cutters. Reining in military spending is on the table as President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress look for ways to avert a fiscal crisis. But no matter what kind of deal is reached in the next few weeks, military analysts expect the Pentagon budget to decline in the next decade as the war in Afghanistan ends and the military is required to do its part to reduce the federal debt.
Behind the scenes, the Pentagon and the F-35’s main contractor, Lockheed Martin, are engaged in a conflict of their own over the costs. The relationship “is the worst I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in some bad ones,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan of the Air Force, a top program official, said in September. “I guarantee you: we will not succeed on this if we do not get past that.”
In a battle that is being fought on other military programs as well, the Pentagon has been pushing Lockheed to cut costs much faster while the company is fighting to hold onto a profit. “Lockheed has seemed to be focused on short-term business goals,” Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, said this month. “And we’d like to see them focus more on execution of the program and successful delivery of the product.”
Costliest Jet, Years in Making, Sees the Enemy: Budget Cuts
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/29/us/in-federal-budget-cutting-f-35-fighter-jet-is-at-risk.html?hp&_r=0&gwh=5C042DC1AAFB8FBBD582B71285CF2A41Vice Adm. David Venlet was named to lead the Joint Strike Fighter program in 2010 after problems had left it behind schedule and over budget.
Costliest Jet, Years in Making, Sees the Enemy: Budget Cuts
By CHRISTOPHER DREW
Published: November 28, 2012
LEXINGTON PARK, Md. — The Marine version of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, already more than a decade in the making, was facing a crucial question: Could the jet, which can soar well past the speed of sound, land at sea like a helicopter?
~snip~
With a record price tag — potentially in the hundreds of billions of dollars — the jet is likely to become a target for budget cutters. Reining in military spending is on the table as President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress look for ways to avert a fiscal crisis. But no matter what kind of deal is reached in the next few weeks, military analysts expect the Pentagon budget to decline in the next decade as the war in Afghanistan ends and the military is required to do its part to reduce the federal debt.
Behind the scenes, the Pentagon and the F-35’s main contractor, Lockheed Martin, are engaged in a conflict of their own over the costs. The relationship “is the worst I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been in some bad ones,” Maj. Gen. Christopher Bogdan of the Air Force, a top program official, said in September. “I guarantee you: we will not succeed on this if we do not get past that.”
In a battle that is being fought on other military programs as well, the Pentagon has been pushing Lockheed to cut costs much faster while the company is fighting to hold onto a profit. “Lockheed has seemed to be focused on short-term business goals,” Frank Kendall, the Pentagon’s top weapons buyer, said this month. “And we’d like to see them focus more on execution of the program and successful delivery of the product.”
November 29, 2012
Senate passes amendments on sexual violence, mental health in the military
By Ramsey Cox - 11/28/12 03:28 PM ET
The Senate passed amendments to the defense bill by voice-vote Wednesday that would better protect members of the military who are victims of sexual violence and mental health issues.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced the amendment, 3016, which would require each branch of the military to process sexual violence offenders and, if they’re found guilty, discharge them from military service.
Gillibrand said nearly one-third of those who commit a sex crime in the military remain in military service because branches have different ways of handling the situation.
“Sexual violence in the military continues to occur at an alarming rate,” Gillibrand said on the floor Wednesday. “If one-third of sex offenders in the military are being retained, then clearly we must move forward.”
Senate passes amendments on sexual violence, mental health in the military
http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/269911-senate-amendment-on-sexual-violence-in-the-military-passesSenate passes amendments on sexual violence, mental health in the military
By Ramsey Cox - 11/28/12 03:28 PM ET
The Senate passed amendments to the defense bill by voice-vote Wednesday that would better protect members of the military who are victims of sexual violence and mental health issues.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced the amendment, 3016, which would require each branch of the military to process sexual violence offenders and, if they’re found guilty, discharge them from military service.
Gillibrand said nearly one-third of those who commit a sex crime in the military remain in military service because branches have different ways of handling the situation.
“Sexual violence in the military continues to occur at an alarming rate,” Gillibrand said on the floor Wednesday. “If one-third of sex offenders in the military are being retained, then clearly we must move forward.”
November 29, 2012
Incidents Raise Suspicions about Motive: Killing of Journalist by US Forces is a Growing Problem
by Dave Lindorff | November 27, 2012 - 10:23am
During the Vietnam War, which US forces fought from 1960 through 1974, and which cost the lives of several million Southeast Asians and 58,000 Americans, eight American journalists died. Not one of them was killed by American fire.
In the Iraq War, 136 journalists were killed. At least 15 of them -- about 11% of the total -- were killed by US forces, sometimes apparently with deliberate intent.
