US Military News, Reports, Data, etc.

Jeff Head said:

Well, I would still add the AH-1Z new builds.


.

Click to expand...

TerraN_EmpirE said:

They may not be as fuel efficient as a regular Jeep, but the protection they offer is worth it. Unload a PKM into a Jeep and open the door and passengers poor out like fruit from a blender. Do the same to a MRAP and you just wasted ammo. Pakistani military and police would be well served by these platforms. To reliably I point out they were originally designed by South Africa and Israel. They have been around for forty years in terms of technology.
My opinion, the Pakistani government is playing the "Kill switch"game.

Click to expand...

asif iqbal said:

US equipment to be handed to Pakistan but seems like Pakistan isn't really that interested

My personal opinion is that these vehicles are quite expensive to run and guzzle a lot of fuel and resources which isn't ideal for Pakistan army use

Let's see what comes of it

National
Pak won't become US junkyard, mainly interested in MRAP vehicles

March 17, 2014 - Updated 102 PKT
From Web Edition



ISLAMABAD: The U.S. military may have another option for disposing of $7 billion worth of armored vehicles and other equipment it’s struggling to get rid of now that its war in Afghanistan is ending.
Some of it could be driven across the border and handed over to Pakistan, part of an effort by the Pentagon to unload excess military supplies to U.S. allies at no cost.

The discussions between American and Pakistani officials have been going on for months and center on leftover military hardware that the United States does not want to pay to ship or fly home.

Although no final decisions have been made, Pakistan is particularly interested in the U.S. Army’s mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, which Pentagon officials say will have limited strategic value as U.S. forces withdraw from Afghanistan this year.

But with Pakistan’s military expected to be battling Taliban insurgents for years, the MRAPs could help Pakistani forces slow their high casualty rate of more than 20,000 dead or injured troops since 2001.

“We will not take it for the sake of just taking it, and we will not take it because it’s free,” said one senior Pakistani military official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the negotiations. “We will take it because we need it.”

About 150,000 Pakistani soldiers are along the country’s border with Afghanistan, and U.S. officials are counting on them to help keep the pressure on militant groups after 2014.

But Pakistan’s troops remain vulnerable to roadside bombs and explosive devices, and their armored vehicles can withstand far less force than a U.S.-made MRAP, officials said.

The United States had been a major weapons supplier to Pakistan for decades, but those sales slowed dramatically after the U.S. military raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in 2011.

Over the past year, the tension has eased, and leaders in both countries have stressed that they need to work together to try to ensure regional stability after the U.S.-led coalition withdraws from Afghanistan.

Last fall, Secretary of State John F. Kerry signed a waiver authorizing U.S. weapons sales to Pakistan through at least this year.

The backbone of the U.S. military’s vehicle fleet in Afghanistan, MRAPs were designed to protect American troops from explosive devices. But each MRAP weighs as much as 40 tons, and Pentagon leaders have said it would potentially cost more than $100,000 per vehicle to ship them back to United States. They also have qualms about leaving them in Afghanistan, noting that the stock is far larger than what the Afghan army would be able to maintain.

The Washington Post reported in June that the U.S. military was shredding hundreds of MRAPs for scrap metal, despite their initial cost of $400,000 to $700,000 each.

But Mark E. Wright, a Pentagon spokesman, said the military still has about 13,000 MRAPs scattered worldwide that remain in good working condition, including about 1,600 in Afghanistan.

The U.S. government is offering them to allies for free on an “as-is, where-is” basis, Wright said. But the recipients, who would be vetted by the State Department, would be responsible for shipping them out of Afghanistan.

Twenty countries have expressed an interest, he added.

The Defense Department “is reviewing every request and is expediting the review process to support U.S. retrograde timelines,” said Wright, noting that decisions must be made by the end of this year.

But Marine Gen. Joseph F. Dunford, commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Wednesday that many countries have ultimately decided that it’s neither cost-effective nor practical for them to pay to collect the MRAPs from Afghanistan.

“It’s very expensive for countries to take those vehicles from Afghanistan,” he said.

Pakistan, however, shares a 1,500-mile border with Afghanistan. Coalition forces also use Pakistani highways and ports to ship material into and out of landlocked Afghanistan.

In January, the New York Times reported that Uzbekistan, which borders Afghanistan, also has been inquiring about receiving surplus U.S. military hardware.

