The Leftist Plot to Destroy the US Military

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Navy 2015 Budget Nearly Halves LCS, F-35 Buys

By Dan Parsons

The Navy’s 2015 budget request cut two of its most high-profile and troubled acquisition programs nearly in half even as the service continues its refocus to the vast Pacific Ocean.

The F-35 joint strike fighter and the littoral combat ship paid heavy prices so the Navy could shoehorn its desire to be a global presence into a bleak fiscal reality.

“We are in a very challenging fiscal environment at the same time that we’re still dealing with a dynamic threat environment,” Rear Adm. William Lescher, deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for budget, said March 4 during a press conference at the Pentagon.

Still, the budget and accompanying 2014 quadrennial defense review — also released March 4 — both prioritize the Defense Department’s commitment to refocusing on the Asia-Pacific region, where the Navy and Marine Corps will do much of the heavy lifting. To achieve its goals as an international police force in the region, the Navy’s fleet will grow in total number over the next five years even as some major programs were cut in the short term, Lescher said.

“We bought what we could afford,” he said. That list includes dozens fewer F-35s and LCSs.

The Navy requested the purchase of 36 F-35Cs — designed to land on aircraft carriers — which is a 33-jet reduction from the 69 originally planned. LCS, which is the Navy’s newest class of ship, was reduced from 52 ships to 32 and the entire program will be reevaluated before the fiscal year 2016 budget submission.

The Defense Department’s $496 billion budget supports a Navy of 283 ships rising to a total 309 by fiscal year 2019. The fleet now stands at 291 total ships. The Navy’s cut is $148 billion, of which $38.4 billion will go toward procurement, a $2.8 billion reduction from the current fiscal year.

It provides investments in attack submarines, guided missile destroyers, afloat forward staging bases, and maintains a carrier fleet of 11 ships though a carrier could be scuttled if across-the-board sequestration cuts are allowed to take hold beyond fiscal 2015.

The Navy’s budget request includes $5.9 billion for two Virginia-class attack submarines in FY 2015 and $28 billion for two submarines a year through fiscal 2019. The service also requested $2.8 billion next fiscal year and $16 billion over the next five years to acquire two DDG-51 destroyers per year through 2019. The Navy budgeted $1.5 billion in FY 2015 to buy three littoral combat ships for a total of 14 LCS through 2019 at $8.1 billion.

The Defense Department also plans to spend $3.3 billion for eight joint strike fighters – two for the Navy and six for the Marine Corps in fiscal 2015, and $22.9 billion for 105 total aircraft over the next five years. The 2015 budget calls for an overall reduction of 111 aircraft to also include 10 E-2D airborne early warning planes and 10 P-8 Poseidons, Lescher said.

To pay for those ships and aircraft, the Navy had to make some tradeoffs. Eleven Aegis cruisers will be placed in “long-term phased modernization” during which they will be unavailable for deployment, according to the budget document.

Lescher said the plan would save $4 billion over the five-year defense plan and “is not the first step in decreasing the fleet.” They will be overhauled to update technological capabilities and lengthen their lifespans, then returned to the fleet.

The cruisers will be assigned a “special status” with reduced crews during their modernization. Analysis of staffing levels and their operational capabilities should they be needed is ongoing, Lescher said. The ships will begin modernization in fiscal 2015.

“It’s a very well thought out plan,” he said. “We think this is an innovative way to keep these ships in the fleet.”

The reduction in F-35C purchases was based solely on affordability, Lescher said. The decision had nothing to do with ongoing developmental issues like a faulty tailhook design that has kept the jets from properly landing on a carrier. The aircraft is still on track to achieve initial operating capability in fiscal year 2019, he said.

The Navy will also re-examine its littoral combat ship program, according to the 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review. The budget assumes a fleet of 32 LCSs, down from an originally planned 52 vessels. No new contract negotiations beyond 32 LCSs will go forward.

“The Navy will closely examine whether the LCS has the protection and firepower to survive against a more advanced military adversary, especially in the Asia-Pacific region,” the QDR says. “The Navy will submit alternative proposals to procure a capable and lethal small surface combatant.”

The Ohio-class nuclear submarine replacement program, which Lescher said was the Navy’s top acquisition priority is on track for the first ship to be built in 2021.

An 11-carrier fleet and its complement of 10 air wings are fully funded in fiscal year 2015, to include the scheduled midlife refueling overhaul of the USS George Washington next year.

That carrier and its airwing will be deactivated rather than refueled if sequester continues beyond fiscal year 2016. To keep it in the fleet, the Navy would have to find another $6 billion to $7 billion to pay for it over five years, Lescher said.

That decision will be made as part of the 2016 budget submission. Sequestration will also force the service to consider cutting a nuclear submarine, up to three destroyers, some logistics vessels and an afloat forward staging base, the QDR says.

The Marines Corps will remain the nation’s quick-reaction force, especially in the Asia-Pacific region where its presence is set to grow even as cuts to end strength begin to take hold.

