Military readiness

[cradleandshoot]

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/t ... urns-home/

The Century’s Most Battle-Tested Warship Returns Home

Families wait pierside as the U.S. Navy Arleigh-Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Carney (DDG-64) returns home to Naval Station Mayport , Fla., following a seven month deployment, May 19, 2024.

by LUTHER RAY ABEL, May 20, 2024

The USS Carney, after eight months at sea, taking on all comers in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, has finally returned to its home port in Mayport, Fla. The Carney took part in 54 events that necessitated offensive and defensive firing, protecting friendly nations, international shipping, and itself as it patrolled international waters.

Geoff Ziezulewicz summarizes the Carney‘s feats for the Navy Times:

Twelve days after Hamas’ attack, on Oct. 19, Carney got its first chance to take it to the Houthis, when the destroyer intercepted a salvo of missiles and drones fired from Houthi territory in Yemen.

Since then, the Houthis have at times fired at military and commercial vessels in the Red Sea at a near-daily clip earlier this year, and Carney was often at the forefront of the fight.

The ship also helped take down missiles fired by Iran at Israel last month.

Carney’s crew conducted 51 engagements against the Houthis over six months, the first time the Navy has directly engaged an enemy to such a degree since World War II, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti said in a statement.

I urge you to give the homecoming photos at Stars and Stripes a review — happy wives, babies, and families abound. Beautiful.
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2 ... 07826.html

These sailors and their officers operated in waters that demanded the utmost from men and machinery for months and triumphed time and again. Jerry Hendrix and I, in a panel for the National Review Institute *, did our best to explain just how challenging the Carney‘s work was. Imagine working, eating, and sleeping in a rocking steel sauna filled with pipes and shin-destroying doorways while occasionally hearing an alarm of missiles inbound. Then do that for the best part of a year.

The secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, said the Carney saw the most combat of any ship since WWII. This is true, though it diminishes the accomplishments of the earlier ships and the Carney when one considers what WWII-era vessels or those of the Revolutionary period experienced (i.e., it’s best to say that Babe Ruth and Ken Griffey Jr. are both greats in their respective times).

What is certain is that the USS Carney is the greatest warship of its generation. It is a glad day to be able to celebrate the crew’s accomplishments with them safely on U.S. soil.

* good description of the working & living conditions for the crew of a ship on the firing line. Also, useful discussion of current recruiting difficulties, size of the fleet, & ship material conditions.

Cant imagine the feeling of sitting on a ship near Yemen, knowing that idiots are lobbing missiles at you for fun. How you chaps can sleep on those things while that stuff is happening is beyond me. I was grateful to hear we hit Houthi installations, and didn’t just let them attack ships without repercussions.

The hooties have an almost limitless supply of anti ship. Now where they originally came from is anybody's guess. There is one rock solid truth. They only need to get lucky once. The US Navy has to be correct 100% of the time every damn day. What is that Apollo 13 term about failure,,?

[old salt]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/america-hi ... x_artPos=4

America Hits the Global Snooze Button
In an increasingly alarming world, the West can’t afford to rest for much longer.
by Walter Russell Mead, May 20, 2024

Many Americans still don’t fully grasp how serious the international situation has become. Iran has set the Middle East ablaze, Russia is advancing in Ukraine, and China is pursuing pressure campaigns against Japan, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Even more challenging times lie ahead. While Washington and its allies try to calm things and return the world to something like normalcy, the revisionists are strengthening their cooperation and mobilizing their societies and economies for war.

Iran’s sputtering economy has powered its war machine for years. Neither U.S. sanctions nor the costs of supporting proxy militias across the Mideast have prevented Tehran from developing a nuclear program and a massive drone industry. Russia and China are moving in the same direction.

The war in Ukraine was a wake-up call for Russia. Once Kremlin hopes of an early victory disappeared, Moscow put Russia’s society and economy on a war footing for the long term. Dissent is quashed, antiwar protesters are mercilessly pursued, and schools teach hatred of the West. Meanwhile, Mr. Putin appointed the man behind Russia’s recent gains in drones and microelectronics, Andrei Belousov, to modernize the military industrial base.

China’s war preparations are much more advanced than most Americans understand. A recent report by Mackenzie Eaglen of the American Enterprise Institute estimates that measured by purchasing power parity China is nearly matching America’s global defense spending. Although its civilian economy is suffering, Beijing is doubling down on the greatest military buildup in history.

That isn’t all. China is stockpiling key commodities to prevent interruptions in trade that would accompany a war. It is driving for self-sufficiency in energy and food. Under proposed legislation, high-school and college students would face the prospect of compulsory military training.

