I get out in a month and I don’t want something to fuck that up. I did my 6 deployments I don’t need anymore.

Or checking to see if we keep our CIWS on auto during times of “peace”

Got curious.

Iran could just as easily not fire rockets at anyone and we wouldn’t have anything to react to. Ball’s pretty much in their court on this one.

I think the “release valve for hardliners” aspect is probably the right one. Its like buying a kid an ice cream cone to shut him up on a long trip. “Ok, you get to fire ONE rocket, ok? But remember, nowhere near the shit, and you HAVE to tell them you fired it and it was just an exercise, OK?!” “Weee!! Ok!”

Oh come on Tyler, don’t tell me you buy into this corporate/defense conspiracy bullshit.

“Even if they had, there is little room in the narrow and crowded Strait for evasive action.”

Really good call from the commander of the Truman on this one. Although the rocket landed less than a mile away, hotter heads have, in the past, led to awful decisions.

What a great article, always a joy to read your lengthy posts :) Did you even get some family time done over the holidays?

Begun, the Drone War has.

Agreeing to disagree is no fun. :)

Another advantage to Australia is that it is closer to China, but not too close. There is already much worry about US air and naval bases in Japan being too susceptible to Chinese land based missiles. Australia would be close enough for strike capabilities, but far enough away not to be pre-emptively attacked by…

It’s true, I use a lot of their designs as references for more realism. They did provide vehicles for the 2nd movie which were also produced in toy form.

Really good point...but not many want us there, much less a CVBG. They have to worry about China as a next door neighbor and economic source.

That’s expecting that whoever China gets into a scrap with, won’t possess the ability to sink, or highly damage, their sole aircraft carrier. If they lose it, they do not have the infrastructure to replace it anytime soon— unless they can find another one to buy, which would still require a year + to retrofit,…

Revvin’ up your engine
Listen to the pundits roar
Region under tension
You’ll never make Nanking your whore

And the firebombing of many many Japanese cities had already resulted in even greater death tolls than what Fat Man and Little Boy produced. And honestly, I think having used those weapons in WWII and seeing them first hand is part of what has prevented anybody using them again since.

When asked on all the overtargeting of Soviet targets, LeMay supposedly said ‘I want the rubble to dance’

I used to live in one of the apartment buildings near the Pentagon. I was always highly amused at the nuclear shelter signs on the buildings. What, I’m going to shelter in a building next to the Pentagon? I’m not going to be protected from fallout...I’m going to be fallout. I’ll just go up on the roof and watch the…

Try living in Dayton near Wright-Patterson AFB. We looked at reports detailing what a nuclear strike would do to Dayton and the surrounding areas in school. I took some solace in the fact that a wall of fire would engulf me before I could feel sorry for myself and my loved ones.