At the time, the newspaper noted that the U.S.-led coalition was increasingly relying on Uzbekistan to transport equipment and supplies out of Afghanistan because supply routes through Pakistan were partly blocked.

Since then, however, a major Pakistani political party has lifted its blockade of NATO supply routes through the northern part of the country. Since January, there also have been several high-level meetings between U.S. and Pakistani officials over ways to bolster cooperation.

A Pakistani security official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter, said the military is exploring the acquisition of night-vision and communications equipment.

The official said Pakistan stepped up its efforts to find more advanced counterterrorism equipment and armor in the fall after a Pakistani army general was killed by a roadside bomb near the Afghan border. About 5,000 Pakistani troops have been killed in clashes with the Taliban or in terrorist attacks since 2001, including 114 over the past six months.

Siemon T. Wezeman, a senior researcher and South Asia expert at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks global weapons sales and transfers, said Pakistan also has reached out to Turkey in search of more heavily armored vehicles.

But Wezeman said a deal between the United States and Pakistan to transfer old MRAPs could benefit both countries.

Although Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has been boosting the defense budget, Wezeman notes that Pakistan remains a cash-strapped nation. And U.S. military commanders, he said, fear leaving surplus equipment in Afghanistan because of uncertainty about the Afghan army’s ability to fend off Taliban insurgents.

“Handing them all over to the Afghan army isn’t really an option,” Wezeman said. “There is a feeling in the U.S. that the Afghan army is not totally reliable, so it may be safer to just park them in Pakistan.”

Still, U.S. officials are mindful that any significant transfer of military hardware to Pakistan could complicate relations with Afghanistan and India, another U.S. ally in the region.

Pakistan and India have fought three major wars since 1947, but Wezeman doubts that India would seriously object “to a few hundred MRAPs ending up in Pakistan.” He notes that the bulky vehicles were built to fight an insurgency and would have little value in a major cross-border war involving tanks and warplanes.

It’s less clear, however, how Afghan President Hamid Karzai and Afghan military leaders would react. Karzai, who is leaving office this year, is deeply skeptical of Pakistan and believes that the U.S.-led coalition has not done enough to prepare the Afghan army for threats from Pakistan and other countries that border Afghanistan.

Even if the United States agrees to give Pakistan military hardware from Afghanistan, Pakistani officials stress that there are limits to what they’re willing to accept.

“Pakistan won’t become America’s junkyard,” one official said.

Click to expand...

kwaigonegin said:

Hey.. I'll take one! I don't mind being a junkyard for MRAPS! When the zombie apocalyse finally hits an MRAP is going to come in real handy!

Click to expand...

asif iqbal said:

The thing is everyone is pulling out of Afghanistan and its not in Pakistans interest to fight the Taliban on its own there will be no more Waziristan like operations

Pakistan needs helicopter gunships for counter insurgency in remote and mountains regions which have not really been supplied in the numbers PA wants a few used and a few for spares from US and few second hand ones from Jordan that's it

The current operatioal units are worn down and need to replaced very soon

Click to expand...

terran_empire said:

navy seals board, take control of rogue libya tanker

published march 17, 2014/
foxnews.com

navy seals have boarded and taken command of an oil tanker that was seized by three armed men at a libyan port earlier this month, thwarting an attempt by a splinter militia group from selling nationalized oil on the black market.

The pentagon said that a team of sailors will take the tanker to a libyan port.

Click to expand...

Jeff Head said:

go navy! Go seals!

Click to expand...

Defense: Sinclair's deal drops sex assault charge
Mar. 16, 2014 - 06:00AM |

By Michael Biesecker
The Associated Press

Sinclair chokes up as he details affair during plea
Army 1-star's accuser was ambitious soldier, too
Sinclair accuser takes stand in general's sex assault case
General admits guilt on 3 counts; denies assault
RALEIGH, N.C. — Defense attorneys said Sunday that an Army general has agreed to a plea deal that includes the dropping of sexual assault charges against him.

Lawyers representing Brig. Gen. Jeffrey Sinclair said he will plead to lesser charges in exchange for having the sexual assault charges dropped, along with two other counts that might have required Sinclair to register as a sex offender.

Sinclair, 51, had been accused of twice forcing a female captain under his command to perform oral sex on him during a three-year extramarital affair. But the Army’s case against Sinclair crumbled in recent weeks as questions arose about whether the woman had lied in a pre-trial hearing.

The defense provided a copy of the plea agreement approved and signed by a high-ranking general overseeing the case. Sinclair is expected to appear Monday morning in court at Fort Bragg.