That service requested $22.7 billion in fiscal 2015 to pay for a force of 182,700 Marines, including 900 more guards for overseas embassies. The force now stands at nearly 196,000 Marines. If sequestration-level cuts continue through fiscal year 2016 and beyond, the Marine Corps could shrink to 175,000, the QDR says.

The budget also calls for a phased acquisition approach to the Marine Corps languishing amphibious combat vehicle development program. The effort to purchase a new ship-to-shore tracked vehicle has all but died because of cost overruns associated with the Marine’s desire for a troop carrier that incorporates both sufficient armor and high-speed capabilities through the water.

The service’s heavy lift CH-53K helicopter has slipped by one year to save money, Lescher said.

“Fiscal reality is a hard thing,” he said. “The 53K was seen as something we could slide one year. Milestone C is scheduled for third quarter FY16.”

By 2020, at least 60 percent of U.S. naval forces will be deployed to the Asia-Pacific region, the budget and the Quadrennial Defense Review both state. That will encompass an increase in the U.S. naval presence in Japan, more LCSs rotated through Singapore, a greater number of destroyers and amphibious ships permanently stationed in the Pacific, and the deployment of surface vessels such as joint high speed vessels to the region, the QDR says.

The plan also includes $128 million for “military infrastructure” in Guam to bolster its position as a strategic hub in the western Pacific. That sum includes $51 million to establish Marine Air-Ground Task Forces throughout the region.

Those forces will assume a geographically distributed force posture in the Asia-Pacific, which will be increasingly important as U.S. forces are rebalanced to that region, the QDR said.

“DoD’s overarching objective in the region is to sustain a stable security environment and a regional order rooted in economic openness, peaceful resolution of territorial and maritime disputes, free flow of commerce, democratic principles of governance and political freedom,” the documents state.

Photo Credit: F-35C (Navy photo)

[Ryan Ruck]

The cuts would entail the elimination of the entire A-10 and U-2 fleets, as well as significant reductions in the number of F-15s and MQ-1s.

Wow, sheer brilliance. We purchase a fraction of our next generation, replacement, air-dominance F-22 and then start cutting back our current mainstay, air-dominance fighter.

Navy 2015 Budget Nearly Halves LCS, F-35 Buys

Cutting LCS purchases is a good thing. That project has been a boondoggle from the get-go. From what I've seen from people with in depth knowledge of it, it is literally a ship that does nothing well. If we needed ships for littoral combat, it would seem to me a it would be smarter to go with tried and proven corvette or frigate style ships.

[American Patriot]

we must prepare so there isnt a big assault force left to face the Ruskies.....

[Avvakum]

we must prepare so there isnt a big assault force left to face the Ruskies.....

Corrected, the Moslems, which will be an internal threat to America by 2016. By 2014, Obama will have only two years left and will then have no reason to hide his affiliations. His supporters will follow their 'Messiah' wherever he goes and do likewise. They are here and becoming very powerful and very organized, and interfacing with Ukrainian Fascists and other Neo-Nazi types, AND GETTING THEIR ENEMIES TO FIGHT EACH OTHER. Seriously, don't count out a Moslem Brotherhood takeover here in the US;

US Muslim Brotherhood To Launch Latest Umbrella Group

By gmbwatch
The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) is reporting that on Wednesday, eight US Muslim organizations will announce the formation of the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), described as “an umbrella group that will serve as a representative voice for Muslims.” According to the ICNA announcement:

WASHINGTON, D.C., 3/10/14) – On Wednesday, March 12, eight* major national American Muslim organizations will hold a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to announce the formation of the US Council of Muslim Organizations (USCMO), an umbrella group that will serve as a representative voice for Muslims as that faith community seeks to enhance its positive impact on society. The new national council’s first priority will be to build on Muslim citizenship rights by conducting a census of American Muslims to create a database that will be used to enhance political participation in upcoming elections. WHAT: Major National Groups to Announce Launch of US Council of Muslim Organizations WHEN: Wednesday, March 12, 1 p.m. (Eastern) WHERE: Murrow Room, National Press Club, 13th Floor, National Press Building, 529 14th Street N.W., Washington, D.C. CONTACT: USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal, 708-288-1914, 202-683-6557, secretary_general@uscmo.org In a statement prior to the planned launch, USCMO Secretary General Oussama Jammal said: ‘A national council unifying Muslims in the United States has long been a dream of our community. The goal of the US Council of Muslim Organizations is to help strengthen relationships among the member organizations in order to better serve members of the Muslim community and all Americans. ‘A detailed census will allow the larger Muslim community to better participate in our nation’s political process.’ * Organizations participating in the initial launch include: (More organizations may be added at a later date.) The Mosque Cares (Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed), Muslim American Society (MAS), American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Islamic Circle of North American (ICNA), Muslim Legal Fund of America (MLFA), Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA), Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA) – END -”

The USCMO appears to be comprised almost solely of elements of the US Muslim Brotherhood:

• CAIR, ICNA, and the MAS are part of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood while the AMP is part of the U.S. Hamas support infrastructure and the MFLA had its origins in the defense of the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, convicted in the financing of Hamas.

