One Man's Tet

Is another's Battle of the Bulge. So says Murdoc in this older article, comparing the Tet Offensive with the Ardennes Counter-Offensive and molding it all with Iraq:

Every Tet Offensive so far in Iraq has ended in US victory, though some more storied than others. Why aren't these spates of enemy activity called Ardennes Offensives?
Because it's in the eye of the beholder.
No. Not you. You're simply a viewer of a finished product.
The beholders whose eyes count are those that interpret events and pass them on to you for digestion. Dan Rather, CNN, and Murdoc Online are all beholders.
A few rebels among you insist on thinking for yourselves. Some of you agree with some of the beholders. Some of you don't.
So when you hear about the next Tet Offensive, remember the previous Tet Offensives. The original wasn't a loss because we were defeated on the field of battle. It was a loss because we were told by the beholders that we had been defeated. And we believed them.

But never again, God willing!

The Counter Revolution

Ralph Peters in this rather lengthy article questions whether we are building the right military to fight today's threats:

Stubbornly, we continue to fantasize that a wondrous enemy will appear who will fight us on our own terms, as a masked knight might have materialized at a stately tournament in a novel by Sir Walter Scott. Yet, not even China--the threat beloved of major defense contractors and their advocates--would play by our rules if folly ignited war. Against terrorists, we have found technology alone incompetent to master men of soaring will--our own flesh and blood provide the only effective counter.

Post Anti-Miltary Rant

In this incredible example of anti-military bias, this Washington Post Blog claims the Navy's newest nuclear sub, USS Virginia, spied on cell phones in Latin America:

we built a $2.4 billion submarine bristling with Cold War capabilities, and where do we send it on its first deployment: to South America to spy on cell-phone conversations.

Apparently, the Post in confusing what the Virginia can do, with what it actually does, and admits it:

Undoubtedly the boat collected radar and communications signals and proved its "enhanced littoral intelligence-gathering capability," carrying onboard special eavesdropping equipment configured especially for Latin American signals and targets. Did it listen in on the governments of Venezuela or Bolivia or some other special event?

My guess is that more likely the USS Virginia "practiced." It practiced what it might do in real war because its safe deployment to Latin American waters wasn't meant to really put the new boat into harm's way, and any terrorist threat from Latin America, if there even is one, can't really be handled with a submarine anyway.

Typical Left-wing reasoning is if the military could do something wrong, such as spying on cell phones, then that must be what it is doing. Guilty until proven innocent.

Brits are "Stretched Tight"?

Reserving the terms "broken" and stretched thin for its description of the US Army, Left-wing Reuters has created a new one for the British Army:

Britain's army is under pressure in Iraq and ramping up operations in Afghanistan this year, but if the situation on the ground does not improve fast Washington may soon find that its closest ally is stretched too tight.

And its own, smaller death count:

Word of the 100th British death in Iraq arrived on Tuesday just days after the announcement of an ambitious new mission to southern Afghanistan that will see Britain's forces there increase from just 1,000 now to a peak of 5,700.

And adds some fuzzy math:

"You've got to multiply those numbers by three to get the effect on the army," said Charles Heyman, editor of the annual handbook Armed Forces of the UK. "You add the two (missions) together and you've got almost half the trained strength of the British army committed."

Whatever! God save the Brits.

Worse Than Slavery

Looking back at the excuses of those who supported slavery in the 19th Century, how shallow and irrational it all seems. Many deluded themselves that blacks actually enjoyed being enslaved, and would be helpless without the guidance of the “master”. Some even found legitimacy in the Bible, as if God himself condoned the corrupt institution.

The excuses for slavery are pointless today, since they are long discredited. Equally fuzzy has been the rationale for the systematic slaughter of an entire generation through abortion. The typical reason is for a woman’s “right to choose” and to control her own body. It fails to answer the question of the rights of children, born or yet to be born. If we are put on this earth for a higher purpose it is to protect the weak, and lay the foundations for a new generation. Instead, through abortion, the future comes in doubt.

It was said that because of the massacre of its young men in the trenches of World War One, Britain and France lost an enter generation of officers, which may have accounted for its near defeat in the next war. With millions of potential new minds lost through the willing murder of the unborn, it is no wonder the state of our own nation with corrupt politicians, businesses failing, and crime out of control. This dearth in leadership may never have happened save for the loss of so many potential teachers, pastors, soldiers, and politicians through our callous pursuit of our own selfish desires, with no thought for the future.

Afghan Computer School

By SPC Jon H. Arguello � Task Force Bayonet Public Affairs This is from CentCom: A new vocational school graduated more than 30 students from a basic computer class Jan. 18 at the Qalat Provincial Reconstruction Team base in Zabul province. The students received their graduation certificates and were ready to either use their newly acquired skills as new members of the Afghan workforce or return to class to attend an intermediate-level class. The trade school, which provides courses in computers, carpentry, welding, electrical systems, auto mechanics, rug weaving, nursing, emergency medical technician, driving, plumbing and English, has graduated nearly 200 students. Students don�t just leave with a certificate; however, they also leave with a starter kit of supplies or tools needed to fulfill the requirements of working in their respective fields. �The Qalat PRT believes this vocational school is moving the Afghan workforce forward,� said Lt. Col. Thomas Goodfellow, commander of the Qalat PRT. �There is a demonstrated willingness from the youth of Zabul province in taking a substantial interest in the future of themselves as well as Afghanistan.� Read the rest: http://www.centcom.mil/sites/uscentcom1/FrontPage%20Stories/New%20school%20empowers%20Afghan%20workforce.htm

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New Commander Brings New Tactics

Former commander of the 1st Cavalry Div General Peter Chiarelli is now head of the Multi-National Force in Iraq, and is bringing a new change in strategy. From Fox:

The goal, he said, is to "deprive insurgents and terrorists of their support base" among disaffected Iraqis — part of a strategy that parallels U.S. political overtures to the Sunni Arabs.

Counterinsurgency experts in Washington and allies in Britain have long urged the Pentagon to pursue a more nuanced style in Iraq, saying the U.S. preference for "search and destroy" offensives squandered precious time and helped send new recruits to the guerrillas.

This is great, I think. You can't kill all the terrorists, but maybe you can change their minds.

Guard Numbers Are Up

So the military keeps stretching and stretching... this is from AP:

National Guard officials said Monday that recruiting has accelerated so much in recent months that they expect to expand the Guard even as the Bush administration proposes to shrink it.

New Zawahri Video

When I first heard this, I thought he was jumping in on the Alito debate, since Al Qaeda is always using Democrat talking points lately.

What's Wrong With Congress?

This Townhall oped gives 3 main reason's what's wrong with America's legislature:

The problem of a corrupt Congress is compounded by three bigger problems:
1. Congress has effectively escaped citizen control,
2. Congress has far too much power, and
3. Congress will use this scandal not to clean up its act but to further entrench itself.

It seems they continually abuse Bush of abuses of power to cover up their own record. To me no one signify's Congress' trouble than Sen Ted Steven's shameful defense of his "bridge to nowhere".

Troops Not "Stretched"

AP got it wrong says CentCom. Surprised?

