Marine Corps Banns Access To Twitter, Facebook, And MySpace

The Marine Corps recently published MARADMIN 0458/09, entitled IMMEDIATE BAN OF INTERNET SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES (SNS) ON MARINE CORPS ENTERPRISE NETWORK (MCEN) NIPRNET, which prohibits access,

TO INTERNET SNS FROM THE MCEN NIPRNET, INCLUDING OVER VIRTUAL PRIVATE NETWORK (VPN) CONNECTIONS.

The SNS mentioned in the order include,

FACEBOOK, MYSPACE, AND TWITTER.

At first blush this may not appear to be a radical move by the Marine Corps.  After all, it is rational for an organization to ban the use of websites that are used exclusively for gossip about old high-school friends, taking useless quizzes, and online dating.

However, Admiral Mike Mullen, USN, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has his own Twitter account, entitled thejointstaff.

According to 10 USC 152(c), the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff “outranks all other offers of the armed forces.”  Thus, Admiral Mullen is the highest ranking member of the armed forces.  As the most senior military officer it would seem important for Marines to remain aware of what the Chairman has to say.

Marines Allowed To Smoke In Afghanistan

Be it Afghanistan or Saipan, Marines want their smokes.  Now Marines, and other servicemembers, will be allowed to smoke,

The Pentagon reassured troops Wednesday that it won’t ban tobacco products in war zones. Defense officials hadn’t actually planned to eliminate smoking — at least for now. But fear of a ban arose among some troops after the Defense Department received a study recommending the military move toward becoming tobacco-free — perhaps in about 20 years.

Press secretary Geoff Morrell pointedly told a Pentagon news conference that Defense Secretary Robert Gates is not planning to prohibit the use of cigarettes, chewing tobacco or other tobacco products by troops in combat.

“He knows that the situation they are confronting is stressful enough as it is,” Morrell said, noting the wars inIraq and Afghanistan. “I don’t think he is interested in adding to the stress levels by taking away one of the few outlets they may have to relieve stress.”

yojoe out

Drones Are The Only Game In Town For Combating Al Qaeda

According to CIA Director Leon Panetta drones are,

the only game in town in terms of confronting or trying to disrupt the al Qaeda leadership,” Panetta told the Pacific Council on International Policy in Los Angeles.

Pakistan has complained repeatedly about what it says are airstrikes on its territory by U.S.-operated drones. The U.S. military in neighboring Afghanistan does not comment on the attacks, which typically target Islamic militants in the border region, but the United States is the only country operating in the region known to have the capability to launch missiles from remote-controlled aircraft.

yojoe (in UAV mode) out

Somali Pirates Want Revenge Not Money

The Pirates of Somalia previously stated that all they wanted was money, because that is their business. Now, apparently the pirates want more than money, they want revenge,

“The aim of this attack was totally different. We were not after a ransom. We also assigned a team with special equipment to chase and destroy any ship flying the American flag in retaliation for the brutal killing of our friends.”

So much for the strategy of deterrence by payment.  For an excellent explanation of the problem of dealing with the Somali pirates, see Strategy Page,

Pakistan Wants Control Of U.S. Drones

With the number of drone strikes continuing in Pakistan,

Pakistan has made it clear both publicly and privately to the Untied States government that we are willing to take out high value terrorist targets on our own, and we welcome the technology and intelligence assistance that will give us the ability to succeed.  President Obama once said that he would act if we weren’t willing and able.  We certainly are willing, and with international support we will become even more able.  I am the President of Pakistan and I cannot condone violations of our sovereignty, even when they are done by allies and friends.  We would much prefer that the US share its intelligence and give us the weapons, drones and missiles that will allow us to take care of this problem on our own. President Obama has denied any such intentions to extend the use of drone attacks to Balochistan. These drone attacks are counter productive.

yojoe (in drone mode) out

Update On New Air Force One: To Be Made In America

It was previously reported that the new Air Force One may not be built in the United States. Now, according to Aviation Week, Airbus is not planning to compete for the contract.

That leaves only Boeing as the only competitor for the president’s new aircraft.

yojoe (in Made in America mode) out

More on the president’s aircraft:

New Air Force One May Be Made In Europe Not America

Upgrades To President’s Helicopter To Cost Additional One Billion Dollars

United States And Canada To Go War Over Global Warming

Yes, this is a prediction actually raised by a global warming alarmist in the WaPo

,

Admittedly, it’d take a lot of tension for this to turn into a military conflict, but anyone convinced that the United States and Canada could never come to blows has forgotten the War of 1812. And not all this sort of resource conflict will occur between friendly countries.

