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With Iran This And Iran That, Here Is The Weekly US Naval Update
Let's face it: with the Iranian invasion foreplay having gone on about 3 years too long, everyone is just waiting for the flashing red "GDP boosting" headline. But to know how close we are to I-day, there is one question needing an answer: where are the boats? Below we share the latest weekly update of US naval positioning, as usual courtesy of Stratfor. The chart is self explanatory: the 5th Fleet AOR is getting just a little too crowded.
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DAMN IT!!! That's the third keyboard this site has ruined in the last month!! Keep it up.
Welcome to the club. Every time I think I understand the mad genius of the Tylers, they up the ante.
Tylers? Plural? Next you'll be telling me that Santa wont be coming to visit me next month.
Definitely not after the Fartin' Reindeer Tax is assessed.
BTW, nice rotor.
Thanks. I only wear it on special occaisions.
I think recreating the above image using crayons will probably be most effective.
http://imageshack.us/f/51/iranboatscrayons.png/
Gah! Beat me to it! Should have used a more colorful crayon though.
Feel free to add to it and repost.
ROR
That guy sucks at asking questions.
raff out roud
But that one thinglieamabob in blue looks like a boat up on land.
Is that why it's bad because it's beached?
=)
I'm always ready for a good explanation
He can't see the right side of the map because of the column headed "Ransquawk News". Many of us have the same problem but either click on the graphic or use Printer View to see the whole thing. Banzai's stuff is always partially blocked on my iPad and my Linux system running Firefox.
Thank you Ralph. Finally someone who isn't a smart aleck!
Just zoom out in the browser view: hit CTRL and Minus key. Also if you click on the map it zooms in.
With iPad, the right side of images get cut off
There is no keyboard zoom feature.
Forgiven, plus a green arrow to offset bloodshed above. But hey, look at all the great satire you prodded?
'Forgiven, plus a green arrow to offset bloodshed above. But hey, look at all the great satire you prodded?'
+ 1. Didn't mean to be a dick, I love those bears.
And hit control + 0 to return to the default window size.
... or you can download my zerohedge greasemonkey script in firefox to remove the sidebars (if you're like me) so it's easier to read just the articles and not worry about Barack's banner or some other stupid ass re-targeting ad.
http://www.commodityzen.com/zerohedge.user.js
And yes... the ZH still gets your ad impressions. It hides the sidebars after the page loads.
Slick! I'm too lazy these days to script anything. Thanks!
Bear 1: where is Iran?
Bear 2: check a fuckin' map!
Bear 1: oh, there, where the oil is, right?
Bear 2: yes, dumbass.
Bear 1: look at those boats amassing...
Bear 2: yes, means war is imminent.
Bear 1: war is bad.
Bear 2: excuse me while I go shit in the woods....
Now upload that to xtranormal and post it. Then rake in that fat internet cash.
nm
The bears need to be "relevant" so they should be changed to a rabbi and an imam.
Cranios?
Anywhere in the northern Indian ocean is "danger close" to Iran. Those two carries are in easy strike distance and at 30 nots+ cruising speed can get even closer very quickly. Remember US Aircraft Carriers don't have to stop for anything, they can get everything they need from food, av fuel, and bombs while underway.
I think that's 3 groups of ships+ carrier, not 3 ships but I could be wrong. What size are Marine amphibious groups these days ? 5k ? Is that map showing a clusters of MAU's ?
Carriers NEVER travel solo.
no doubt! I see 3 MAU units currently deployed. 2 in theater and 1 probably in route... I'm guessing good for 15k boots ? Of course this is nothing compared to carrier group positioning.
Not since two months after 911.
I see the one MAU parked in Kenya.. memories. Back in the days, (before aids) Naomi Campbell types were a dime a dozen in Mombasa.. legs for miles.
So what did they do after 9/11?
not since forever
Carriers have a traveling circus of escort ships including a couple of nuclear attack submarines as part of the ASW screen. Anti AIrcraft and Anti Submarine frigates and crusiers form a circle around the carrier as well. It is one big and expensive traveling fleet.