In Afghanistan, nine journalists have been killed, at least one by US forces, and in that case, the killing was deliberate, though it is unclear whether the victim was known to be a journalist.
One thing is clear: it is dangerous in the extreme to be a journalist covering America’s wars, at least beginning with Vietnam.
Incidents Raise Suspicions about Motive: Killing of Journalist by US Forces is a Growing Problem
http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/dave-lindorff/46761/incidents-raise-suspicions-about-motive-killing-of-journalist-by-us-forces-is-a-growing-problemIncidents Raise Suspicions about Motive: Killing of Journalist by US Forces is a Growing Problem
by Dave Lindorff | November 27, 2012 - 10:23am
During the Vietnam War, which US forces fought from 1960 through 1974, and which cost the lives of several million Southeast Asians and 58,000 Americans, eight American journalists died. Not one of them was killed by American fire.
In the Iraq War, 136 journalists were killed. At least 15 of them -- about 11% of the total -- were killed by US forces, sometimes apparently with deliberate intent.
In Afghanistan, nine journalists have been killed, at least one by US forces, and in that case, the killing was deliberate, though it is unclear whether the victim was known to be a journalist.
One thing is clear: it is dangerous in the extreme to be a journalist covering America’s wars, at least beginning with Vietnam.
November 29, 2012
Austerity — the 1%’s Global Battle Cry
by Mark Vorpahl | November 28, 2012 - 9:53am
Whether we are left with the Fiscal Cliff or a Grand Bargain, workers in the U.S. face massive cuts to programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Food Stamp assistance and other needed social safety nets. This is an example of "austerity" which has largely been pursued in the U.S. until now, on a statewide and local level.
The policies of austerity are not unique to the U.S. They are being enacted internationally. In Europe they have been aggressively put into play for four years. While austerity has been pursued on all continents, this article will focus on Europe and the U.S.
What are the policies of austerity? They involve the cutting of public investment and services such as education, health care, and retirement insurance. In addition they also include the privatizing of existing government assets. Public employees suffer wage freezes or cuts and mass layoffs as part of austerity measures. Labor laws are revised to empower employers at the expense of employees' job security, wages, benefits, and voice on the job. And austerity also involves increased taxes and fees on working class people.
Austerity is sold as the only available means of reducing the debt. However, there is plenty of money to take care of these financial imbalances. It is in the pockets of the wealthy and big business elites whose think tanks and politicians are, not coincidentally, the architects of austerity. They want nations' economies to be run more like the corporations and banks, prioritizing that their shareholders get paid first and foremost at the expense of everyone else.
Austerity — the 1%’s Global Battle Cry
http://smirkingchimp.com/thread/mark-vorpahl/46778/austerity-the-1-s-global-battle-cryAusterity — the 1%’s Global Battle Cry
by Mark Vorpahl | November 28, 2012 - 9:53am
Whether we are left with the Fiscal Cliff or a Grand Bargain, workers in the U.S. face massive cuts to programs such as Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, unemployment insurance, Food Stamp assistance and other needed social safety nets. This is an example of "austerity" which has largely been pursued in the U.S. until now, on a statewide and local level.
The policies of austerity are not unique to the U.S. They are being enacted internationally. In Europe they have been aggressively put into play for four years. While austerity has been pursued on all continents, this article will focus on Europe and the U.S.
What are the policies of austerity? They involve the cutting of public investment and services such as education, health care, and retirement insurance. In addition they also include the privatizing of existing government assets. Public employees suffer wage freezes or cuts and mass layoffs as part of austerity measures. Labor laws are revised to empower employers at the expense of employees' job security, wages, benefits, and voice on the job. And austerity also involves increased taxes and fees on working class people.
Austerity is sold as the only available means of reducing the debt. However, there is plenty of money to take care of these financial imbalances. It is in the pockets of the wealthy and big business elites whose think tanks and politicians are, not coincidentally, the architects of austerity. They want nations' economies to be run more like the corporations and banks, prioritizing that their shareholders get paid first and foremost at the expense of everyone else.
November 29, 2012
Vt. City Fights Planned F-35 Jet Testing That Would Make 1,000+ Homes "Incompatible with Residential
www.alternet.org/vt-city-fights-planned-f-35-jet-testing-would-make-1000-homes-incompatible-residential-use
Vt. City Fights Planned F-35 Jet Testing That Would Make 1,000+ Homes "Incompatible with Residential Use"
AlterNet / By William Boardman
November 28, 2012 |
Faced with the community-damaging possibility of the U.S. Air Force basing its soon-to-be-tested F-35 nuclear capable fighter bomber at the Burlington Airport in their city, South Burlington’s City Councilors have once again expressed carefully and coherently argued opposition to the plan that the Air Force’s own study found would render more than a thousand nearby homes “incompatible with residential use.”