An Associated Press story earlier today incorrectly reported that General George W. Casey, Multi-National Force Iraq commanding general, implied American forces in Iraq are “stretched.”
During an interview in Diwaniyah, Iraq, General Casey was asked about the current operational tempo and if insurgents could possibly “outlast” the U.S. Army in Iraq.
Having talked to the Chief of Staff of the Army only yesterday about overall troop strength and operational tempo, General Casey replied that the Army could sustain this effort for a long time. Additionally, General Casey pointed out that while U.S. forces are stretched overall, the Army is going through a modernization strategy that will produce more units and ready units. General Casey was speaking about Army forces in general, and not specifically about forces in Iraq.
The Associated Press was contacted about the error and has agreed to correct the story.

Hope Restored in Tal Afar

One of our heroes, Col HR McMaster tells how the 3rd Armored Brigade has returned an Iraqi town to its people:

When the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment arrived in the region in summer 2005, Tal Afar was a support base that insurgents used to organize, train and equip terrorist cells... Insurgents terrorized the people of Tal Afar, making them afraid to cooperate with coalition or Iraqi security forces, McMaster said. An average of five civilians were killed each day, and the insurgents spread anti-coalition propaganda, he said.
"This enemy was particularly brutal, and this enemy had choked the life out of the city," he said.

Then came Operation Restoring Rights, and now:

Sectarian violence is ending in Tal Afar, McMaster said. Before the operation, Turkmen Sunnis, who comprise 75 percent of the population, were not able to join the police force because of threats to their families. Now, all citizens work together on a police force that has grown from 150 to 1,765, and the people want to reconcile their differences, he said.

"We began to see the Iraqis taking more and more ownership of this reconciliation process, meeting on their own, for example," he said.
U.S. and Iraqi forces are also restoring basic services to Tal Afar, McMaster said. Before the operation, about 60 percent of the people had electricity and 40 percent had water. Now, virtually all the people have both services, he said.
Statistics can prove success to a certain point, McMaster said, but the most convincing proof is what is only visible to troops on the ground.

"The most tangible thing we can see is the people are happy," he said. "Hope is rekindled; children rush to our soldiers; people spontaneously express their gratitude to us and the Iraqi army. There are bonds of trust, mutual respect and common purpose forming between the Iraqi army and the people."

Well done, Colonel, and thanks!

Army Divorce Rates Down

This amazing news is from Defense Link:

Divorce rates among Army officers dropped a whopping 61 percent last year following a 2004 spike that sent shudders through the service. In 2004, 3,325 Army officers divorced, but that number dropped to 1,292 in 2005, Army officials said. Divorces also were down slightly among enlisted members, from 7,152 in 2004 to 7,075 last year.
Army spokesman Martha Rudd said percentages tell the story more clearly, particularly in the officer corps. In 2004, 6 percent of married officers divorced. In 2005, the figure dropped by more than half: 2.3 percent of married officers divorced.

The Army already knew it had a problem, and began efforts to counter increasing divorce, such as:


The Deployment Cycle Support Program, which includes briefings for soldiers on how their absence and return may affect their family relationships and how they can cope with the inevitable changes;

A family support group system that provides both practical and emotional support for spouses of deployed soldiers;

The Military OneSource program, which serves as a clearinghouse to steer soldiers and families to resources to support them;

The Building Strong and Ready Families program, a two-day program that helps couples develop better communication skills, reinforced by a weekend retreat;

The Strong Bonds marriage education program, which focuses specifically on issues that affect Reserve and National Guard couples; and

The P.I.C.K. a Partner program (Premarital Interpersonal Choices and Knowledge), which helps single soldiers make wise decisions when they choose mates.


This effectivley debunks the story hyped in the Old Media as proof of a "broken" Army.

Reserve Cuts Planned

Still looking for cost-cutting measures, the White House is reducing non-essentials out of the Defense Budget:

Under the plan, the authorized troop strength of the Army Reserve would drop from 205,000 — the current number of slots it is allowed — to 188,000, the actual number of soldiers it had at the end of 2005. Because of recruiting and other problems, the Army Reserve has been unable to fill its ranks to its authorized level.
Army leaders have said they are taking a similar approach to shrinking the National Guard. They are proposing to cut that force from its authorized level of 350,000 soldiers to 333,000, the actual number now on the rolls.

And may even cut the JSF. This is understandable since it want enter service until the next decade, having been under development since the early 90's:

One plan would eliminate funding for an alternative engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, the military's next-generation combat plane.
The second would cut money for F-22 fighters during 2007. But it is actually a contract restructuring that would add that money back — and more — over the long run by stretching out the program for an additional two years and buying up to four more planes. The new plan calls for buying 60 aircraft through 2010, rather than 56 in the next two years.

Waffling on Iraq

Yesterday Conservative news site NewsMax seemed to give credence to the as yet unpublished Pentagon report claiming we have a “broken” Army, because of all its numerous missions in the War on Terror. It amazes me how many Americans confuse hard times and trials as “losing”. Here’s what Don Rumsfeld had to say about the allegations:

The force is not broken. The implication in what you said is also, I think, almost backwards in this sense: the world saw the United States military go halfway around the world and in a matter of weeks throw the al Qaeda and Taliban out of Afghanistan, in a landlocked country thousands and thousands of miles away. They saw what the United States military did in Iraq, and the message from that is not that this armed force is broken, but that this armed force is enormously capable.
Second, I would say that it is not only capable of functioning in a very effective way and therefore ought to increase the deterrent rather than weaken it; in addition, it's battle-hardened and it is not a peacetime force that has been in barracks or garrisons.

During the Battle of the Bulge, another military that had been through severe trials was the 101st Airborne Division. Having recently endured the debacle at Arnhem, and also in almost continuous combat since 1942, the troops were sent to the Ardennes for a well deserved rest. Instead they soon found themselves holding the frontline at Bastogne, badly outnumbered and without air cover. When the German generals gave the beleaguered 101st an opportunity to surrender, the supposedly doomed force responded NUTS!!

This should be our response today to those who criticize our brave troops who have sacrificed so much: homes, families, and even their lives to bring real peace to a long-suffering people. Let their sacrifice embolden us at home to see the War on Terror through until the end, and our troops can return victorious and justified.

Nukes for Germany

Proving how out of control nuclear proliferation is becoming, a former German Defense Minister says his country needs nukes to defend against terrorism:

A former defence minister has provoked outrage and broken a major taboo by suggesting that Germany should have its own nuclear arsenal.
Rupert Scholz argued that Berlin needed to embrace the idea of a nuclear deterrent in the light of threats from terrorists and the Middle East.

"We need to ask ourselves how we could react in an appropriate manner to a nuclear threat from a terror state, and if needs be, even by using our own nuclear weapons," he said.
Mr Scholz, 68, who was the defence minister in Helmut Kohl's government in 1988 and 1989, said he doubted whether other nations' guarantees, made during the Cold War, to keep Germany safe in the face of a nuclear threat, could still be trusted.

He has a point, but if everyone has nukes, will the world be safer?

"I am aware that I am addressing a taboo. But in the light of the dangers that weapons of mass destruction could end up in the hands of terrorists, this is a question which deserves serious debate."

Canadians Thank America

After some wounded Canadian soldiers returned home from Afghanistan after being hit by a suicide bomber, this editorial gives credit where credit is due:

It's a damn shame that the United States has been so vilified by many politicians and citizens in this country, because it was the Americans who helped save the lives of our three soldiers, and we don't think that our American friends have gotten the credit they so rightly deserve. In fact, it's almost as if the national news media in this country has gone to great lengths to downplay the important role the U.S. military played in this story.

