XBradTC

I’m really lazy. That is, if I go to all the trouble of writing something on Facebook that’s even remotely related to the topics I cover here, I tend to feel like I’m cheating on you, dear reader. So I’ll copy pasta another conversation.

TMI asked regarding PGMs and CAS:

my question is, what is the role of the attack helicopter if the evolution you describe continues?
I’m willing to buy that the CAS role will narrow considerably, but it’s difficult for me to see PGMs completely eliminating the need for aerial gunnery at visual range

My reply:

There’s a fundamental difference between the Army and the Marines in employment. The Marines tend to treat attack helicopters as just another part of CAS.
The Army, however, has a bit of schizophrenia. There’s long been two schools of thought, going back to the 60s.

Attack aviation is seen either as maneuver, or as fires. Early AH-1 units were in both attack helicopters with a Cavalry heritage, or in Ariel Rocket Artillery units. You can see the dichotomy there, I think.

The maneuver, or Cavalry school, sees the Atk Helo as fighting for information, screening, and delivering deep raids. The fires, or ARA school, sees the Atk Helo as just another source of fire support for the troops on the ground.
There’s a little overlap between the two school. In the permissive environment of the GWOT, we’ve seen them used both ways.

First, they did a LOT of convoy and maneuver unit cover and overwatch. But they’ve also been treated like call fires. Ground unit wants to make a room in a building go away? Call Mr. Apache.

Again, how that will work going forward depends on the threat we face.
Attack helicopters offer fantastic firepower, and great depth on the battlefield, but they are fragile, and lack staying power. In any but the most benign threat environment, their use must be VERY carefully integrated with other fires, and fixed wing air for the suppression of air defenses

Here’s a quick sit-rep on my never-ending quest toward a Grand Unified Theory of Mil-blogging. Readers of the Red Bull Rising blog, Facebook friends and followers, and/or participants in previous writing or blogging workshops will recognize much of this history and logic.

My usual caveats, of course, still apply: This is my view from my foxhole. “Everybody has their own war.” Take what you need, leave the rest. And, most importantly, I reserve the right to change and evolve my opinions over time. Because that’s what good conversations do. And blogs, among other things, are inherently conversations.

I look forward to your comments and suggestions.

via Red Bull Rising: Mil-Blogging is Dead? Long Live Mil-Blogging!.

You’ll kindly note that I commented on this phenomena a few months ago.

Wow. I’m a thought leader, and didn’t even recognize it!

The Navy continues to evaluate whether it will need more EA-18G Growler electronic jamming aircraft on the deck of a carrier even though service officials chose to include no new Growlers in its 2016 defense budget request.

The current configuration for an aircraft carrier’s air wing includes five Growler aircraft per squadron; however, an ongoing evaluation of the jamming aircraft is leading the service to consider increasing this number to seven or eight per squadron.

The Navy’s 2016 budget request adds no new Growler aircraft to the current acquisition plan, which specifies that the service is funded to procure 153 Growlers — with final delivery taking place in 2017. As of Feb. 1, 114 Growlers have been delivered, said Navy Lt. Robert Myers, a service spokesman.

via Navy Mulls Expanding Growler’s Future After Blanking EA-18G’s Budget | Military.com.

The decision isn’t just a straight up question of the numbers of Growlers the Navy would like. First, every pilot or NFO slot in the Growler community is in competition with the rest of Naval aviation, not to mention the legally imposed caps on total numbers of officers in the service.

Plus, of course, money to buy and fly additional aircraft is money the Navy can’t use elsewhere.

On a rather less well known front, there’s a very small, but quite vocal protest group near NAS Whidbey that is determined to shut down the airfield. They have managed to force the Navy to conduct another environmental impact assessment on the consequences of adding additional aircraft to the air station.

The Navy has come up with several different alternatives to the current five jet squadrons.

Personally, I’d like to see Option Four, with 7 jets per squadron, and an additional two expeditionary squadrons constituted.

THE PENTAGON — Headquarters Marine Corps has announced the creation a new military occupational specialty which will enhance the Division of Public Affairs’ ability to communicate the mission and interests of the Marine Corps to a diverse public. The 4311 MOS: Model, Basic Marine will allow eligible Marines to develop a career path modeling new unpopular uniform proposals, posturing for recruiting posters, or acting in sexual assault and suicide prevention training videos.

“We’re looking for women with strong jawlines and men with weak ones,” said Yvonne Carlock, deputy public affairs officer for Manpower and Reserve Affairs. “Marines of the 21st Century run toward the sounds of social justice.”

via New MOS For Marine PAO: 4311 Model, Basic Marine.

MOSCOW – U.S. military combat vehicles paraded Wednesday through an Estonian city that juts into Russia, a symbolic act that highlighted the stakes for both sides amid the worst tensions between the West and Russia since the Cold War.

The armored personnel carriers and other U.S. Army vehicles that rolled through the streets of Narva, a border city separated by a narrow frontier from Russia, were a dramatic reminder of the new military confrontation in eastern Europe.

via U.S. military vehicles paraded 300 yards from the Russian border – The Washington Post.

Good.

Russia can whine all it wants, but Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia are now part of NATO.

Sooner or later, the US and our allies are going to have to draw a line beyond which Russia cannot advance.

And it’s not as if Lithuania isn’t doing its share to help itself. They’re actually reinstating conscription to fill their ranks.

A small unit of American Strykers is obviously more symbolic than genuine combat power. But often times in diplomacy, symbols are quite important.