"I see 3 ships on the map"
And that's about 200 F-18s plus support ships with plenty of tomahawks. Submarines also launch missiles (some with nuclear heads), just in case...
Mistakes happen. Looks at the four Japanese carriers at Midway with 'everything' on the deck, bombs, torpedos, fuel, aircraft.....Just a squadron of Dauntless dive bombers in the right place at the right time took those four carriers off the map.
[Retracted: Charlie in the Box couldn't see the whole thing.]
check the three dots in the 5th fleet numnuts
Looks like the yawn capitol of the World, San Diego, is getting ready to be attacked...
click on the map, the ads are covering part of the map. You must have a netbook also.
Cranios
LOOK in the UPPER LH of the map, tells you what is going down, compared to 1 week, and 2 weeks ago f or those ships.
Now, you get it.
Shhh...don't tell Iran...
Wonder how many Iranian militants are monitoring ZH these days....
Go ISRAEL!
Make it the same as a Michael Corleone christening.
You aren't going to be hated any less, in fact I am sure there are Iranians that will thank you.
We'll know how close they are by dual citizens pushing up oil futures. As for the carrier groups, I'd rather know the B-2 and B-52 status. Last but not least, we have Iran surrounded from Afghanistan and Iraq! Lots of TAC Air sitting there.
Lots more stuff at Diego Garcia, on the runway, right now. Waiting for the next new moon. Shazam. The 12th Imam just flew over my head.
Go IRAN! Make it the same as Michelle Pfeiffer getting bitch smacked by Michael Corleone.
I am sure the world will thank you.
That was Diane Keaton.
Opps, wrong coke whore movie. Diane Keaton couldn't play a coke whore if her life depended on it.
it's the subs that they aren't telling us about!
When you see atleast 4 carrier groups in the vicinity of Iran. I'd be very worried then.
You do realize that a carrier "group" is somewhere around 50 ships. It's the subs that we don;t know where they are that worried me.
A carrier strike group is nowhere near 50 ships. Check the current composition: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/ships/carriers/powerhouse/cvbg.asp
Not even during the cold war was a CVBG as large as 50 ships. And why are you worried about submarines? SSNs have a much smaller number of cruise missiles than a destroyer. Unless you're talking about boomers, in which case it doesn't matter where they are - their Tridents can hit anywhere.
Dear Sir,
Not all ICBM types can reach all of the continents. Submarine deployments would be important to the war planners.
Kind Regards,
Boats? Where we're going we don't need any boats...
this is kind of dumb. where else would these boats be? I think Australia and Africa are calm as is Atlantic, in general so WTF is the point?
You need 2 carriers to have 24 hour bombing capability, they had six in Gulf War 1.
DutchR
Dutch we be the "B" TEAM" here.
The message is real. Iranians shoud not be too confident just in case.
There will be far more drumbeating than we see now if anything were going to happen.
The US doesn't have the stomach for it so it's all up to Israel.
Feeling lucky, punks?
When a carrrier group is deployed, it consist of a dozen or more ships, minimum, including 2 or more submarines and guided missle cruisers.
3 years of foreplay is a good way of describing it. I don't see how you can you publically discuss a premptive strike on an enemy. Isn't suprise part of the gameplan?
Surprise is not possible any longer.
Surprise is possible, in the form of stealth long range B-2 taking out air defenses.
Maybe from a military point of view, this is political.
get real! ... sea mines that can destroy scores of tankers in a day or two, and virtually close the gulf for months, can be launched by small fishing boats, any day or night, from a thousand locations, ... and/or from ships ... and/or from planes ... and/or a sub.
Or all of the above, all at once, in the aftermath of any Western or Israeli airstrike.
They can do this again, and again, and again ... for months, if not years ... IED's for ships.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jo5aLDsfoaw
They have been planning and preparing for this battle (in meticulous detail) since 1978. Rememebr how Hezbollah had all those rockets in 2006 ... like 20k of them?
