Comments on: Gates: U.S. Needs New Ways to Buy

By: mike

mike — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 02:09:54 +0000

screwdrivers? don’t you mean power point slides? At the congressional hearing on FCS a comment was made by a congressman, “All we are getting is power point charts, Will be be dropping 11 tons of power points on the enemy?” That is a very telling state of affairs in the pentagon. Let’s buy needed hardware not billion dollar power point charts. The first course an acquistion officer gets is how to do power point charts and give fancy briefings. Take an inventory of them on each person’s computer and thier agency shared drives and you will see the factual evidence, the days of the 200 dollar screw driver have been replaced with the billion dollar slide show. When will the insanity of this end?

By: howmuchcantheymake

howmuchcantheymake — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:56:00 +0000

futher to the VEE contract there is prior art so patents will most likely be denied. it is a cozy relationship as usual and we the tax payers suffer. BAE rips us off when are we going to wake up? the day of the 200 dollar screw driver is still here

By: howmuchcantheymake

howmuchcantheymake — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 19:41:11 +0000

BAE does not make the VEE window. There 45 million contract makes them 20 million is that a fair profit considering we are complaining of corporate greed. This was a no bid contract. Please someone look into this huge profit center

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:04:12 +0000

“Or bobby trap it for a unsuspecting recovery team…”

Yeah, they open the back door and a girl named Bobbi jumps out, wearing bobby-socks.

“See you guys on the next subject. Out. M.”

Dude…either go or don’t, but STOP telling us that you’re leaving when you immediately come back.

Also, I’d be interested to hear your thoughts on HAARP, chemtrails, Morgellon’s Syndrome, autism, LSD-25, menthol cigarettes, remote viewing, and orgone energy.

By: pfcem

pfcem — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 02:44:49 +0000

Steve Militor,

By big 100 you mean the 100 US senators, right…

The war has not run the country out of money.

Contractors did not run the war into the ground.

Yes it was dumb to use the HMMWV a it was used but the US military was designed around winning wars not peace keeping.

The whole wars was not a fiasco. Although, the ‘surge’ SHOULD have happened in 2004…

The war on terror is NOT about oil.

By: Steve Militor

Steve Militor — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:02:50 +0000

Drones.
Look at what the big 100 have done to this country. They broke the camel’s back.
Go work at KIA now! FACT: The WAR ran this country out of money. The Contractors ran the war into the ground. Fact! The Procurement people at DOD are the 100’s stooges. FACT!: More solders were killed necessarily due to bad vehicle deployment than was necessary. The whole war was a fiasco. And goobers like you just watched it go into the ground. Ran up fuel prices. The consequences are that solders returning from Iraq. 1. may not have a job. 2. A 401k. 3. A home.4. A vehicle they can afford to drive. 5. Or be able to live where they want.
We could have just bought the oil and burned our own coal. 25,000 injuries later. over 5000 US dead. Over a million Iraqis killed. For oil.
Loosing your son is not banter. Today they announced 2 trillion in retirement funds were lost. You can bet some of that was from BAE.
The chickens have come home. Favor done. Good Day. Bad year for Americans.

By: daskro

daskro — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:56:43 +0000

Steve Militor, do us all a a favor and create your own blog so we don’t have to experience any more of your banality.

By: Steve Militor

Steve Militor — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:24:01 +0000

Hey BAE defender guy. Look on your own web page suggestion. BAE is all over the World. But in the USA. Yes Franklin owns the 6%. But read further.
Exostar. Is a front company for Lockheed, Boeing and Raytheon. They all own 25%. But it is just a marketing branch. But all the Manufacturing is Foreign owned. It is just a giant conglomerate that works on and off shore to sell as much war materiel to who ever they can. Two of the three divisions are completely British owned. The 6% in the USA is a Joke. It is a company to tie the USA and UK together to fight wars and make money. But with out a doubt
more UK than US. Also these companies split up further to hide ownership. Lesser companies all over the World that sell individual stocks at each branch. And each country. To say Franklin
owns 6%, I laugh. They wont shown their individual investors. It’s the Queen of England. British Banks, Chinese, South Africans, Swedes, Germans, Oh, and the USA. IT is a world wide war profiting company. Period!
I checked. They don’t make wheelchairs.BAE-burn in hell! OUT!