According to the Canadian Defence Department, after the suicide bomb went off, all the casualties were first transported out by a military ambulance. Soon after, they were picked up by a U.S. Army Blackhawk helicopter, which flew the wounded soldiers to the American military field hospital in Kandahar for immediate medical attention.

After that, our soldiers were taken to an American military hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, a top-notch medical facility that is the largest American hospital not located in the United States. Our soldiers received excellent care there until returning to their home here in Edmonton this week.

Support the Troops!

Michelle Malkin has 25 WAYS TO IGNORE JOEL STEIN AND SUPPORT OUR TROOPS.
Check them out.

WMDs Went to Syria

Like you didn't know this. From the NY Sun:

The man who served as the no. 2 official in Saddam Hussein's air force says Iraq moved weapons of mass destruction into Syria before the war by loading the weapons into civilian aircraft in which the passenger seats were removed.

The Iraqi general, Georges Sada, makes the charges in a new book, "Saddam's Secrets," released this week. He detailed the transfers in an interview yesterday with The New York Sun.
"There are weapons of mass destruction gone out from Iraq to Syria, and they must be found and returned to safe hands," Mr. Sada said. "I am confident they were taken over."

I believe too they are buried somewhere in Iraq, probably poisoning some sherpherd's well even as you read this.

Bring on the Filibuster

Kerry and Kennedy seem to be pandering to the extreme Left Wing of their Party by calling for a filibuster of Sam Alito. Even Dems with a minimum of common sense as Harry Reid and Robert Byrd have ruled it out. This is from Wonkette:

Kerry and Ted Kennedy are now calling for a filibuster — an option that has gathered exactly zero momentum duing the hearings and after. Kerry’s running the effort from Davos, natch.

The dumb Democrats have forgotten how to Bork. To Bork, you have to demonize. Remember, Ted? “Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors…” The conservatives who sank Miers are now on record as agreeing that a nominee’s views are relevant.

Here's what Sen. Byrd had to say about the Alito Hearings (from Political Teen):

The people of West Viriginia in no uncertain terms were, frankly, appalled by the Alito hearings. I don’t want to say it, but I must. They were appalled. In the reams of correspondece that I received during the Alito hearings, West Virginians–the people I represent–West Virignians who wrote to criticize the way in which the hearings were conducted used the same two words. People with no connection to one another. People of different faiths. Different views. Different opinions. [They] independently and respectively used the same two words to describe the hearings. They called them called an outrage and a disgrace.

Dems Need a John Wayne-Updated

So says this from Miami Herald:

Wayne was the quintessential anti-Democrat. Never mind if he was a Republican, which he was. What matters most is that everything he stood for -- from support for the Vietnam War to antipathy to the 1960s' and '70s' counterculture -- was in consonance with GOP positions. More important, though, his iconic man-on-horseback image has been adopted by virtually the entire Republican Party. As a boy, Newt Gingrich tried to walk like Wayne. Now the entire GOP does.

You can scan the length and breadth of the Democratic Party and not find any breadth, and no Wayne figure either. It is certainly not Hillary Clinton or Al Gore or John Kerry or Mark Warner. None of them seem to have what it takes to appeal to white, male voters. But if you should happen to be in room 241 of the Russell Senate Office Building, you'll find Wayne galore: pictures of John McCain in various Arizona settings. He's a two-fer -- a military hero and a Westerner. Democrats, beware.

I don't think its just the Democrats that need a Wayne, but the world. A lot less Jimmy Carter's and more Duke!

Update-Also read The Voice of the Neuter.

Hamas Victory Good News?

I'm not so sure about this, but it's an intriguing idea from National Review:

What victory does to Hamas is to put the movement into an impossible position...

They will have to show their true face now: No more masks, no more veils, no more double-speak. If the cooptation theory — favored by the International Crisis Group and by the former British MI-6 turned talking head, Alistair Crooke — were true, this is the time for Hamas to show what hides behind its veil.

As the government of the Palestinian Authority, now they will have to say whether they accept the roadmap.

They will have to take control over security and decide whether they use it to uphold the roadmap or to wage war.

There will be no excuses or ambiguities when Hamas fires rockets on Israel and launches suicide attacks against civilian targets.

Keep reading.

Riverene Force Training for Iraq

The Navy's new Brown Water fleet is readying for it's debut in Iraq next year. From Military.com:

The Navy this month officially stood up its new Navy Expeditionary Combat Command, which will be responsible for fielding a riverine force and getting it ready for a deployment to Iraq by early 2007.
The Marine Corps currently has a riverine force protecting a dam in Iraq, but the service is eliminating its river component as part of a force structure reorganization. The Navy's new river force will take over the Iraq dam protection mission from the Marine Corps starting in March 2007, said Rear Adm. John Bowling, deputy director of the expeditionary warfare division.

Krepinevich Called for Cuts_Updated

Andrew Krepinevich, author of a recent Pentagon report saying our military is in "catastrophic decline" once advocated cuts in troops. In a 2001 report entitled "A Strategy for a Long Peace", he wrote:

...the Army reforms around an eight-division active force. The National Guard is reduced by four divisions, but retains its entire force of Enhanced Separate Brigades (ESBs). The Navy and Marine Corps go from twelve carriers and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs), respectively, to ten, while the Corps also is reduced by one Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB). The Air Force sacrifices some force structure as well, moving from twenty tactical fighter wing equivalents to seventeen, within its new Aerospace Expeditionary Force (AEF) structure.

Some will argue that a smaller force structure means taking on some near-term risk, and they are right. But pursuing the strategy outlined above would incur only a slight increase in this risk.

Sounds to me like he's a Rumsfeld clone!!

Update: This isn't the first time Krepinevich spoke of a broken Army. As Frederick Kagan writes on 12-19-05:

Perhaps the most serious argument made by those who advocate reductions in the American presence in Iraq is that the U.S. Army is in danger of breaking. General Barry McCaffrey recently warned that the "wheels are coming off" the Army. Andrew Krepinevich accepted this assumption as one of the key bases for his argument that the United States should simultaneously reduce its forces in Iraq and adopt an "oil-spot" strategy of focusing on the security of a small number of key locations and spreading that control gradually over the country.

Rumors of Broken Military Greatly Exaggerated

Yesterday Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld debunked Democrat's recent attacks, backed by a Pentagon report, on military readiness: On the question of a "broken" Army: The force is not broken. The implication in what you said is also, I think, almost backwards in this sense: the world saw the United States military go halfway around the world and in a matter of weeks throw the al Qaeda and Taliban out of Afghanistan, in a landlocked country thousands and thousands of miles away. They saw what the United States military did in Iraq, and the message from that is not that this armed force is broken, but that this armed force is enormously capable. Second, I would say that it is not only capable of functioning in a very effective way and therefore ought to increase the deterrent rather than weaken it; in addition, it's battle-hardened and it is not a peacetime force that has been in barracks or garrisons. On the Pentagon report by Andrew Krepinevich of a "stretched" military: We have over, you know, 1.4 million active, over 2 million total, counting the Guard and Reserve. And we've got 138,000 people in Iraq... The changes that are taking place in the Army are revolutionary. They're going to -- I mean, you just don't go from 33 combat brigades to 42 -- whatever the number is we're heading towards -- and not increase your warfighting capability. On the number of navy ships needed: And a naval ship today, in terms of lethality -- first of all, the deployable days are not any different today with a Navy of just under 300 ships than they were when the Navy was 4(00) or 500 because we've increased their deployable days. And the lethality of those ships has gone up many fold. And my favorite quote: We used to talk about number of aircraft -- number of sorties per target. Today, we're talking about number of targets per sortie, and the precision weapons make an enormous difference. And finally on the Dems report led by former Defense Secretary Perry: I haven't read the report. I'll have to do that. Yeah, I mean, these are the people, basically -- who did that report -- who were here in the '90s. And what we're doing is trying to adjust what was left us to fit the 21st century. http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/2006/tr20060125-12368.html

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It's Not About Bush

Democrats and their allies in the Left-wing press has been very successful in turning the focus of the War on Terror from the mass murders of September 11, to alleged abuses by the Bush administration. Despite the menace of our nation being under siege by terrorists who want their twisted ideology imposed on the world, Democrats engage in conspiracy theories such as blaming the President for torturing terrorist suspects, lying to get us into war, and attempting to impose a dictatorship on the country.

