probably a safe bet that the Russians don't want ISIS-inspired jihadism showing up back home.

ah jeez, didn’t you guys learn anything from Viet Nam and Afghanistan?

Germans are committed pacifists too busy with welcoming 800,000 new residents who think having a beer is evil.

just think how many Burke-class destroyers could be fitted with an additional CIWS and another SeaRAM launcher if the Navy didn't build the next LCS ship. Or maybe the next two LCS'. Or better yet, the next three LCS'.

Pretty sure that Putin is thinking, "...when you are not the lead dog, your view never changes..."

The air intercept memorandum is essentially a play nice document. It relies on the pilots involved to use good judgment and don’t do “provocative” maneuvers. Just saying, that leaves an opportunity for interpretation about 22 miles wide.

Repurpose the Buckeye's as missile trucks for the F-35.

Or else we stuck around to dogfight our Raptors and the overwhelming Chinese numbers advantage took its toll.

The bright side of that kind of conflict is everyone else has the same problem, at least the US is starting out with a higher number of fighters.

<snip> “...if we were to order more F-22’s it’d probably pull so much resources out of the F-35 program that both planes would be delayed another 5-10 years to delivery.”

I think Obama is a perfect example of someone moving into the Presidency with no background in the situation and no clue as to what to do and no skill set to determine a way forward. Coupled with his arrogant "I won, you didn't" attitude coming out of his first election and his unwillingness to compromise, very little…

“Every time I see how uninformed and childish the president’s detractors are, the more I like him.”

Egypt better hang some PSP on the sides of these ships to keep someone from shooting an RPG through the side while they are parked at the dock.

Since this end is flat, does that mean they can link the two carriers together to make a SUPER carrier?

The shipbuilding in Russia is characterized by a glacial decision making process. So if they build similar ships it will take like a decade, most time spend on finalizing plans or making mid-course corrections.

They are basically built like any other cargo ship and as capable of taking a missile as one.. <allow me to finish that sentence for you> of our LCS’.

to use a cross cultural metaphor, China building the islands and creating bases is the camel with his nose under the tent.

thanks

sometimes the most logical answer sounds so impossible in today's frame of reference. I just don't understand how he decision process used by the Pentagon put us on the path to the F-35.

The Russians showing up in Syria solved a huge problem for Obama. What little the US is doing against ISIS will get pushed aside when the Russians tell everyone to get out of the way. Obama, of course, will say strong words but will do absolutely nothing and eventually stand down.