No just imagine how many sea mines Iran made for this battle ... over the past 33 years.
And that is just one aspect of what they CAN and WILL do.
feeling lucky punk?
Remember all those somali pirates ... yeah ... NATO couldn't even deal with those pitiful blatant fuckers ... now their supposed to bottle up Iran!!
Enough of all this REDICULOUS one-eyed Anglo/Joo centric hairy-chested bullshit, get it straight; The real strategic role of the USN and Marines in the area is to scare them into NOT doing this, because if they did, the US/EURO/NATO bratpak (plus Japan) are all totally utterly fucked.
Wake up ... this is Russian roulette... white hut style ... the Iranians BELIEVE this battle is coming ... almost here ... they watched what happened all around them ... do you REALLY think they won't immediately go for the West's Jugular?
Don't you understand that they intend to make the USSA sue for peace in such a battle?
Yeah ... you surrendering to them, and admitting you are beaten ... and agreeing to LEAVE and NEVER RETURN.
And the supposedly militarily informed commentariate of the western world are apparently OBLIVIOUS to it (judging by the comments even here at zh)
Get it now? ... they intend to WIN ... they do not think they will lose ... they intend to give the West a real fight and to DEFEAT the USN and the US Marine Corps ... to deliver a fight like it has never experienced.
NEVER underestimate your enemy or they WILL kick your arse.
The Iranians INTEND to send your military home, a shattered worn-out and defeated wreck, to a financially and economically and politically and socially destroyed husk. And given the ludicrous hubris and false confidence that I see, I'd say they have a reasonable shot at it succeeding. And I assure you, Russia and China will help them to do it via proxy ... and ARE!
Is that perfectly clear now, everyone?
with the Iranian invasion foreplay having gone on about 3 years too long
Did someone time warp us back to 1982? Thought I heard Loverboy on the radio this morn...
First time I've seen the 5th fleet just floating in place. Cue ominous music.
Been there for MONTHS.
How many beer days?
Nothing says invasion like five, yes five carrier battle groups. Two is just a show of force to support our oil conduit. Nothing to see here.
The fact that so many are in port for repairs is a good sign.
Ironic that we get this naval update on the anniversay of the Edmund Fitzgerald:
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975
<insert Gordon Lightfoot opening guitar riff here>
deleted
So was the boat
And we're all here in the Arthur M. Anderson wondering why there's no contact with the Fitz....
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over.
LOL. What most people don't know is that the Obama Administration cancelled a 2 year joint op. with the Israelis a little over a year and a half ago (right around March of 2010) - so yeah, 3 years later, over 2 years in development prior and no commentary on lack of sanctions against Iran or that the US left assets exposed. This is a jive ass administration.
Iran has hundreds of small submarines .. lets not forget so far US has gone to war with those countries that had zero submarines .... if few submarines find their way to reach to our aircraft carrier .. our billions of dollars worth of carriers will sink...
Lusitania Part Deux
Germany had subs.
And they sunk many of our ships, and destroyed coastal installations along the US coast.
He said: "lets not forget so far US has gone to war with those countries that had zero submarines". not true. And for you history buffs out there: we won.
Gee. Russian nuke engineers at Bushehr, most of the former Soviet bio-weapons engineers from the 'Stans, air defense systems equal to or better than the Russian S-300, and probably this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VA-111_Shkval
It'd be a cakewalk, for sure. After all, they live in caves and have 19th century muskets, right?
They also have the sunburn missiles. That was 8 or so years ago,..
According to alot of fools, they don't work, or some stupid ram gun is going to shoot down a mach 2.9 missle doing evasive manuevers, and all 5 variants of the moskit don't work either.... good luck with that.
@steve.stuart Israel has 5 submarines. Germany is building a 6th but may not complete it having developed weak knees.
@steve.stuart Israel has 5 submarines. Germany is building a 6th but may not complete it having developed weak knees.