By: Steve Militor

Steve Militor — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 20:56:26 +0000

The C-17s are only used for C-17 loads. C130s are used for C130 loads. The Striker was reduced in size for the C120. It was a C-17 load. Originally.
The Stryker with the 105mm tips badly. Read the reports on the Sheridan airborne tank. My friend was a driver in Ger. on one. They hated them. It would jar the occupants so bad they hated to fire it. You need a lot of weight to anchor a gun.
Slat Armour is wonderful. The temperature sure goes up quick when your fuel/oil goes up in flames when your slat Armour/ clear throat/ stops
the RPG-7. That is a export round. Check for the real RPG-8+ They have some real mean ones.
Strikers don’t stop 50ap. Or 14.5 ap. 44mm penetration.
FCS. The Strykers are part of it. And they are here to stay. Unfortunately. Quick Global response force. 72 hours. Mentioned that too.
A new M113. Not a old one. The new ones are bad ass. ATGM. CROWS. RE-Armor. Go anywhere fighter. Fast too. And C130 air portable. They made em longer too. More space!
I am not fixed on the C130. The Army Chiefs are. They have more of them than they have C17s. And both are expensive to buy and fuel.
The Russians owned the Georgians. Just a thought. The Russians like other Armies. Train on the job. Like on the Mongolian border. The first troops in Chechnya we rookies. Got owned.
They got serious and sent in their real teams.
With expectant results. The Russians don’t play
around. They had slat armor too. Their BTRs are
harder than our Strykers. The lost 2000 apcs. plus another 200 tanks. They would be assaulted
by over 15 RPGs at once on one vehicle. The op force would carry three loaded RPGs to eliminate reloading. The vehicles would explode from the heat generated with internal explosions. And hull damage. RPGs rule fact!
Most exported RPG7s are HE. Not AP. The new ones do a much better job. Coronets own the battlefield now.
We don’t have Patriots in Georgia, Yet!
No one has comparable skills and stick time as a U.S. pilot. No one. Or equipment. We own the air. But the Russians have some new hard wire AA. It does not jam easily.
The Israelis have the Trophy. We don’t. Raytheon has the contract for it. still a few years off. USA wont pay Israel to build it. Too cheap.
Yes triple warheads. Same round. Back to back. NOTHING STOPS IT! IT GOES THROUGH FOUR FEET OF REINFORCED CONCRETE. @ 600 meters. Even if your vehicle survived? You would not! It is a giant hammer. Ding dong! It melts through anything too. Lingers. Goes over the Horizon.
Picks it’s target. Comes in on the side, top, rear, front, take your pick. You’ll never see it coming. The Russians decided to change policy. Instead of fighting other superior tanks with tanks. They use missiles. They use their tanks for breakthroughs. Missiles are cheaper. And they are brilliant at designing them. No vehicle on the planet can survive a Coronet hit! Not even the front of a Mirkava. The thickest tank on the planet. Or a M60. 15 of em found out the hard way in Lebanon.
I am a JLTV expert. They suck. All of em.
If you just said build some bad ass stuff. And the Army TACOM didn’t try to micro manage every aspect of the requirements. You might be surprised what people would come up with. The requirements keep changing. But the Army is stuck on stupid. And the vehicles they get are money makers. For the Vendors. Not the best technology available. Better designs exist. The Army won’t even consider them. They only deal with the top 100. And the Top 100 aren’t real creative or inventive. Very few people can create or invent a new system. When they approach the Army with their new design? They get worked and sent away! We need someone at the design level that can tell a inventor. This is what we need. If you have something close? We want to see it asap! We will pay you for your invention. Everyone should help us fight our wars. Everyone has something to contribute.
It is our right! And duty to our country to do so. THE USA is all about innovation. The Army is all about corruption and stealing ideas.
Just let the average Joe have a shot at it. AND DON“T TRY TO RIP HIM?HER OFF! MAKE it a point of pride and national interest to protect our troops. Not a exclusive club for old school golfing corporate types. LET THE LITTLE guys try. See what we have. American ingenuity can solve any mechanical problem. TACOM you need to change your policies! OUR FLEET sucks and so do you!

By: Cole

Cole — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 00:45:03 +0000

a) Stryker not striker

b) C-17s hold more Strykers and FCS manned ground vehicles, and deliver more at once

c) 105mm gun is only on one version. Cramped? The Infantry carrier transports more infantry than the Bradley. It’s mobility is fine for roads and urban areas where many future conflicts are likely to occur. Agree Stryker has poor offroad mobility but that’s why the FCS manned ground vehicle ahd heavy BCT are tracked.

d) Slat armor is very effective against single warhead RPG-7…the primary threat. Active protection systems of the future will handle duel warhead and top attack.

e) Bet that Strykers cost more than $1.5 million. Strykers stop .50 cal unlike the ancient M113 you appear to like. Talk about a cramped vehicle!

