23.06.2015 par SHD
 

23 juin 1646 : prise de Dunkerque par les Franco-Anglais. A l’issue de la bataille des dunes (14 juin) qui a vu se combattre les deux plus grands chefs de guerre français de l’époque, les Franco-anglais commandés par Turenne enfoncent les lignes espagnoles commandées par le Prince de Condé ce qui leur permet de prendre quelques jours plus tard la ville de Dunkerque. La bataille des dunes est surprenante à plus d’un titre puisque elle voit l’alliance assez rare de la France et de l’Angleterre, une belle démonstration de combat interarmées (Turenne se fait appuyer par le tir de bateaux), l’affrontement de deux grands généraux Français (qui ensuite combattront ensemble) et elle est une nette victoire : 6000 morts espagnols contre 500 pour le camp français. Le 23 juin, Dunkerque espagnole le matin, française à midi, est finalement anglaise le soir, puisque Louis XIV la remet le jour même aux Anglais à titre de compensation. En passant, cette bataille confirme la fin de la suprématie des Tercios espagnols sur les champs de bataille.

23 juin 1757 : victoire britannique de Plassey (Inde). L’armée du nabab du Bengale (60 000 hommes) attaque les 3000 britanniques du général Clive près de Calcutta qui les bat profitant de leur désunion.

23 juin 1918 : victoire américaine du Bois Belleau (près de Château-Thierry). « Les Marines de la 2^ème DIUS sont maîtres du Bois Belleau, que le général Degoutte fait rebaptiser Bois de la brigade des Marines ». LCL Remy Porte (EMAT).

23 juin 1935 : record mondial de distance en hydravion. Les lieutenants de vaisseau Paul Hébrard et Daillière battent le record mondial de distance à bord d’un hydravion Latécoère 300 La Croix-du-Sud. Partis de Cherbourg, ils rallient Ziguinchor au Sénégal après 32 heures de vol et 4347 km parcourus.

23 juin 1940 : Hitler visite Paris. Seule visite connue d’Hitler à Paris.

23 juin 1940 : les Allemands à Châtellerault.  « Les Allemands prennent possession de la Manufacture d’armes. Entrés la veille dans la ville, les officiers se rendent à la manufacture dont ils prennent le contrôle immédiatement ; les ouvriers seront durant toute la guerre contraints de travailler à l’effort de guerre allemand dans la fabrication de composants d’armes, jamais d’armes entières ; la « manu » deviendra rapidement un foyer de résistance et la répression y sera impitoyable ». OCTAA Nicolas Jacob (Chef du SHD/CAAPC).  Le centre des archives de l’armement et du personnel civil (CAAPC) est installé sur les lieux mêmes de la manufacture (MAC).

23 juin 1952 : bombardement américain en Corée (actuelle Corée du Nord). 4 centrales électriques sont détruites par l’aviation américaine réduisant de 90% la production électrique du pays.

10 juin 2015 par Armée de Terre

May 30, 2015: Strategy Page

The U.S. Army and Marine Corps stopped using the same 5.56mm ammunition in 2010 when the army began using the new lead-free M855A1 5.56mm round for combat (mainly in Afghanistan) operations. The M855A1 replaces the older M855 long used by the marines as well. The marines also wanted to adopt some new and improved 5.56mm ammo but decided the M855A1 was not it and continued looking. Now the marines believe they have found their new round, the M318 SOST, which has been used by SOCOM for several years. This annoyed a number of key people in Congress who insisted both services use the same 5.56mm ammo. To decide the issue there will be tests, and possibly more tests after that. In the meantime the political winds may shift and make the Congressional mandate for common ammo go away. After all for decades SOCOM has been allowed to use whatever ammunition (or weapons) it feels are best for the job at hand. But Congress considers SOCOM a special case, at least more special than the marines, and leaves SOCOM alone.

The new M855A1 round is more expensive and marginally better than the older M855. The major reason for the appearance of the M855A1 was years of political pressure on the army to use non-lead bullets. That came about because training and combat use of army 5.56mm weapons puts 2,000 tons of lead back into the environment each year. This lead was originally taken out of the environment to be temporarily stored in the form of bullets. The lead is also contained in a copper jacket and most of it stays that way. That's probably why no environmental study has ever found lead leaching out of spent bullets and getting into anyone's water. But just the thought of all those billions of lead bullets lying in the ground mobilized an international movement to ban lead bullets.