The revisionists have either developed or stumbled onto a coherent and, so far, successful strategy. The economic and potentially the military might of America and its allies far surpasses what the revisionists can bring to the table. Yet the U.S. and its allies are politically and militarily unprepared for war in the short to medium term. The revisionists therefore want to escalate crises around the globe without triggering an overwhelming response as, for example, Japan did by bombing Pearl Harbor in 1941. Against this pressure, they reason, the disorganized allies will retreat, conciliate and appease.

So far, that bet has paid off. Russia is winning its uneven contest with the West. Iran, despite the sudden death of President Ebrahim Raisi, is on a roll in the Middle East. China’s relentless campaign of small-scale menacing acts, known as “gray-zone aggression,” is eroding America’s power in the Far East.

The goal is to trap America between two losing choices. We can focus all our efforts and energies on one theater—China, Ukraine or the Middle East—or we can attempt to stop everything everywhere. Neither approach solves our problems. If we ignore Ukraine and the Middle East to focus on China, then Russia and Iran can undermine our alliances and shift the geopolitical balance in their favor. If we focus on Russia’s war in Ukraine, then China and Iran can advance their own regional plans.

To avoid this, some argue that the U.S. should simultaneously confront our adversaries across all three theaters. But we lack the military resources for such a strategy. Even if we had the necessary capabilities, American public opinion isn’t yet united or focused enough for an effort as serious and consuming as the Cold War. Count on the revisionists to use everything in their propaganda tool kit to postpone America’s awakening—and extend their hour of opportunity.

Security analysts generally believe that relatively modest defense increases by Washington could stabilize the military balance. That, plus a mix of more forceful American diplomacy and deeper cooperation with key allies, might halt the slide to war.

Team Biden, unfortunately, would rather starve the military and embrace the diplomacy of retreat. There is an off-ramp for every provocation, a search for a “diplomatic solution” to every military attack.

This can’t last. Our adversaries have ambitious goals. We face an increasingly successful and ambitious assault on the U.S.’s international position. Either we and our allies recover our military might and political will, or our foes will fatally undermine the edifice of American power and the international order that depends on it.

[youthathletics]

Interesting summary of the current.....

Curious....what is your outlook on the 3-8 year long look?

Me, I tend to believe that the US is intentionally squeezing the ME out of energy exporting, which is the push for 'electrification' in the US, same in the EU. We want to extinguish fossil fuels as much as humanly possible. Yet, each spring, and even more now, there are the subtle hints that we should begin to expect rolling blackouts this summer. This does many things and all of them with intention, naming some that quickly come to mind:

• Forces behavioral change in everyone
• Forces infrastructure growth, quickly
• Bleeds the ME of cash flow, as we use less and less oil, weening them of the teet of the US and EU
• Introduces the dire need for newer Nuc Power
• unloads people out of major cities into rural America....balancing the grid and promoting urban sprawl.
• With continued sanctions and tariffs on China et al. it forces them to pivot as they too suffer financially

War fighting seems to have changed post GWOT, the need for boots on the ground will always be there, but in far less capacity. Autonomous warfare seems to be the name of the game, coupled with small scale strategic hits. My biggest concern is 'intel' or lack thereof, moving forward. We did some damage in the ME when we evacuated without many of our Afghan brothers in arms...I have heard we lost a lot inside the wall intel locals.

Thoughts....?

[cradleandshoot]

Interesting summary of the current.....

Curious....what is your outlook on the 3-8 year long look?

Me, I tend to believe that the US is intentionally squeezing the ME out of energy exporting, which is the push for 'electrification' in the US, same in the EU. We want to extinguish fossil fuels as much as humanly possible. Yet, each spring, and even more now, there are the subtle hints that we should begin to expect rolling blackouts this summer. This does many things and all of them with intention, naming some that quickly come to mind:

• Forces behavioral change in everyone
• Forces infrastructure growth, quickly
• Bleeds the ME of cash flow, as we use less and less oil, weening them of the teet of the US and EU
• Introduces the dire need for newer Nuc Power
• unloads people out of major cities into rural America....balancing the grid and promoting urban sprawl.
• With continued sanctions and tariffs on China et al. it forces them to pivot as they too suffer financially

War fighting seems to have changed post GWOT, the need for boots on the ground will always be there, but in far less capacity. Autonomous warfare seems to be the name of the game, coupled with small scale strategic hits. My biggest concern is 'intel' or lack thereof, moving forward. We did some damage in the ME when we evacuated without many of our Afghan brothers in arms...I have heard we lost a lot inside the wall intel locals.

Thoughts....?

