The Military Thread

Heck, I bet you could get the space by just stiping the old avionics out, those things used to be massive, and now you can fit them on a chip the size of a credit card.

Meanwhile, whoopsie for Indonesia: test-firing of Chinese-made C-705 AShMs goes wrong, while the president of Indonesia looks on.

edited 19th Sep '16 1:28:06 PM by SabresEdge

[Made in China]

As far as I understand, the majority of the issues with military hardware adaptation and modernization aren't exactly related with the hardware in itself, but the software made to run them.

Wow that is pretty embarrassing. I could see one missile failure. Even the US had an oopsie not that long ago with a launch. But two in a row is pretty damn bad. Either those missiles are horrid or they were very poorly maintained. One of the damnable things about a lot of munitions folks forget is that proper storage and maintenance is actually pretty important.

Maybe it was user error? They did screw up the contingency procedure after all. Wouldn't be the first time poorly trained personnel screwed up using imported gear.

edited 19th Sep '16 5:23:41 PM by Rationalinsanity

Possibly. A FUBAR moment during movement, loading, or readying could cause possibly odd issues as well.

Neat You Tube find of the day:

• Army rolls out new fitness test for soldiers who want to switch MOSs

• Pentagon to cover sex-reassignment surgery for transgender active-duty troops...

And I'm okay with that, if anything that should get some good people in.

Wow. The Army of 2016 is practically unrecognizable from the Army of 2008.

What a difference eight years can make

The Army of 2004 was even worse: Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a PT manual from The '80s, a lot of equipment that was Cold War vintage and a recruiting slump. 2005-2007 was when the standards were relaxed and the felony waivers were pushed through. Chapter authority ("kick soldiers out the Army" authority) was passed from Battalions to Brigades - many Brigade CO's didn't want to lose people or were of the "just give that guy another Article 15."

It was 2010 that things changed: chapter paperwork when to Battalions again, more first term soldiers got kicked out. In 2013 it got pushed to company commanders with most battalion commanders just making sure the bad apples got the boot. In 2009 the felony waivers dried up.

Oh and the US Army Recruiting command had such a scandal ridden year in 2007 that all recruiting stations had an ethics "standdown". The 200o's were almost as bad as the Dork Age just after the Vietnam War.

Felony waivers? Jesus. I didn't know we were THAT desperate for troops.

I wonder how many of those felons who got in during the surge are still in? If I was in that situation, I'd straighten up and try to stay in as long as humanly possible, seeing as how the job market isn't kind to felons...or anyone with a record to be honest.

As of the FBI's 2015 Gang and Extremism report in general quite a few are not only still in but still have a surprisingly easy time getting in.

@AFP: That's one of the suggested videos in my You Tube homepage earlier. Gee I wonder why....LOL

*feels like pointing the obvious out* People who gravitate towards gang involvement... generally have exactly the group-orientated mind-set you want in a soldier. There's a reason those lacking the psycho-nutjob side of things would find it easy playing to the group they're in relatively easy. Haz skillz.

And, it's hard to call it betraying the forces a lot of the time, either. For the bulk of them, conflicting loyalty won't happen during service, as stealing from or undermining the military wouldn't ever have been the primary goal.

edited 20th Sep '16 7:17:37 AM by Euodiachloris

Euo: True to a point and there is a lot of "looking the other way". However increasingly it appears both gangs and extremists are deliberately going in to gain knowledge and training as well as access to equipment. The Biker gangs are among the most notorious for being security risks. If I have the time to dig them up again. This has been a repeated concern for the US military since the early 90's.

Brazil is going through the same issue.

We're having the organized crime enlist their gang members in the Army in order to have trained soldiers and facilitate the theft of military hardware.

Here is an article from 06 It notes the gangs are actively using the military to expand and recruit as well as spread their influence.

Page 33 has the FBI summary on the gang thread and the military

The FBI "gang report", the same FBI that thought that Juggalos were a "gang".... Much of that so called "gang" report is bs.

edited 20th Sep '16 9:41:52 PM by TairaMai

Taira: I hate to burst your bubble yet again but the Juggalos are a gang. They stopped being strictly a fan group a long time ago and involved in at least low level criminal enterprise. I also hate to shatter your same bubble but the military has had an extensive problem with gangs in the military since the 90's. Don't like the truth well that is just too damn bad.

And yet the "crime wave" of ex-military or military gang members has yet to appear. This was a problem in The '90s, it was a problem when the Iraq war kicked off, still more reports when Obama came to office and in 2015 the FBI rehashes the same line: gangs in the military, You Can Panic Now.

taira: You mean the notable uptick in gang activity across the US but especially in harder poverty hit cities like Detroit, Chicago, LA, New York ie the usual suspects. Oh and lets not forget the overt uptick of gang related crime in the military on its bases and posts and the community immediately around them. But if you feel safer pretending that doesn't happen go right ahead.

edited 20th Sep '16 10:50:04 PM by TuefelHundenIV

How is that the military can vet for its ultra secret projects and missions, but can't vet gang members? I'm almost tempted to say it's an inside job but that would probably break Occam's razor: simple incompetence

Vetting for ultra-secret projects takes a long time and is very expensive.

A lot of gang members are fleeing the life, only to do stupid things in the military. Others left the military and fell right back into the lifestyle. Not ever position in the military requires a security clearance. And not everyone with a security clearance is an angel. A unit armorer was busted a few years ago trying to take weapons from Fort Bliss. An E-6 supply NCO is now doing 10 years for trying to steal body armor and sell it to an undercover CID agent.

And of course there is drugs too.