• The Muslim Alliance in North America (MANA) is headed by General-Secretary Ihsan Bagby, an Islamic convert and Professor of Islamic Studies who is a member of several U.S. Muslim Brotherhood organizations including the Fiqh Council of North America, the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), and the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR). Other members of the MANA Executive Committee and/or Shura Council include Siraj Wahhaj, an Islamic convert who was an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and has been active in the American Muslim Council, ISNA (former V.P.) and CAIR and Johari Abdul Malik; head of the National Association of Muslim Chaplains in Higher Education, director of community outreach for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center and President of the Muslim Society of Washington.

• The Muslim Ummah of North America (MUNA) is a relatively obscure organization that links on its web page only to CAIR, MAS, ISNA, and ICNA.

• The USCMO Secretary-General Oussama Jammal has long been a leader of the Bridgeview Mosque and its Mosque Foundation, the focus of a 2004 Chicago Tribune investigation which revealed that as much as $1 million a year had been raised from mosque members which was then sent to overseas Muslim charities, principally in support of Hamas. The article also detailed the mosque’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

As noted by our predecessor publication, one of the common tactics of the U.S. Muslim Brotherhood is to construct coalitions of its own front organizations as well as inter-related groups and individuals, giving the appearance that the Brotherhood has more broad-based support than it actually enjoys. The new US Council of Muslim Organizations is just the latest in a long series of such “umbrella groups” formed by the US Muslim Brotherhood.

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Air Force sacks two commanders in Europe
Stars and Stripes ^ | 3/17/14 | Adam L. Mathis
Posted on Monday, March 17, 2014 10:02:17 AM by markomalley



Lt. Col. Matthew Olson, right, assumes command of the 422nd Communications Squadron from Col. Charles Hamilton, left, 422nd Air Base Group commander at RAF Croughton, England, on July 8, 2013. Olson and Hamilton were relieved of their commands on Thursday after an investigation raised questions about their abilities. Brian Stives/Courtesy U.S. Air Force

RAF MILDENHALL, England — Two U.S. Air Force commanders in the 422nd Air Base Group at RAF Croughton have been relieved over a loss of confidence in their abilities.

Col. Charles Hamilton, who commanded the base group since 2011, and Lt. Col. Matthew Olson, who commanded the 422nd Communications Squadron since July, were relieved of command on Thursday by the 501st Combat Support Wing commander after an investigation, officials said.

“It was loss of confidence in the commanders’ abilities to lead their units in the best interest of the Air Force,” spokesman Capt. Brian Maguire said in an e-mail. “This action was more about leadership style and organizational climate than a specific event.”

Maguire said there was no connection between the two sackings and that the two men were not under criminal investigation.

Col. Brian May will command the air group until a scheduled replacement arrives this summer, Maguire said. Maj. John Riester will command the communications squadron, but no permanent replacement has been selected yet.

Col. Angela Cadwell, 501st commander, said in an email that her primary focus was the “health, welfare and organizational climate” in the wing. She did not elaborate.

Croughton provides communication and computer support to military assets throughout Europe. The base came under public scrutiny last year when it was reported that British Telecom would provide a telecommunication link between Croughton and a base in Djibouti connected with unmanned aerial vehicle operations.

[American Patriot]

"Leadership style"?

That's a commie phrase for "He didn't toe the line and do what Obama wanted done..."

Simple as that.

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Nine nuclear base commanders fired from US Air Force over cheating scandal

Published time: March 27, 2014 19:40 Get short URL


Reuters / Michael Brown

Tags
Air Force, Nuclear, Scandal, USA

The United States Air Force says it has taken unprecedented action by firing nine nuclear missile base commanders on Thursday amid an ongoing and exhaustive investigation surrounding allegations of cheating.

Dozens of additional employees described as junior officers at those bases will be disciplined as well, the Associated Press reported first on Thursday afternoon, and will join an ever-expanding list of Air Force personnel who have been reprimanded in recent months as part of an embarrassing scandal that has increasingly generated criticism directed at the Pentagon’s nuke program.

But although the Air Force has taken action already in recent months amid reports that missile base personnel cheated on critical military examinations, the AP says officials describe the latest round of terminations as being “unprecedented in the history of the intercontinental ballistic missile force.”

“None of the nine fired commanders was directly involved in the cheating, but each was determined to have failed in his or her leadership responsibilities,” Robert Burns wrote for the AP.

According to Burns, a defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity told the AP that Air Force investigators believe the cheating scandal started as early as November 2011 and continued for two years.

“It involved unauthorized passing of answers to exams designed to test missile launch officers' proficiency in handling ‘emergency war orders,’ which are messages involving the targeting and launching of missiles,” Burns learned from his confidential source.