The married 27-year Army veteran pleaded guilty earlier this month to having improper relationships with three subordinate officers, including the female captain who accused him of assault. He also pleaded guilty to adultery, which is a crime in the military.

Under the plea deal reached this weekend, Sinclair will also admit abusing a government credit card he used while traveling to visit his mistress.

Defense attorney Richard Scheff said that Sinclair is admitting to his mistakes, put pointed out that the general is pleading guilty to behavior that likely wouldn’t be criminal in the civilian world.

“After wasting millions of taxpayer dollars, the Army finally admitted what it’s known for many months: General Sinclair is innocent of sexual assault,” Scheff said. “Brigadier General Sinclair has admitted to mistakes that are normally a matter between husbands and wives, or employees and HR departments. It’s time to put this matter to rest.”

A spokesman for Fort Bragg commander Maj. Gen. Clarence K.K. Chinn, who approved Sinclair’s plea deal, could not immediately be reached for comment.

According to the defense, a separate agreement reached with Chinn will dictate what punishments Sinclair will receive. In theory, he faces more than 15 years in prison, though the plea agreement is unlikely to require anything close to the maximum penalties. Sinclair may also be forced to retire at reduced rank, costing him dearly in pension benefits.

That part of the agreement will remain secret until after the judge overseeing the case, Col. James Pohl, conducts a sentencing hearing later this week. That process will include testimony from about 20 witnesses. It was not immediately clear whether his primary accuser will be among those called to the stand. The Associated Press generally does not name those who say they were victims of sexual assault.

Click to expand...

Report: Philippines offers U.S. troops access to military bases
Mar. 17, 2014 - 02:25PM |

By Jeff Schogol
Staff writer
FILED UNDER
News
The Philippine government would allow U.S. forces to use its military bases as part of a new security deal expected to expand rotational deployments to the region.

As first reported by Reuters, the two countries hope to finalize the agreement before President Obama’s scheduled visit to the Philippines next month.

“The proposed agreement will allow the sharing of defined areas within certain AFP (Armed Forces of the Philippines) facilities with elements of the U.S. military,” Reuters quoted Philippine defense undersecretary Pio Lorenzo Batino as saying.

A Defense Department spokesman said on Monday that the he could not confirm the report because negotiations between the two countries are ongoing.

Currently, the two countries conduct annual joint military exercises and U.S. special operations forces work with their Filipino counterparts to combat Abu Sayyaf, an Islamic militant group linked to al-Qaida.

In 1992, the U.S. military left its military bases in the Philippines, including Clark air base and Subic Bay naval base. Since then, China has become increasingly aggressive in staking its claim to the South China Sea, including waters that the Philippine government considers within its territory. On March 9, for instance, Chinese coast guard vessels turned away two Philippine cargo ships that were trying to resupply Philippine marines on the Ayungin Shoal.

Meanwhile, relations between the U.S. and Philippines warmed after the U.S. military sent troops, ships and planes to help with relief efforts after Super Typhoon Haiyan raged through the city of Tacloban in November. A month later, protracted negotiations between the U.S. and Philippine governments over Clark Veterans Cemetery ended with an agreement for The American Battle Monuments Commission to assume responsibility for maintaining the cemetery, which was badly damaged in a 1991 volcanic eruption.

Click to expand...

Study assesses physical demands for combat arms
March 12, 2014

By Lisa Ferdinando

FORT STEWART, Ga. (Army News Service, March 12, 2014) -- In full gear, Sgt. Shawanna Washington moved ammunition, loaded mortar rounds into a gun tube, moved agilely as if under enemy fire, and completed other physically demanding tasks of a Soldier on the battlefield.

Washington completed the tasks as part of the Army's Physical Demands Study. She was among 89 male and 58 female Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division who volunteered to take part in the study at Fort Stewart. Their job was to help the Army develop gender-neutral standards for infantry tasks.

Washington, who served a year-long and a 15-month-long deployment in Iraq, said she wants to be in the infantry. She signed up for the study, she said, to be a part of something bigger than herself and support the Army as it moves forward in opening combat jobs to women.

"I always dreamed of being an infantrywoman. I wanted to see exactly the experience and everything I learn from it while I go through the training," she said, as she prepared to scale a six-foot wall during the testing.

The Physical Demands Study is part of Soldier 2020, the Army's plan to integrate women into previously closed military occupational specialties in infantry, combat engineer, field artillery and armor military occupational specialties.