Engaging in smear tactics, Democrats and their supporters have used greatly exaggerated and false terms to describe George Bush. Names such as Hitler, Stalin, and most recently George III, the last American dictator, has been used as attempts to distract Americans from the war effort. All this against a chief executive who’s support for freedom around the world, from Afghanistan and Iraq, to Ukraine and Palestine, has more in common with a Lincoln or Roosevelt than with a tyrant.

Meanwhile our enemies use the Democrat’s own words against us. Echoing top liberal leaders, from Howard Dean to Jack Murtha, Osama Bin laden recently referred to polls which say America wants a pullout from Iraq.

In spite of this naïve aiding of the terrorists by attacking the President, Bush is still maintaining his agenda for victory. All the scandals instigated by the Left, from the President’s National Guard service, WMDs in Iraq, and surveillance of terror suspects, America is still in Iraq and top Al Qaeda leaders are dead, in custody, or on the run.

Rebuilding Canada's Military

Wow. One scandal and Liberals are out of power in Canada. If this happened in America we'd be changing governments every week. Austin Bay says this is an opportunity to restore a once great military and ally:

I have yet to meet or serve with a Canadian soldier who failed to impress me with his professionalism and discipline. In my experience -- in terms of individual, quality personnel -- only Australian troops match Canadians on a one-for-one basis.
Two years ago I had the privilege of serving with Australian troops in Iraq. The Aussies are crack. In the mid-1970s I had the privilege of working with the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in then-West Germany.
I saw 4th CMBG in three different major exercises, including REFORGER 76. In my opinion, the Canadian brigade was the best brigade in NATO, which probably meant at that moment in time it was the best brigade man for man in the world...

However, as the Canadian military declined, the Canadian "We Aren't America" game -- particularly under Paul Martin's Liberals -- degenerated into rank, adolescent anti-Americanism. Is there a connection between increasingly strident, appeasement-laden rhetoric and the loss of military capability? I think the answer is yes.
Canada's Conservatives have managed a narrow victory and now confront the challenges of a coalition government. Let's hope the first consensus Canadians reach is to restore and revive the Canadian military.

Interesting that the enemies of the Iraq War are slowly being voted out of office. All thats's left is Chirac the Dinosaur and Putin the Dictator.

A Super-Fast Submarine

I always knew something was gonna come along to replace the modern submarine, something like the UUVs now being deployed. This may be the answer from UPI:

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is looking for a really fast, really small submarine.
It's also seeking a major breakthrough in physics: making supercavitation actually work on a large scale.
Supercavitation refers to a process of displacing water around a submerged vessel so that it travels in a gaseous or vaporous cavity. Theoretically, that can be done either by propelling a blunt-nosed vessel at a very high speed -- its nose forces the water out of the way -- or by injecting gas into a partially developed cavity, according to DARPA.

DARPA envisions an eight-foot diameter craft that would carry a small unit -- presumably Navy SEALS -- or high-value cargo quickly through coastal waters.

China #1 Enemy

Defense Tech is reporting this through some leaks in the upcoming QDR master plan:

...there are two factions jockeying for control in the Pentagon. One thinks that the U.S. military is going to spend a big chunk of the next twenty years hunting down terrorists and stabilizing screwed-up states. The other believes that China has to be smacked down, before it bulks up to superpower status.

The United States' experience in the Cold War still profoundly influences the way that the Department of Defense is organized and executes its mission,” the QDR notes. “But, the Cold War was a struggle between nation-states, requiring state-based responses to most political problems and kinetic responses to most military problems. The Department was optimized for conventional, large-scale warfighting against the regular, uniformed armed forces of hostile states… [Today] many of the United Slates' principal adversaries are informal networks that are less vulnerable to Cold War-Style approaches... Defeating unconventional enemies requires unconventional approaches.”

I agree with the latter, but after every war, the military reverts to form and forgets its hard won lessons. It's a sad state, especially with the defense budget already stretched until it hurts.

Operation Iraqi Children

More stories on how our troops are supporting freedom in Iraq. From Michael Yon:

Soldiers love to visit Iraqi schools. The teachers are welcoming, and the kids are always excited. The children burst into smiles and waves, but seem to be almost nailed to their seats: they do not get up without the teachers’ permission.

The soldiers often arrive just to say hello, but at other times they unload trucks full of supplies: pencils, paper, and books. I visited a school far out in the boondocks near the Iranian border, where the villagers told me no Americans had ever been. In one of the classrooms, children were studying to identify mines and bombs, so they would not get blown up.

Where are the Savings?

Precision guided munitions than can destroy targets in any weather, day or night, and stealth bombers than can pierce the most heavily defended airspace invisible to radar, has transformed America from a superpower into a hyper-mega superpower. With conventional weapons so much more effective in modern war, one has to wonder why the defense budget is approaching Cold War highs instead of decreasing.

With so much money available the US Navy continues to decrease steadily, the Air Force flies worn out aircraft built in the 70’s and 80’s, and the Army never seems to have enough troops. Part of the problem is the military hanging on to and purchasing weaponry that it doesn’t really need.

To replace its Cold War legacy fighters, the Air Force says it needs 1500 of the new Joint Strike Fighter, not due until the next decade, the same number of F-16s it ordered in the 1970’s. The Navy claims it requires 12 aircraft carriers, the number of flattops it possessed in 1980. The Army wants to build a $140 billion Future Combat System that is twice the price of a planned replacement for the Abrams and Bradley tanks before the Soviet Union fell.

With unmanned aerial vehicles, smart bombs, and cruise missiles so effective and in widespread use, a better number of new fighters for all the services to share would be 500. Likewise the carrier fleet could be reduced to half its present size to ensure at least 1 or 2 forward deployed at all times. Finally the Army could replace its stock of armored vehicles with off-the-shelf vehicles such as the highly successful Stryker, with the savings going to more ground troops.