This past January, the Air Force said that 34 missile launch officers were implicated in the cheating scandal and stripped of their security clearances, though they may not have necessarily faked their way through their own exams. According to the AP’s latest however, upwards of 100 missile launch crew members from a single facility — the Malmstrom Air Force Base in the state of Montana — were at one point or another linked to the scandal.
“Some officers did it. Others apparently knew about it, and it appears that they did nothing, or at least not enough, to stop it or to report it," Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James said at a news conference earlier this year.

Now two months later, on Thursday the Air Force reportedly took action against a number of officials linked to the scandal by investigators, including Col. Robert Stanley, the commander of the 341st Missile Wing at Malmstrom.
Stanley was allowed to resign, the AP reported, but nine key commanders below him were removed from the Air Force, including the commanders of the 341st Wing's three missile squadrons, according to Burns, “each of which is responsible for 50 Minuteman three nuclear missiles.”

“Also sacked were the commander and deputy commander of the 341st Operations Group, which oversees all three missile squadrons as well as a helicopter unit and a support squadron responsible for administering monthly proficiency tests to Malmstrom's launch crews and evaluating their performance,” Burns claimed. Members of all three missile squadrons were implicated, he added, although no generals were formally punished.

This week’s news is only the latest to stir up the Air Force’s nuke unit, which for months now has repeatedly come under fire due to a barrage of incidents. The Pentagon removed 17 of its officers from a base in North Dakota last year following a poor inspection rating, and last October it was reported that two US missile technicians assigned with launch keys were discovered repeatedly leaving a blast door open while sleeping on base.

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Army goes to war with National Guard, seizes Apache attack helicopters


Two AH-64D Apache attack helicopters from 1st “Attack” Battalion, 227th Aviation Regiment, 1st Air Cavalry Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division, taxi back to their parking spots after mission Aug. 15 at Camp Taji, Iraq. The Attack battalion supports ground troops through reconnaissance and aerial weaponry. The Apache crews of 1st ACB have disrupted numerous roadside bomb indirect fire attacks aimed at Iraqi civilians and coalition forces throughout the Baghdad area of operations. (U.S. Army photo by CW4 Daniel McClinton, 1-227th, 1st ACB, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs)

By Douglas Ernst
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The Washington Times
Wednesday, April 9, 2014

Related Stories

• Killing terrorists in hi-def: Apache helicopter technology goes through final tests

---

Air Force Maj. Shannon Thomas, a spokeswoman for the Guard, reiterated the general’s position, the Army Times Guard-chief-Decision-made-shifting-Apaches-active-Army” target=”_blank”>reported.

“These are very difficult decisions and there will be more difficult ones yet to come,” she said. “His focus now is to determine the impacts and how best to implement the decision.”

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno told members of Congress on Tuesday that the move will save $12 billion through fiscal year 2017, Defense One reported.

When the logistics are worked out, the Army’s fleet of OH-58 Kiowa helicopters will be divested, its newly acquired Apaches will fill its reconnaissance and scouting needs, and the National Guard will be given UH-60 Black Hawks.

Advocates of the Army’s decision say that the Black Hawks actually benefit the Guard because they are an incredible asset for disaster relief efforts.


Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz2yRtdrNW0
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

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Obama decommissions the A-10
Idaho Air National Guard future unclear

Jake Melder

CREATED Mar. 26, 2014



In the proposal, the Air Force wants to decommission their fleet of A-10 planes. The Idaho Air National Guard has 22 of them.

"These aircraft have deployed to Iraq, they've deployed to Afghanistan,” said Col. Tim Marsano, the public affairs officer for the Idaho Air National Guard. “They stand ready to deploy anywhere in the world, should the Pentagon call on us to do that."

The Air Force says decommissioning their A-10 fleet would save $3.5 billion. But the plan isn't sitting well with the Air Guard.

"We're not sure we'd be able to get the high quality recruits that would sustain our mission into the future if we were to move to a place that doesn't have as many people," Marsano said.

Air National Guard Operations employ more than a thousand people. Boise City leaders don't want to see those jobs disappear.

"What we'd like to see from the Air Force is the cost-business case analysis for why it makes sense for them to propose a co-location in Mountain Home," said city spokesman Adam Park.

Congress now has the final decision on what to do with the budget sent to them by the President. Until then, the future of the air base is cloudy.

"The sequester and budget cuts have to be felt somewhere and the Air Force feels that the best way to do that is by divesting themselves of this aircraft," Marsano said.

Regardless of Gowen Field's fate, Boise leaders say there will be no hard feelings. "It's important to us that the base at Mountain Home succeeds also,” Park said. “We'd like to see both succeed in one way or another. We just want to be able to work together to find a solution to do that."

The future of Gowen Field is up in the air. Congress could pass the budget sent to them, or they could adopt their own budget that could look drastically different.

[American Patriot]

Yeah, we can't have a National Guard existing in free states, now, can we?

[Ryan Ruck]

Okay, so what if the FedGov wants to retire the A-10?