As the military build-up continues as some press for less diplomacy, less trade, and more war.
Proposed AIPAC-backed legislation would throttle the ability of the US to conduct diplomacy (on the off chance the US government would realistically attempt to do so with Iran), and would engage the US in a global trade war, all intended to precipitate armed conflict with Iran and, well, also just about everybody who opposes US hegemony, aka “terrorists“.
AIPAC works closely with the leaders of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Reps. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Howard Berman (D-CA).
Quoting the committee approved bill regarding diplomacy:
“c) RESTRICTION ON CONTACT. -- No person employed with the United States Government may contact in an official or unofficial capacity any person that -- (1) is an agent, instrumentality, or official of, is affiliated with, or is serving as a representative of the Government of Iran; and (2) presents a threat to the United States or is affiliated with terrorist organizations. (d) WAIVER. -- The President may waive the requirements of subsection (c) if the President determines and so reports to the appropriate congressional committees 15 days prior to the exercise of waiver authority that failure to exercise such waiver authority would pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the vital national security interests of the United States.”
As for the trade implications:
“Likewise, the application of the sanctions in this legislation would have a dramatic impact on US commercial and diplomatic relations with Russia and China, who both do business with Iran. It would impose strong sanctions on these countries and would prohibit foreign business leaders – and their spouses and children – from entering the United States. Do we want to start a trade war – or worse – with Russia and China?”
- Ron Paul
Since NATO (and the US military) is the enforcement arm of the bankster cartel, the only benefit of any war in the ME goes directly to the accounts of Rothschild, Rockerfeller, Morgal et al accounts; certainly not for the 99%
Corrected the y axis scale mistake on Gold 2011-2017 prediction chart:
http://saposjoint.net/Forum/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=2626&p=35049#p35049
Now the maximum at gold bubble break - November 2016 - is about 11300 +-10% USD.
Fuck the carriers, where's the SSGN's at...
I am so sick of our politicians killing our boys just to suit their political will. Time to bring all of our troops home from over 120 countries and keep them here. THAT is supporting our troops. Not sending them off to some forsaken place, thousands of miles away from our shores.
Let other countries fly the banners now, we cannot continue to police the world. We are broke. 24,000 troops in Korea for over 55 freaking years. That is insane.
First have to get CNBC telling the people war with Iran is bullish for stocks, uncertainty will be removed, government spending a boost ot GDP, etc etc, positive for low oil prices, bullish, bullish, bullish, I can hear Steve LiesMan now..............follow up with Dick Bove.............might even throw in Cramer.....errr on second thoughts.............
http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/blog/the_dagger/post/Where-does-...
Here's the thing. If Iran is attacked by the US or a proxy, read Israel, they have assured the world they will immediately close the Straits of Hormuz. They absolutely possess the means to accomplish that task. This means that in very short order, if you are fortunate enough to find fuel, unfortunately, you won't be able to afford it. In other words, global financial collapse. Not so good for anyone's GDP. Still, desperate men commit desperate acts, so who knows?
Iran coudnt close a garage door with a remote control if we decided that we didn't want it closed.
Jus like ya decided to get rid of all doze naughty pirates off somalia's coast ... ?
You're completely deluded if you actually think the US can stop them, at will, and it can then strut around like da winnah.
It may be just the other way around.
Hitler thought another quick Blitzkreig would topple Stalin ... it didn't ... but did force Hitler to blow his own brains out.
These things sometimes backfire, and most unexpectedly.
The US got it's arse kicked in Vietnam ... roller-door remote control's not withstanding.
You'd be a fool too think that sort of thing won't happen again - soon. On one hand walking on the moon, on the other getting your arse handed to you by a bunch of rice farmers.
Goldman Sachs stands to make a lot of money off a war with Iran.
You guys are all wrong. Iran is just where the Atlantic and the Pacific meet.
Uh, apparently where the Atlantic- and Pacific-based Carriers meet, according to the list.
