Damning F-35 Report

Surprising news about the deficiencies in close-in dog-fighting capability of the F-35. Check out the fighter pilot's report here from the site War is Boring.  If the report is authentic (which based on verbiage and content it appears to be), quite alarming that this $400 billion aircraft would be such a grape.

According to Pentagon officials, the nominated but not yet appointed JCS Chairman, Gen. Joseph Dunford, USMC, has ordered a complete review of the F-35 development and purchasing plan (estimated by some to top out at up to $1.5 trillion).

First Female Submariners Taped in Showers

Navy criminal investigators are looking into who secretly filmed female officers of a submarine crew while they were showering and changing clothes aboard the USS Wyoming's unisex heads.

Petty officers recording female shipmates in showers, really? Really guys?!  It's noteworthy that this is the first submarine to have women serving onboard, and these are the first female submariners. 

According to a Navy Times article, up to a dozen sailors are suspected of viewing secretly recorded videos of their female shipmates undressing in a submarine shower over a period of 10 months.

Navy Vice Adm. M.J. Connor wrote that "an investigation is in progress." He also noted the women affected were provided assistance and the alleged perpetrators were removed from the ship pending the investigation's results.  "The Navy has successfully integrated women into our aviation, surface warfare and expeditionary warfare communities," Connor wrote in the letter. "It would be inaccurate to say that we achieved this without incident, but I can say unequivocally that we are a better force because of that integration."

At least official Navy acknowledges the service has had its share of "incidents" in transitioning into a seamless, fully integrated force.

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.

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!

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. 

What is a Plankowner?

I've had several questions asking what is a "plankowner." A plankowner is an individual who is a member of the crew of a Navy ship when that ship is placed in commission. Historically, the term applied only to crew members that were present at the ship's first commissioning. Today, however, plankowner is often applied to members of newly commissioned units, new military bases and recommissioning crews as well.

Become a Plankowner of "The Last Top Gun" and obtain a personal inscription at no additonal charge when you purchase the book. It's easy and free...click here.

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.

Whidbey Island EA-6B Crashes in Wasington State

All three crew members on a Navy jet based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island were killed this morning when their aircraft crashed in Eastern Washington’s Lincoln County, Navy officials have confirmed.

The crew’s names will not be released until 24 hours after their families have been informed, said Lt. Aaron Kakiel in San Diego. The crew was flying an EA-6B Prowler jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron VAQ-129. It crashed about 8:45 a.m. into a field in an unpopulated area near the town of Harrington, about 50 miles west of Spokane.

The Navy said the wingman of the crashed plane reported that no parachutes were deployed. The Prowler was “engaged in a low-level navigation training mission,” the Navy said. Whidbey Island officials said the cause of the accident was under investigation.

A spokesman for the Whidbey base confirmed that the crashed jet was based there. Whidbey is home to EA-6B Prowler and EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft. P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft and EP-3E Aries reconnaissance aircraft are also based there.

NAS Whidbey Island is home to the U.S. Navy’s tactical electronic warfare squadrons. Crews from the base, located on Puget Sound, regularly fly across Eastern Washington for training exercises.
“The thoughts and prayers of northwest Washington are with the families of the aircrew who lost their lives today,” said U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., who represents the Whidbey Island area. “This tragic crash is a painful reminder of the dangerous work that members of the armed services perform every day in service to our nation.”

NAS Whidbey Island serves as the backdrop for The Last Top Gun, where CDR Erik "Troll" Green meets EF-18 Growler aircrew LT Steve "Rolls" Royce and LTJG Grace "Ariel" Miller.

RIP for the three aviators who were killed today serving their country so you and I can enjoy our freedom.

Yoga and Breast Feeding...Pleease!

Having grown up with so many brothers, Ariel is very uncomfortable around women, especially the sorority-like wives of her fellow squadronmates. Making friends with other women has never been easy for her and she is much more comfortable with straight talking men that show so much less emotion. All her friends are male and she has never had a close female friend. She doesn't see herself as better than them (well she doesn't think she does), it's more that she imagines herself doing something so much more important than pushing a baby stroller.