Fortunately the M855A1 was also about several other improvements besides being lead-free. For example, the M855A1 is a little more accurate at longer ranges. This is important in a place like Afghanistan. The M855A1 is marginally better at blasting its way through brick, concrete, and masonry than the older M855. The propellant in the M855A1 burns faster and thus produces a smaller muzzle flash when fired from the short (compared to the M-16) barreled M-4 rifle. The greater penetrating power of the M855A1 is because of a steel penetrator, which also makes the M855A1 more likely to penetrate body armor and sheet metal. The Taliban were increasingly getting their hands on protective vests or adding armor to vehicles (particularly suicide car bombs meant to speed past armed guards).

The marines noted that the steel M855A1 bullet also caused more wear and tear on rifles using it. The marines noted that the M855A1 has been causing cracks in rifles that have fired as few as 3,000 of them. Marines also point out that the M855A1 requires larger safety zones for rifle ranges because the M855A1 tends to ricochet farther. The larger safety zones could be very expensive for some marine ranges.

While this non-lead policy burnishes the army's image and environmental cred, it was also feared that it might equip troops with an inferior bullet, which was built around a copper alloy (not lead) slug. But inferior to what? Well to another new bullet, the ones the marines want and SOCOM (Special Operations Command) already uses. SOCOM developed the new 5.56mm M318 SOST (Special Operations Science and Technology) round. The SOST bullet solves a problem the M855 has long had, the inability to penetrate things like automobile windshields. SOST uses lead and also has more killing power than the M855 (that did not inflict as much internal damage, and bleeding, as 7.62mm and 9mm rounds). The M855A1 turned out to perform these tasks as well, or nearly as well, as SOST and was still "green" (less potential lead pollution).

The army spent over $32 million developing the M855A1. The new bullet is more expensive (because of the more complex manufacturing process) and in the field troops have not noticed much difference. On the down side, the new round generates more pressure in the chamber (and higher speed leaving the barrel). In theory this causes a slight increase in the risk of a rifle exploding. That has not happened yet.

Some green bullets have been disasters. Norway introduced one three years ago that made users sick. It seems the new bullet, when used in new rifles, created some toxic gasses. A redesign of the new round fixed the problem and made the new bullet even more expensive. The marines believe the M318 is superior to the M855 and the lead-free M855A1 and has already shown that to be the case in combat (mainly with SOCOM). But Congress cannot be ignored and the marines will have to wait.

U.S. Naval Base Coronado, California - A Critical Skills Operator with Bravo Company, 1st Marine Special Operations Battalion, U.S. Marine Corps Forces Special Operations Command, goes through a hatch while searching a target vessel during Visit, Board, Search and Seizure training near Naval Base Coronado, Calif., Jan. 13. (Official Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Donovan Lee/released)

March 29, 2015: Strategy page

MARSOC (Marine Corps Special Operations Command) is approaching its 10th anniversary at nearly ten percent above its authorized strength of 2,500. No one is complaining because special operations troops are in big demand even as the marines (and all the other services) are shrinking.

Most importantly 35 percent of MARSOC are commandos and other specialist troops. These are the ones in such great demand in dealing with Islamic terrorism. By 2011 marine leaders were convinced this struggle against Islamic terrorism was going to last and as a result special operations was made a career field so that marines could specialize in this are for long periods. The marines want to increase the size of MARSOC so they can assign MARSOC detachments to train and operate with regular marine units.

MARSOC currently consists of a headquarters, three special operations battalions (in the Special Operations Regiment), a Foreign Military Training Unit, and a Marine Special Operations Support Group.

The marines basically lost two of their four Force Recon companies (one of them a reserve unit) in order to build MARSOC, a process that began in 2006. To make for the Force Recon units more troops were added to division level reconnaissance units. These Special Operations companies (with about one-hundred and twenty personnel each) can provide Force Recon capabilities to marine units they are attached to.

The three Marine Corps special operations battalions (MSOBs) were all gone from of Afghanistan by the end of 2013 and assigned to SOCOM (Special Operations Command) commands. The 1st MSOB is now with SOCOM Pacific, while the 3rd MSOB is with SOCOM Africa, and the 2nd MSOB is assigned to SOCOM headquarters for use wherever the need is the greatest. Each MSOB has three or four companies each with four 15 man special operations teams. With support personnel, each battalion has four-hundred to five-hundred men. The Special Operations Battalions provide a combination of services roughly equal to what the U.S. Army Special Forces and Rangers do, as well as some of the functions of the Force Recon units.