The impact of an F-35 base would, by the Air Force’s own calculation, destroy houses and displace people on a scale akin to a military campaign. Of all its proposed basing options, the Air Force acknowledges that by far the most damaging civilian impact would be felt by South Burlington and Winooski.
With that level of destruction in mind, together with the reality that it would fall, like class warfare, on the less well off, the city council has stated its determination to defend its community and its residents “against industrial, military, and political interests,” against what some have called vulture capitalism.
In response to two recent pro-F-35 petitions from regional business groups, the city council met November 23 and voted 4-0 with one member absent to approve similar three-page, single-spaced, analytical responses to the two sets of petitioners, the Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (largely unaffected by the air base) and Business Development of Montpelier (the state capitol, some 35 miles away) .
November 28, 2012
The first QF-16 drone arrives at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., escorted by a QF-4, on Nov. 19. The QF-16 will undergo developmental testing by Boeing and eventually become part of the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. The QF-16 is a supersonic reusable full-scale aerial target drone modified from an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
QF-16 drone arrives for testing, prepares warfighters for tomorrow's threats
Posted 11/22/2012
by Ashley M. Wright
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
11/22/2012 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group marked an important milestone in continuing to prepare the warfighter for tomorrow's threats as the first QF-16 drone arrived for developmental testing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 19.
"The work done prior to today and the test work that is forthcoming will enable the Air Force to transition from a 3rd generation, Vietnam-era aerial target performance to 4th generation threat replication and beyond," said Lt. Col. Lance Wilkins, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron commander.
The QF-16 is a supersonic reusable full-scale aerial target drone modified from an F-16 Fighting Falcon. At this time, the 53rd WEG uses QF-4s, made from 1960s F-4 Phantoms, to conduct their full-scale aerial target missions. The targets allow the Air Force and allied nations to have a realistic understanding of what they could face on the battlefield.
"In the imminent future, the QF-16 will take air-to-air testing and evaluation to the next level," Wilkins said. "It will make our American and Allied aircrew, aircraft and weapons more reliable and more lethal. It will serve a new generation of warriors."
QF-16 drone arrives for testing, prepares warfighters for tomorrow's threats
http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123327445The first QF-16 drone arrives at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., escorted by a QF-4, on Nov. 19. The QF-16 will undergo developmental testing by Boeing and eventually become part of the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group. The QF-16 is a supersonic reusable full-scale aerial target drone modified from an F-16 Fighting Falcon.
QF-16 drone arrives for testing, prepares warfighters for tomorrow's threats
Posted 11/22/2012
by Ashley M. Wright
325th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
11/22/2012 - TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. (AFNS) -- The 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group marked an important milestone in continuing to prepare the warfighter for tomorrow's threats as the first QF-16 drone arrived for developmental testing at Tyndall Air Force Base, Fla., Nov. 19.
"The work done prior to today and the test work that is forthcoming will enable the Air Force to transition from a 3rd generation, Vietnam-era aerial target performance to 4th generation threat replication and beyond," said Lt. Col. Lance Wilkins, 82nd Aerial Targets Squadron commander.
The QF-16 is a supersonic reusable full-scale aerial target drone modified from an F-16 Fighting Falcon. At this time, the 53rd WEG uses QF-4s, made from 1960s F-4 Phantoms, to conduct their full-scale aerial target missions. The targets allow the Air Force and allied nations to have a realistic understanding of what they could face on the battlefield.
"In the imminent future, the QF-16 will take air-to-air testing and evaluation to the next level," Wilkins said. "It will make our American and Allied aircrew, aircraft and weapons more reliable and more lethal. It will serve a new generation of warriors."
November 28, 2012
How 'Revolutionary' Is CHAMP, New Air Force Microwave Weapon?
By David Axe
Published: November 28, 2012
The targets were buildings packed with humming computers. A missile streaked overhead and, at preset coordinates, it fired concentrated beams of energy. Computers short-circuited, the lights flickered out and even cameras monitoring the rooms shut off. The missile had turned off all the power in the targeted buildings.
This first successful test of the three-year, $40-million Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) at a Utah test range on Oct. 16 marked a big step forward for technology that has been in development for more than four decades.
The potential of CHAMP and other so-called Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapons is enormous, in theory. They could allow an army to bloodlessly disable select portions of an enemy's military capabilities, potentially winning a fight without a lethal shot being fired.
