Russia Starts Major Show of Force

More than 45,000 Russian troops, as well as war planes and submarines, started military exercises across much of the country today in one of the Kremlin's biggest shows of force since its ties with the West plunged to Cold War-lows.

President Vladimir Putin called the Navy's Northern Fleet to full combat readiness in exercises in Russia's Arctic North apparently aimed at dwarfing military drills in neighboring Norway, a NATO member.

 

"New challenges and threats to military security require the armed forces to further boost their military capabilities. Special attention must be paid to newly created strategic formations in the north," Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said, quoted by RIA news agency.

 

More on the "Cold" War Games reported from CBS News here.

 

Anyone doubt the Big Bad Bear is coming back? Apparently, even a 6-year low in oil prices isn't keeping Russia down [see article here in Moscow Times regarding Kremlin's 2015 record $81B defense budget].

 

 

X-47B Update

It's been a while since I posted on the Navy's X-47B program. Here's a link from late Aug where the navy was conducting integrated flight ops on the THEODORE ROOSEVELT alongside an F-18 Hornet. I understand further carrier ops are scheduled in the coming months.

In researching unclassified websites and news reports, it looks like the navy is still at least five or six years away from IOC of the drone. Capitol Hill and the Pentagon continue to fight over what type of platform and mission is best suited for the X-47B-- light strike in a permissive or contested environment. In the meantime, trials and testing continue.

Don't Call Them Drones

Leaders of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International conference in Washington this week tried to persuade media members not to use the word "drone" when describing the various types of unmanned vehicles.  Apparently, "drones" connotes images of killer robots, Mad Max and Terminator. 

The trade group and many of its members prefer the terms “unmanned aerial systems” (UAS) or “unmanned aerial vehicles” (UAV) or “remotely piloted aircraft” (RPA) or, as they’re officially known in Europe, “remotely piloted aircraft systems” (RPAS).

Check out the full article here. 

Call them what you will, just get used to their proliferation over the next decade--both for combat operations overseas and surveillance and business operations domestically. You can run, but you can't hide.

X-47B Lands on Carrier

Naval Aviation made history yesterday when a X-47B caught the first trap at sea onboard USS George H. Bush.  Here's a link to the story.

The Navy's Unmanned Combat Air System (UCAS) program has been in existence for over ten years, and seems to be ramping up at a record pace recently with the X-47B bomber and Fire Scout MQ-8B helicopter.

With the UCAS aircraft moving quickly along in development and the first F-35C being delivered to Eglin AFB last month to begin joint training with Air Farce, Marine and Navy aviators, it's an exciting time for Naval aviation.

Navy to stop SHOUTING in ALL CAPS

Graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy face a future that includes lower-case letters.

In a period of sequestration, spiking sexual assaults and controversial drones, the Navy has decided to make meaningful, substantive change . . . by altering the way its messages are typed. Since 1850, all message traffic and orders have been typed in ALL CAPS.  The Navy is altering this "annoying and rude" format to be less offensive to younger sailors. I didn't make this up; there's an article in today's Wall Street Journal.

Drone Operator Suffers from PTSD

Interesting video of a former Air Force drone camera operator claiming he now suffers from PTSD. 

Brandon Bryant served as a drone sensor operator from 2006 to 2011 at bases in Nevada, New Mexico and Iraq, guiding unmanned drones over Iraq and Afghanistan. Though he didn't fire missiles himself, he took part in missions that allegedly killed 1,626 individuals.

In an interview with NBC News, Bryant provided a rare first-person glimpse into what it’s like to control the controversial machines that have become central to the U.S. effort to kill terrorists.

Gee, it really isn't like Xbox, after all. Real people really die.

Rejection!

I must be a burgeoning author, as I received my first rejection email this week. On the positive side, the literary agent's rejection resulted from his request to read my manuscript. Though disappointed that the agent didn't find the book a good fit, I am highly encouraged that the first agent I reached out to was intrigued enough to actually request to see the manuscript.

Undaunted, I just sent out three more emails to prospective agents. The right agent for this project is out there, we'll find one another! Until then, I'll continue to provide occasional updates and also populate this blog with information and links relevant to The Last Top Gun.  Check six!

