For want of a nail…

It’s an electronic one, but still… A key tool in the U.S. Navy’s fight against Russian and Chinese submarines weighs eight pounds, is three feet long and it doesn’t even explode. The sonobuoy is an expendable, waterborne sensor that has been air-dropped … Continue reading

One of the ‘hidden’ penalties of sequestration…

When in doubt, follow the money… This is a long article, but well researched and with footnoted links. Pilot retention is an issue service wide, and becoming MORE of an issue in the Navy as deployments lengthen, with less time … Continue reading

Deja Vu all over again…

Go read THIS article from Strategy Page first, then come back… I’ll wait… Okay, here we go. Most, if not all of what the author references is, in fact, old news, at least in certain circles. That’s pretty much a … Continue reading

This is the fallout of Sequestration…

The lack of funding for maintenance and cutting force structure is coming home to roost… Foxnews.com had a report HERE, the Marines are really in the hurt locker, since they are flying the oldest F-18s in the military. I met LTC (Crash) … Continue reading

It’s all about the money…

Talking with a friend at lunch yesterday, I found out he’s retiring early. It seems his company lost the contract for support to another company that underbid them by a considerable amount, even though they’ve been the incumbents for 15 … Continue reading

Sequestration Redux…

The chickens are coming home to roost in military aviation… This is just one of the many examples that are now leaking out from the military via various means… The F/A-18s needs spare parts and in too many cases they’re … Continue reading

Remember those predicted job losses???

This is one of those ‘I told you so’ situations… When BO was elected, lots of folks in the know looked at the handwriting on the wall and said the defense industry was going to be in trouble… POLITICO’s analysis … Continue reading

It’s all in the ‘details’…

Sorry about that, apparently WordPress decided NOT to put this up on time, and of course I’ve been in meetings all day… dammit… Tom Philpott has been pretty much the ‘go to’ reporter for in-depth reporting on what is happening … Continue reading

The stuff that ‘doesn’t make the MSM…

This ‘program’ was on Spike TV, so probably not a lot of folks saw it… USS GETTYSBURG was sent TAD to the standing anti-piracy patrol last year for a few months of their deployment. Here is the last clip about … Continue reading

Things you DON’T want to see…

Talk about a Rut Roh moment… Dunno if the photog survived, but the camera obviously did, well up till the last moment there… In news closer to home, Sequestration strikes yet again… Navy pulls plug on Patuxent River Naval Air … Continue reading