If the state guard has them, turn custody of them over to the guard units with the stipulation that upkeep and maintenance of them will no longer be the responsibility of the FedGov.

But, as was said above...

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Obama CONFISCATES ALL APACHE ATTACK HELICOPTERS From The Governors of ALL 50 STATES

April 16th, 2014

As if the Obama administration’s purchase of more than 2 billion rounds of ammunition, and nearly 3,000 urban tanks, along with their unprecedented (and highly illegal) domestic spyingprogram was not enough to convince you that the federal government is about to suspend the Constitution once and for all, the man who once vowed to run “the most transparent administration in history” has just rather inexplicably, ordered the U.S. Army to seize every Apache attack helicopter currently in use by the National Guard.

In all, the Defense Department will confiscate 192 Apaches from National Guard units around the country and give them to the active duty Army.

In exchange for the heavily armed and highly maneuverable choppers, Guard units will receive 111 UH-60 Blackhawk transport helicopters from the Army, Defense One reports.

Last week, U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno testified before the Senate Armed Services Committee, claiming that the measure will save taxpayers $12 billion, over the next three years.

Of course, when one considers that this ‘cost saving’ move comes from an administration which regularly runs trillion-dollar deficits and, to date, has proposed no less than 442 tax increases since taking office in January 2009, the idea of saving money for the American taxpayer is a bit hard to swallow.

So, what could be another, more reasonable explanation?

The Apache, which began service in 1986, is armed with a 30 mm M230E1 Chain Gun (with 1,200 rounds), Hellfire anti-tank missiles, and 70 general-purpose 70 mm rockets. In short, it is capable of fending-off any enemy, foreign or domestic.

Obviously, these helicopters could pose a substantial obstacle to say, a tyrant drunk on his own power, with an army at his disposal.

With the recent, attempted seizure of the Bundy family ranch in Nevada by more than 200 armed federal officers, including many snipers, we know that the Obama administration is not afraid to use force against the American people.

Furthermore, considering the unprovoked attacks and murders of U.S. citizens on their own property by federal agents, such as the Ruby Ridge and Waco massacres, we also know that the federal government has no problem suspending due process and using lethal force on its own citizens. Couple that with the as yet, unexplained, massive arms buildup by the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Defense Authorization Act which allows the feds to arrest and detain any U.S. citizen indefinitely without charges, and even the most establishment-minded American should be able to see what is coming.

There are a few governors around the country who would not stand for martial-law being arbitrarily declared by this or any president, but without any teeth (i.e. Apache attack helicopters) what could they use to stop Obama’s tyranny?

http://www.thedailysheeple.com/marti...-states_042014

[American Patriot]

Ok... I'm... skeered now.

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Report: Pentagon to destroy $1B in ammo

Apr. 28, 2014 - 06:00AM |

The Pentagon plans to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition although some of those bullets and missiles could still be used by troops, according to the Pentagon and congressional sources. (AFP)

By Tom Vanden Brook
USA Today

• Filed Under

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon plans to destroy more than $1 billion worth of ammunition although some of those bullets and missiles could still be used by troops, according to the Pentagon and congressional sources.

It's impossible to know what portion of the arsenal slated for destruction — valued at $1.2 billion by the Pentagon — remains viable because the Defense Department's inventory systems can't share data effectively, according to a Government Accountability Office report obtained by USA TODAY.

The result: potential waste of unknown value.

"There is a huge opportunity to save millions, if not billions of dollars if the (Pentagon) can make some common-sense improvements to how it manages ammunition," said Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., and chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. "Despite years of effort, the Army, Navy and Air Force still don't have an efficient process for doing something as basic as sharing excess bullets. This Government Accountability Office (GAO) report clearly shows that our military's antiquated systems lead to millions of dollars in wasteful ammunition purchases."

The Army and Pentagon, in a statement, acknowledged "the need to automate the process" and will make it a priority in future budgets. In all, the Pentagon manages a stockpile of conventional ammunition worth $70 billion.

The effect of inaccurate accounting of ammunition for troops at war was outside the scope of the study.

However, there were limited supplies at times of .50-caliber machine gun and 9mm handgun ammunition at the height of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, according to a senior military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity to talk about the issue.

"We simply cannot afford this type of waste and ineffectiveness," Carper said. "The (Pentagon) has a responsibility to efficiently manage its ammunition stocks, not only because it is important to be fiscally responsible, but also because our antiquated ammunition inventory systems can shortchange our war fighters and compromise their ability to complete their mission."

Other key findings from the report:

■ The services have inventory systems for ammunition that cannot share data directly despite working for decades to develop a single database. Only the Army uses the standard Pentagon format; "the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps operate with formats that are obsolete."

■ The services hold an annual conference to share information about surplus ammunition and swap bullets and other munitions as needed. Data about ammunition left over after the meeting disappears from the books, resulting in an unknown amount of good bullets headed to the scrap heap.