But CHAMP itself, a collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory, defense giants Boeing and Raytheon plus Ktech, a small company Raytheon acquired last year, does not necessarily herald "a new era in modern-day warfare," as Keith Coleman, the CHAMP program manager at Boeing Phantom Works, claimed in a press release. Boeing declined to comment for this story.
How 'Revolutionary' Is CHAMP, New Air Force Microwave Weapon?
http://defense.aol.com/2012/11/28/how-revolutionary-is-champ-new-air-force-microwave-weapon/How 'Revolutionary' Is CHAMP, New Air Force Microwave Weapon?
By David Axe
Published: November 28, 2012
The targets were buildings packed with humming computers. A missile streaked overhead and, at preset coordinates, it fired concentrated beams of energy. Computers short-circuited, the lights flickered out and even cameras monitoring the rooms shut off. The missile had turned off all the power in the targeted buildings.
This first successful test of the three-year, $40-million Counter-electronics High-powered Microwave Advanced Missile Project (CHAMP) at a Utah test range on Oct. 16 marked a big step forward for technology that has been in development for more than four decades.
The potential of CHAMP and other so-called Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) weapons is enormous, in theory. They could allow an army to bloodlessly disable select portions of an enemy's military capabilities, potentially winning a fight without a lethal shot being fired.
But CHAMP itself, a collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory, defense giants Boeing and Raytheon plus Ktech, a small company Raytheon acquired last year, does not necessarily herald "a new era in modern-day warfare," as Keith Coleman, the CHAMP program manager at Boeing Phantom Works, claimed in a press release. Boeing declined to comment for this story.
November 28, 2012
Creech AFB predator pilots
What’s it like to pilot a drone? A lot like 'Call of Duty'
By John Brandon
Published November 26, 2012
FoxNews.com
Teenagers raised on "Call of Duty" and "Halo" might relish flying a massive Predator drone -- a surprisingly similar activity.
Pilots of unmanned military aircraft use a joystick to swoop down into the battlefield, spot enemy troop movements, and snap photos of terror suspects, explained John Hamby, a former military commander who led surveillance missions during the Iraq War.
“You’re always maneuvering the airplane to get a closer look,” Hamby told FoxNews.com. “You’re constantly searching for the bad guys and targets of interest. When you do find something that is actionable, you’re a hero.”
Yet a new study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found real-life drone operators can become easily bored. Only one participant paid attention during an entire test session, while even top performers spent a third of the time checking a cellphone or catching up on the latest novel.
What’s it like to pilot a drone? A lot like 'Call of Duty'
http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2012/11/26/whats-it-like-to-pilot-drone-lot-like-call-duty/?cmpid=prn_militaryCreech AFB predator pilots
What’s it like to pilot a drone? A lot like 'Call of Duty'
By John Brandon
Published November 26, 2012
FoxNews.com
Teenagers raised on "Call of Duty" and "Halo" might relish flying a massive Predator drone -- a surprisingly similar activity.
Pilots of unmanned military aircraft use a joystick to swoop down into the battlefield, spot enemy troop movements, and snap photos of terror suspects, explained John Hamby, a former military commander who led surveillance missions during the Iraq War.
“You’re always maneuvering the airplane to get a closer look,” Hamby told FoxNews.com. “You’re constantly searching for the bad guys and targets of interest. When you do find something that is actionable, you’re a hero.”
Yet a new study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found real-life drone operators can become easily bored. Only one participant paid attention during an entire test session, while even top performers spent a third of the time checking a cellphone or catching up on the latest novel.
November 28, 2012
New drone is loaded on aircraft carrier for next phase of testing
By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
November 28, 2012
The U.S. Navy's new bat-winged experimental drone has been delivered to an aircraft carrier to undergo handling tests aboard the ship.
The Navy said that sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman took delivery of the drone Monday from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, where it had been undergoing tests.
Truman is the first aircraft carrier to conduct test operations for an unmanned aircraft.
The drone, named the X-47B, is designed to perform one of aviation's most difficult maneuvers: landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier. What's even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all.
New drone is loaded on aircraft carrier for next phase of testing
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-navy-drone-test-20121128,0,1433758.storyNew drone is loaded on aircraft carrier for next phase of testing
By W.J. Hennigan, Los Angeles Times
November 28, 2012
The U.S. Navy's new bat-winged experimental drone has been delivered to an aircraft carrier to undergo handling tests aboard the ship.
The Navy said that sailors aboard the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman took delivery of the drone Monday from Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Maryland, where it had been undergoing tests.
Truman is the first aircraft carrier to conduct test operations for an unmanned aircraft.
The drone, named the X-47B, is designed to perform one of aviation's most difficult maneuvers: landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier. What's even more remarkable is that it will do that not only without a pilot in the cockpit, but without a pilot at all.
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