Again .... We're Not Doing This?

Someone please, please, give me more details.

As our war(s) wind down, we are coughing up a half-a-billion-dollars to Booz Allen to do ... what the fracking Chain of Command and the Family Services/Medical masses are supposed to do?

Hey, I love me some SOF too, but?

Defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton has won a $475 million contract from the U.S. Special Operations Command to offer assistance services to Special Forces soldiers and their families. The Pentagon announced the contract Wednesday. It runs five years and could total as much as $475 million. Virginia-based Booz Allen has other Special Forces contracts but also provides technology, consulting and security to military customers as well as other government agencies and the private sector. The new contract entails Booz Allen helping the U.S. military to craft services and assistance for Special Forces soldiers who have seen combat and multiple deployments, as well as their families.

Well, that is one way to be a ship's last CO

Tough FITREP bullet to write? Think they will downgrade MSM to NCM ... or just let things pass? Via our buddy Chris Cavas;

Caught between the jagged coral of an ocean reef and Filipino environmental and political concerns, the U.S. Navy announced it will cut up the trapped USS Guardian and take it away piece by piece.

“Our only supportable option is to dismantle the damaged ship and remove it in sections,” Rear Adm. Tom Carney, commander of the salvage effort, said in a prepared statement released in conjunction with a Tuesday morning, Jan. 29 press conference at the Philippine Coast Guard facility in Puerto Princesa on the island of Palawan.

Good thing is that no one was killed. Besides that, let's wait for the investigation to start spitting out information so we can at least learn something from this.

SE=SL+TS-RD-NL+DI-2PL

Can I go a week without enjoying a little facepalm with LCS?

No. Spin is fun to watch ... tap dancing too.

In additional news; light has trouble passing through opaque objects. Non-dampened vibrations cause inaccuracy, and horsepower ratings on helicopters cannot be increased by force of will.

"The Navy determined the MH-60S helicopter cannot safely tow the AN/AQS-20A Sonar Mine Detecting Set (AQS-20A) or the Organic Airborne Sweep and Influence System (OASIS) because the helicopter is underpowered for these operations," it notes. Additionally, the report says the AQS-20A itself exceeded limits in contact depth localization errors and false contacts.

...

In addition to being towed by the helo, the AQS-20A sonar is also on the unmanned underwater Remote Multimission Vehicle.

Ailes mentioned during that same interview that AN/AQS-20 reliability can be affected by a variety of factors, including temperature, velocity profile, pressure and clutter.

 I warned 'ye.

   
Hat tip Lee.

You Mean, We Don't Do This Now?

Here, in all its glory, is a perfect example of a lot that is wrong. 


It begs a few simple questions:
1. As we bleat about crying poverty, what billets are going away to make these new billets paid for?
2. What tasking being done now will go away so those now tasked to support this from other UIC will be able to give it the attention it needs?
3. More importantly, and asked with a respectful amount of snark .... you mean we aren't doing this right now somewhere in our HUGE bloated staff and war college structure? Really?
 
Is the answer to this requirement just one more layer ... really?  Is that all we've got?

R 240037Z JAN 13
FM CNO WASHINGTON DC
TO NAVADMIN
UNCLAS//N03000//
NAVADMIN 014/13
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/DNS/JAN//
SUBJ/ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NAVY WARFARE GROUP//
REF/A/INST/OPNAVNOTE 5430/XXJAN13//
REF/B/DOC/ELLIS GROUP CHARTER/30MAY12//
NARR/REF A IS A CHARTER ESTABLISHING NAVY WARFARE GROUP. REF B IS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS CHARTER ESTABLISHING
THE ELLIS GROUP.//

RMKS/1. REFERENCE (A) DIRECTS THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE NAVY WARFARE GROUP (NWG) TO PROVIDE A DEDICATED ORGANIZATION TO SYSTEMATICALLY EVALUATE, DEVELOP, AND IMPLEMENT NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPTS DEEMED USEFUL TO THE SERVICE.