The Army's Training and Doctrine Command, along with other research institutions, identified 31 common and physically demanding tasks in these military occupational specialties.

Other bases where the study has taken place include Fort Bragg, N.C.; Fort Bliss, Texas; Fort Hood, Texas; and Fort Sill, Okla.

The Physical Demands Study, which is distinct from the Army's gender integration study, is assessing the strength, endurance, and power required to do combat arms tasks.

The 3rd Infantry Division Soldiers trained and prepared for a month. The testing was done the week of March 10.

Spc. Kendra Avery said she volunteered for the study to be a part of history as women are integrated into combat roles. She supports "100 percent" women serving in that greater capacity.

Although she does not plan on seeking a combat position, Avery said she took part in the survey to support women who want to enter those jobs.

"Looking back with my kids and grandkids, I can say, 'I did this.' If I can do it, anybody can," she explained.

As part of the study, Soldiers donned oxygen masks and put on heart-rate monitors before carrying ammunition boxes weighing 45 pounds each. Army technicians recorded the data on laptops.

Other tasks over the test week included a road march; dragging a 270-pound dummy for 15 meters; moving a "casualty" out of a vehicle; and loading a TOW-2B Aero Missile into a ground mounted weapon system.

The purpose of the study is to develop gender-neutral physical standards to put the best Soldier -- male or female -- in the right job, according to Maj. Gen. John M. Murray, commanding general of the 3rd Infantry Division.

"We're equally interested in what's right for that Soldier, to give Soldiers the ability to be anything they want to be in the Army," he said.

In addition, said Murray, the Army will have an opportunity to examine the physical conditioning of Soldiers, and how to avoid overuse injuries.

The study is being conducted in conjunction with U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, and the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine.

Edward Zambraski, division chief of U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine Military Performance Division, is leading the research teams.

The goal of the study is to come up with predictive, physical performance tests that assess different elements of strength, endurance and coordination, Zambraski said.

"The whole idea of this physical standards study is to develop some tests so essentially we pair the person with the correct skills and attributes to those demands, so there is less chance of that Soldier being hurt," he said.

"If we can do that, we've achieved a major milestone for the Army," he said.

He said the Army began the testing last year and has three years to complete the study.

(For more ARNEWS stories, visit

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

, or Facebook at

Please, Log in or Register to view URLs content!

)

Click to expand...

JUPITR program takes shape on Korean Peninsula
March 12, 2014

By ECBC Communications


Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense
ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, Md. (March 12, 2014) -- The Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition advanced technology demonstration is underway and already making a difference to the Korean Peninsula.

The Joint United States Forces Korea Portal and Integrated Threat Recognition, known as JUPITR, a program led by the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, or JPEO-CBD, and supported by the U.S. Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, or ECBC, will provide unique biological detection capabilities to address the demand for stronger biosurveillance capabilities on the Korean Peninsula.

JUPITR supports the Homeland Security Presidential Directive-21, which states that biological threats could take many forms, including naturally occurring disease outbreaks. This policy led to the National Strategy for Countering Biological Threats in 2009, which recognized that an outbreak of disease could impact national security just as much as an overt attack on U.S. forces. In 2012 the first ever National Strategy for Biosurveillance was established with the goal, "to achieve a well-integrated national biosurveillance enterprise that saves lives by providing essential information for better decision making at all levels."

The JUPITR program introduces new instrumentation that increases speed and ease of biosurveillance equipment for the United States Forces Korea, or USFK. The instrumentation also comes at lower cost, less training and burden to the Soldier with higher performance results. JUPITR's presence on the Korean Peninsula aligns with the Joint Force's strategy to rebalance military efforts toward the Asia-Pacific region.

"Our long standing commitment to the security of South Korea and the DOD's 'Pivot to the Pacific' made the choice of basing the JUPITR ATD within the Republic of Korea a straight forward selection," said Peter Emanuel, JUPITR ATD team lead and ECBC Biosciences division chief.

As a part of the program, researchers from ECBC and JPEO-CBD will be traveling to the Republic of Korea on short-term rotations. The first rotation started in summer 2013 and will continue for the next two years. In these rotations, the ECBC/JPEO-CBD representatives help the USFK build advanced laboratory capabilities in-house, and personally train and demonstrate the JUPITR instrumentation.

