Category: Uncategorized
Key point: The Army is not doing so well with fitness standards these days. Is there any way a new test or revisions could help improve military readiness?
When Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower issued a letter to his troops just before the D-Day landings in Normandy in 1944, he told them, “I have full confidence in your courage, devotion to duty and skill in battle.” He was writing to American troops who had to meet these minimum physical requirements: seven pull-ups, 31 jump squats, 27 push-ups, 52 sit-ups, and a 300-yard sprint in 52.5 seconds. Soldiers — all of them — had to be fit in 1944.
Compare those to contemporary requirements in the U.S. Army, where young male recruits now face a test requiring a minimum of 35 push-ups, 47 sit-ups, and a two-mile run time of 16:36.
In some ways, a shift has already begun, and there has been a reduction in overall fitness requirements. The U.S. military has modernized and transitioned to more mechanization and automation. While the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have exhibited a continued need for intensive counterinsurgent ground combat, only about 20% of American military personnel have jobs that require a combat role — and thus, “combat fitness.” Such battlefields require “less sweat, more sit.”
Senior leadership is beginning to recognize this.
Then-Secretary of Defense Ash Carter lead the charge to adapt the U.S. military to this new, less industrial warfare. In a 2015 speech, he addressed the heart of the problem: “Fewer young Americans are capable of serving in the military. Of the 21 million Americans aged 17–21, we estimate that only about half are able to meet our high-quality standards on our entry exam.”
Factor in physical fitness and character standards, Carter continued, and “only about a third are actually eligible to join the military.” It is promising that Carter is considering the easing of standards (including fitness) for certain high-tech military positions to contend with newly evolving forms of warfare.
This is hardly just an American problem. The Israeli military has begun adapting its force structure to accommodate and integrate some of its citizens with mental and physical disabilities into specialized military jobs. If Israel, a country on permanent alert, has made these changes, they are worth seriously considering here.
Still, many argue that standardized military physical fitness requirements in each service are a prerequisite tradition, and that all should be fit enough for ground combat. Some even contend that physical fitness standards are necessary to control ballooning healthcare costs over the long term, to which a recent report says $50 billion of the annual DoD budget goes.
The problem with such arguments is that they ignore the transition away from industrial-age forms of warfare. Today, most enemies avoid direct combat and are not intimidated by how “professional” a soldier looks in uniform.
Similarly, an emphasis on standardized military fitness standards to save on healthcare costs undermines long-term national security by limiting the talent pool of military personnel recruited and retained — a pool that usually excels in highly technical jobs that merely require the physical capability of sitting in an office chair for extended periods. Indeed, there is something perversely wrong with the fitness regimen when an Air Force colonel (and KC-135 pilot) is relieved of his wing commander job just because his waist is greater than 39 inches.
American adversaries are increasingly engaging in hybrid forms of warfare that blend unconventional, irregular, and information/cyber warfare. Provocative military operations by the Chinese in the South China Sea and Russia in Ukraine illuminate this new era of perplexing low-intensity conflict. This shift means the U.S. military needs the right mix of brawn and brains, while also highlighting that raw military power no longer wins (or deters) by itself in the 21st century.
A troubling 2016 report from the Government Accountability Office identified the serious threat cyber-attacks posed to the U.S. government, including the DoD. The GAO report noted that in 2006, there were 5,503 attacks, but by 2015 there had been 77,183 attacks. This is nearly a 1,300% increase in just a decade. Continued adherence to present fitness standards in all military branches is not going to prevent future attacks.
A burly Marine may repel the Taliban in Afghanistan or an elite Special Forces unit may engage Islamic State fighters in urban warfare, but these are just peripheral threats. The real existential threat to the United States comes not from terrorists, but instead from an “Army of Cyber Proxies” that steal trade secrets and classified documents, and can cause severe infrastructural, industrial, and economic damage. The Office of Personnel Management breach of over 20 million government personnel records by suspected Chinese hackers illustrates the true danger and consequences of not recruiting and developing the right cadre of mentally rather than physically fit cyber warriors to maintain American dominance. Even recent Russian meddling in the American election process underscores the danger of this subversive warfare to democratic political institutions.
It may sound sacrilegious to suggest that the military should drop another tradition and lower fitness standards. But not doing so puts the United States at greater risk. Fitness standards for ground combat intensive jobs should remain high, but throughout the services, physical standards should be revised to match the fitness requirements of each job specialty.
If even Israel can ignore fitness requirements in lieu of finding the right people to fill non-combat jobs, then the U.S. military can easily do the same. The military should adopt appropriate weight and fitness standards for citizens that want to serve in positions that enable American superiority in air, sea, space and cyber domains, as well as on the ground.
