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The Mess - Military Forum Off Topic Thread!

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  • Registered Users Posts: 40,059 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    notobtuse wrote: »
    Also, Chief instructor of all Army prosecutors throughout the world. In the context of a glowing letter of recommendation in order to get into a top US law school.

    Chief of staff is a management position. They wouldn't be teaching in that role. Manic Moran might be able to confirm. He is more au fait with the workings of the US Army.


  • Registered Users Posts: 5,424 ✭✭✭notobtuse


    Chief of staff is a management position. They wouldn't be teaching in that role. Manic Moran might be able to confirm. He is more au fait with the workings of the US Army.
    Thanks.

    You can ignorantly accuse me of "whataboutism," but what it really is involves identifying similar scenarios in order to see if it holds up when the shoe is on the other foot!



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,716 ✭✭✭knucklehead6


    Bonhomme Richard was decommissioned yesterday


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,164 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    Chief of staff is a management position. They wouldn't be teaching in that role. Manic Moran might be able to confirm. He is more au fait with the workings of the US Army.

    That would be correct. Above battalion level, there starts to be a separation between the "management" role and the "second-in-command role" which is combined in one position held by the Executive Officer in companies, battalions, on warships, etc. The Deputy Commander is the 2IC (Or delegated authority, depending on circumstances) whose primary job is the making of policy/directive decisions, the Chief of Staff is in charge of managing everyone in the office (Not all subordinates necessarily, mind, just the headquarters)

    Is it a "Big thing"... well, yes insofar as it's a relatively senior position and bodes well for future promotion, but it's not exactly going to shake the world.

    On other matters, I pinned Lieutenant Colonel this week.
    EzMHm2PVUAU4TJz?format=jpg&name=4096x4096


  • Registered Users Posts: 40,059 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    Congratulations on the promotion Manic, well earned I'm sure.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,218 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    Congrats Sir, but why is a frenchman pinning your O-5 oakleaf?
    I still remember when you were just a butterbar, it doesn't seem like that long ago.


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,164 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    Dohvolle wrote: »
    Congrats Sir, but why is a frenchman pinning your O-5 oakleaf?
    I still remember when you were just a butterbar, it doesn't seem like that long ago.

    I was working in the French division HQ when the federal recognition of the rank came in. The Frenchman is the division commander.

    Chap on my Facebook page was an NCO for my recruit camp in Aiken barracks back in 98. That really goes back a whiles... I guess they did a good job.


  • Registered Users Posts: 6,716 ✭✭✭knucklehead6


    Congrats Manic


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    I see Boris is confirming that they are going for a new Royal Yacht...
    https://news.sky.com/story/uk-to-build-200m-national-flagship-to-promote-british-industry-abroad-12320242
    I truly don’t get the fetish some in the U.K. have for it.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,218 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    A distraction. By the time it is built Prince Charles will be King (Unless QE2 lives longer than her mother, at which point she'll be in no state to travel anywhere anyway). Charles is a self confessed green and would have no interest in this. The upper class twits in government will be the ones who get to use it most and they know it.


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  • Registered Users Posts: 8,412 ✭✭✭Markcheese


    They're claiming it's a "flagship " for promoting Britain .. the queen has said previously that she doesn't want a new royal yacht ...
    Considering the caliber of private super yachts out there it'd have to be seriously classy to impress and wow around the world .
    Seems a strange use of 2 or 3 hundred million quid , plus operating costs ...

    Slava ukraini 🇺🇦



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Markcheese wrote: »
    They're claiming it's a "flagship " for promoting Britain .. the queen has said previously that she doesn't want a new royal yacht ...
    Considering the caliber of private super yachts out there it'd have to be seriously classy to impress and wow around the world .
    Seems a strange use of 2 or 3 hundred million quid , plus operating costs ...

    It’s been a fetish for tenements of the Torys and their voters since the last one was decommissioned under Blair, tied into their fantasies around Brexit. As you say the Queen doesn’t want it, and has refused them permission to name it after Philip. It’s a gimmick, no more than Boris banging on about building tunnels to Ireland, though with the Tories it might be interesting to keep an eye on who gets the contract for her and what their connections to the Tory party might be...


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    I see the Iranians lost one of their AOR’s today to fire, wonder if it’s incompetence or something else, given their record over the last few years it could be either.


  • Registered Users Posts: 23,716 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    Two bits of miscellaneous.

    Brigadier General Maureen O'Brien, former deputy and acting force commander of UN forces in the Golan, has been promoted to Major General, the highest rank achieved by a female officer of the DF to date and has been appointed deputy military advisor to the UN office of peace operations in New York. BZ!