Specifically, the ECBC/JPEO-CBD representatives are helping to certify the 106th Food Safety Laboratory in South Korea with a BioSafety Level 2 (BSL 2) laboratory standard in Youngsan Army Garrison. This certification will allow this lab to safely receive and analyze real-world contaminated samples. The traveling group started their work by demonstrating the power of the BioFire Film Array, the IQUUM Liat and the 3M Focus, all of which are new biosurveillance analysis instruments.

This level of interaction with the end-users in Korea ensures that ECBC and JPEO can gain rapid feedback, make quick adjustments and ensure that the biosurveillance equipment functions properly in the South Korean environment. ECBC/JPEO-CBD representatives are also able to train one-on-one and build important relationships with the USFK.

"This in-person JUPITR method is innovative," said James Wright, a biologist in ECBC's BioScience's division and among one of the first researchers to travel to Korea. "It allows us to acquire the results quickly, get direct feedback from the Soldiers and efficiently see our results first hand. It's very exciting and a great developmental assignment for us to participate in as laboratory scientists."

So far, the groups have worked directly with the 121st Medical Group, the 106th Veterinary Support and the 51st Air Force Medical Group in Korea. ECBC and JPEO representatives provided USFK with new capabilities to enhance the efficiency and functionality of their labs.

For example, new equipment such as the BioFire Film Array, can run Dry Filter Unit samples in five to six hours compared to the current system which would run samples in a couple days.

Julie Renner, a toxicologist from ECBC has already completed two rotations in Korea. When Renner saw how JUPITR's instruments could obtain results faster than it took USFK to prepare a sample for the current equipment, she realized the true impact of JUPITR.

"The imminent need for these new instruments and capabilities they offer became apparent," Renner said. "Also, in meeting with and creating a relationship between the 106th and the 501st CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosives) Tech Escort, we were able to bridge a huge and long-overdue gap that is necessary for future exercises across the peninsula and for real-world bio-threat readiness."

The projects that ECBC and JPEO representatives led while in Korea, range across many disciplines from instrumentation training to classroom training. Marcus Thermos, a member of the ECBC training team was able to teach a course about basic Chemical and Biological defense to USFK personnel during his time in Korea.

"I taught a course for 18 Soldiers. While they were familiar with the Army, they didn't know too much about the chemical and biological defense program and the work we were doing, so I had the opportunity to give them a crash course that they found very rewarding," Thermos said.

JUPITR combines advanced communications with cutting-edge detection capabilities to design a program that will bring rapid and efficient biosurveillance. The program is comprised of four legs that work simultaneously to achieve JUPITR's goal.

The first leg is an information portal that is similar to a health surveillance web management tool. This portal will house a library of identified biological substances in a cloud library that authorized personnel can access.

The second leg sends ECBC researchers to Korea to work alongside USFK representatives to improve their laboratory capabilities. This allows the USFK to conduct analysis at their own facilities rather than shipping samples back to the U.S.

The third leg, called the "Shoot-Off," tests a number of biological detectors, and sends the best one to Korea. The last leg, called Integrated Base Defense is a large multifunctional, all seeing sensor that can rapidly design a defensive perimeter. Together, these legs form a dynamic, multifaceted program that will advance the biological detection capabilities of the Korean Peninsula.

Supporting organizations for JUPITR include the Department of Homeland Security, Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, Health Affairs and Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

ABOUT ECBC

ECBC is part of the U.S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, which has the mission to develop technology and engineering solutions for America's Soldiers.

RDECOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S. Army Materiel Command. AMC is the Army's premier provider of materiel readiness -- technology, acquisition support, materiel development, logistics power projection, and sustainment -- to the total force, across the spectrum of joint military operations. If a Soldier shoots it, drives it, flies it, wears it, eats it or communicates with it, AMC delivers it.

Click to expand...

US Navy to request additional Boeing E/A-18G Growlers
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC Source: Flightglobal.com an hour ago
The US Navy has confirmed it wants to buy additional Boeing E/A-18G Growler aircraft – a move the service says will protect the nation’s industrial base and provide it with the electronic warfare capability it will need in the coming decades.

“I see a growing Growler need,” Chief of Naval Operations Adm Jonathan Greenert told lawmakers during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on 12 March. “We are at the minimum requirement as we know it.”

“Today we have the minimum numbers [of Growlers] in each squadron,” adds USN secretary Ray Mabus.

The navy, which did not immediately respond to a request for additional information, currently has five Growlers per squadron, Mabus says. “Looking in the future, we don’t think electronic attack is going to get any smaller,” he adds.