■ The Army, although required by regulation, had not reported annually on its missile stockpile until last month, shortly before the GAO study was to be released.

The report illustrates the obsolete nature of the Pentagon's inventory systems for ammunition. A request for ammunition from the Marine Corps, for example, is e-mailed to the Army. The e-mail is printed out and manually retyped into the Army system because the services cannot share data directly. Not only is this time consuming, but it can introduce errors — by an incorrect keystroke, for example.

Waste, buying new ammunition while usable stockpiles exist, can occur "because the Army does not report information on all available and usable items," the report states. The annual conference among the services — although it saves about $70 million per year, according to the Pentagon — is inadequate. The services, in fiscal year 2012, exchanged 44 million items, including 32 million bullets for machine guns and pistols.

"Specifically, the Army's report does not include information from prior years about usable ammunition that was unclaimed by another service and stored for potential foreign military sales or slated for potential disposal," the report says.

Missiles are another source for concern, the report notes. The Army has an inventory of missiles, including Stingers, Javelins and Hellfires, that has totaled more than $14 billion in recent years. Hellfire missiles have been a weapon of choice for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the CIA-run Predator and Reaper drone missions to kill terrorists in places like Yemen.

The GAO found that the Army and its missile command "do not contribute to required annual report." The reason, Army officials told investigators, is that it "rarely has items to offer for redistribution."

Without its cooperation, the Army "risks others services spending additional funds to procure missiles that are already unused and usable in the Army's stockpile."

The Army, in a statement, said that it began offering that information to the other services last month.
In its recommendations, the GAO urged Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel to require the Army to make known information on all available for use by all services.

[American Patriot]

Interesting.

RT: US Defense Intelligence Agency director reportedly being forced out

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Jean
Published time: April 30, 2014 20:45
Edited time: April 30, 2014 21:58

Defense Intelligence Agency director U.S. Army Lt. General Michael Flynn (Reuters / Gary Cameron)


Both the director and deputy director of the Defense Intelligence Agency at the Pentagon announced on Wednesday that they are to leave their jobs by early fall. The move is thought be the result of mounting pressure by top Washington officials.
United States DIA Director Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn announced to Pentagon staff that he is walking away from that role a year earlier than anticipated.
The news came via a joint statement made by Flynn and the agency’s deputy director, David Shedd, who will also be vacating his post.
“We are proud of the legacy of sustained superb performance of the thousands of men and women we have served alongside throughout these many years,” they said.
According to Washington Post reporters Greg Miller and Adam Goldman the director’s unexpected announcement is the result of increased pressure coming from the likes of Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and others who reportedly did not agree with Flynn’s managerial style.
“His vision in DIA was seen as disruptive; he’s not a guy to take the agency forward in a coordinated and comprehensive manner,” one former Pentagon official told the Post of Flynn, a former colleague.

Flynn, the source said, wanted to push DIA analysts and operators “up and out of their cubicles into the field to support war fighters or high-intensity operations.”
Critics of Flynn, the journalists wrote, considered his management style to have “sowed chaos, setting aggressive plans for changes without adequate follow-through” within the agency.
“I’m not sure DIA sees itself as that,” their source said to the paper.
According to Miller and Goldman, the decision to take Flynn out of his DIA role comes in the midst of other major changes within both the US intelligence community and military, both of which have been shaken up in recent months after former government contractor Edward Snowden began releasing a trove of sensitive material to the media.
“I think if I’m concerned about anything, I’m concerned about defense capabilities that he may have stolen from where he worked, and does that knowledge then get into the hands of our adversaries,” Flynn said of Snowden during a NPRinterview that aired last month.
Previously, Flynn served in the US Army and participated in tours that brought him to Grenada, Haiti, Afghanistan and Iraq. US President Barack Obama picked Flynn to be DIA director two years ago this month, and he was expected to depart from that role in 2015.
The agency has yet to select who will succeed either Flynn or Shedd, reported the AP.

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A-10 Attack Jets Rack Up Air-to-Air Kills in Louisiana War Game

‘Single-purpose? Single-mission? My ass,’ commander says of Warthogs

• David Axe in War is Boring

Two squadrons of A-10 Warthog attack planes scored a military record in Louisiana in March, shooting down unprecedented numbers of “enemy” aircraft during an intensive war game.

Flying low over the forest canopy at Fort Polk’s Joint Readiness Training Center, the twin-engine jets—from Idaho and Louisiana Air National Guard squadrons—simulated attacks on the Opposing Force, the specialized U.S. Army role-players who stand in for enemy troops.

The officer in charge of the semi-annual “Green Flag” exercise praised the 1980s-vintage A-10s. “They unleashed the Hogs,” Air Force Lt. Col. Brett Waring said of the Idaho and Louisiana squadrons.

Waring added a thinly veiled criticism of the Air Force, which wants to retire all 340 of the cheap, rugged Warthogs by 2019 and replace them with flimsy, pricey F-35 stealth fighters.