My thoughts are why would any sane person trust America to have their back? I wonder how many of our former Afghan partners have been murdered for helping the Americans? I suspect the debacle of Bidens hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan will resurface again come this fall. I'm certain Team Biden is hoping the matter will remain dead and buried. The opportunity for the Republicans to make some devastating political ads out of Bidens foul up in Afghanistan is pretty much a no brainier. What is Team Biden supposed to do? They sure as heck won't let Joe respond in any way shape or form. Team Bidens only option would be to let KJP respond for Team Biden which would also be a recipe for disaster.

[youthathletics]

Interesting summary of the current.....

Curious....what is your outlook on the 3-8 year long look?

Me, I tend to believe that the US is intentionally squeezing the ME out of energy exporting, which is the push for 'electrification' in the US, same in the EU. We want to extinguish fossil fuels as much as humanly possible. Yet, each spring, and even more now, there are the subtle hints that we should begin to expect rolling blackouts this summer. This does many things and all of them with intention, naming some that quickly come to mind:

• Forces behavioral change in everyone
• Forces infrastructure growth, quickly
• Bleeds the ME of cash flow, as we use less and less oil, weening them of the teet of the US and EU
• Introduces the dire need for newer Nuc Power
• unloads people out of major cities into rural America....balancing the grid and promoting urban sprawl.
• With continued sanctions and tariffs on China et al. it forces them to pivot as they too suffer financially

War fighting seems to have changed post GWOT, the need for boots on the ground will always be there, but in far less capacity. Autonomous warfare seems to be the name of the game, coupled with small scale strategic hits. My biggest concern is 'intel' or lack thereof, moving forward. We did some damage in the ME when we evacuated without many of our Afghan brothers in arms...I have heard we lost a lot inside the wall intel locals.

Thoughts....?

My thoughts are why would any sane person trust America to have their back? I wonder how many of our former Afghan partners have been murdered for helping the Americans? I suspect the debacle of Bidens hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan will resurface again come this fall. I'm certain Team Biden is hoping the matter will remain dead and buried. The opportunity for the Republicans to make some devastating political ads out of Bidens foul up in Afghanistan is pretty much a no brainier. What is Team Biden supposed to do? They sure as heck won't let Joe respond in any way shape or form. Team Bidens only option would be to let KJP respond for Team Biden which would also be a recipe for disaster.

Niger evacuation in the works: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-troops- ... -pentagon/

[PizzaSnake]

Interesting summary of the current.....

Curious....what is your outlook on the 3-8 year long look?

Me, I tend to believe that the US is intentionally squeezing the ME out of energy exporting, which is the push for 'electrification' in the US, same in the EU. We want to extinguish fossil fuels as much as humanly possible. Yet, each spring, and even more now, there are the subtle hints that we should begin to expect rolling blackouts this summer. This does many things and all of them with intention, naming some that quickly come to mind:

• Forces behavioral change in everyone
• Forces infrastructure growth, quickly
• Bleeds the ME of cash flow, as we use less and less oil, weening them of the teet of the US and EU
• Introduces the dire need for newer Nuc Power
• unloads people out of major cities into rural America....balancing the grid and promoting urban sprawl.
• With continued sanctions and tariffs on China et al. it forces them to pivot as they too suffer financially

War fighting seems to have changed post GWOT, the need for boots on the ground will always be there, but in far less capacity. Autonomous warfare seems to be the name of the game, coupled with small scale strategic hits. My biggest concern is 'intel' or lack thereof, moving forward. We did some damage in the ME when we evacuated without many of our Afghan brothers in arms...I have heard we lost a lot inside the wall intel locals.

Thoughts....?

My thoughts are why would any sane person trust America to have their back? I wonder how many of our former Afghan partners have been murdered for helping the Americans? I suspect the debacle of Bidens hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan will resurface again come this fall. I'm certain Team Biden is hoping the matter will remain dead and buried. The opportunity for the Republicans to make some devastating political ads out of Bidens foul up in Afghanistan is pretty much a no brainier. What is Team Biden supposed to do? They sure as heck won't let Joe respond in any way shape or form. Team Bidens only option would be to let KJP respond for Team Biden which would also be a recipe for disaster.

Niger evacuation in the works: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-troops- ... -pentagon/

This fecklessness did not start with Biden. America gas been pretty consistent in its application of self-interest throughout its history.

[youthathletics]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

[PizzaSnake]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

Likewise.

[JoeMauer89]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

[cradleandshoot]

Interesting summary of the current.....

Curious....what is your outlook on the 3-8 year long look?