2. NWG MISSION IS TO PRODUCE INNOVATIVE STRATEGIC CONCEPTS THAT SHAPE FUTURE REQUIREMENTS AND INFORM OUR NAVAL STRATEGY AND OPERATIONAL DOCTRINE. SPECIFICALLY NWG WILL:

A. GENERATE, DEVELOP, AND ANALYZE STRATEGIC CONCEPTS AS A COMPONENT OF THE NAVY STRATEGY INNOVATION CYCLE.

B. SERVE AS THE COUNTERPART ORGANIZATION TO THE U.S. MARINE CORPS ELLIS GROUP (REF B) TO INFORM COMBAT DEVELOPMENT TO ENSURE INTEGRATED NAVAL WARFIGHTING CAPABILITIES.

C. GENERATE PURPOSE STATEMENTS AND TERMS OF REFERENCE FOR THE CONDUCT OF NAVY TITLE 10 WAR GAMES, OVERSEE EXECUTION OF THESE WAR GAMES BY THE NAVAL WAR COLLEGE (NWC) AND EXPLORE THE FEASIBILITY AND IMPLICATIONS OF ALTERNATIVE STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL CONCEPTS, PLANS, AND TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS.

D. SERVE AS THE NAVY LEAD FOR IRREGULAR WARFARE (IW) TO INCORPORATE IW INTO NAVY CAPSTONE DOCUMENTS AND TO INFORM THE PPBE PROCESS.

E. DEVELOP AND COORDINATE NAVY INPUTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT AND REVISION OF JOINT CONCEPTS WITHIN THE FAMILY OF JOINT OPERATIONS CONCEPTS (JOPSC) PUBLICATIONS AND JOINT CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT AND EXPERIMENTATION.

3. THE FUTURE CONCEPTS BRANCH HEAD (N515) SERVES AS THE DIRECTOR OF NWG AND REPORTS DIRECTLY TO DIRECTOR N51.

4. THE NWG SERVES AS THE ELLIS GROUP'S POINT OF ENTRY INTO THE OPNAV STAFF.

5. NWG WILL WORK CLOSELY WITH THE NAVY WARFARE DEVELOPMENT COMMAND (NWDC) TO MONITOR OPERATIONAL CONCEPT EFFORTS, COORDINATE WITH THE NWC FOR WARGAMING AND COORDINATE WITH COMBINED FLEET FORCES COMMAND (CFFC) FOR FLEET EXPERIMENTATION.

6. NWG REQUIRES ORGANIZATIONAL AND FLEET TECHNICAL EXPERTISE NOT RESIDENT WITHIN THE GROUP. THEREFORE, NWG IS AUTHORIZED ON A ROTATIONAL BASIS LIAISON OFFICER (LNO) SUPPORT. THE FOLLOWING COMMANDS ARE DIRECTED TO IDENTIFY PRIMARY REPRESENTATIVES AND POINTS OF CONTACT BY 15 FEBRUARY 2013:

A. NAVAL WAR COLLEGE: NAVY PLANNER: WARGAMING SME.

B. NAVY WARFARE DEVELOPMENT COMMAND: CONCEPTS SME.

C. USFF/CPF: N3 OPERATIONAL PLANNER,
N4 LOGISTICS PLANNER,
N5 PLANS AND POLICIES SME,
N7 TRAINING SME,
N9 REQUIREMENTS SME.

D. NECC: N3 OPERATIONAL PLANNER,
N4 EXPEDITIONARY LOGISTICS PLANNER,
N9 EXPEDITIONARY REQUIREMENTS SME.

E. CYBERCOM: INFO DOM/INTEL PLANNER,
INFO DOM/CYBER PLANNER.

F. NAVSPECWCOM: SOF PLANNER.

7. POINTS OF CONTACT ARE CAPT JOSEPH [redacted], NWG (OPNAV N515) AT (571) 256-[redacted]/DSN 260 OR VIA E-MAIL AT JOSEPH.[redacted](AT)NAVY.MIL; AND
CDR BRUCE [redacted], NWG (N515) AT (703) 695-[redacted]/DSN 260 OR VIA E-MAIL BRUCE.[redacted](AT)NAVY.MIL.