f) You appear to know almost nothing about Future Combat Systems and its manned ground vehicles which are tracked, thus ending one of your arguments, and armored as well as a Bradley but with more all around protection, ending your remaining argument. It does this while getting 3 mpg vs. an M1 tanks 2 gallons per mile…the reason they may re-engine the Abrams. An armored division uses well over one million gallons of fuel a day. The troops in less armored convoy vehicles are the ones targeted by threat forces when heavy armor requires lots of fuel every few hours. If you expect every other vehicle to carry heavy armor the fuel bill goes up…risking lives and our national pocketbook.

g) General Shinseki proposed Stryker as an interim system until FCS was fielded. Nothing treasonous there and its disgraceful that you would accuse an Army Chief of Staff of such.

h) FCS vehicles will be transported by C-17. Forget your fixation on the C-130. Read about the insertion of the 173rd Airborne Brigade into northern Iraq during OIF. It included a company of armor from Germany. It could have been a substantially stronger FCS force. FCS units could have been transported to southern Georgia, the Ukraine, or Poland to draw a symbolic line in the sand.

i) Russians laughing their asses off? The Russian Air Force lost 4 to 10 aircraft to Georgian air defenses. Think how much they would lose to Patriots and F-22s. Contemplate how F-35s and our bombers would plink Russian armor to pieces.

j) Dual warheads? Read about active protection systems that would slam inbound AA missiles and advanced RPGs before they ever hit our vehicles. Active protection is lighter than conventional armor to provide protection while not running up the fuel bill. But JLTV will be heavy…so yes, the Army is thinking about future threats. It may be hybrid-electric, though, so the Army is also thinking about future fuel bills and logistics to get fuel to the front.

By: Steve Militor

Steve Militor — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 21:50:25 +0000

OK, 1 more time. The striker started out as a MOWAG from Switzerland and Germany. GLDS bought the design. Gave it to GM Canada to build. They narrowed it. Changed engines a couple of times.
Put on smaller tires. Lightened the thing quite a bit. Changed almost everything about it. Now they want to put a big cannon on it. It was made to fit on a C130. It barely fits. The suspension leaks. It catches fire. tips over. Get flats easily. Gets stuck in the mud and sand easily.
Wont drive in the snow well. Almost sinks. Cramped and noisy inside. Is not RPG proof.
Poor visibility. Expensive. Can not deploy in 15
minutes from a C130. Slat armor is a joke.
With radios and guns your looking at over 1,5 mil per unit. They burn all the time. But they don’t like to talk about em. Burning that is.
Make sure you have a M113 around to pull em out.
Just to save you the “call”.
By the way. They just christened another Striker Brigade. Washington/Lewis I believe.
Naw! Shinseki wanted a less intimidating force for police work and small wars. He had allot of support for this treasonous thinking. By the way, one more thing for you to muse about Cole.
The M1 tanks. They will rebuild a few. But plans are in the works to go piston engines.
Possibly a Leopard (Ger.) engine. Canada already uses Leopards. And buying more new ones.
No other army in the world entertained the thought of going lighter. One of the Generals that promoted this “lighter ” concept. Went to work for GDLS. Before a year was even up. The Striker is a carry over from that stupid thinking. And the C130 thinking. Also stupid.
The Russians were laughing their asses off when they heard this. What the Chinese and Russians lack in air power. They strive to make up with AA and Anti armor. The AA is going with hard wire stuff. The Anti armor. Multi-thermal warheads. 2 or three in one penetration. And possibly tow the vehicle off to use it for a special mission or to study it. Or bobby trap it for a unsuspecting recovery team to have it blow up when they move it.
See you guys on the next subject. Out. M.

By: Cole

Cole — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:40:18 +0000

Militor, this company owns 70% of AMG:

http://www.macandrewsandforbes.com/family_of_companies/

This is the AMG website, reachable by clicking on the AMG icon of the link above:

http://www.amgeneral.com/

HMMWV armored doors get stuck? Perhaps this and BAE armor and HMMWV power management are why you thing BAE owns AMG…from DefenseIndustryDaily.com:

“April 29/08: BAE Systems announces a $25 million order for 2,354 Vehicle Emergency Escape (VEE) window kits and 2,000 spare window panels to the U.S. Army’s Tank-Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM), for use on up-armored M1151 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWV).

The latest order is projected to start the pipeline of follow-on orders to fit the thousands of M1151 vehicles in combat. VEE windows will be delivered to the Army from June 2008 until the end of 2008.”

A HMMWV will not fit in a 6′ wide V-22, which is why the Marines are specially developing a skinny tall jeep-like vehicle that probably will rollover. In addition, a V-22 would not be able to carry an up-armored HMMWV due to its weight while a Chinook can carry it externally.