    Also the most recent DF podcast is an hour long interview with Minister Coveney, few interesting policy bits in it as well as much about the Commission on Defence.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,218 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    sparky42 wrote: »
    I see the Iranians lost one of their AOR’s today to fire, wonder if it’s incompetence or something else, given their record over the last few years it could be either.

    It was based on the RFA O class tankers, none of which were built double skinned. It was ordered by the Government of the Shah, but delivered adter he was deposed, oddly.
    All other ships of it's vintage have been broken up long ago.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Seems the Iranians also had an oil refinery fire today...


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,218 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    sparky42 wrote: »
    Seems the Iranians also had an oil refinery fire today...

    Most unlucky.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Dohvolle wrote: »
    Most unlucky.
    Indeed.
    In other news I see the U.K. has managed to get yet another lemon in the Ajax vehicle, with over 5 billion spent for vehicles that can’t go over 20mph and needs the crews to wear ear protection and change out after 90 minutes, with vibration so bad the main gun can’t fire on the move...


  • Registered Users Posts: 4,502 ✭✭✭Topgear on Dave


    From the team that brought you the SA-80........ its AJAX.

    Go big or go home.:D


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    From the team that brought you the SA-80........ its AJAX.

    Go big or go home.:D

    All for the low price of 5 billion and coming up on 10+ years of work, promise to actually be ready in another 10 or so years and a few more billion...


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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,218 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    I'm reminded of the development of the Bradley Armoured Fighting Vehicle in the 70s.
    For those of you unfamiliar, watch "The Pentagon Wars". The Problem the UK always faces though is the product must be built in the UK, regardless of their technical ability to actually manufacture what is required.
    There were many near identical types already available off the shelf around the world, but they had to re-invent the wheel. Even the vehicle it is based on, ASCOD! Meanwhile the German Puma is demonstrating amazing availability.


  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Dohvolle wrote: »
    I'm reminded of the development of the Bradley Armoured Fighting Vehicle in the 70s.
    For those of you unfamiliar, watch "The Pentagon Wars". The Problem the UK always faces though is the product must be built in the UK, regardless of their technical ability to actually manufacture what is required.
    There were many near identical types already available off the shelf around the world, but they had to re-invent the wheel. Even the vehicle it is based on, ASCOD! Meanwhile the German Puma is demonstrating amazing availability.

    Hell for this one they could have used the off the shelf option of CV 90 from BAE but no instead they went with this turd...


  • Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 16,164 Mod ✭✭✭✭Manic Moran


    This chap here runs a firearms channel, is looking for input on the Gustaf SMG in Irish service.

    https://twitter.com/historicfirearm/status/1418018048628379652



  • Registered Users Posts: 21,969 ✭✭✭✭Esel


    Post edited by Esel on

    Not your ornery onager



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    So the USN is charging a sailor for arson for the Bonhomme Richard fire…

    https://edition.cnn.com/2021/07/29/politics/uss-bonhomme-richard-sailor-charged/index.html



  • Registered Users Posts: 40,059 ✭✭✭✭ohnonotgmail


    20 years in Leavenworth could be quite unpleasant I imagine.



  • Registered Users Posts: 4,502 ✭✭✭Topgear on Dave


    They better have the right fella because his name is out there in public now.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Looks like a major realignment for the RAN with reports that the French deal is to be scrapped and a new SSN fleet will be developed with support from the US and U.K….



  • Registered Users Posts: 23,716 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    The French are incandescent of course, but it'll probably be better for them in the end as they'll get compensation from Australia and also new customers, without too much difficulty, for the boats.

    The irony is, of course, that the Australian spec Barracudas that have been cancelled, were diesel-electrified variants of what was originally a nuclear powered design. The big losers will be the 400 jobs in NG South Australia who were going to build the hulls locally.

    And I can't imagine it will be too efficient for Australia to effectively be operating leased nuclear boats from the US, where all the big maintenance will have to be done in North America.

    In fact thinking about it, would it not have made more sense for Australia to continue with the acquisition of the DE boats and provide a couple of bases in the north of the Country for US attack subs, as they do in places like Japan and the Philippines?

    PS, time for Irish naval submarine operations to begin, only 1 billion for the surplus DE variants? 😁



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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,832 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Nah, the French don’t actually have any parts made, they were still working out how to make a SSN into a SSK, so nothing is left over, just a lot of design hours that someone is going to have to pay for. As for Australia, they are staying with domestic build so those jobs will still be there, at some point, but my god it’s going to be expensive as hell and there’s no way they get the 12 they were going with for the French order, 8 would be the highest I’d imagine and forget schedules, these hulls are going to be late.



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