Special Forces Will Increase

This is under the planned QDR next month. From the Washington Post: The increase would bring the ranks of Special Operations Forces -- which include covert Delta Force operatives, Rangers, Navy SEALs and Army Special Forces -- to their highest levels since the Vietnam War while adding billions to the budget of the 52,000-strong U.S. Special Operations Command, based in Tampa, over the next five years, said the officials and analysts, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the final document has not been released. One of the largest gains would be in Army Special Forces, or Green Berets, soldiers trained in languages and navigating foreign cultures who work with indigenous forces and operate in 12-man "A-teams." Special Forces would expand by one-third -- from 15 to 20 active-duty battalions -- creating about 90 more A-teams to deploy to regions considered vulnerable to terrorist or extremist influences, the officials and analysts said. Currently, the bulk of Special Forces teams are rotating into Iraq and Afghanistan. This is long overdue as we transistion from a Cold War military to one geared for irregular warfare. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/23/AR2006012301852_pf.html

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Actor Visits the "Big E"

One of my favorites (Show me the money!!!) Cuba Gooding paid a visit the the carrier USS Enterprise recently: Actor Cuba Gooding Jr. took time out of his busy schedule Jan. 17 to visit USS Enterprise (CVN 65) and show his appreciation to Sailors and acknowledge their hard work. The actor, who starred in the films �Jerry Maguire� and �Men of Honor,� toured the ship and signed autographs for Sailors and their families. �It was exhilarating,� said Gooding. �It just makes you emotional to think about the sacrifice Sailors have given for my freedom. I promised myself a long time ago that I would never take that for granted.� Gooding was quick to thank the Sailors serving on board Big E for all they do. �I want to say thank you for everything and know that all of your sacrifices, the fact that you stay away from your families for long periods of time, are not lost on me,� Gooding said. �I�m an actor who gets to express his art with freedom of speech, and the fact that you guys protect that brings a tear to my eye.� http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=21995

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Laser Gunship Program

Picture a C-130 Spectre gunship used so effectively from Vietnam to the Gulf Wars, but with a laser in place of its cannons. Cool! Boeing Missile Defense Systems (MDS) has taken delivery of the aircraft for the Advanced Tactical Laser (ATL) program, achieving the first of several key milestones in the laser gunship effort. The C-130H transport, which belongs to the U.S. Air Force's 46th Test Wing, was handed over to Boeing on Jan. 18 in Crestview, Fla., near Eglin Air Force Base. Boeing is modifying the aircraft to enable it to carry a high-energy chemical laser and battle management and beam control subsystems. Boeing will begin flight testing the aircraft this summer with all subsystems on board except the high-energy laser. A low-power surrogate laser will stand in for the kilowatt-class, high-energy laser... "ATL will do for air-to-ground combat what ABL will do for missile defense: revolutionize the battlefield," said Pat Shanahan, Boeing Missile Defense Systems vice president and general manager. Lets hope it works better than Boeing's other Airborne Laser Program. http://www.spacewar.com/reports/Boeing_Receives_Aircraft_For_Laser_Gunship_Program.html

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How Many Carriers?

Recently the US Navy planned to retire one of the last of its oil-fired aircraft carriers, USS John F. Kennedy, to cut costs and utilize its 5000 plus crew elsewhere in the War on Terror. The plan was struck down by Congress, as well as Florida lobbyists reluctant to lose jobs a full Carrier Strike Group brings to the local economy. National Security and the usefulness of a 40 year old fossil-fueled warship had little to do with the decision. The widespread use of new precision weapons since the 1991 Gulf War has convinced military strategist that the firepower of naval aircraft has increased dramatically. It took a prewar bomber 300 sorties using unguided dumb bombs to destroy a given target. Today�s PGM armed aircraft regularly perform one bomb, one-hit strikes. So, if one navy fighter bomber can take the place of 300 old style planes, why do we still need 12 aircraft carriers which absorb massive resources that could be better used elsewhere? The answer is that Congress and the American public is loath to give up jobs, naval bases, and revenue the giant warships bring to the economy. This is in spite of the massive burden on the defense budget and the taxpayer, as well as their lessening importance in 21st Century irregular warfare. A fleet of 6 to 8 carriers should be sufficient and ensure that 1 or 2 are forward deployed for any emergency. Add to this the 120 plus cruise missile firing ships and submarines the navy possesses which also duplicates the navy�s deep strike mission.

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Divisions in the Terror Ranks

This article reports on the continued infighting among Iraqi insurgents and their Al Qaeda allies: Iraqi nationalist rebels in the Sunni Arab city of Ramadi have turned against their former al Qaeda allies after a bomb attack this month killed 80 people, sparking tit-for-tat assassinations... Nationalist militants -- some followers of Saddam Hussein's secular Baath party, others loyal to tribal chiefs -- have voiced increasing frustration with the tactics of al Qaeda in Iraq; keen for a say in parliament, they warned al Qaeda not to attack Sunni Arabs going to vote in the December 15 election. The international Islamists' suicide bombings, especially those targeting civilians, have been counterproductive, some other insurgent spokesmen have said in recent months. Though influenced by foreign leaders, most al Qaeda fighters are Iraqi. The beginning of the end of terror in Iraq. The bombers fail again. http://today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=worldNews&storyID=uri:2006-01-23T175955Z_01_MAC342862_RTRUKOC_0_US-IRAQ-QAEDA.xml&pageNumber=1&summit=

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But at What Cost?

Here are photos of a pirate vessel caught by the USS Winston Churchill off Somalia this weekend: On Saturday the guided missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill stopped a dhow about 54 miles off the coast of Somalia after a ship reported it had come under attack by pirates. Sailors then found a weapons cache aboard the dhow. If these are the type of adversaries we are facing, it makes you question the need of such super-destroyers like the $1 billion Churchill, or the even bigger $3 billion DDX destroyer. http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=34515

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What's Wrong With Our Ships?

“There’s something wrong with our bloody ships today!” This was an observation by British Admiral David Beatty as he watched his thin-skinned battle-cruisers being mauled at the Battle of Jutland in 1916. A similar description could be made at the cost of current US warships. Since the demise of the Soviet Navy in the early 1990’s, the price of new ships has increased so dramatically as to be unaffordable in the required numbers. As a result the US Fleet has declined to less than half its Cold War high in the 1980’s of 600.

This is a phenomena occurring in the price of all types of American warships. In the 90’s the US Navy planned to replace all its carriers, destroyers, and submarines with less costly versions designed for littoral, or coastal operations. So what is the military buying today to replace our Cold War, blue water fleet? The CVN-21 aircraft carrier which is 3 times the Nimitz class, the DDX destroyer also 3 times the older Burke class, and the supposedly smaller and slower Virginia attack subs costing as much as the bigger and faster Seawolf class it is replacing.

As new and fast catamarans, robot planes, and foot soldiers fight the War on Terror, the carriers, destroyers, nuclear attack subs are waiting for the great war at sea that may never come. Meanwhile fewer and fewer are being bought with precious funds that could be put to better use fighting an enemy without set armies, navies, and air forces.

QDR: What to Expect

This article gives a hint of what we can expect from the Quadrennial Defense Review next month, with no surprises:

Defense trade publications and military analysts suggest the new strategy will:

-- Give the four-star generals and admirals who oversee combat operations, such as the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Fla., more influence over weapons budgets;

-- Bolster “irregular” forces, including the Special Operations Command, also headquartered in Tampa, to fight terrorists;

-- Increase investment in intelligence agencies;

-- Trim personnel to pay for weapons, aircraft and warships currently under development.

What? No major cuts in Cold War legacy weapons to build a truly transformational force? I'm shocked!

Who Are the Bad Guys?

This neat story from Navy News is about two former enemies, the US Marines and the Japanese Army training together for the first time:

For the first time soldiers from Japan’s Ground Self Defense Force (JGSDF) were instructed in amphibious landings by Marines from Expeditionary Warfare Training Group, Pacific (EWTGP) at Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, Jan. 12.One hundred twenty-five Japanese soldiers, varying in skill and age, were trained on amphibious operations in an exercise called “Iron Fist.”The Soldiers were taught the basics of driving and navigating small craft and water survival. Officers were instructed on how to organize an assault. A typical training day begins with a 4,300-yard run and a six mile swim.