[IMG]https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/1024/1*dRcOoTg8v_Z3ALrwRrdK6Q.jpeg[/IMG]

An Opfor Lakota. Christopher Ebdon photo

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel described the A-10 as a “40-year-old, single-purpose airplane originally designed to kill enemy tanks on a Cold War battlefield.”

Waring rejected that assessment. “Single-purpose, single-mission? My ass. That bird out there kicks ass.” The armored A-10 carries missiles and bombs and packs a powerful 30-millimeter cannon. In 1991, a Warthog used its gun to shoot down an Iraqi helicopter. A-10s sank enemy warships during the 2011 international intervention in Libya.

The March 9 to 26 exercise pitted Army units and the supporting Air Force squadrons against JRTC’s highly-trained Opfor. Firing lasers instead of live rounds, the two sides battled on the ground and in the air. Opfor uses Lakota helicopters painted to represent Russian-style gunships.

The Opposing Force quickly gained the advantage. “The Army got it handed to them,” Waring said. “No other way to put it.” Opfor “killed” the entire Army force twice, forcing it to “regenerate”—like getting extra lives in a video game.

[IMG]https://d262ilb51hltx0.cloudfront.net/max/720/1*5v3fPSUnYHBfS_CxoExMfA.jpeg[/IMG]

A soldier aims a Javelin missile into the sky at JRTC. Army photo

Soldiers at JRTC must defend against “the constant threat of enemy aviation,” according to the 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment’s Facebook page. A squadron photo depicts a soldier aiming his Javelin anti-tank missile into the sky. Optimized for killing tanks, in a pinch the Javelin can also bring down low-flying aircraft.

The Army rallied, calling in the A-10s for intensive air strikes that turned the tide of the mock battle. “We had the most kinetic strike operations in the last three years of Green Flag, just in those last few days,” Waring said.

And in the course of their counter-attacks, the Warthogs shot down a record number of Opfor aircraft—presumably the Lakota gunships. The Idaho and Louisiana squadrons “now hold the Green Flag record for the most air-to-air kills,” Waring boasted.

Equally enthusiastic about the fearsome A-10, a coalition of lawmakers is working to save the Warthog, by crafting legislation preventing the planes’ retirement.

[American Patriot]

Air Force plan to strip generals of authority

http://www.washingtontimes.com/ ^ | May 12, 2014 | Maggie Ybarra

Posted on Wednesday, May 14, 2014 8:17:34 AM


Senior Air Force leaders have drafted a budget-driven plan that would strip the three- and four-star generals who oversee major commands of their authority to manage their bases. A draft of the plan obtained by The Washington Times shows that the Air Force is aiming to consolidate support operations under the umbrella of a single center, known as the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center.


The tricky endeavor would shuffle day-to-day base management issues — such as construction, maintenance and procurement of equipment and supplies — from under the authority of the senior generals who command the bases to the leadership of a two-star general who would run the support center, according to the draft proposal. The plan was born out of a directive from Air Force leadership last year to reduce headquarters operations costs at least 20 percent by 2019. It cites reductions contained in the Budget Control Act that were implemented by the Obama administration in 2011. The consolidation would affect the service’s 10 major commands, each of which specializes in areas such as technical training, management of non-nuclear combat air power and global air mobility.


(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...

[American Patriot]

No, Uncle Sam doesn’t really want YOU: Military now turns down 80% of applicants

WashingtonTimes

Uncle Sam doesn’t want you. At least 80 percent of you.
These days, the U.S. military is only taking 20 percent of the applicants who walk into their local recruiter’s office intent on enlisting in the armed services.
Army Sgt. 1st Class Terrence Hoard told the Kansas City Star that his recruitment office once needed to sign up 16 to 20 soldiers per month to meet recruitment goals. Today, he can get by with 10 to 12.
“We’re turning down twice as many as before,” he told the paper, which reported that four of every five adults who seek to join the military in 2014 do not make the cut.
The U.S. Army hopes to hit 57,000 recruits for active duty this year. It’s on pace to do just that, even while applying a stricter set of standards as it pertains to physical fitness, appearance (i.e., tattoos), intelligence test results and an applicant’s criminal history.

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[Ryan Ruck]

More social experimentation. Didn't realize cornrows and braids were "natural".

Military Changes Hairstyle Policy To Allow Cornrows And Braids After Petition Was Launched Against The 'Racially Biased' Rules

August 15, 2014

The military is officially changing its hairstyle policy after a petition was launched against the racially biased rules that were formerly in place.

In April, the Army received flack after issuing new appearance standards that banned most twists, dreadlocks and large cornrows - styles used predominantly by African-American women with natural hairstyles.

Department of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced on Monday that the Pentagon 'reviewed its definition of authorized and prohibited styles, and eliminated offensive language, including the terms "matted and unkempt," from both the Army and Air Force grooming regulations,' according to Styleite.

Under the new rules, acceptable styles for members of the armed forces - of which a third are black women - have now been extended to include cornrows, twists and larger braids.