LTJG Grace "Ariel" Miller champions helping women stand out as equals to men so that she and her peers are seen and treated with equal respect and yes, she secretly enjoys the intimidation factor. But...at the end of the day, when she takes off her uniform and strips down to her Jockey underwear and climbs into bed, she wonders if she'll ever get married. She wonders what kind of guy would put up with her way of life or live up to the man that she is? He would have to be very strong minded or incredibly weak and neither sounds like a good option. She wonders if the fight to get a foothold in the male-dominated world she lives in is worth it, but at the same time, what else would she do? Yoga and breast feeding? Pleease!

Pentagon Handles Sequestration Somewhat in Stride

Though the Department of Defense appears to have planned reasonably well for the 9% across-the-board cuts that go into effect midnight tonight under sequestration, there are some troubling consequences: suspended Navy deployments, cancelled air shows, and even shortages of toilet paper. For a group that routinely adopts ConOps (Contingency Operations), it is far from surprising to hear the Pentagon has been planning for sequestration -- not to mention dealing with shortfalls brought on by Congress’s failure to pass a federal budget -- for months. As one defense department official reported to Stars and Stripes, the threat of sequestration is closer to a spreading “fiscal cancer” than sudden cardiac arrest.

Cost-cutting measures are under way: travel budgets have been cut, temp workers dismissed, managers across the DoD have been told to conserve funds. Service members have reported difficulty freeing up funds to buy items as seemingly necessary as toilet paper. Really, toilet paper? It almost makes us long for the $3,000 P-3 Orion toilet seats made famous under Beltway largess of the 80s.

Though the Pentagon appears to be a good soldier and taking sequestration in stride, I'm disappointed to see that Congress is sacrificing defense of our nation in favor of bipartisan politics. Sailors and soldiers are resourceful and can find alternatives for TP shortages, but cancelling the USS HARRY S. TRUMAN aircraft carrier's deployment to the Middle East, that's big news.

Come on Congress and POTUS, roll up your sleeves and work through this budgetary morass!

Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who has submitted such wonderful comments regarding the launch of the website. I agree, the creative folks at MoPro did an outstanding job!

If you would help a budding author find an agent, please "Like" our Facebook page and sign up as a Plankowner for an inscribed copy of the book when it is published. No cost. No spam. 30 Seconds.  Thanks!

Website is Live!

The Last Top Gun website is online.  Click here to check it out.

Many thanks to the folks at MoPro for creating a terrific site. 

The novel project is "whells in the well", picking up speed and altitude. Stay tuned for more info as we continue moving forward.

Blackhawks and Wounded Warriors: A True Winter Classic

Two of my favorite interests merged yesterday when the Chicago Blackhawks hosted a skate around with wounded warriors at Soldier Field. It's rare  for a professional sports team  to muck around with ordinary Joe's in the middle of a record-breaking season. But these were no ordinary civilians--they were combat veterans who had suffered amputations and brain injuries, and this was no ordinary ice rink--as the event took place at hallowed Soldier Field (incidentally, dedicated to the men and women of the armed forces).  

The wounded servicemen were part of the USA Warriors Ice Hockey Program.  The program, as explained on its website, is designed to give military veterans who have been injured in military action the chance to play hockey in an environment that is suited to their needs. The program trains and supplies injured servicemen and women with hockey equipment and the skills needed to use the sport of ice hockey as a rehabilitation tool to overcome both physical and mental injuries sustained either in combat or in defense of our country.

What a fabulous tribute the Blackhawks' players and organization made to our military members who have given so much in service to us all. I applaud Patrick Kane, Jonathon Toews, Duncan Keith and their teammates, management and owners. I remain in awe of the servicemen and women who survived their tours of duty with significant physical and mental scars, yet continue to fight off the battle field everyday, persevering in accomplishing the simple things I take for granted on a daily basis.

On Saturday, the Blackhawk players forgot they were professional athletes and the military members forgot they were Warriors. For an afternoon, they all were simply hockey players.

For more video of this marvelous event, click here.

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?