—————————————————————————————-So everyone a Rifleman is out the door huh? So what happens when the Shit hits the fan and you need to plug a hole in the line? Hmmm! Grumpy, Who by the way is now a REALLY out of shape 64 year old Vet.
Man accused of having sniper rifles, thousand of ammo in Hollywood high-rise home appears in court
FOX 11 News got its first look at Braxton Johnson, the man accused of having high-powered weapons in his high-rise apartment in Hollywood.
LOS ANGELES – A 25-year-old man is behind bars after police say he had a sniper rifle and a cache of other weapons in his Hollywood high-rise apartment.
When the Los Angeles Police Department first found a sniper rifle, two assault rifles and a “thousand of rounds” of ammo from the home of Braxton Johnson, both the public – and the police – initially feared Johnson may have been plotting a possible mass shooting. But after a series of investigation, LAPD announced Thursday night that there were “no indications that any persons were threatened with a firearm nor have [LAPD] identified any intent by Johnson to plan a mass shooting incident.”
LAPD’s revelation comes a day after officials thanked the public and security staff for preventing a possible mass shooting from taking place.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Police Department initially responded to a call of a man possibly suffering from a mental health crisis, saying the security guards at the high-rise building located at Sunset Boulevard and Gordon Avenue reported a resident had been making threats. Officers then searched the 25-year-old suspect’s Hollywood home and found all the aforementioned weapons on the 18th floor – where he lives.
LAPD: Weapons seizure likely prevented a mass shooting
Los Angeles police officers seized several high-powered weapons from a man accused of making criminal threats.
LAPD busts man with cache of weapons, ammo, thwarting potential mass shooting
A neighbor on the 18th floor recorded the moments LAPD tried to make contact with the suspect. An arsenal was found inside his apartment along with body armor after he allegedly made criminal threats.
The apartment had large windows with a non-obstructed view of the Gordon Street Park downstairs, and some of the rifles were pointed down, outside the windows, LAPD Lt. Leonid Tsap said during a press conference Wednesday.
One neighbor said Johnson had mentioned he had a military background and that Johnson believed the CIA was after him.
In addition to the sniper rifle and the assault rifles, LAPD also found a shotgun and three pistols. All the guns were unregistered. Johnson was arrested after the search.
A day before LAPD walked back the possible mass shooting plot allegations, Tsap gave the public kudos for alerting police that something felt off when the 25-year-old suspect had allegedly suffered a mental health crisis.
“They notified us and worked together with the police to bring this to a safe conclusion. It’s a great police work and a great teamwork by community members and our police officers to take the suspect off the streets and possibly prevent something of a heinous crime like a mass shooting,” Tsap said.
Johnson’s bail was set at $500,000.
How I see myself & then there is what my body tells me empathically with lots of pain !
About a year ago, I reviewed the 856 Ultra-Lite—a successor to the Model 85 with six shots instead of five—and came away impressed by the inexpensive but good-shooting snubnose revolver. Recently, Taurus came out with a three-inch version, the Defender, and it is equally impressive.
This particular model is an aluminum-framed Ultra-Lite, one of two such guns in the sixgun 856 Defender lineup. These weigh 17.5 ounces, half of what the four all-steel models weigh. Overall length is 7.5 inches, and the width across the fluted steel cylinder is 1.4 inches.
I think the most outstanding feature on the 856 Defender is the front sight. While the rear is simply a gutter milled into the backstrap, the front is a day/night sight, which is not something you expect to find on a revolver with a suggested retail just north of $400. It’s an AmeriGlo, marked “H3 FJ,” for which I could find no details on AmeriGlo’s site. But no matter. It features a bright orange stripe into which a small tritium vial is set. It’s a sight that’s very quick to pick up in any lighting condition. It is pinned in place.
The three-inch barrel is of one piece and fully shrouded. The muzzle sports a slight crown to protect the rifling. It, the crane and the cylinder are matte stainless.
When I posted a range photo of the 856 Defender Ultra-Lite on Facebook, one visitor commented that I must’ve shot the gun really hot because the cylinder was discolored. While some of what he noticed was simply fouling, the gun’s appearance was also due in part to the fact that the steel parts are slightly darker than the anodized finish on the aluminum frame. It’s not quite two-tone, but I think it gives the gun a unique look.
The right side of the frame features the Taurus bull logo and “Taurus Int’l Mfg Miami, FL-USA” along with the serial and model numbers. The left side is stamped “Ultra-Lite” and “Taurus Armas Made in Brazil.”
The cylinder release is nice and big, and it’s serrated so your thumb won’t slip. The exposed hammer’s spur is likewise serrated.
The rubber grips come from Hogue. They have a pebbled texture, finger grooves and a dish at the top where your firing-hand thumb rests. They’re not full wraparounds, so a thin strip of the frame’s backstrap is exposed.