Predator Pilots Facing Burn Out

Dateline Nellis AFB (off the Vegas strip) and Eglin AFB (off Pensacola Beach):  The Air Force has conducted studies of its UAV crews which conclude the pilots are suffering burn out at an excessive rate.

According to one such report, "crewmembers in a MQ-1 Predator unmanned aircraft system (UAS) squadron had significantly increased fatigue, emotional exhaustion, and burnout relative to traditional aircrew."

Recent news articles on the subject supplements older reports that surfaced years ago.

I've said for some time I cannot comprehend how a pilot can wake up in the morning in a suburban home, put on a flight suit and kiss his wife and kids goodbye in the morning, stop at Starbucks on the drive onto the base, sit down at a console for the next 8-10 hours launching Hellfire missiles from a Predator 8,000 miles away which kill people and break things and then return home in time to coach his son's baseball game and drink a Budweiser while eating dinner with the family at home.  Apparently it works...every day, but with some major consequences.

I know I certainly could not have flicked that switch on and off each day while in combat. 

I'm already working on Troll's next story, but for a third, I'm thinking of an element that includes these drone pilots. I'll let you know as I progress on the story line. Till then, check six!

Bush to Launch X-47B

 

The Navy says it will make its first attempt tomorrow to launch Northrop Grumman's X-47B Unmanned Combat Air System drone from an aircraft carrier. The aircraft is scheduled to undergo a catapult launch from USS George H.W. Bush off the East Coast.

 

Rear Adm. Mat Winter, the Navy's program officer for the X-47B, said online Monday that:

Controlled by a mission operator aboard the ship, the X-47B will execute several carrier approaches demonstrating its ability to operate seamlessly within the carrier environment before it flies over the Eastern Shore and lands back at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Md., where two demonstration aircraft have resided for the past year

Over the coming years, we will heavily leverage the technology maturation, networking advances and precision navigation algorithms developed from the X-47B demonstration program to pursue the introduction of the first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft. This future system will provide 24/7, carrier-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and targeting capability, which will operate together with manned aviation assets allowing the opportunity to shape a more efficient carrier air wing.

Is it just me, or does development of the X-47B seem to be on the fast track?  Guess the Navy wants to challenge the Air Farce for UAV funding.

Navy Launches Its First Drone Squadron

Yesterday at NAS Coronado, the Navy inaugurated its first squadron with unmanned aircraft, formally adopting drone technology amid debate over its growing use in warfare.

The squadron will have eight manned helicopters and a still-to-be-determined number of the Fire Scout MQ-8 B, an unmanned helicopter that can fly 12 continuous hours tracking targets.

The squadron, the Magicians, will be aboard the Navy's new littoral combat ship in about a year.

Along with ongoing development of the X-47, this milestone marks the Navy's commitment to meanignful presence in the drone battle space. 

Unconventional Path to Publication

Yesterday marked a milestone in publication of The Last Top Gun. Rather than follow the traditional path: write a book, contact agents, keep fingers crossed, obtain an agent, contact publishers, keep two fingers crossed, sign major book deal; as an unpublished writer, I decided to take the road less travelled.

I wrote the book, then created a website, this blog, Twitter and Facebook sites to promote and gauge interest in the project. I was thrilled to see hundreds of visitors a day visit these various The Last Top Gun web platforms. People also check out videos on YouTube and the website.

An unknown writer who does not want to self-publish can only get so far on his own. Yesterday, I took the next step by reaching out to two accomplished literary agents. I look forward to finding an agent who shares my passion, character and entrepreneurial spirit. And yes, I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Stopping Terminator and Skynet

Future Tech reports debate beginning on autonomous weapons systems. Preparing for a future in which robots may be given a tad more independence, an international coalition of humans rights organizations including Human Rights Watch are banding together to propose a treaty ban on "killer robots."

The Campaign to Stop Killer Robots publicly launched April 23 with the goal of bringing the discussion about autonomous weapons systems to regular people, not just politicians and scientists.

In a world with when Google cars guiding themselves through the streets of San Francisco, algorithm powered stock trading accounts crash markets based on keywords and many weapons systems already semi-autonomous (e.g., Predator, Phalanx, Patriot), good luck putting that genie back in the bottle. 

Combat Medal for Drone Pilots...YGTBSM!

