The Military Thread

Commanding Officer and Executive Officer are used by the US military, usually abbreviated as CO and XO. These aren’t actual ranks, though. I’m not sure about other militaries, IIRC the British use 2IC instead of XO or something similar.

Edited by archonspeaks on Oct 4th 2019 at 3:11:31 AM

Recent news about Yongsan Garrison. Looks like the staff's going to be relocated to Camp Humphreys.

Edited by Ominae on Oct 4th 2019 at 3:39:16 AM

USFK is moving most of the forces to Camp Humphreys.

Most of the post will be handed back to Korea.

Turns out there was a secretive nuclear working group in the Technical Research Centre of Finland, with the job of monitoring and researching nuclear weapons related subjects. This was ostensibly to create independent expertise on the subject, since due to the Agreement of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Assistance (none applicable) the Soviet Union might have attempted to provide "assistance" in the subject if a crisis was to emerge.

Somewhat appropriately the group was called Styx. The last time (before an article today) anything on the subject was written about was in 1997. And only one paper from them has ever been published and only in Sweden.

Teenager who disarmed Colorado school shooter is now a Marine

Well, that's a consistent life trajectory...

My question: what internal song started playing in the recruiter's head when being faced with that resume?

Son of Army hero retraces his father’s WWII footsteps in Europe

Edited by AFP on Oct 5th 2019 at 5:30:31 AM

I bet Area I, or at least Camp Casey, will never move there. USFK needs a base where they can station all the worst or unfortunate soldiers.

Sounds like the Corps got a good thing with that young Marine.

I mean really, after kicking the ass of a terrorist, where else can you go that isn't painfully dull?

For me, what is important is that he likely joined with a personal sense of purpose in hand instead of a misguided sense of bravado. It will help keep him grounded for a while at least while in the Corps.

Good point there.

This is interesting for guys like me following modern Japanese politics. Especially Article 9.

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That comes of as unbearably naive, even if it is completely understandable.

Japan can't to the "Rising Sun" act, despite what their right wing would think.^note Most of their hardline racist faction was in diapers when the war ended

China could squash Japan like a bug if not for the US INDOPACOM.

Keep in mind that a lot of the JSDF inventory is old hence the F-35's.

Isn't Japan in the process of modernizing their F-15s?

You should watch the full documentary.

They're going to get rid of the F-15Js that they can't mod anymore to keep it going. By selling it back to America to get more money.

Plan is to use the funds to purchase more F-35s.

All in on the Lightning, eh? Could do worse, given their requirements.

I did some research on a short article I did before and suggests that there's an indig efforts by Mitsubishi to jumpstart their own to not rely on the West for their fighters.

So far, it stalled last I checked. The company's experience is through licensing manufacturing.

Japan’s indigenous fighter efforts are largely a dead end, namely because their military recognizes there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Their military is almost entirely geared for integration with US forces in the event of combat.

That’s kind of the whole caveat with their rearmament. Their alliance with the US is their real asset.

Edited by archonspeaks on Oct 6th 2019 at 6:53:13 AM

@Ominae - the documentary is just a rehash of old talking points. Japan won't attack their neighbors. Japan is too integrated into the world economy. JSDF officers and enlisted train in the US.

China on the other hand looks like Argentina circa 1979 - a junta desperate to hold onto power, facing unrest now looking for a fight to turn tension outward.

Hence that whole spat over the South China sea.

Regardless of that, it's being brought up because Abe is now making leeway in "interpreting" Article 9.

Unless Tom Clancy as an mutant who could see the future, I don't think Abe is out to take over the world.

Abe may be war crime denying asshole but I doubt he's delusional enough to think he can revive Imperial Japan.

By far the most important reason for it, politically speaking, is to be relevant in international security rather than just being stuck doing nothing. So a certain degree of independent capability is wanted, which is why they also want the JSDF to actually have the status of a proper military. Rather than the odd pseudo-military/civil servant system which does it no favours.