Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => Politics => Topic started by: Jocassee on July 22, 2014, 10:32:05 AM
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Sorry for the source. It's where I found the story.
http://www.wnd.com/2014/05/state-department-amassing-explosives-stockpile/
State specifically is purchasing – and sending to Sterling, Virginia – 450 pounds of C4 M112 explosives, nearly 2,600 containers of liquid explosives, 188 feet of “linear-shaped charges” and more than 8,000 blasting caps via Solicitation No. FY14-GC-273.
A separate procurement, Solicitation No. FY14-GC-281, calls for 225 pounds of C4 plastic explosives, five pounds of C2 “sheet explosives” and 144 bottles of high-energy liquid explosives. Thousands of additional feet of detonating cord – plus 18,000 feet of military-grade safety fuses and hundreds of blasting caps and fuse igniters – are likewise part of this order.
Aside from the kneejerk WTF reaction, any idea if this is normal, and if it is, what in the hell for?
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My first thought is to wonder if this is used for training the Diplomatic Security people at State.
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Actual source: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&tab=core&id=ef43d7bfc458e12e31dfc8f7120a2f61&_cview=1
My guess is for someone else. Specifically, for training.
Low number of C4 bricks, high amount of detcord, fuses and blasting caps? That says training.
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Wow - 25,000+ igniters of 3 types? That's a lot.
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Low number of C4 bricks, high amount of detcord, fuses and blasting caps? That says training.
Wouldn't it be more cost effective just to beat them when they screw up instead of going all James Bond dramatic and blasting bits off?
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Was this before or after the Fourth of July?
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Wow - 25,000+ igniters of 3 types? That's a lot.
Yea. 60k Ft of detcord, 10k blasting caps, 20k fuses, 20k igniters, etc and only 360 bricks, 180 lbs of sheet explosive? That says explosive training.
Ditto the small amount of linear charges. Under 300 feet? That's not a lot. For a residential door, yea, ok, you only need six to twelve inches. But for reinforced doors or breaching a wall, you essentially outline the breaching area. That's like 22 feet just for one entrance (7x2 on sides, 4x2 wide)
Wouldn't it be more cost effective just to beat them when they screw up instead of going all James Bond dramatic and blasting bits off?
No. Fuses, igniters and blasting caps are individually cheap. During training, you use inert explosive analogs for most of the training. You crimp a couple dozen blasting caps with clay before you get to do it with C4. Ditto with detcord. You practice laying it and doing dry runs.
Using flour instead of explosives makes life interesting, as it can be highly flammable under the right circumstances. Done properly, it looks like a micro nuclear explosion.
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Using flour instead of explosives makes life interesting, as it can be highly flammable under the right circumstances. Done properly, it looks like a micro nuclear explosion.
How much trouble did you get in for that one? =D
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I don't have hard numbers, but my old combat engineer battalion didn't go through a tiny fraction of that many igniters in the 3 years I was there. We went through a lot more explosives, time fuse, and detcord though.
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How much trouble did you get in for that one? =D
Different person did that. :)
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During training, you use inert explosive analogs for most of the training. You crimp a couple dozen blasting caps with clay before you get to do it with C4. Ditto with detcord. You practice laying it and doing dry runs.
Damn pansies. No need to do all the washout paperwork if you just give them the real stuff from day one.
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plus 18,000 feet of military-grade safety fuses
ZOMG. MILITARY GRADE FUSES!
GET THESE WEAPONS OF WAR OUTTA HERE!!!!!
Anyways, as revdisk said. Training.
Then again, it's also WND
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training who? The MB? =|
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How much trouble did you get in for that one? =D
I didn't do it, you can't prove anything, and just where were YOU at that time?
training who? The MB? =|
Could something boring, could be something not good. No way of knowing directly.
Other thing is that this may be a combined order. If this was a mixed order, the proportions would make more sense.
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training who? The MB? =|
You've never known the state department to mask the activities of other agencies before?
Lol
If it was something to be worried about, there'd be no record of the purchase
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You've never known the state department to mask the activities of other agencies before?
Lol
If it was something to be worried about, there'd be no record of the purchase
About 99% of overseas CIA personnel are operating under State Department cover. =D
It's actually scary how few non-State spies we actually have.
In seriousness, the CIA sources near all of their hardware through the military. Certainly explosives. Tis why you end up with US military Stingers in the hands of terrorists. CIA gives them to Libya rebels, who give them to Syrians, who give them to the Taliban.
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Clearly its for the FEMA camps. They are training to breach our secure homes and take us to the camps.
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Clearly its for the FEMA camps. They are training to breach our secure homes and take us to the camps.
of course
Along with the 2700 MRAPs and eleventy bazillion hollow pointsz
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ZOMG. MILITARY GRADE FUSES!
No sane country needs a 200 hour delay on an explosive.
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If it was something to be worried about, there'd be no record of the purchase
Except that they know that we know that, so they do it out in the semi-open to throw us off the scent.
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No sane country needs a 200 hour delay on an explosive.
California would implement one...
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of course
Along with the 2700 MRAPs and eleventy bazillion hollow pointsz
Don't forget the coffins.....
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of course
Along with the 2700 MRAPs and eleventy bazillion hollow pointsz
The awesome thing about the MRAPs is I really wonder how many departments will have the funds to keep them operational.
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Don't forget the coffins.....
And the trains! AL Jones has video!
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The awesome thing about the MRAPs is I really wonder how many departments will have the funds to keep them operational.
I just hope they all end up in the hands of collectors and whatnot.
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The awesome thing about the MRAPs is I really wonder how many departments will have the funds to keep them operational.
I have read several comments along these lines in recent months. So I have to ask: other than the cost of fuel and routine maintenance, what are the costs needed to keep them operational? I would have thought that since these are essentially heavy armored trucks, operational costs are just automotive in nature, not like a helicopter or something like that.
Or is it because they are MRAPs, the cost of fuel and routine maintenance is very high?
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I have read several comments along these lines in recent months. So I have to ask: other than the cost of fuel and routine maintenance, what are the costs needed to keep them operational? I would have thought that since these are essentially heavy armored trucks, operational costs are just automotive in nature, not like a helicopter or something like that.
Or is it because they are MRAPs, the cost of fuel and routine maintenance is very high?
Everything about them is built heavy. I'm no expert, but i remember my mechanic friend saying that the cost of simple wear items was astronomical because of how beefy everything is. Brakes have to be big to stop a heavy vehicle.
No idea to what extent though
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Everything about them is built heavy. I'm no expert, but i remember my mechanic friend saying that the cost of simple wear items was astronomical because of how beefy everything is. Brakes have to be big to stop a heavy vehicle.
Still, there are normal civilian vehicles that are big and heavy and still have to stop. Same for civilian vehicles having to lug a lot of weight around, bounce over rough terrain, etc.
Pretty sure they could have contracted the base vehicle out to Freightliner, Mack, etc. and gotten something that any truck stop could fix...once they figured out how to get to the standard equipment underneath.
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The awesome thing about the MRAPs is I really wonder how many departments will have the funds to keep them operational.
My hometown bought a LARC 60 for flood relief on a river that had flood currents in the 10 knot range, the LARC had a top speed in the 7 knot range. That math should have been obvious to anybody.