Thankfully, last month's designation by outgoing Defense Secretary Leon Panetta of the Distinguished Warfare Medal for drone operators is being reviewed by current SECDEF. See Huffington Post article here.

Much of the flak, deservedly so, comes from the fact the new medal is ranked above the medals awarded service members who fought under fire on the front lines, such as the Bronze Star with combat V and the Purple Heart.

From MSNBC:

Defense officials said that the ranking of the new medal recognized the changing nature of warfare. A Defense Department press release said that in addition to drone operators, a possible recipient could be "a soldier at Fort Meade, Md., who detects and thwarts a cyber attack on a DOD computer system."

"I've seen firsthand how modern tools, like remotely piloted platforms and cyber systems, have changed the way wars are fought," Panetta said in announcing the medal. "And they've given our men and women the ability to engage the enemy and change the course of battle, even from afar."

But the thought of placing a medal for drone pilots — operating their aircraft from secure sites far from the battlefield — above medals for members of the military actually under fire drew a barrage of criticism from veterans and their families.
 

Personally, not sure why service members need yet another medal when the Pentagon already awards a couple dozen campaign, combat and warfare related medals.  Then again, I was in the Navy and not Air Force.

License to Kill...Americans by Drone

Tuesday's release by the Obama Administration of a 16-page "white paper" on targeting and killing of AMCITs by drones has failed to stir nearly the public denunciation that I expected when the news first broke.

Policical talking heads Chuck Todd, Domenico Montanaro, Natalie Cucchiara and Brooke Brower posted today possible reasons for the lackluster response:

What’s been surprising about this entire episode has been the lack of outrage from Congress. Don’t they want the administration to have to justify their actions even in AFTER-action settings? It’s amazing that it took Brennan’s confirmation hearing to convince the White House to allow even a FEW members of Congress to read the ACTUAL legal memos and not just a “white paper.”

Political whiplash: You’ll be forgiven if you’ve had political whiplash with Republicans defending Obama on the issue. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and even ex-Bush U.N. Amb. John Bolton gave full-throated defenses of Obama’s use of drones even in the targeting of American citizens-turned-al Qaeda operatives. Graham yesterday said that he was "totally supportive” of the actions. Bolton called it “entirely sensible” and “derived from the Bush administration approach to the War on Terror.” This is not a Democrat vs. Republican issue. This is an Executive branch vs. Legislative branch issue. There are still important and serious questions to be asked about the United States' use and increased use of a program that can catch (and has caught) civilians in the line of fire. But the big difference between this and, say, the political opposition to the torture memos is you had prominent voices on the right opposing this (John McCain), who were feeding the media back in the day. It’s not like Hillary Clinton is sitting in the Senate criticizing the drone program. That’s essentially what McCain did to Bush. But, as we learned then and see now, the public also seemed to overwhelmingly favor the use of drones overseas to target terrorists. In a Washington Post/ABC poll last year, 83% said they approved; it’s when they’re used domestically that people start to have privacy concerns.

Many leaders from both sides of the aisle are seemingly following the sentiments of their constituents. If, in fact, 83% of Americans approve of drones assassinating terrorists overseas, then they apparently do not distinguish between killing foreign terrorists in foreign lands and killing AMCITs in foreign lands. Makes sense to me. If a SEAL or Force Recon Marine in Iraq, Afghanistan or anywhere OCONUS is authorized to kill an AMCIT by way of 7.62mm round to the skull, then why would it be any different for a Barclay Lounge operator (aka Air Force UAV pilot) sitting in Nevada to fire a Hellfire missile from a Predator at the same target?

 

X-47B Sea Trials Aboard TRUMAN

The future of Naval aviation is here...and it looks a whole lot like the Air Farce. The unmanned carrier-based aircraft X-47B (yet to be named) stealth bomber underwent taxi and flight deck suitability trials about USS TRUMAN earlier this month.  Check out this comprehensive report from Defense News "Intercepts" website.

Though far from a definitive source on weapons or military systems, Wikipedia's summary of the X-47B provides a decent description of Northrop Grumman's latest carrier-based aircraft. 

It's hard to imagine unmanned aircraft will take over carrier decks or flight lines completely, but it is undisputed that their value and place in DoD's air warfare inventory increases each year. Just hoping "Fly Navy" bumper stickers aren't replaced with "Drone Navy" anytime soon.