As for Stryker, if you built armor out to 11′ wide it would weigh as much or more than a Bradley. A Stryker will not fit inside nor can it be carried by either a V-22 or Chinook due to its weight. You keep printing volumes of untrue statements.

We (and the Russians) did not win WWII due to the quality of our armored vehicles…it was their sheer numbers. Many Americans needlessly died due to poor WWII armor and gas-powered catch-on-fire tanks, etc. vs. today’s diesel-like JP8.
————————————-
Militor wrong: “The Generals and Joint Chiefs wanted to get rid of the Abrams Tanks Too! Just Strikers. Incredible. Replace armored brigades with Striker Brigades. Shinsecki Plan.“
—————————————-

Geez, there was never a plan to have an all-Stryker BCT Army. At one point, Gen Shinseki may have wanted an all FCS Army in place of heavy BCTs but that will no longer occur…15 FCS BCTs only, with I believe 7 Styker BCTs, and the rest heavy (Abrams/Bradley) and Infantry BCTs in Light, Airborne, and Air Assault Divisions.

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 20:51:38 +0000

Militor, it’s considered bad form to announce your departure and then NOT LEAVE…

By: Steve Militor

Steve Militor — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 09:43:19 +0000

Yes Cole I do read allot and I am aware of who owns BAE and Humvee not AMG.
A armored Humvee is a step up. But they do roll over. The doors jam. And a bunch of other problems. The Striker is a piece of crap. It is a giant Public relations nightmare. Slat Armour.
Why not just allow for the eleven foot wide dimensions from the factory and put together some real armor. Give up the C130 concept. I have driven in all the vehicles mentioned. They were built narrow for a reason. Chinook and osprey etc.transportation. They roll over too.
So do Jeeps. High center of gravity for ground clearance and stiff suspensions. But when you add radios.Spare fuel. A gun turret and ammo. Steel doors and floors. BP glass and more gear.
You have a potential problem. Better than a unarmored V. But dangerous.
The point I am trying to make is: Look at the vehicles available to fight the Germans.
Armored cars. Light and heavy tanks. Half tracks. Stag hounds, Armored self propelled guns. Armored Scout cars. Quad 50 trucks and
AA mounts armored. And modifications that changed the battle field forever. AND GUN TRUCKS! Look at the fleet now. ALL SOFT SKINS!
The 113s are getting parked. Cadillac Gage units are in short supply. MRAPS suck. Some of those MRAPS are pushing 600k each.
OK my point. Better ideas and designs exsist.
And have been used before. The Army is hardheaded. Gun trucks were used in Vietnam.
They had to be improvised again. No kits were even available. Very little convoy protection was available early on. The Generals and Joint Chiefs wanted to get rid of the Abrams Tanks Too! Just Strikers. Incredible. Replace armored brigades with Striker Brigades. Shinsecki Plan.
2002 or around that time. Insanity. Some 72 hour 911 anywhere on the planet response time some General pull out of his rear. Also Russian made ATGMs/ Coronets are reeking havoc with our and Israel’s armor. 14“inches plus of penetration. Can you protect yourself? In any vehicle. Not really. Armor has the disadvantage currently. Even if the penetration doesn’t go through, the guys inside bake from the thermal heat. Over 200 in seconds. You just need more anti RPG teams and better deployment of special vehicles. People beg TACOM to consider their designs. They won’t give anyone the time of day.
Unless your Lockheed or Boeing or some Mega Contractor. As a matter of fact. They will do their best to keep you out of the process. Just to leave the available dollars for their favored few. You can dream all you want about
how nice it is to have the UK/BAE in your backyard. At some point we dropped the ball.
I wish Chevy, Ford, and Dodge were building the best vehicles in this country. But instead of investing all the money they made in the 80’s
selling some of the World’s most popular cars.
Oldsmobile was one. And Pontiac and Buick.
They are going broke now. Or Gone. GM took all it’s Oldsmobile profit. And went to Sweden.
Bought Saab. Went over to Italy and lost a ton of money with Fiat. Now they are selling off all of their divisions to shed pension burdens.
So the workforce that once was a powerhouse is now struggling. So one assembly person has to support two people retired. Won’t last long.
If GM took all that profit? Spent it retooling.
You would be working at and driving a efficient GM vehicle. Instead of watching the Government bail GM out. And Toyota burying them. If you like Korean and German Factories in your backyard? Great. I like American stuff. I like Americans. I like America. Russia attacked Poland and murdered 1/4 of the people there.
Executed it’s pow’s. Invaded Eastern Europe.
Invaded Finland. Exported Communism and Marxist thinking around the World. Started the Korean War. Stole Siberia and Manchuria from the Chinese. Started at least 80 African wars. Shut of the Gas pipeline in the middle of winter to the Ukraine. Killed every Christian and Jew they could find after 1917. Destroyed their synagogues and churches. Imprisoned un told number of people. Out lawed God. And is only second to Bulgaria in abortions. You should go live there. And take your KIA too. USA! I drive Fords. I want our solders to have the best. I am working on it. I will change procurement. And our solders will be protected and be lethal. Just tell TACOM to stop being a little bitch for their beloved ed contractors.
And put the solders first. For once.