At this point MARSOC is most heavily involved in Africa dealing with Islamic terrorism throughout the Sahel (the semi-desert region stretching from the Atlantic to the Indian Ocean just below the Sahara). This includes nations coping with AQIM (Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb), Boko Haram, al Shabaab and sundry other Islamic terror groups. Here MARSOC spends a lot of their time training locals to carry out special operations missions or just improve their military skills in general. MARSOC detachments are found worldwide, especially in areas where there is combat or the threat of combat.

22 mars 2015 Romandie.com (AFP)

Washington - Le commandement des Marines américains a appelé dimanche ses personnels à la vigilance après la publication d'une liste de 100 militaires américains à abattre par un groupe se réclamant de l'Etat islamique (EI).

La vigilance et la protection de la force restent une priorité pour les commandants et leurs personnels, a déclaré dans un communiqué le lieutenant-colonel John Waldwell, du corps des Marines. Il est recommandé aux Marines et membres de leurs familles de vérifier leurs profils en ligne afin de (...) limiter l'accès aux informations personnelles, a-t-il ajouté.

Cet avertissement fait suite à la publication sur internet d'un appel au meurtre de 100 militaires américains, comprenant leurs noms et adresses supposés ainsi que des photos, selon le centre américain de surveillance des sites islamistes (SITE).

Le groupe à l'origine de cette publication se présente comme la Division des hackers de l'Etat islamique et affirme avoir piraté ces informations sur des serveurs, bases de données et emails du gouvernement.

Selon le groupe, les 100 militaires ciblés ont participé à la guerre contre l'EI en Syrie, en Irak et au Yémen.

Interrogés par le New York Times, le département américain de la Défense et le FBI ont dit être informés de ces menaces et avoir ouvert une enquête.

Toutefois, selon une source militaire citée par le journal, la plupart des informations publiées pouvaient être accessibles au public et les serveurs du gouvernement ne semblent pas avoir été piratés.

Par ailleurs, certains des personnels qui figurent sur la liste publiée n'ont pas été impliqués dans les frappes aériennes menées contre l'EI par la coalition internationale dirigée par les Etats-Unis, ont indiqué des responsables au journal.

Ces derniers mois, plusieurs médias et institutions américaines ont été piratés par des hackers se réclamant de l'EI. En janvier, ils avaient ainsi brièvement pris le contrôle des comptes Twitter et YouTube du commandement militaire américain au Moyen-Orient (Centcom), une intrusion embarrassante pour l'armée américaine en pleine guerre contre l'EI en Syrie et Irak.

March 11, 2015 by Donaldson Company - army-technology.com

Donaldson Aerospace & Defense has completed delivering system development versions of its engine air particle protection system (EAPPS) to Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation's CH-53K program that will provide the next-generation heavy-lift helicopter for the US Marine Corps.

The 12 Engineering Development Models delivered by Donaldson Aerospace & Defense, a division of Donaldson Company, Inc, support the system development and demonstration phase of the CH-53K programme.

This phase is scheduled to achieve a key milestone this month when the CH-53K ground test vehicle 'lights off' to test its three turbine engines, main and tail rotors and transmissions at Sikorsky's West Palm Beach, Florida facility.

The first flight is scheduled for 2014, with initial operating capability of the first CH-53K squadrons targeted for the Fiscal Year 2019.

The Marine Corps plan to acquire 196 CH-53Ks, which are designed to have twice the payload and combat radius capability of the current heavy-lift CH-53E, and perform better in 'high and hot' operating conditions, all while maintaining the same footprint as the CH-53E when deployed on ships.

In addition to flying at high altitudes in hot temperatures, the CH-53K will carry troops and cargo to remote, unimproved landing sites in dusty and dirty conditions.

Its three, 6,000-shaft-horsepower-class engines are key to achieving these goals and Donaldson's EAPPS are necessary to ensure the engines perform safely and reliably in such challenging conditions.

Donaldson Aerospace & Defense general manager Mark Rigby said: "The CH-53K will provide critical heavy-lift capabilities for the most urgent missions the Marines perform, including combat deployment and support, troop positioning, and resupply and humanitarian relief after natural disasters.

"Donaldson is honored that our advanced filtration technology will play an essential role in this impressive helicopter's success on those missions."

Using its patented Strata™ Tube technology, Donaldson developed the lightweight, high-efficiency EAPPS to protect the CH-53K's engines from the damaging effects of dirt, dust, sand, and other contaminants.

Strata technology offers low airflow restriction, high filtration efficiencies and minimal maintenance. Strata panels are used successfully in many military applications, including the D and E versions of the CH-53.

To learn more about the Donaldson Aerospace & Defense group, visit www.DonaldsonAerospace-Defense.com.

9 mars 2015 by US Navy

6 mars 2015 US Navy