The comments come days after news that the USN is seeking to include 22 additional Growlers in its “unfunded” requirements request for fiscal year 2015. That document, which must be approved by military leaders, includes items that were not in the military’s FY2015 budget request, released earlier this month.

In his committee testimony, Greenert calls the request a “hedge and risk-reduction” effort, adding that the navy is “very mindful of the industrial base”.

The US government is also “working on things like foreign military sales to keep that [Boeing] line in business”, Greenert adds.

Boeing’s Super Hornet and Growler production line in St Louis, Missouri will run out of work in the third quarter of 2016, if the company does not receive additional orders from the US government or foreign militaries.

The manufacturer says its twin-seat Growler can provide the electronic jamming capability needed to ensure other fighters – like Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter – are most effective.

Click to expand...

Military relationships with China under consideration
March 13, 2014

By Gary Sheftick

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, March 13, 2014) -- Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Ray Odierno said a military training relationship with China is possible as the U.S. strengthens its presence in the Asia-Pacific theater.

Odierno met with leaders of the Chinese People's Liberation Army last week to discuss mil-to-mil opportunities and said some guidelines were outlined.

Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Thursday, in Washington, D.C., Odierno's discussion ranged from regional alignment of forces to a return of tiered readiness, driven by a tight budget.

The general had just returned from a trip visiting with military leaders in China before going on to Japan and then Korea.

"We tend to focus on our differences," Odierno said about the U.S. and China, "but we actually have a lot in common. One is obviously the security and stability of the Pacific region, because of the economic impact it has on both of our countries."

Odierno said Chinese military leaders first talked with him in November about establishing a training relationship and said they are now going "out of their way" to push ahead on a dialogue between the two armies.

Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel may travel to China in a month or so, Odierno said, and added that he hopes a training relationship can be solidified then.

"This is by far the biggest step we've taken in many, many years in trying to open up this relationship between our armies," Odierno said.

After visiting China, Odierno went on to Japan where he discussed the future of the Japanese Self Defense Force and then continued to Korea.

The U.S. Army will continue to have a strong relationship with South Korea, he said, but described that relationship as one that is "morphing and changing" as the Republic of Korea takes on more responsibility for its overall defense.

Unit rotations may be the way ahead in Korea, he said, adding that a battalion and aviation unit just rotated to Korea from the United States.

Armies play an important role in the Pacific, Odierno said, even though the area is often thought of as a Navy theater. He said the U.S. Army is expanding its engagements in other countries across the theater.

"Over the last month we did a joint airborne operation in Thailand," Odierno said. "We are developing relationships with the Philippines. We are having some initial forays into Vietnam. We are increasing our engagements with Indonesia."

He said making the commander of U.S. Army Pacific a four-star position helped with establishing relationships in the theater. Gen. Vincent K. Brooks took over as U.S. Army Pacific, or USARPAC, commander July 2, and was promoted to four-star general.

"I think we're going in the right direction," Odierno said, not only about the Pacific, but about regional alignments elsewhere as well.

For instance, the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, was aligned with U.S. Africa Command. Small task forces from the brigade supported exercises and other engagements across the continent.

Almost 90 missions were conducted over the last year in Africa, Odierno said, and added such regional alignment of forces will continue to take place in other theaters as well.

"We're going to align our forces to the combatant commanders, based on their requirements, to help them to shape and set the theaters that they are responsible for," Odierno said.

Building partner capacity is not the chief of staff's only concern, though. He said what keeps him up at night is the thought of a contingency call coming in the future that the Army might not be quite ready for and that would cost the nation in terms of lives.

In order to ensure units are ready for the full spectrum of decisive combat operations, Odierno said units will rotate through the Army's combat training centers, which will be used to their "utmost potential."

Emphasis will be placed on rotations to the National Training Center at Fort Irwin, Calif., the Joint Readiness Training Center at Fort Polk, La., or the Combat Maneuver Training Center in Germany. Odierno said these types of rotations are needed after 10 years of counter-insurgency and stability operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The CTCs will prepare units to deal simultaneously with high-end combat, criminal threats, insurgencies, and other complex scenarios, Odierno said.

"We have to be prepared to do all of those at once," he said. "Our future leaders will need to operate in this complex environment."

Of course, investing in the CTCs will reduce the money available for home-station training, he said. Many units will need to conduct virtual constructive training at home station to make up the difference, he said.

