Attention Whores and Conspiracy Theorists (But I Repeat Myself)

Maybe this stuff has always been out there, but I’ve noticed it getting more and more circulation lately.  Sandy Hook, Chris Dorner, and now the Boston Marathon bombings, are all, apparently, the work of the US government, orchestrated to bring about the final destruction of the Constitution and the installment of Obama as President For Life.  There is always some convoluted bullshit “evidence” put forward as to why this is the truth, often easily refuted within 30 seconds with a search engine.  Apparently, Alex Jones is now saying that the late Chris Kyle’s company, The Craft, somehow were involved with the Boston bombings because they were on the scene. As easily refuted as these things are, they keep spreading.  People who I would have thought knew better, simply keep spreading the bullshit around, because, “This administration has lied so much I wouldn’t put anything past them,” or, “Even if it is fake, it’s good to wake people up that they have to be vigilant.”  What bullshit.  A lie is a lie.  A half-truth pointing to a lie is a lie.  Someone who lies to you for “good reasons” is still a liar and a scumbag to boot. Alex Jones is

A Response to “Can The Marines Survive”

On March 26th, Lt. Col. Lloyd Freeman published an article on Foreign Policy entitled, “Can The Marines Survive?”  In short, Lt. Col. Freeman’s point is that American air power and UAVs have irrevocably changed warfare; movement on the battlefield means being killed by remote control from half a world away.  He argues that the Marine Corps has, in its competition with the Army, rendered itself into a slow, conventional force focused on an obsolete mission, i.e. forced entry from the sea.  In order for the Marine Corps to remain a valid force and not simply a second, redundant Army, he believes that it needs to convert to small teams of JTACs inserted into hostile territory to coordinate drone and bombing strikes. Read the rest at SOFREP.

Ahrar al Sham: A Rising Force in Syria’s Civil War

While the al-Nusra Front gains most of the headlines in the Syrian Civil War, there is another group, called Ahrar al Sham, which is at least Al Nusra’s equal, if not even more important.  A loose conglomeration of Islamist groups from across Syria, Ahrar al Sham, “The Islamic Movement of the Free Men of Greater Syria,” has considerable support, an active IO campaign that surpasses anything Al Nusra has put out, and is growing fast, claiming 83 rebel units under its banner as of January 2013, up from 50 in July 2012. Read more: http://sofrep.com/19417/ahrar-al-sham-a-rising-force-in-the-syrian-civil-war/#ixzz2QCa76KX7

Camouflage: What’s the Point?

This should certainly stir up some conversation. Pete wrote it after some thin-skinned folks in the industry apparently got butt-hurt about the April Fool’s joke on Soldier Systems Daily on Monday (our word, and Pete’s, not SSD’s). We recognize SSD is an industry leader and people rely on it to stay abreast (*giggle* a breast) of what’s new in the defense/tactical industry. That said, if you were so unhappy about his joke you really need to rethink things…possibly even throat-punch yourself. SSD apologized, and we respect their self-analysis. If the editor there believes he should apologize, who are we to refute that? Still…it was the first of April…are you mad about disinformation, or are you mad because you fell for it and you feel foolish? Read the rest at Breach-Bang-Clear.

What a Marine Recon Team Looks Like

Dirty, tired, camouflage-painted, trousers ripped, armed to the teeth, and overloaded. Okay, so that’s what the guys on the Recon team look like most of the time. The team itself has evolved a bit due to operational requirements, equipment limitations, and force protection requirements established by higher. Over the years since Vietnam, the Recon team has ranged from four-man Force Recon Stingray teams to entire Recon platoons going out as one. Read the rest at SOFREP.