 

Women in Combat: Two Men's Reactions

Hundreds (thousands?) of articles, editorials, videos and blog posts have been published since last week's announcement by SECDEF that the Pentagon is lifting its ban on women serving in combat. Wherever you stand on the issue, you can find dozens of commentaries supporting your view. Personally, former Marine grunt Thomas James Brennan's Op-Ed in the New York Times hit the bulls eye for me.

Here are two quotes from the editorial that I found particularly poignant:

Being an infantryman isn’t just about uncomfortable living situations. It’s kill or be killed, blood, entrails and fear. We are a brotherhood; a collection of ragtag men who hunt and kill the enemy and travel to undesirable places to do even more undesirable things. Maybe women can join the infantry and succeed, but many of us are not sure. There’s more at stake here than equal opportunity and political correctness.

* * * 

Integrating women into the infantry is asking to shift a cultural norm. It is not something that is impossible but it will take much effort and training to be successful. I, for one, am torn.
 

I, too am torn. I enthusiastically and emphatically endorse women in the military and even in some combat roles, but question the efficacy of having women integrate into certain elite, specialized combat units. But I also realize the decision has been made and will not be rescinded.  We as a society have turned a corner from which we'll never go back.

I can only hope the generals and admirals take their time to implement this historic decision prudently without undue influence from political groups, civilian members of DoD or even Congress. It's the war fighters (and not bureaucrats or civilian appointees) who should set the timetable and boundaries for allowing women into combat units. My fear is this won't happen and, instead, the military will succumb to political correct pressures which inevitably will result in a less effective and lethal fighting force. For the sake of every Marine, Sailor, Airman, Soldier and Coastie--and our nation as a whole--Service chiefs and DoD, please prove me wrong!

Pentagon Okays Women in Combat: Shot Across the Bra

Wow, I had no idea when I wrote in Tuesday's post that it was only a matter of time before the Pentagon would open all combat positions to women that such a directive would be announced less than 48 hours later (okay, not every position is open, as it appears SEAL and other Spec-Op billets remain male-only for the foreseeable future).

I never bought into the "women are as strong as men" argument for keeping females from combat. In my 25 years in the military I saw plenty of bulky women that were just as strong as their wiry male counterparts. Sure, women lack upper body strength, but how often is a soldier limited to just upper body when completing an obstacle course, performing a mission or rescuing a comrade? Strength is as much about full-body leverage, flexibility and balance as it is a discrete body part. Even the most pedestrian Crossfit student has figured out this fact. Several "experts" have reached similar conclusions that women are fit to fight.

Demi Moore in "GI Jane"

Personally, I think the bigger issue is how young women and men (think 18-20 year-olds who make up over 74% of today's enlisted military force) handle living and working together 24/7 under the harshest and most stressful conditions imaginable while 10,000 miles from home. Sure, it's the man's responsibility to keep it in his pants and the woman's responsibility to stay emotionally and physically detached, but both genders are fighting basic biology and evolution if they think they can remain 100% unaffected and aphysical during the rigors, stress, fear and exhilaration of combat and its related training . Moreover, adding women to the mix of elite combat units (remember, the sole mission of combat units is to kill people and break things--general military units are used for humanitarian and other non-combat assistance) will substantially and indelibly alter the culture of these units both on and off the battlefield.

There are sound, rationale arguments on both sides of the controversy. The Last Top Gun delves directly into the heart of these issues and debate with CDR Erik "Troll" Green carrying the banner for women in the military--but not in elite combat units--and LTJG Grace “Ariel” Miller stridently arguing for fully integrated combat forces of every type. The characters clash throughout the novel, with the winner to be determined by the DoD, military branches and US society as a whole. Hang on for a rough ride! More posts, debate and information on this highly charged issue to follow in the coming months and probably years.

First Female Submariners Excelling

The first three female officers to join the U.S. Navy's elite submariner force appear to be doing exceptionally well.  The Florida Times-Union reported last month that  LTJG Marquette Leveque became one of the first Navy female officers in history to be deemed qualified to operate a submarine.

Two other Navy women, LTJG Amber Cowan and LTJG Jennifer Noonan, also qualified in December 2012 at Kitsap-Bangor Naval Base in Washington.