“The Japanese Army are a very professional, strong and tough light infantry unit,” said Lt. Col. Pete Owens, director of Marine Corps training, EWTGP. “They are a good group of guys to work with.”

In answer to my question: neither!

Swedish Navy's "Aggressor" Sub

The navy continues to explore ASW with a Swedish d/e sub, HMS Gotland. From Navy Compass:

The Swedish submarine HMS Gotland participated in a Joint Task Force Exercise (JTFEX) Dec. 6-16 with Commander, U.S. 3rd Fleet and the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) Carrier Strike Group, off the coast of Southern California.According to Swedish Liaison Officer Lt. Cmdr. Peter Ostbring, Gotland and her crew played a number of roles during the joint exercise, which mutually benefited the U.S. and Swedish navies by enhancing overall anti-submarine warfare (ASW) proficiencies and further strengthening the relationship between the two countries."Initially, [Gotland] was acting as an opposing force, and in the middle of the exercise, she acted as a green (friendly force) submarine, like a third country in a coalition doing intelligence and reconnaissance missions for the strike group," he said. "Later, she returned to being an opposing force."

Over the next several months, Gotland will continue training with the U.S. fleet, focusing on integrated ASW exercises that enable all components of the Navy's ASW forces - air, surface and subsurface - to test and assess their tactics, doctrine and ASW education. Likewise, Gotland will continue to gain training experience and enhance interoperability while participating in exercises with U.S. forces. Working together, the United States and Sweden are fostering multinational interoperability to combat security threats.

Molding Iraq's future

The Kovak Primary School in the Dahuk District was built by the US Army Corps of Engineers. From CentCom:

This 12-classroom school was newly constructed from the ground up. A year in the making, it is now complete and ready to house 36 teachers and about 825 students.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had contract over watch of this project.
“The Dohuk Resident Office has managed several different types of projects throughout Northern Iraq, but the school construction and renovations are special... they make you smile. I’ve never seen children so excited to go to school,” said Derek Walker, project engineer.
“You can see the future of not just the country, but perhaps the world, in the happiness of the faces of these children who long to enter them. I can honestly say I know we’ve made a difference in their lives,” he said.

Nuts!

To Bin Laden's offer for a truce in the War on Terror. So says the NY Sun:

It would be nice to think that this would present an opportunity for the antiwar crowd to reconsider its approach. For it is clear that Al Qaeda has underestimated not only the president but also the American people. Far from bin Laden's boasts that his holy warriors are succeeding, his offer of truce is an act of desperation. After all the terror Al Qaeda has sought to inflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has been unable to prevent successive and successful elections and the writing of constitutions. When the Nazis offered McAuliffe an honorable surrender at Bastogne, America had been at war a long time and everyone was tired. The end of the Third Reich was still six months away. McAuliffe knew what to say. Today there is near Bastogne a "Nuts" museum to honor his spirit. Too bad Mr. Bin Laden didn't stop by and learn something.

So say we all!!

Keel Laying for New Warship

Littoral Combat Ship Yesterday, the builder of the Navy's new Littoral Combat Ship held a traditional keel laying ceremony: Addressing the audience on behalf of the US Government, Senator Jeff Sessions commented, Today marks an important milestone as the U.S. Navy embarks on the construction of a new vessel that will carry it to the littorals worldwide. The General Dynamics - Austal partnership returns to Alabama the finest elements of advanced shipbuilding, and I am immensely pleased that we in Alabama are part of this new endeavor. LCS 2, due for delivery in late 2007, has a flight deck larger than any other surface combatant that will support near-simultaneous operation of two large MH-60R/S helicopters or multiple unmanned vehicles. LCS 2 will also provide one of the largest useable payload volumes of any U.S. Navy surface combatant and deliver greater payload per displacement ton than any ship of comparable displacement.

Gore: Constitution Protects Terrorists

The observation is my own, but this story is by Oliver North:

These strange statements might have topped the week were it not for former Vice President Al Gore, who used a speech in Washington to declare that President Bush has placed "our Constitution … at risk," by directing the National Security Agency (NSA) to monitor communications between suspected terrorist operatives in the United States and individuals overseas.

...The former vice president, apparently forgetting the record of his own running-mate, added that, "A president who breaks the law is a threat to the very structure of our government." And just to make sure that everyone got the point, he claimed that, "The disrespect embodied in these apparent mass violations of the law is part of a larger pattern of seeming indifference to the Constitution."

And Gore should know about violations in the White House, or does he?

Gore's vainglorious fabrications only emphasize his hypocrisy. He is, after all, the person who said of the scandal-tainted administration in which he served: "I think the ethical standards established in this White House have been the highest in the history of the White House."

North contends, and I agree, that this pattern of hate speech eminating from the Left is dangerous:

But the most recent assault on the commander in chief, like those of many other members of his party in recent months, place us at risk in the midst of a war. As such, they are far more serious than the spiteful, mean-spirited racial taunts of Clinton or Nagin. Though all three politicians' rants were undoubtedly uttered for partisan purposes -- the former vice president's accusations of criminal behavior against Bush threaten serious damage. It's a pattern of speech that is becoming increasingly prevalent in the Democrat party, potentially destructive to the morale of our Armed Forces and inherently dangerous for the American people.

Best Quote

At yesterday's White House Press Briefing Scott McClellan said:

"We do not negotiate with terrorists. We put them out of business."

Bin Laden Tape Helps Bush

Every time Osama Bin Laden speaks, I breathe a sigh of relief. Not that I’m glad he’s alive, by any means, but every time he opens his mouth, he helps our side of the war effort. With Democrats and ant-American pundits trying to make the war “all about Bush”, Osama is proof positive of the grave terrorist threat against our country.

During WW 2 German Dictator Adolph Hitler often helped rather than hindered the Allies. On two occasions for example, he deliberately withheld his tanks from the beaches when they could have made a difference, first during the retreat at Dunkirk in 1940, and later during the Normandy Invasion of 1944.

The world’s most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden has again aided America’s war effort by the release of this latest audio tape. In the midst of debate whether we need the Patriot Act, wiretaps without warrants, or should we be in Iraq, this latest rant from the terrorist murderer should settle the issues.

The still dire threat posed by America’s enemies proves President Bush’s policies are justified. Bin Laden’s call for a truce is proof positive we are winning the War on terror. Most American’s believe the Patriot Act is working because we haven’t been attacked in over 4 years. A recent Fox poll shows the public firmly behind eavesdropping on terrorist suspects in our country, with a majority calling those who leaked the story to the press “traitors”.

Finally a majority considers the war effort in Iraq as a noble one, since its better the fight the terrorists over there than having them attack us here at home.

SSGN Update

The Navy is readying its new cruise missile firing submarines for the War on Terror. This is from Defense Industry Daily: USS Ohio began conversion in November 2002, and will rejoin the fleet in November 2005. Coversion was declared complete on January 9, 2006, and the actual in-service date is more likely to be January-February 2006. Naval Technology also noted that: USS Florida began the SSGN conversion in July 2003 and it is expected to rejoin the fleet in April 2006. USS Michigan's conversion is underway, and as the contract notes December 2006 will mark the expected end of construction and beginning of renewed sea trials. USS Georgia is now beginning that conversion as well, and as the contract notes September 2007 will mark the expected end of construction and beginning of renewed sea trials.

