The Word Police over at the Congressional Research Service – a namby-pamby bunch of straight-shooters who apparently have no use for political rhetoric – are calling Defense Secretary Leon Panetta on his claim that the U.S. military is headed for a “hollow force” if proposed budget cuts occur:
Weapons
The Costly F-35 Fighter: Positive Angle of Attack
The F-35 Lightning II fighter program has struggled recently: then-defense secretary Robert Gates put the Marine version on “probation” for two years, before new defense chief Leon Panetta let it off a year early – apparently something to do with good flying behavior. Such positive news has led to this video, complete with the …
Air Force Meets `The Graduate’: “Plastics.”
Bombs hurt too much. That’s why the Air Force has just dropped a 500-pounder from a B-1 with a carbon fiber body – what you and I think of as plastic – instead of a metal case. It’s designed to destroy its target while minimizing the risk of collateral damage. The Pentagon ordered the bomb for urgent use in Central Command’s …
Whoosh! “What Was That?” Chinese, To Go
Military aviation guru Bill Sweetman has the latest on China’s stealthy J-20 fighter – you know, the one that kicked up a stink a year ago when it flew while then-defense secretary Robert Gates was visiting the Middle Kingdom – and finds some surprises in the latest issue of Defense Technology International:
“While it was …
Will the A-10 `Lazarus’ Cheat Death Once Again?
The Air Force has never particularly cared for its A-10 aircraft. After all, its mission is to fly low and slow to defend soldiers in the mud, not fly high and fast to blast enemy aircraft from the sky and guarantee American air …
Photo Op: Wind Chill
Missileer Tom Amlie, RIP
Navy and Air Force missile expert Thomas S. Amlie has died at 85. His fingerprints – he was part of the simple-is-better school that waxes and wanes in the U.S. military — date back to the Eisenhower Administration:
Tom Amlie worked on the Sidewinder project as a young Navy lieutenant, and he later became technical director at
…
Disappearing Into Thin Air
Thursday’s budget details contained several sky-high decisions worth noting:
— New unmanned aircraft aren’t necessarily cheaper and/or better than old – and Battleland means very old – manned aircraft. (Interesting how the military seems to be able to go back to the future with reconnaissance aircraft, but not fighters or …
The Promise — and The Danger — in Panetta’s Budget
Leon Panetta rolled out some of the first details on the new FY 2013 defense budget on Thursday. It’s the first since FY 1998 to actually decline in nominal terms (though FY 2011 and FY 2012 were “real” cuts, as they did not …
Targeting Waste
One of the reasons Battleland thinks there might be some fat yet to carve from the U.S. military’s budget are charts like this, buried in reports like this. It’s a final draft of Army Field Manual 3-13, Inform and Influence Activities. It’s a 67-page document explaining how the Army can make people think differently. Can you …
Talk is Cheap in Washington When It Comes to Politicians and the U.S. Military
Last night, President Obama opened his State of the Union address by referencing the sacrifices and courage of America’s military personnel as they return home from combat. The President’s rhetoric was moving, but unfortunately, words are simply words and have not been fully backed up with action that supports America’s heroes.
It Flies — And Dies!
The balloon’s gone up in the war of leaks over planned Pentagon budget cuts. Here’s a pair of items that seem to reach differing conclusions about one of the Air Force’s key spy drone programs.