The Ultimate in Maneuver Warfare?

[wm]

Intersting story (http://ebird.osd.mil/ebfiles/e20081015634397.html) found in today's e-bird from USA Today--


Pentagon Envisions Spaceship Troopers

Rockets would rush combat teams around the world

By Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon wants to rocket troops through space to hot spots anywhere on the globe within two hours, and planners spent two days last month discussing how to do it, military documents show.

Civilian and military officials held a two-day conference at the National Security Space Office to plan development of the Small Unit Space Transport and Insertion (SUSTAIN) program. The invitation to the conference called the notion of space troopers a "potential revolutionary step in getting combat power to any point in the world in a timeframe unachievable today." Attendees included senior Army, Marine, Navy and Air Force officers.

The next steps toward getting troops in space: addressing the technological challenges and seeking input from the military, said Air Force Lt. Col. Mark Brown, a space office spokesman. No further meetings have been scheduled.

Marines launched the concept after the Sept. 11 terror attacks. They needed the "capability to transport small, mission-tailored units through space from any point on the globe to a contingency at any other point on the globe" within minutes of an order, according to a Marine document.

[Tom Odom]

Intersting story (http://ebird.osd.mil/ebfiles/e20081015634397.html) found in today's e-bird from USA Today--

The fire and forget soldier...

I wonder how much money has gone down in this particular sinkhole


1. Include life-support systems and weapons for 13 combat troops.


Wow. Space squad in the attack.


2. Be able to launch vertically from far-flung "spaceports" or airfields.

How many decades has it taken to get Osprey operational?


3. Avoid restrictions on operating in foreign airspace by flying in space. (The United States recognizes 50 miles.)

Great. So when they launch it looks like a ballistic missile?


4. Be able to land stealthily on a battlefield and return without refueling.

I lived in Titusville FL for a couple of years and the shuttle was really stealthy as it broke the sound barrier twice in descent.

If we are gonna grab for a leap ahead lets just do a "transporter" thang...

Scotty, beam me up

Tom

[davidbfpo]

Lovely concept and no doubt kept plenty of minds busy. Somehow I suspect those minds were not missed by the practical military. At least the economic slowdown might end such flights of fancy. Hope eternal. Or have the clocks been wound back to April Fool's Day?

davidbfpo

[reed11b]

A true strategic corporal? MC leading the fight for print and airtime again! Not eneogh they own the news, now they need press time in Popular mechanics and OMNI too! :D
meh.

Reed
Hopefully the big MC is not to wedded to this concept and will place it where it belongs in the "round" file.

[William F. Owen]

They needed the "capability to transport small, mission-tailored units through space from any point on the globe to a contingency at any other point on the globe" within minutes of an order, according to a Marine document.

Ahhh! Note the words "small" "Mission tailored" and "through space". Could they mean "not effective" "pretend to save money" and "impossible?"

[patmc]

Everyone laughs now, but when that meteor takes out Rio and we declare war on the bugs, you'll be glad we have these.

[Ski]

Yet another adventure into Bizarro World.

The people who actually allow these "concepts" to reach fruition should face a General Court Martial.

Complete and utter bull####.

[CR6]

Everyone laughs now, but when that meteor takes out Rio and we declare war on the bugs, you'll be glad we have these.

Everybody jumps, everybody fights.

Don't miss the recall brothers.

[Tom Odom]

Everybody jumps, everybody fights.

Don't miss the recall brothers.

well if Denise R is flying the ship, I am staying on board :D

[wm]

well if Denise R is flying the ship, I am staying on board :D
I thought you'd be looking for a position along the lines of the Col Carl Jenkins type (NP Harris AKA Doogie Howser, MD):
We're in this war for the species, boys and girls. It's simple numbers. They have more. And every day I have to make decisions that send hundreds of people like you to their deaths.

[Tom Odom]

I thought you'd be looking for a position along the lines of the Col Carl Jenkins type (NP Harris AKA Doogie Howser, MD):

Nope, Doogie don't have the booty :wry:

[wm]

Nope, Doogie don't have the booty :wry:

But RHIP WRT getting that booty ;) (in a non-POSH oriented force anyway)

Jean Rasczak: You got 10 minutes to get ready and go.
Johnny Rico: Yes sir.
Jean Rasczak: Who's in there with you?
Dizzy: Flores, sir.
Jean Rasczak: Make it 20.
Johnny Rico: We can do it.

[William F. Owen]

Originally Posted by Starship Troopers 1997)
Jean Rasczak: You got 10 minutes to get ready and go.
Johnny Rico: Yes sir.
Jean Rasczak: Who's in there with you?
Dizzy: Flores, sir.
Jean Rasczak: Make it 20.
Johnny Rico: We can do it.

...and Jean Rasczak walks away wondering if that's Flores the sexy woman pilot, or Hans Flores, the body building Sergeant from the Mortar Platoon....:D

[120mm]

Please, for the love of God, don't quote the single movie that destroyed the possibility of the three best science fiction novels EVER being made into decent movies.

For those who don't know which books I'm talking about, the "movie" (and I use that term loosely) Starship Troopers, hijacked significant plot elements from Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Steakley's Armor and Haldeman's Forever War.

I will never forgive them for that. If I were ever head of a movie studio, I'd make Armor and Forever War, just because they were awesome books, and done correctly, would be great movies, as well.

[Ski]

Forever War is about to go into production from what a little bird told me.

[Rifleman]

Well, I can see there's no true believers here. ;)

"Always with the negative waves....." :D

You buncha narcisstic, Tofflerian, neo-con hubrists. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE NECISSITY FOR 2D/3D MANUEVER IN MODERN WAR! :eek:

Why, with a M113A10 Space Gavin rolling of the ramp..... :p

[120mm]

Well, I can see there's no true believers here. ;)

"Always with the negative waves....." :D

You buncha narcisstic, Tofflerian, neo-con hubrists. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE NECISSITY FOR 2D/3D MANUEVER IN MODERN WAR! :eek:

Why, with a M113A10 Space Gavin rolling of the ramp..... :p

Oh. My. Word. Are you ACTUALLY channelling the spirit of Sparky???

Hell has a special room for people who do that....

[120mm]

Forever War is about to go into production from what a little bird told me.

Well, politically-speaking the timing is right, but they will screw it up.

It isn't hard to see that they will find a way to work "The Patriot Act", Karl Rove, Dick Cheney, and "W" into the movie....

Which will be too bad, since the basic theme of the movie has relevance to current times.