 

All three women are unrestricted line officers, which means they could one day command a submarine, and are the Navy's first officers to be assigned to the subsurface community since the origins of the Silent Force back in 1888.

Now that the glass ceiling, uh, er, titanium hull of submarines has been shattered by the integration of women into the ranks, it should just be a matter of time before spec-ops units and all combat units are integrated, as well.

[Disclaimer: This is the first and likely will be the last post about submarines or submariners ever to appear on this blog.]

 

 

 

Air Force Porn Sweep

The Air Force announced Friday it had found hundreds of examples of pornography and tens of thousands of other inappropriate items in a recent sweep of bases and facilities worldwide.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III in late November ordered wing commanders to scour work areas for pornographic or offensive materials that sexually objectify men or women, and for other "unprofessional" items.

Welsh's order came on the heels of media reports of sexual harassment and hostile working conditions for female airmen, and in the midst of a growing scandal centered on Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, over sexual misconduct by Air Force instructors toward trainees.

The most wide-ranging category covered 27,598 "inappropriate/offensive" items. It included sexually suggestive posters in public areas, obscene cartoons and more than 200 images of aircraft nose art, some dating to World War II. Air Force Special Operations command removed several examples found in the interior of its aircraft.

"We don't want to paint over the Memphis Belle," said Air Force spokesman Maj. Joel Harper. But, he added, commanders had broad discretion to decide what crosses the line.  A complete article on the report from military.com can be found here.

Apparently, the following aircraft would have been seized if this raid were conducted in 1945 to today's standards:

Fort Bragg Club Bans Lesbian Spouse

MSNBC reported yesterday that the Pentagon is endorsing a move by leaders at Fort Bragg to stay out of a decision made by its on-base spouses club to refuse membership to the lesbian spouse of a female Army officer.

The newlywed wife of a female lieutenant colonel was reportedly blocked from joining the spouses club at Fort Bragg, sparking accusations that she was blackballed only because she is a lesbian.

In what only can be described as outlandish irony, the blackballed spouse has been nominated for the Fort Bragg Military Spouse of the Year Award.  Equally ironic is the fact the Marine Corps issued a directive last week that same-sex spouses be allowed to participate in spouses clubs at all Marine bases.  Yep, that's right, the Gyrenes are leading from the front on establishing rights for gay and lesbian spouses for military servicemen and women.

How can one service branch ban gay and lesbian spouses from base activities while another branch permit such access?  A DoD spokesman explained that the Pentagon's position on the Army matter is legally viable despite the repeal of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” because the Defense Department still follows the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). That law defines marriage as the legal union of one man and one woman. Under DOMA, the federal government doesn’t recognize same-sex marriages and doesn’t offer same-sex military spouses some benefits given to heterosexual spouses.

Hmm, sounds like federal court intervention may be on the horizon.

Topgun Days--A Great Read

I cruised with Dave "Bio" Baranek on USS RANGER back in the day when he was a department head in VF-2 and I was an FNG in VF-1. Bio had a solid reputation in Airwing-2 as an expert RIO (former Top Gun instructor) and he was quite likeable (not a bad combination). We lost touch over the years, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear he wrote a book.

I highly recommend "Topgun Days:Dogfighting, Cheating Death, and Hollywood Glory as One of America's Best Fighter Jocks." [I'm sure his publisher insisted on the sub-title, as Bio is as modest as a F-14 RIO and former Top Gun instructor can be.] Even having done many of the same things as Bio (though a few years behind him), I found his book insightful and highly engaging--detailed, but far from dry.  Plus, the behind-the-scenes anecdotes from filming of the blockbuster movie were entertaining--even 25 years after the fact (damn, are we that old!). As one reviewer exclaimed: "RIOs finally get there due!" Yee haw!

For more info on Topgun Days or Bio, click here.

[Disclaimer:  Bio did give me permission to use his gorgeous photo of the Tomcat in burner at sunset which heads this blog, but no, it wasn't in exchange for me promoting his book. In fact, he had no idea I was posting this blog entry.  Really!]