With budget cuts this year and possibly next, some hard decisions may need to be made.

"We're going to have to go to a tiered readiness model that causes us to ensure that we have some level of readiness across some capability," Odierno said.

Tiered readiness was the system the Army had before 2004 when it adopted the Army Force Generation system, known as ARFORGEN. Under tiered readiness, units that were high priority -- or slated to deploy before others -- were fully resourced. Those at the lower end of the tier did not always have the equipment and resources needed to immediately deploy.

There are some proposals to eventually shrink the active Army to a force of 420,000.

"We would be challenged to conduct a prolonged joint multi-phased campaign of any duration with that size of force," Odierno said.

He said a rock bottom force of at least 450,000 active-duty Soldiers, 335,000 National Guard and 195,000 Army Reserve is needed to meet the National Strategic Guidance and "that's at high risk," he added.

Click to expand...

USAF defends A-10 retirements on Capitol Hill
By: JON HEMMERDINGERWASHINGTON DC Source: Flightglobal.com 3 hours ago
The battle over the future of the US Air Force's fleet of Fairchild Republic A-10s has moved to the US Congress, with lawmakers questioning the service's plan to retire its roughly 320-strong fleet.

During a House Armed Services Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on 14 March, USAF secretary Deborah Lee James and chief of staff Gen Mark Welsh fielded questions about the service's ability to conduct close air-support without A-10s.

The aircraft are on the USAF's chopping block, having been identified as targets for retirement in its recently released fiscal year 2015 budget proposal. Congress must still approve the proposal, however – a process that will take months to complete.

Democrat Ron Barber, whose Arizona district includes Davis-Monthan AFB, where A-10s are operated, is among those taking issue with the prospect of A-10 retirements. He asks if the USAF can provide effective close-air support within 100m of troops, and when cloud ceilings are less than 1,500ft (457m) without A-10s.

"This is what the A-10 does best," Barber says. "There are critical elements of the close-air support mission that multirole fighters simply cannot perform like the A-10."

"I think the ones we should probably be asking about the A-10 are the ground forces that have their lives saved by the A-10s," says committee chairman Republican Buck McKeon of California.

asset image
US Air Force

While conceding the A-10's effectiveness at close-air support, James and Welsh defended the plan.

"What I have learned over time is that although [the A-10] does do close-air support superbly, other aircraft can do it as well," says James, noting that 80% of close-air support in Afghanistan has been provided by other types of aircraft.

"The mission would be covered" by fighters like Lockheed Martin F-16s, although those pilots may need additional training, James says.

"Cutting the A-10 fleet was the lowest risk option," Welsh says. "It's the right decision from a military perspective," he says, adding that the service will save $3.7 billion over five years with the retirements. "Close air support is not an aircraft, it is a mission," he says.

In addition to mothballing A-10s, the USAF proposes retiring its fleet of Lockheed U-2 high altitude reconnaissance aircraft, instead using Northrop Grumman Global Hawks exclusively for that mission.

"Having both fleets would be terrific, but it's not affordable," says James. "When you add those two [aircraft programmes] together, we are above the validated requirements for high altitude reconnaissance."

The Pentagon has been forced to make the cuts due to ongoing budget pressures set in motion by the Budget Control Act of 2011, signed by President Barack Obama. That law shaved $487 billion from the Department of Defense's budget over 10 years. It also triggered additional spending cuts known as sequestration, which will run through 2021.

Click to expand...

TerraN_EmpirE said:

The US Army has in fact sold a number to American Civilian Law enforcement.



The standard attack helicopter in Pakistan is the AH1 Cobra. However its not the current model. The Entire Bell helicopter Cobra line changed over to twin engine Super Cobra and now Vipers. Which would be far more expensive as the Pakistanis are not going to get them for a song like the MRAPs. Basicly the US stopped making the Cobra they have. The closet thing I can think of to the early generation cobra they use is the Iranian Toufan series. But if Pakistan buys those you can say goodbye to any American help.
So Pakistan would need to basicly launch a new helicopter procurement program for new gun ships of that type.
options would likely be
Apaches
Vipers
Turkish Mangoosta
Russian rat face... I mean Havoc
Tigers
and because of close ties maybe the WZ10.
but the hot and high of the northern border lands is likely to disqualify WZ10.
another option for the Pakistanis would be a fixed wing gunship. For export right now that could be the C27J it has the altitude and packs a precise powerful punch.

Click to expand...