Me, I tend to believe that the US is intentionally squeezing the ME out of energy exporting, which is the push for 'electrification' in the US, same in the EU. We want to extinguish fossil fuels as much as humanly possible. Yet, each spring, and even more now, there are the subtle hints that we should begin to expect rolling blackouts this summer. This does many things and all of them with intention, naming some that quickly come to mind:

• Forces behavioral change in everyone
• Forces infrastructure growth, quickly
• Bleeds the ME of cash flow, as we use less and less oil, weening them of the teet of the US and EU
• Introduces the dire need for newer Nuc Power
• unloads people out of major cities into rural America....balancing the grid and promoting urban sprawl.
• With continued sanctions and tariffs on China et al. it forces them to pivot as they too suffer financially

War fighting seems to have changed post GWOT, the need for boots on the ground will always be there, but in far less capacity. Autonomous warfare seems to be the name of the game, coupled with small scale strategic hits. My biggest concern is 'intel' or lack thereof, moving forward. We did some damage in the ME when we evacuated without many of our Afghan brothers in arms...I have heard we lost a lot inside the wall intel locals.

Thoughts....?

My thoughts are why would any sane person trust America to have their back? I wonder how many of our former Afghan partners have been murdered for helping the Americans? I suspect the debacle of Bidens hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan will resurface again come this fall. I'm certain Team Biden is hoping the matter will remain dead and buried. The opportunity for the Republicans to make some devastating political ads out of Bidens foul up in Afghanistan is pretty much a no brainier. What is Team Biden supposed to do? They sure as heck won't let Joe respond in any way shape or form. Team Bidens only option would be to let KJP respond for Team Biden which would also be a recipe for disaster.

Niger evacuation in the works: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-troops- ... -pentagon/

Maybe Biden, out of respect for the leadership of Niger can accelerate the withdrawal to this weekend. Fuel up those C17 boys and girls. Like trump boinking a porn star it is time to pull out and withdraw from any further action.

[MDlaxfan76]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

[PizzaSnake]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

Or who thinks which?

[JoeMauer89]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

Or who thinks which?

Thank you for solidifying my point.

Joe

[cradleandshoot]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

I wonder if SNL could use that word in a skit today? Maybe they have I never watch SNL and have not done so in many years. If memory serves me correct Jane Curtain hated the skit and resented it very much.

[MDlaxfan76]

Interesting summary of the current.....

Curious....what is your outlook on the 3-8 year long look?

Me, I tend to believe that the US is intentionally squeezing the ME out of energy exporting, which is the push for 'electrification' in the US, same in the EU. We want to extinguish fossil fuels as much as humanly possible. Yet, each spring, and even more now, there are the subtle hints that we should begin to expect rolling blackouts this summer. This does many things and all of them with intention, naming some that quickly come to mind:

• Forces behavioral change in everyone
• Forces infrastructure growth, quickly
• Bleeds the ME of cash flow, as we use less and less oil, weening them of the teet of the US and EU
• Introduces the dire need for newer Nuc Power
• unloads people out of major cities into rural America....balancing the grid and promoting urban sprawl.
• With continued sanctions and tariffs on China et al. it forces them to pivot as they too suffer financially

War fighting seems to have changed post GWOT, the need for boots on the ground will always be there, but in far less capacity. Autonomous warfare seems to be the name of the game, coupled with small scale strategic hits. My biggest concern is 'intel' or lack thereof, moving forward. We did some damage in the ME when we evacuated without many of our Afghan brothers in arms...I have heard we lost a lot inside the wall intel locals.

Thoughts....?

Quite a few different thoughts in there.

First, I think it's pretty undeniable that we want to be energy independent. We're producing and exporting more oil and gas last year that at any time in our history and more than any other country in the world. That is certainly now at the level of "independent", but the reality remains that consumer prices are impacted by world energy consumption and production and simply producing more ourselves doesn't change that reality.

Second, sure, we'd love to shift the bulk of our energy production of the future away from fossil fuels, first and foremost because of staggering climate costs if we and the world fail to do so. I don't think that's as much about the Middle East, but sure that's an ancillary benefit.

Third, I think we have blackouts because we have big fluctuations in demand when things get super hot in some regions and our old infrastructure can't handle the load reliably. I don't think it's remotely intentional or for the purposes you suggest.

The latter stuff, military, seems quite unrelated but I wouldn't take issue with those thoughts.

[MDlaxfan76]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

I wonder if SNL could use that word in a skit today? Maybe they have I never watch SNL and have not done so in many years. If memory serves me correct Jane Curtain hated the skit and resented it very much.

You misremember: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... e-1219343/

You are correct that Curtin didn't like the sexism and misogyny of the show, though, and certainly not of the times, which was quite bad. But she found that particular running skit quite funny and wasn't offended by it.