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:57:05 +0000

Militor said:“Like the MRAPS. Dinosaurs. Not even worth bringing back to the USA to rebuild. And not RPG proof. JLTVs. Just spray them with a 14.5mm or 50ap. Instant Swiss cheese. Or even a 50BMG sniper rifle. I could tell you 20 different ways to dust a JLTV.“
———————————
You badmouth the Stryker but its slat armor is actually quite effective against RPGs and it withstands .50 cal.

So what do you propose instead of HMMWV or JLTV. Something bigger than an MRAP with even more armor. Do your realize how expensive and logistically non-supportable it would be to have every Soldier driving around in a full-up APC…which still does not provide total protection. Even an M1 can be killed.

We spend $10 billion a month to finance OIF logistics and operations…I can only imagine the cost with your Army. That of course assumes you can actually deploy it in time to have a war before the enemy’s fait accompli.

The future is lighter active protection to stop your RPGs and close range attacks as well as longer range missile attacks. Even JLTV may have active protection.

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:48:01 +0000

Militor: “This is done on purpose. Like in ww2. GM and others prompted the war production dept. to buy complete competitors and crate them up to sell them to Russia. “
———————————-
For a guy who reads a lot, you have a poor understanding that helping Russia with arms before we entered Europe at Normandy is the primary reason the allies were successful.

No Russia armed by the U.S?.…probable German WWII victory.

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:39:41 +0000

Militor said: “To say that BRITISH AEROSPACE AND ENGINEERING in the USA is not related to BAE in the UK is simple minded. Like Toyota USA is owned by Americans. BAE in the UK owns most of the stock in various accounts. 6%. You got to be joking. Any corporation that has any control of any part of their business. Needs over twenty percent to be able to maintain any control at all. Even if it’s divided.“
—————————————
Never said they weren’t related, But dude, open the corporatewatch link I provided you earlier. As of 2002 (not that current):

“BAE SYSTEMS divides its different interests into business groups, each of which is overseen by one of three COOs (Chief of Operations). Only three companies hold over 3% of the shares issued by BAE SYSTEMS; Franklin Resources Inc (6.2%), Brandes Investment Partners, LP (4.0%), and CGNU plc (3.2%).”

Does Toyota of America not provide good jobs…for Americans. Believe me I used to dislike the French just like everyone else…before Sarkozy. But Michelin has a truck tire factory near us and builds tires in South Carolina. BMW is there too. Hyundai is near Montomery and Kia is building just across the border of AL and Georgia. Mercedes builds small SUVs in AL and Honda builds motors here and cars in Ohio with Nissan nearby in Tennessee.

Although my wife is half German, I’m not too crazy about that country these days. But then I saw TheissenKrupp invest $4 billion near Mobile for a steel plant to process steel from Brazil. I know a U.S. executive who works for Bergpipe, a German company providing U.S. jobs in Panama City, FL and soon near Mobile to support are oil drilling businesses.

What difference does it make if its foreign-owned if it provides good jobs? Its a global market and there are few truly exclusive U.S. companies these days.

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:23:45 +0000

HMMWV rollovers? Give me a break when compared to MRAP and Stryker rollovers. Ever driven in a M-151 Jeep and NOT been worried about rollovers?

Ever driven in a Canadian G-wagon, VW SUV, or Brit Land Rover in Afghanistan? I haven’t either but bet our troops would rather be in an armored HMMWV. There are other threats out there that require a lower profile to avoid being targeted. Plus its kind of a pain to take out the whole power grid anytime you go downtown in a MRAP and hit all the power lines.

By: Cole

Cole — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 23:14:07 +0000

Militor, dude, AM General is not owned by BAE, its a competitor:

http://www.answers.com/topic/am-general

Why would AM General be teamed with General Dynamics Land Systems, and BAE be teamed with Navistar for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle if AM General was owned by BAE. Think about it.

By: DensityDuck

DensityDuck — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:23:20 +0000

Militor: it’s okay, we’ll hold the torch. UN-altered REPRODUCTION and DISSEMINATION of this IMPORTANT information is ENCOURAGED!