And you thought those Canadians were mad when we took their hockey teams. yojoe out

Fleet Of Sunken World War I Ships In Maryland: Visible On Google Maps

Most people know about the Liberty Ships of World War II. These were the merchant vessels used to ship men and material to Britain, and to replace ships that had been torpedoed by German U-boats.
Lesser know, are the wooden steamships constructed by the Emergency Fleet Corporation (EFC) for the same purpose during World War I.

Of 285 wooden EFC steamships built by August 1, 1920, at least 152 ended up in Mallows Bay within nine years. Today the remains of at least 30 percent of the entire EFC wooden steamship fleet still lie in the embayment, surrounded by derelict vessels of all kinds dating from the late 18th century through the 1980s.

Here is the link to the Google Maps version, below is a view of the ships.

BCS Declares Germany Winner Of World War II

This post is not original, I only wish I was this creative.  The following is from a email that is making the rounds.

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

“Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work—including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule—our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking.”

Charlie Weis Makes History At Notre Dame Against Navy

Charlie “The Disaster” Weis has done something no Notre Dame coach has done in the past 44 years: he has turned the annual game against Navy into a true rivalry.

For as long as most of us can remember, the Notre Dame Navy game was almost a buy for Notre Dame.  Last year Notre Dame lost to Navy.  This year Navy had a chance to win on the last play of the game.  Final: Notre Dame 27  Navy 21.

yojoe out

Supreme Court Rules Navy May Use Sonar During Training Despite Possible Harm To Whales

As previously reported here, the National Resources Defense Counsel has sued the Navy to prohibit the use of sonar during training exercises off Southern California because such training may be harmful to whales.  This case made its way through the 9th Circuit, and was recently ruled on by the Supreme Court.  Chief Judge Roberts authored the opinion,

Roberts wrote that “the Navy’s need to conduct realistic training with active sonar to respond to the threat posed by enemy submarines plainly outweighs” the environmental concerns raised by advocacy groups. “We do not discount the importance of [the challengers’] ecological, scientific, and recreational interest in marine mammals,” the opinion remarked.

Navy SEALs Rescue Hostage In Afghanistan

Great story from Sean D. Naylor of the Army Times:

The rattle of the stone against the door failed to rouse the guards. “They were both zipped up inside their sleeping bags, sleeping,” one behind the hostage on the floor of the darkened hut and the other outside, the engineer said. But their prisoner was awake and suddenly alert.

“I heard the latch rattling and somebody came in,” he said. “The first guy came in with a LED light, and I just presumed that somebody was coming to visit. I didn’t think of it anymore until the second guy came in and I saw the silhouette of the first fellow. Then I knew it was U.S. mil that was coming in. I don’t know how many guys actually came into the room, but it was soon filled up, and it was soon obvious that I was being rescued.

“I don’t know what I said in English, but whatever I said I said it rather loudly evidently, because they said ‘Quiet!’ ”

Pentagon Plans To Send 14 Brigades To Iraq In 2009

Despite the dramatic drop in violence, and resulting casualties, in Iraq over the past year, the Pentagon does not anticipate a dramatic drop in U.S. troops deployed to Iraq.

The planned deployments involve about 26,000 troops and would maintain 14 combat brigades in Iraq from about February to early fall. But the decisions do not rule out potential changes as military leaders assess the security there and eye more troop withdrawals.

Army Not Happy With The Size And Weight Of MRAP

The Mine Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicle have been life-savers on the battlefield.  But, they are just to big and bulky.

The 10-ton vehicle must be transportable on a C-130 cargo plane. It should have a minimum range of 300 miles, and a turning diameter of 49 feet, And the crew has to be able to get out quickly, in case of a rollover. (“Of the 38 MRAP accidents between Nov. 7 and June 8, only four did not involve a roll-over,” Army Times noted.)

Maybe the Army will be interested in the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, that was placed on hold last year.

yojoe out

Navy Abandons Zumwalt-Class Destroyer

The Zumwalt-Class Destroyer (DDG 1000) was to be a class of next-generation, multi-mission surface combatants tailored for land attack and littoral dominance, with capabilities designed to defeat current and projected threats as well as improve battle force defense.

The destroyer was designed to be,

adaptable, affordable, survivable, flexible and responsive.

Evidently, the goal of affordability was not attained.