Analysts Criticize Navy Plan

Calling the Navy's future expansion plans unworkable, the critics take aim: At the Surface Navy Association's annual conference last week in Arlington, VA, Labs said the new 313-ship plan �raises questions about whether it is affordable, and thus whether it is executable.� During a panel discussion Jan. 12, Inside the Navy asked a group of officials -- including Vice Adm. Paul E. Sullivan, head of Naval Sea Systems Command, and Rear Adm. Charles Hamilton, program executive officer for ships -- whether it is realistic to assume the shipbuilding budget will rise to roughly $15 billion annually in the coming years. �I would say yes, I think it was very realistic,� replied another member of the panel, Capt. Rob Taylor, deputy of surface ships on the Navy staff. But new Navy Chief Admiral Mike Mullen claimed his paln is on track: In his speech Jan. 10, Mullen said he would not let the fleet shrink below 281 ships. He did not discuss the shipbuilding plan in detail. But he stressed the importance of fencing funds for shipbuilding in the Navy's internal budget process... Mullen noted the cost of the first DD(X) was recently reduced by $300 million. This was done in concert with a Defense Acquisition Board review of the program late last year, Hamilton told ITN . I also say it could work, just leave out the big ships and keep building those new and inexpensive Littoral Combat Ships. Fat chance I know! http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,85654,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl

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France Would Go Nuclear

In response to a terrorist attack, so says Jacques Chirac: In a speech defending France's costly nuclear deterrent and toughening policy against terrorism, President Jacques Chirac said Paris must be able to hit back hard at a hostile state's centers of power and its "capacity to act." "The leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, as well as those who would consider using in one way or another weapons of mass destruction, must understand that they would lay themselves open to a firm and adapted response on our part," Chirac said during a visit to northwestern France, where France's nuclear submarines are based. "This response could be a conventional one. It could also be of a different kind." Looks like the French are bowing to reality, after Muslin riots in their country last year. Friend of America or not, terrorism affects us all. http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=10902468&src=rss/worldNews

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Bin Laden Echoes Democrats for Iraq Withdrawal

In a recent tape from most wanted terrorist Osama Bin Laden he ominously mimicks Democrat calls for withdrawal and retreat from Iraq: "Your President is misinterpreting public opinion polls which show that the vast majority of you support the withdrawal of your forces from Iraq," bin Laden said. "He (Bush) disagreed with this desire and said the withdrawal of troops will give the wrong message to the enemy and that it is better to fight them on their ground than on our ground." "Reality shows that the war against the U.S. and its allies is not just restricted to Iraq as he claims, but Iraq has become a gravitational point and a recruiting ground for qualified (mujahideen)," he added. The later statement can be likened to those on the left, such as Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, and Jack Murtha, who claim the invasion of Iraq has emboldened the terrorists. Bin Laden also is warning of new attacks on America, as well as calling for a truce, which US officials will likely reject.

You Can't Make This Up

As concerned as I am about money scandals buffeting the Republican Party, it seems to pale in comparison to the complete decline in intelligence among the Democrats. With Ted Kennedy’s hypocritical lecturing of Samuel Alito, to Al Gore’s maniacal criticism of President Bush’s war effort ( mainly continuing policies begun under Clinton & Gore), we now get this statement from New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin:

"As we think about rebuilding New Orleans, surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it’s destroyed and put stress on this country. Surely he’s not approval (sic) of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also."

His apology is worse than the first comment:

"Do you know anything chocolate? How do you make chocolate? You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That’s the chocolate I’m talking about."

Huh? Then there is Hillary Clinton, who is all things to all people. First she is on the Left, then Center, then Right. She is white and then she is black. But mostly she’s nuts:

"When you look at the way the House of Representatives has been run — it has been run like a plantation, and you know what I'm talking about,"

Right, Hillary, and how was it run when the Dems were in power? Accuse anyone of racism and you get a new tax bill passed. Actually, the socialism advocated by liberals is itself a form of slavery, in that once you get in welfare its nie impossible to get out. And the new government "masters" will care for you from womb to the tomb.

So there you have it folks, a great choice for the next elections. On the one hand you have the free-spending, money hungry Republicans, who at least are united behind the President in defending us against the greatest threat to our freedom, Al Qaeda terrorism and Taliban style fascism. Then there are the Democrats divided, undecided, and demented.

Give me the free-spenders for now, as I pray for something better to come along.

Navy Couldn't Fight Another Falklands

This according to Britain's retiring First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West:

Sir Alan, who retires as First Sea Lord next month, warned that the Royal Navy's fleet of 25 destroyers and frigates is too small to carry out the tasks now demanded by the Government, with six warships being sold or scrapped to save money.
The Navy, he said, would be unable today to fight a war such as the Falklands "without some sort of solid enhancement to the surface fleet". The Admiral declared: "Maybe I'm just a silly old bastard but I've got 41 years experience of these things and I can tell you we need 30 destroyers and frigates for what the Government wants us to do".

Like America, Britain is discarding many still useful warships to pay for new big ticket items:

Britain is building two super carriers to replace its present three aircraft carriers -- HMS Invincible which fought in the Falklands War and her sister ships, HMS Illustrious and HMS Ark Royal. The new carriers will be much longer and three times heavier than the Invincible-type trio, which operate short take-off and vertical landing Harriers, which proved so effective in 1982, and helicopters.

But the new carriers will not come into service at the earliest until 2012 and 2015, several years after the Harriers will have been phased out. Defence experts have criticised this gap, without dedicated air defence Sea Harriers, as leaving Royal Navy ships unprotected against missiles such as air-launched Exocets which proved so deadly in sinking British ships in the Falklands War.

It seems that both Navy's always build what they don't need, then during wartime try desperately to compensate at the cost of lives and ships. Need I say, remember Pearl Harbor?

The Menace of "Aerial Bombs"

A new weapon in the terrorist arsenal that has the Pentagon concerned:

American helicopters in Iraq are facing a new threat from so-called aerial bombs, which are fired into the air from the ground and explode close to passing aircraft.
The new home-made weapons, known to the Americans as "aerial improvised explosive devices" have been used on numerous occasions.

...The aerial devices are placed along known flight paths and are triggered when insurgents see a low-flying helicopter approaching.
They are then fired to a height of about 50ft before a proximity fuse detonates the explosive, filling the air with thousands of metal shards.
Based on old anti-aircraft or artillery shells, the bombs would have a devastating effect if detonated close to a thin-skinned helicopter.

Here's DefenseTech on the story.

Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Liberals seem to make wild accusations against their enemies and then publicize them as if they were true. Take for instance, the disclosure that the White House is using wiretaps against Americans who are suspected of having ties to terrorists. Max Boot, a columnist for the LA Times says the Left have made some claims against Bush that haven't panned out:

I CAN CERTAINLY understand the uproar over President Bush's flagrant abuses of civil liberties. This is America. What right does that fascist in the White House have to imprison Michael Moore, wiretap Nancy Pelosi and blackmail Howard Dean?Wait. You mean he hasn't done those things? All he's done is intercept communications between terrorists abroad and their contacts in the U.S. without a court order?

Civil libertarians thought they were in luck when a college student in Massachusetts claimed that two FBI agents had shown up to interview him after he had requested a copy of Mao Tse-tung's Little Red Book. Ted Kennedy cited this incident to warn of the Patriot Act's "chilling effect on free speech and academic freedom." Relax, Senator. Free speech is safe. The student lied.

