US military news, discussions and history

[AMDR]

US Army, 75th Ranger Regiment

 

[SvenSvensonov]

US Tanks

 

[AMDR]

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Odd US military guns

Phasr

Davy Crockett Nuclear Recoil-less Rifle

MAUL stand alone

P11 underwater pistol

AA12

M26

 

[SvenSvensonov]

The US military doesn't just take lives, it helps save them and let them recover too.

 

[AMDR]

GBU-57 MOP bunker buster

 

[SvenSvensonov]

Past and present experimental weapons:

Microwave area denial/anti access

AA12 automatic shotgun

prototype OICW

ASM-135 anti-satellite missile

Sea Shadow stealth demonstrator

Prototype counter battery laser

General Atomics railgun demonstrator

prototype wingsuit

This one isn't an actual weapon, rather its a targeting system for missiles.

 

[AMDR]

"Atlantic Resolve" NATO training exercise in Poland and the Baltic States, Fall-Winter 2014

 

[AMDR]

Atlantic resolve part 2

 

[AMDR]

Atlantic resolve part 3

 

[AMDR]

Atlantic Resolve part 4

 

[Hamartia Antidote]

The best the US military has every seen

6 minute mark. He was only saved by the sun.

 

[Jaanbaz]

@WebMaster , @Horus , @Manticore , @Chak Bamu , @Jaanbaz , @Hakan

Esteemed Sirs, I formally request that we sticky this thread. Please and Thank You, Kind Sirs.

I feel honoured to have been mentioned but I'm not a mod.

 

[Aepsilons]

The United States Navy

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Mission & History
America’s Navy is a force as relevant today as it’s been historically significant for the last 237 years. The times may change. The threats may become more obscure. The complex nature of 21st century life may make the demand for such a presence less obvious. But now more than ever, the Navy is something to be aware of. Something to be thankful for. Something to be proud of.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.

Domination of the maritime domain
Today, the U.S. Navy has the distinction of being the world’s premier naval power. Complete with the big ships that one would most commonly associate with it. But to really understand why there’s a need for a sea-based military organization in this day and age, just consider that:

• 70% of the earth is covered in water
• 80% of the planet’s population lives within close proximity to coastal areas
• 90% of global commerce is conducted by sea

Any way you look at it, supremacy on the waterways of the world will always be critical. And whether it’s by way of oceans, canals, rivers or littoral areas, there remains a great need for the Navy to be out there:

• Serving as a guardian for America’s freedom and defending the life we know
• Supporting the cause of liberty abroad and promoting peace for all humanity
• Enabling the safe travel of people and goods to meet the expanding demands of globalization

Expansion of the seapower concept
America’s Navy is unique in that it conducts missions on all fronts: in the air, on land and at sea. Fulfilling a broad role that encompasses everything from combat to peacekeeping to humanitarian assistance – in theater, on bases and everywhere from the cockpits of F-18’s to the control-rooms of nuclear submarines.

Wherever a military presence is needed, the Navy is there. Whenever a situation requires U.S. involvement, the Navy is often the first to deploy, the first to engage and the first to help. Always on call and standing by to:

• Utilize its force of highly skilled Sailors in whatever capacity is called for
• Serve as an operational platform for anything from military missions to disaster relief
• Transport uniformed military personnel and equipment

"Our mission is to provide a lawful maritime order and deny the use of the sea to terrorists and violent extremists. We do this through our presence..."

Vice Adm. Bill Gortney
Commander Combined Maritime Forces

Working together for a better world
Among the seven uniformed services of the Unites States, America’s Navy holds the distinction of being the most multidimensional force serving the nation. Composed of highly specialized communities whose duties often extend beyond the sea, it does far more than meet the overwhelming task of carrying out Naval operations around the globe. It’s there to do a job no one else can do. And to offer the kind of support that often helps enable our other military forces to complete their missions – successfully and efficiently.

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[gambit]

Of all the world's militaries, the US military special forces community is the largest and the most technically oriented compared to other special forces in other militaries. As a side note, there is no such thing as 'Green Berets', only US Army Special Forces soldiers. These soldiers will tolerate 'Green Berets' at best and hate that label at worst.

Most people, even inside the US military structure either as civilian or military, are unaware that the US Air Force have its own special forces troopers. They are Combat Controllers, Pararescue, and Combat Weather. Despite the USAF's reputation for being a 'high tech' oriented service with the aircraft being the most visible symbol of the service, a long time ago, the USAF recognized the need to have its own special forces on the ground trained to exploit airpower to the maximum to increase the odds of victory for the other three branches that need air support, any time and any place.

A USAF Combat Controller is more than just an FAA certified air traffic controller. He is very much a combat soldier no less than a US Navy SEAL or a US Army Ranger. When earthquake ravaged Haiti needs air traffic controls despite the lack of a functioning airport tower, the USAF CCT team managed over two hundred aircrafts -- per day -- via their notepads and maps. Not counting basic arms, a CCT must be as certified in parachuting as a US Army Ranger, including high altitude free fall, and as at home in the water as a US Navy SEAL. If assigned with the US Army in directing artillery, he must be as proficient in trigonometry as any seasoned artillery US Army gun crew. In other words, he must know how to use any 3rd dimension weapon system to its maximum potential in combat.

Combat Weather are essentially 'killer' weathermen. Criticize their forecasts at one's peril. But more than that, each CW specialist must be educated in the natural sciences relevant to meteorology and oceanography, how local environment can affect and influence forces of friends and foes, and to fight when necessary. It take about 2 yrs of technical training in the hard sciences to qualify an apprentice Combat Weatherman. A CW could be deployed with an US Army Ranger unit, or a US Marine scout party, or a US Navy SEAL insertion team, and that mean his physical conditioning must be no less than those he support. In this age of warfare when air assets are often below cloud cover, such as the always critical helos, immediate meteorological intelligence and analyses, from the tropics to the poles, a CW is a vital asset to any special operations unit.

Of the three USAF special forces, a pararescueman, or pararescue jumper (PJ), is a bit of a contradiction. He is not a mere first aid specialist but a fully certified medic with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians. He will be trained in minor field surgery that includes emergency airway clearance so his charge can breath, pharmacology, and even esoteric knowledge like collapsed structure reconnaissance and exfiltration. Downed pilots are/were not the only recipients of the PJs' skills but also victims of disasters, from natural to human caused. The contradiction lies in the fact that a PJ is not a medic under the Geneva Conventions despite his primary mission of being a life saver. Under the GCs, a medic must wear the distinctive red cross emblem somewhere on his person. A medic may carry a weapon, but he is not allowed to engage in combat. He will not display any distinctive emblems other than that of the US military. But a PJ is a specialist in covert insertion, tracking, survival, and recovery of friendly airmen behind enemy lines and will engage in combat and kill if necessary in his mission.