'These reviews were informed by a panel of military personnel of mixed demographics reflective of our diverse force,' Hagel wrote in a letter addressed to Congressional Black Caucus chair Rep. Marcia Fudge.

Hagel called for the review in late April after 16 female members of the Congressional Black Caucus wrote to him, complaining about the updated guidelines.

Additionally, more than 11,000 people signed a White House petition asking President Barack Obama, the commander in chief, to have the military review the regulations to allow for 'neat and maintained natural hairstyles.'

In their original letter, the Congressional Black Caucus wrote: 'Though we understand the intent of the updated regulation is to ensure uniformity in our military, it is seen as discriminatory rules targeting soldiers who are women of color with little regard to what is needed to maintain their natural hair.'

They also said that the guidelines calling hairstyles worn mostly by black women 'unkempt' and 'matted' show a lack of 'cultural sensitivity'.

'I think that it primarily targets black women, and I’m not in agreement with it,' Patricia Jackson-Kelley from the National Association of Black Military Women added to the AP. 'I don’t see how a woman wearing three braids in her hair, how that affects her ability to perform her duty in the military.'

In a response letter, obtained by the Military Times, Hagel wrote: 'I want to assure you that, while none of the Army's revised grooming and appearance policies were designed or intended to discriminate or disparage against any service members, I take your concerns very seriously.'

Pentagon spokesman Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby said Hagel would have the deputy secretary of defense 'work with the service secretaries and military chiefs to review their respective policies' over the following three months.

Each service was asked to review its policy 'as they pertain to African American women to ensure standards are fair and respectful of our diverse force, while also meeting our military services' requirements', he wrote.

[Ryan Ruck]

Navy Sailors Distrust Commanders, Fear Crippling Political Correctness

Complain of zero-tolerance disciplinary environment, excessive political correctness

September 30, 2014

Navy sailors harbor “widespread mistrust” in the admirals who command them, complaining of poor leadership and a disciplinary environment that tolerates absolutely no mistakes, says a survey of the fleet.

The disgruntlement runs deepest in the officer corps, where scores of commanders have been relieved of duty in recent years.

“Senior leadership should stop proactively highlighting the reliefs for cause of commanding officers, command master chiefs, and other senior enlisted advisors,” said the report “2014 Navy Retention Study.” “What was originally intended to demonstrate accountability to the public has, instead, resulted in a significant breach of trust with our sailors and resulting in an almost ‘reality TV’ mentality.”

The independent survey was released amid complaints by some aviators about excessive political correctness as the military seeks to stamp out sexual harassment and misconduct in an increasingly gender-integrated Navy.

“Most troubling is the perception sailors hold of senior leadership,” the report says under the heading “Widespread Distrust of Senior Leadership.”

“Sailors feel strongly about their distrust of senior leadership, and believe the Navy has a significant risk-averse culture and zero-defect mentality,” the report says. “Officers in particular hold an incredibly negative view of the current state of affairs, with vast majorities decrying the overwhelming perception of a risk averse and zero-defect mentality culture.”

When asked whether they agreed that the Navy operates a risk-averse culture, nearly 90 percent of officers answered “yes.”

Sailors also do not like wartime at sea deployments that stretch from six months up to nine months.

The report, based on an Internet survey that garnered responses from more than 5,000 sailors, was compiled by a group of active-duty Navy sailors and civilian researchers, with the Navy’s support.

It was led by Cmdr. Guy Snodgrass, a “Top Gun” F-18 Hornet pilot who was a speechwriter for the Navy’s top admiral and now is executive officer of a carrier strike fighter squadron. Cmdr. Snodgrass has argued that the work climate will lead to a retention crisis if not addressed.

Cmdr. Christopher Servello, a spokesman for the chief of naval personnel, said: “Not sure we agree with all of the conclusions that were drawn, but we are grateful for the effort done by this group. … Much of the raw data collected matches what we have seen in our own surveys.”

Cmdr. Servello said actions being taken include “pushing decision-making down to the lowest levels of command and empowering units’ leaders to train and focus on war fighting first.”

He said retention is above average for officers and enlisted, but there are “pockets that have leadership’s attention.” These include the nuclear Navy, junior flight officers and special warfare, which includes the SEALs.

Cmdr. Snodgrass‘ report language is tamer than an article he wrote last winter on the U.S. Naval Institute website.

“Unfortunately,” Cmdr. Snodgrass wrote, “the fact that a growing number of quality officers have already left the service or are planning to head for the doors seems to be going undetected by senior leadership.”

He wrote of “a recent shift within the Navy to eradicate behavior that is, by its very nature, ineradicable.”

“Put simply, there is no dollar amount that can be spent, or amount of training that can be conducted, that will completely eradicate complex issues such as suicide, sexual assault, or commanding officer reliefs for cause — yet we continue to expend immense resources in this pursuit,” he said. “Sailors are bombarded with annual online training, general military training, and safety stand-downs — all in an effort to combat problems that will never be defeated.”