The anti-Bush brigade hasn't had any luck in turning up actual instances of abuse, despite no end of effort. The ACLU compiled a list of supposed victims of the Patriot Act. After examining each case, however, Sen. Dianne Feinstein — no friend of the administration — said "it does not appear that these charges rose to the level of 'abuse.' "

Pakistan Strike a Success

Powerline details how at least 4 or 5 terrorists were taken out in the so called "botched" CIA air strike :

The Predator strike has been widely denounced as a "botched" attempt to kill Zawahiri. It appears, on the contrary, that it was a well-executed strike that would have succeeded if Zawahiri had shown up for dinner. In addition to killing a number of aides who were evidently close to Zawahiri, the attack, which was apparently based on human intelligence, should have good effects. It presumably will arouse suspicion and confusion in al Qaeda over the identity of the informant and the depth of our penetration of the organization or its allies, and it will remind villagers in the region of the dangers involved in aiding the terrorists.

Murdoc asks the question, what is the answer when terrorists hide themselves behind innocents:

These aren't easy questions to answer. And, despite what my critics are probably going to say in the comments section, I'm not advocating the targeting of women and children. But as long as we're targeting terrorists, women and children are going to keep paying the price. It isn't a secret. And we shouldn't pretend that such terrible occurrences necessarily invalidate the strategy of killing the enemy.

UAVs in Charge

Boeing X-45 UCAV Strategypage details the increasing dominance of unmanned aerial vehicles in future Air Force plans: The U.S. Department of Defense has decided to make the next generation heavy bomber an unmanned aircraft. The Department of Defense also wants the new aircraft in service by the end of the next decade, some twenty years ahead of schedule. At the same time, the current combat UAV program (J-UCAS, run by the air force and navy) is to be changed as well. The current X45 project will be split up, with the air force and navy allowed to develop a shorter range combat aircraft to suit their particular needs. These will be bombers, with some air-to-air capabilities. http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htairfo/articles/20060117.aspx

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Options on Iran

This is from the Times Online, abridged by me: Censure by the Council Pros: Well worth doing, say British diplomats. They point to the effect that UN condemnation of Syria�s role in Lebanon has had on Damascus. Cons: May look feeble. Ban on uranium enrichment by Iran Pros: Plugs the gap in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which Iran has adroitly exploited, allowing it legally to develop nuclear power. Cons: Iran would probably say this contradicts its rights under the NPT, and ignore it. �Cultural sanctions� Ban on travel by Iranian diplomats, and on taking part in sports competitions. Pros: Costless, yet minded acutely by ordinary Iranians. Cons: Effects unpredictable. Could turn Iranians against the UN, not their regime. Energy equipment sanctions Ban on sale of oil and gas technology to Iran. Pros: Hits Iran where it hurts most � its ability to make the most of the boom in energy prices. Cons: Very hard to secure within the Security Council.. Russia above all, which has struck many energy deals with Iran, might feel committed to keeping supplying the kit. Wider economic sanctions These would include a ban on trade with Iran in many goods and services. But it would certainly not include a ban on food or medicines. Pros: A powerful expression of disapproval. Could incite overthrow of the regime. Cons: Often has the opposite effect � witness the dislike of the UN in Iraq after years of sanctions. It may also be very hard to get Security Council support. Military strikes Against Iran�s nuclear sites. Pros: Sets back Iran years in developing nuclear weapons. Cons: Turns Iranians against the West and bolsters the regime. Many sites may be hidden. If strikes are by Israel, counterattacks by Hezbollah in northern Israel are likely. Notice they didn't include my option, of a naval blockade: Pros: Puts pressure on those who can influence Iran, namely China and Russia. Cons: Could lead to war with those countries. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/printFriendly/0,,1-23-1988723-23,00.html

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Sniper Makes "Impossible" Shot

I suppose this is some kinda record:

Gazing through the telescopic sight of his M24 rifle, Staff Sgt Jim Gilliland, leader of Shadow sniper team, fixed his eye on the Iraqi insurgent who had just killed an American soldier.
His quarry stood nonchalantly in the fourth-floor bay window of a hospital in battle-torn Ramadi, still clasping a long-barrelled Kalashnikov. Instinctively allowing for wind speed and bullet drop, Shadow's commander aimed 12 feet high.

A single shot hit the Iraqi in the chest and killed him instantly. It had been fired from a range of 1,250 metres, well beyond the capacity of the powerful Leupold sight, accurate to 1,000 metres.
"I believe it is the longest confirmed kill in Iraq with a 7.62mm rifle," said Staff Sgt Gilliland, 28, who hunted squirrels in Double Springs, Alabama from the age of five before progressing to deer - and then people.

Blockading Iran

The Bernoulli Effect echoes our call for a John Kennedy style quarantine of Iran:

This sounds pretty promising: As powerful and adaptive as our land forces have proven to be in Iraq, they are still fighting an enemy who has at least some native advantages. On the sea, US power is absolute: it would be pretty difficult for an couple of guys to sneak an IED up next to a destroyer. A blockade is inherently passive; there is little chance for collateral civilian deaths. And the suspension of Iran's oil exports would be a powerful cudgel to the heads of our recalcitrant European and Asian "allies".

Strategypage tells us what we could expect from Iran's Navy.

Iraq's Civil War

Liberals shouldn't get their hopes up. This battle is between Iraq's anti-American insurgents, and their terrorist masters Al Qaeda:

Battles have erupted between local insurgents and al-Qaeda's mainly foreign fighters in several Iraqi towns in the clearest evidence yet of bitter divisions among anti-American forces in Iraq.
Local armed factions and tribal groups have sought to expel al-Qaeda from parts of the rebellious Sunni heartlands, as Iraqis have become increasingly disillusioned with the foreigners' extreme Islamic fundamentalism, murderous tactics and disregard for civilian casualties.

According to one of the accounts gathered by The New York Times, a violent battle erupted in the town of Taji, north of Baghdad, between an al-Qaeda group and the Islamic Army, an Iraqi nationalist group. Abu Lil, the nom de guerre of an Iraqi who fought, described a tense meeting with foreign al-Qaeda fighters when the locals expressed their anger at the civilian death toll. "They said: 'Jihad [holy war] needs its victims. Iraqis should be willing to pay the price'. We said: 'You are not Iraqis. Who gave you the power to do this?' "

Woohoo!!!

The Shrinking Royal Navy

This could easily be America, and maybe is. Though we have the most powerful fleet on earth, is there enough to fight a 2 Ocean War which is still our goal? This is from the Telegraph:

Cuts to the Royal Navy's fleet of warships will render it incapable of protecting Britain's coastline, ministers have been warned.
Admiral Sir Alan West, the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff, said any further reduction in the number of battleships could be fatal to the fleet's future.

The admiral, who is due to retire next month, said: "I don't think anything should ever be sacred but we do have to be careful that we do not reduce the Navy to a level that makes recovery difficult."
He went on: "It takes a long time to build up a maritime force that can cope with both the expected and the unexpected. The UK's security depends on having the right range of maritime capabilities."

Here are the numbers:

In 1982 the fighting element of the Royal Navy consisted of three aircraft carriers, 15 destroyers, 50 frigates and 33 submarines. Today there are three carriers, eight destroyers, 17 frigates and 15 submarines.

Check out the link for a cool graph.