Growing costs and vulnerability to anti-ship missiles sank the Navy’s once-heralded “stealth destroyer,” a highly advanced warship designed to slip close to the shore unnoticed and pummel targets with big guns boasting pinpoint accuracy.

Faced with cost estimates upward of $5 billion per ship, the Navy had no choice but to let its prized Zumwalt destroyer program end after the first two ships are built, analysts said Wednesday.

The official rationale provided by the Navy for discontinuing the DDG 1000 is the cost.

The scuttlebutt, however, suggests that sailors were troubled by a Z-gram that indicated that they may be forced to wear sideburns if assigned to one of the destroyers.  In all likelihood this is rumor is completely unfounded.

yojoe (in no-sideburns mode) out

Joint Strike Fighter: Air Force Wants Boeing To Stop Talking Smack

Ok, that is not a direct quote.  Major General Charles R. Davis, USAF, the Program Executive Officer for the F-35 Lightning II Program Office, is far to articulate, educated, and gentlemanly to utter such a comment.  But, reality is not that far off.

According to Flightglobal, LtGen Davis is not pleased with, what he characterizes as “lies and half-truths,” being spread by Boeing about the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF).

“That’s just pissing us off,” Davis says. “If Boeing has to say something negative about JSF to sell their aircraft, that tells me there is something wrong with their aircraft.”

Davis specifically faults Boeing executives for predicting further cost overruns and delays for the F-35 programme. By comparison, Davis says, he has heard BAE Systems make no such predictions in their efforts to sell the Eurofighter Typhoon.

However, it was pointed out to Davis that Boeing had delivered hundreds of F/A-18E/Fs on time and on budget, while the JSF programme has reported a 50% cost increase and an at least 18-month delay during the first seven years of development.

Davis acknowledges the F-35’s record, but refuses to back down in his criticism of Boeing.

USC Football: Pete Carroll And Trojans Tour Aircraft Carrier USS JOHN C. STENNIS

USS JOHN C. STENNIS (CVN-74) is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered supercarrier.  The USC Trojans are and 11-Nation Title winning super-program.  At the helm of both is Coach Pete Carroll.  At least for a moment, Coach Carroll was at the helm of both.

Last month, Carroll joined fellow Trojans Steve Smith, Matt Leinart, Brad Budde, Ron Yary and Jeremy Hogue on a trip to the USS John C. Stennis. The crew of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier got autographs and even played catch with the USC group.

Video: Firefight Between Coalition Forces And Anti-Afghan Forces

Video of firefight captured by UAV.

Marine Corps Joint Strike Fighter F-35B Makes First Flight

The Marine Corps version of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) – aka the Lightning II – the F-35B , is the version of the JSF intended for vertical takeoff and landings.  According to Aviation Week,

Lockheed Martin has flown the first short-take-off-and- vertical-landing (STOVL) F-35B, in conventional-take-off (CTOL) mode, clearing the way for funding to be released for production of the first six U.S. Marine Corps aircraft.

The 44-minute flight of aircraft BF-1, the first production-representive F-35, from Lockheed’s Fort Worth, Texas, plant also marked the start of a five-year, 5,000-plus test program involving three variants of the Joint Strike Fighter: the CTOL F-35A, STOVL F-35B and aircraft carrier-capable F-35C.

yojoe (in STOVL mode) out

Blackwater Worldwide: Sues City Of San Diego Over West-Coast Traning Facility

Readers of Dreadnaught know that Blackwater Worldwide is does not shy away from controversy. Whether it be providing security in for the Department of State in Iraq, being asked to leave Iraq, or statement by its owner Erik D. Prince. Blackwater has been planning for a west-coast campus for some time, but San Diego has not been welcoming them with open arms.

Now the boys of Blackwater are suing the City of San Diego to hasten the opening of its west-coast campus. Lawyers for the city claim that Blackwater failed to apply for the proper permits. Blackwater’s lawyer claims the city’s argument is “absolute nonsense.”

Be careful San Diego, you know Blackwater Worldwide is essentially a private army, and possibly an air force.

yojoe out

Civilian Contractor: First To Be Tried By Court-Martial

Alaa “Alex” Mohammad Ali is a civilian contractor charged with stabbing another civilian contractor. Alex will be the first civilian tried under the 2006 amendment to the UCMJ.

Alex is a citizen of both Iraq and Canada. He was hired as a interpreter by the U.S. Military. Alex will be provided with a military defense lawyer.

This will be a test case for the new procedure for trying civilians.

yojoe out