The Navy has just announced:
It’s not the first time Mabus has made a choice that’s bound to raise eyebrows.
BattlelandNavy
BattlelandNavy
BattlelandAfghanistan
Well, This Explains Everything…
…you ever wanted to know about how the U.S. and NATO are structured to train Afghan security forces. Wonder if part of the training involves enabling the locals to produce charts like this after we’ve left? h/t Public Intelligence
BattlelandIntelligence
“I Spy. Why?”
Battleland pal Jeff Stein offers a noirish, first-person look into the world of military intelligence, and what makes spies tick:
I remember [the instructor] saying something like: “This is the only thing in the Army that you can volunteer for and then get out of if you change your mind.” That’s because we had signed up for …
BattlelandTroops
Water Costs Too Much
That’s why the Army is beginning to recycle water that troops use for showers in Afghanistan. Shower water accounts for 75% of the potable water used at Forward Operating Bases in Afghanistan, and it costs between $5 and $30 a gallon to get it there. So the Army has developed the Shower Water Reuse System, which takes “used” …
BattlelandMilitary Families
A Daughter’s Plea: “Daddy, Please Don’t Leave…”
The other day I was sitting in my office when my 3-year-old daughter came running in. She was sobbing, unable to catch her breath or tell me what was wrong. Her face flush, with red circles emanating from her swollen eyes, she was inconsolable. In tow came my wife, somber-faced and also on the verge of tears. “What’s wrong?” …
BattlelandMilitary Personnel
The Cost of Speaking Out
So what happens to a military officer who speaks out against the grain? It’s an apt question, given Army Lieut. Colonel Daniel Davis’ recent treatise (or was it a screed?) in Armed Forces Journal on what he perceives as the …
BattlelandMilitary Women
Women Not-Quite-In Combat
The Pentagon made official what already has been happening by default: women in uniform are moving closer to the front lines. “Women are contributing in unprecedented ways to the military’s mission,” Defense Secretary Leon …
“Those involved acknowledged that the symbol could be misinterpreted and is not in keeping with our Marine Corps ethos and values.”
BattlelandMilitary Women
Military Women Moving Closer to the Front Lines
One problem with insurgent wars – like that we waged in Iraq, and are currently fighting in Afghanistan – is that there are no front lines. Without sharply-defined FEBAs – Forward Edge of the Battle Area – or FLOTs – Front Line of Own Troops — how do you keep women out of combat?
Bottom line: you can’t. That’s why the …
BattlelandKorea
Pests North of the DMZ Safe For Now
Korea-watchers had been holding their breath, after South Korea offered its pest-control services Tuesday to North Korea to help eradicate pests at ancient tombs in North Korea revered by those on both sides of the 38th Parallel. The unspecified pests are apparently killing pine trees surrounding the Koguryo tombs, located in the …
BattlelandAir Force
F-22 Crash: IG Looking Into Air Force Probe That Concluded Pilot Was To Blame
The Pentagon inspector general is investigating the Air Force’s official probe into a fatal F-22 crash that concluded the pilot was to blame. “The assessment will focus on the adherence of the AIB [Accident Investigation Board] …
BattlelandNavy
Dive! Dive! Dive! Navy Fleet Has Been Cut in Half!
The U.S. Navy fleet peaked at 568 battle-force ships (aka “big boats”) in 1987.
Ever since, the Navy has been on a glideslope to a smaller fleet, according to a Congressional Research Service report sent to lawmakers Tuesday, and obtained by Battleland:
The report notes that the fleet has shrunk to 284 ships – precisely 50% …
BattlelandProcurement
March of the ESRobots
The Pentagon is determined to hunt down and kill explosive devices – including crude roadside bombs – that account for about 50% of U.S. casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq. Here’s its latest effort, in a contract solicitation posted Wednesday: it wants 15-pound Engineering Squad Robots to hunt those killers down and destroy them, …