8. RELEASED BY VICE ADMIRAL R. W. HUNT, DIRECTOR, NAVY STAFF.//
BT

Minor to Major

Subtle. 

This made the rounds at the end of the week, and I'm still pondering it. 

I've been soaking in that band's music since my late teens ... and this deserves a few listens until you get it. Some hear melancholy ... I hear pleading ... strange effect how scale can move the undercurrent of a song, but in a good way. 

The original was a bit too droopy and sad ... but then again, that is what made the song so effective. 

Background here, but here is the summary. What happens when you take R.E.M.'s "Losing my Religion" from minor scale to major? The original:


The change:



BTW for all you Yankees out there - the Southern phrase "Losing my religion" has nothing to do with religion.

Anyway ... to me, this will always be R.E.M., though full of Yankees and Californians, R.E.M. will to me at least be a true Southern band.


While I'm back in the mid-80s again ... Flat Duo Jets baby! 

Want to know what attitude & vibe 'ole Sal was trying (not all that successfully, but trying) to flow with back in the day? Just watch Dex of FDJ, and you are just about there. 

Yep, most of you would have hated me, but I blew through those years like a blazing star and wouldn't trade a minute of it ... how I didn't get kicked out of NROTC I will never know, but ~16-22 was a glorious wrecklessness.

Yes, I spelled it that way on purpose.



UPDATE: Good googly moogly, my dear friend Chap ... there was a documentary about FDJ. "Two Headed Cow." An hour and a half: enjoy!

CHINFO & Rethinking the End of History, on Midrats

This Sunday from 5-6pm EST, block off an hour for a live Midrats you will not want to miss.

In an information driven society wrapped in a 24-hr news cycle, what is the mission, responsibility, and the primary responsibilities of the Navy's Chief of Information?

Well, you couldn't ask for a better guest to help flesh out the answer to that question. Our guest for the first half-hour will be CHINFO-actual, Rear Admiral John Kirby, USN.

For the second half of the hour we will have returning guest, Major Peter J. Munson, USMC - author of War, Welfare & Democracy: Rethinking America's Quest for the End of History - a sobering view of how we got where we are, and the underlying trends that will impact the global system, and America's place in it, for the next half century.

Join us live if you can, but if you miss the show you can always listen to the archive at blogtalkradio - the best way to get the show and download the archive to your audio player is to get a free account and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

Listen to internet radio with Midrats on Blog Talk Radio

Fullbore Friday

Last week we covered the newest recipient of the Medal of Honor, this week we'll step back to the one who has been with us the longest.

Master Sergeant Nicholas Oresko - nothing more I can say besides what is in your citation.

M/Sgt. Oresko was a platoon leader with Company C, in an attack against strong enemy positions. Deadly automatic fire from the flanks pinned down his unit. Realizing that a machinegun in a nearby bunker must be eliminated, he swiftly worked ahead alone, braving bullets which struck about him, until close enough to throw a grenade into the German position. He rushed the bunker and, with pointblank rifle fire, killed all the hostile occupants who survived the grenade blast. Another machinegun opened up on him, knocking him down and seriously wounding him in the hip. Refusing to withdraw from the battle, he placed himself at the head of his platoon to continue the assault. As withering machinegun and rifle fire swept the area, he struck out alone in advance of his men to a second bunker. With a grenade, he crippled the dug-in machinegun defending this position and then wiped out the troops manning it with his rifle, completing his second self-imposed, 1-man attack. Although weak from loss of blood, he refused to be evacuated until assured the mission was successfully accomplished. Through quick thinking, indomitable courage, and unswerving devotion to the attack in the face of bitter resistance and while wounded, M/Sgt. Oresko killed 12 Germans, prevented a delay in the assault, and made it possible for Company C to obtain its objective with minimum casualties.

Fullbore.

Hat tip Joe.