[cradleandshoot]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

I wonder if SNL could use that word in a skit today? Maybe they have I never watch SNL and have not done so in many years. If memory serves me correct Jane Curtain hated the skit and resented it very much.

You misremember: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... e-1219343/

You are correct that Curtin didn't like the sexism and misogyny of the show, though, and certainly not of the times, which was quite bad. But she found that particular running skit quite funny and wasn't offended by it.

Thanks for correcting my memory. I know on a personal level I never thought it to be humorous. A friend of mine in HS was caught at a party making out with another student. Gossip central in my HS was faster than todays Internet. She was labeled as a " slut" by people who never even knew her. It was never funny to her and the snide comments were uncalled for and beyond hurtful. It was NEVER funny to me. I remember her crying her eyes out because it hurt her so much. She was a very close friend and I never forgot how much it hurt and embarrassed her. When ANY young lady, especially HS age is labeled as a " slut" that trauma sticks with you for a very long time.

[MDlaxfan76]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

I wonder if SNL could use that word in a skit today? Maybe they have I never watch SNL and have not done so in many years. If memory serves me correct Jane Curtain hated the skit and resented it very much.

You misremember: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... e-1219343/

You are correct that Curtin didn't like the sexism and misogyny of the show, though, and certainly not of the times, which was quite bad. But she found that particular running skit quite funny and wasn't offended by it.

Thanks for correcting my memory. I know on a personal level I never thought it to be humorous. A friend of mine in HS was caught at a party making out with another student. Gossip central in my HS was faster than todays Internet. She was labeled as a " slut" by people who never even knew her. It was never funny to her and the snide comments were uncalled for and beyond hurtful. It was NEVER funny to me. I remember her crying her eyes out because it hurt her so much. She was a very close friend and I never forgot how much it hurt and embarrassed her. When ANY young lady, especially HS age is labeled as a " slut" that trauma sticks with you for a very long time.

Yes, of course, when used seriously, tremendously misogynistic expression.

But read Curtin's take on the skit. I, too, thought it tremendously funny...and it was Akroyd's character who was made the bozo, not Jane's. My wife agrees with that take.

[cradleandshoot]

Thanks for the zero contribution.

This clip is topical for that post.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKjxFJfcrcA

Joe

or "Jane, you ignorant slut"...the question is who is who?

I wonder if SNL could use that word in a skit today? Maybe they have I never watch SNL and have not done so in many years. If memory serves me correct Jane Curtain hated the skit and resented it very much.

You misremember: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/ ... e-1219343/

You are correct that Curtin didn't like the sexism and misogyny of the show, though, and certainly not of the times, which was quite bad. But she found that particular running skit quite funny and wasn't offended by it.

Thanks for correcting my memory. I know on a personal level I never thought it to be humorous. A friend of mine in HS was caught at a party making out with another student. Gossip central in my HS was faster than todays Internet. She was labeled as a " slut" by people who never even knew her. It was never funny to her and the snide comments were uncalled for and beyond hurtful. It was NEVER funny to me. I remember her crying her eyes out because it hurt her so much. She was a very close friend and I never forgot how much it hurt and embarrassed her. When ANY young lady, especially HS age is labeled as a " slut" that trauma sticks with you for a very long time.

Yes, of course, when used seriously, tremendously misogynistic expression.

But read Curtin's take on the skit. I, too, thought it tremendously funny...and it was Akroyd's character who was made the bozo, not Jane's. My wife agrees with that take.

I was the horny young teenager caught making out with her. I never had to deal with the flak that she did. Nobody called me a " slut" It is the double standard thing but you already know that. I'm no prude I use to be way more vulgar and crude than I am today. IMO referring to any woman as a " slut" is no different than referring to a black person as a n***r. I do thank you for setting me strait about those SNL weekend updates. I watch some of Julia Childs cooking shows when they are on my PBS station. Those SNL skits where Julia cuts her finger with her unfazed while blood is spurting all over. Julia Childs did her first live cooking show in the 60s. She screwed up all of time. She never batted an eyelash. She just kept the show moving. She never let on when things were going off the rails. I don't think most SNL fans understood they weren't mocking Julia. They were paying homage to her unflappable ability to create gourmet French delicacies no matter what happened on live TV.

I'm in the process of watching Julia Child The French Chef making Coq Au Vin. The American Heart Association will never approve.

[PizzaSnake]

“Currently, the US military operates more than 3,000 slot machines on bases in 12 countries – down from 8,000 slots in 94 countries in 1999, according to the Pentagon. That’s besides the other chance games the military sponsors on bases, with service members as young as 18 able to participate.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/art ... g-military