I actually prefer this in handguns that don’t have a lot of recoil because the lack of extra material at the back makes the grip a bit smaller. Even though I have medium-size hands, I almost always find that slimmer, smaller grips shoot better for me.
The trigger is what you’d expect. The double-action pull is relatively smooth, with typical stacking, and it breaks at nine pounds, 14 ounces on average. The single-action pull has a wee bit of creep and grit, and it breaks at three pounds, seven ounces.
I own one revolver with a three-inch barrel, a Ruger GP100 in .44 Special, and I’ve come to appreciate this barrel length. The extra inch of sighting radius over a snubby is a big advantage to my astigmatic eyes. Shooting with bifocals is hell, as some of you know.
The longer tube gives just a bit more weight out front, which tames muzzle rise a bit. The 856 Defender is chambered to .38 Special +P, and I found +P loads to be nicely controllable even though it’s such a light gun.
While the Black Hills HoneyBadger ammunition wasn’t the most accurate of the four loads I tested from the bench, it sure was the nicest to shoot because its light 100-grain bullets don’t generate a lot of recoil, making fast follow-up shots no problem. And from what I’ve read, this bullet design, with its fluted “fins” produces excellent terminal performance.
I thought the gun shot great from the bench. While it’s not apples to apples because I didn’t test the same ammo in both guns, but the longer Defender outdid the standard 856 by about a half-inch on average. And regardless of what ammo I fed it, the Defender acquitted itself really well in defensive-type drills.
The beauty of the snubnose revolver is that it makes a great carry gun for those who prefer revolvers. Yes, the Defender has a longer three-inch barrel, but unless you’re carrying it in a pocket—in a proper pocket holster, of course—the extra length isn’t going to affect concealability. Because it’s a lightweight aluminum frame, you’re bearing hardly any burden in terms of weight.
In the final analysis, I think the 856 Defender has a lot going for it. It has that useful night sight, it doesn’t weigh much, and it’s easier to shoot than a two-inch snubby. Couple that with its $425 suggested retail price, which will bring mid-to-high $300s at dealers, and you’ve got a dependable, shootable and affordable concealed-carry revolver.
Taurus 856 Defender Ultra-Lite Specs
- Type: Single-action/double-action centerfire revolver
- Caliber: .38 Special +P
- Capacity: 6
- Barrel: 3 in.
- OAL/Height/Width: 7.5/5.0/1.4 in.
- Weight: 17.5 oz.
- Construction: Matte stainless barrel, cylinder, crane; anodized aluminum frame
- Sights: Gutter rear, AmeriGlo day/night front
- Trigger: Double action, 9 lb. 14 oz.; single action, 3 lb. 7 oz. (measured)
- Safety: Transfer bar
- Price: $425
- Manufacturer: Taurus, TaurusUSA.com
Taurus 856 Defender Ultra-Lite Accuracy Results
The DWX pistol is the result of the brilliant collaboration between CZ and Dan Wesson. This cutting-edge firearm is a fusion of the best features of both pistol families and is sure to leave you in awe with its design.
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It features a locked breech barrel system and CZ-style takedown, making it easy to disassemble and clean. The match-grade barrel can be easily removed thanks to the bushing-less barrel system, similar to that of a P-10 or P-09/P-07.
The DWX also boasts a high capacity of 19+1 rounds with flush bases in 9mm, and is customizable with standard 1911 parts, allowing gunsmiths and competitive shooters to adjust it to their preference.
The sights are also easily customized, with a 1911-style dovetailed front sight and a CZ Shadow 2-style rear sight cut.
The CZ Dan Wesson DWX is a firearm that features a fiber optic sight for quick target acquisition in bright lighting, an adjustable rear sight for improved accuracy at the range, and a CZ-75 profile frame for enhanced grip and ergonomics.
Additionally, it has front serrations for press-checks, a serrated rib to reduce glare, a square hammer for a tactical look, a flat K-style trigger, an ambidextrous safety and grip safety, a 1913 Picatinny rail for easy accessory attachment, and 25 LPI checkering on the flat mainspring housing for a secure grip.
It is also compatible with CZ P-10F/P-09 double-stack magazines. Additionally, the mag release is swappable, offering further user configuration.
Dan Wesson Announcing the DWX, a CZ and 1911 Hybrid for Competition
The grip angle and contours of the DWX are borrowed from the CZ 75, which is widely recognized as one of the most comfortable and ergonomic pistols on the market.
This makes the DWX a great option for those who have trouble finding a comfortable fit with other pistols. Additionally, the DWX can use standard grips from a CZ 75 and even has corresponding magwells for the TS/Czechmate series, making it even more versatile.