A Simple explanation (this way Tyler doesn't need to call in the talking bears)
The Naval Update Map shows an approximation of the current locations of U.S. Carrier Strike Groups (CSGs) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs), the keys to U.S. dominance of the world’s oceans. A CSG is centered on an aircraft carrier, which projects U.S. naval and air power and supports a carrier air wing (CVW). The CSG includes significant offensive strike capability. An ARG is centered on three amphibious warfare ships, with a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked. An MEU is built around a heavily reinforced and mobile battalion of Marines.
Carrier Strike Groups· The USS John C. Stennis CSG with CVW 9 embarked is under way in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility (AOR) conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
· The USS George H.W. Bush CSG with CVW 8 embarked is under way in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOR conducting maritime security operations and support missions as part of Operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.
· The USS George Washington with CVW 5 embarked arrived in Hong Kong for a routine port visit Nov. 9.
Amphibious Ready Groups/Marine Expeditionary Units· The USS Bataan ARG with the 22nd MEU embarked is supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th Fleet AOR.
· The USS Essex ARG with the 31st MEU embarked is under way conducting operations in the western Pacific region.
· The USS Bonhomme Richard is under way conducting routine operations in the U.S. 3rd Fleet AOR.
USS George H W Bush's home port is near me. Seeing your post brings home the reality of what may be coming to fruition.
More years of death and destruction along with familial and financial ruin for average Americans to benefit god knows who.
I'd rather we take a pass on this particular dance.
But then again, they hate us for our freedom AND...
WMD
Isntreal will not attack Iran for the following reasons:
1) Iran has non-conventional second-strike capabilities, i.e., missiles with chemical and biological agents.
2) In their talmudic thick-skulls, the Isntreallies see Iran as the natural frontier of their ressurected King David fairy kingdom. Remember, the blue stripes on Isntreal's flag refer to that passage on Genesis where the Ur-mythical Isntreal is claimed to be between the two rivers, id est, LOL, the Nile and the Euphrates. That said, Iran is the natural boundary of Greater Isntreal.
3) Dollar denominated inflation of oil will break the world's biggest oil consumer, id est, the US military, and will unleash the fury of the American Zombies.
4) Last time the IDF performed its effete callisthenics in Lebanon, Hezzbollah displaced 1/5th of Isntreal's population with a salvo of 4.000 WWII fireworks, destroyed 40+ indestructible Merkavas, and gained participation into the Lebanese Cabinet.
5) Syria's alleged conventional warheaded SS18 can reach any airfield in Isntreal in 3,5 minutes.
6) The moment Iranian, Lebanese and Syrian rockets start redesigning Tel Aviv, half the Isntreally's population will be heading to Germany, the only country that, by trying to appear more Zionist than Isntreal itself, financially supports Jewish immigration to Germany, thus undermining, unwillingly, the prospects of Anti-Assimilation Land, or more commonly known as Isntreal. Funny too that the half of the population that will leave Isntreal happen to be the mobile and well educated engineers, academics, the wealthy and the well connected.
More false flag bullshit!
Give the masses something on the 5 o'clock MSM pablum news diet.
Take their feeble little minds off of how bad they are getting screwed in the ass! Ok. Now for 'Jersey Shore'!
Wheres the popcorn?
We live in a time and place where kinetic war is fake, reality is entertainment and financials rule our destiny. Quite the opposite is true, and that's how you're ultimately mindfucked. You think you're savvy while you reveal your own illusions.
how do we know that info is real fact?
It's on the internet. It must be true.
The U.S., French, and U.K. military are still reviewing why it took so long to achieve a relatively simple regime change in Libya, despite the huge technological and logistical advantage of the coalition forces. In Iran, there won't be an army of rebel Iranians helping to ferret out the bad guys. It will be more like Iraq, with some anti-gov. ex-pats, pursuing their own agendas, advising and influencing the invaders. So, the war planning is proceeding more slowly. Look for mid 2012 as the target date.
By then Europe will have collapsed, and the U.S. will have no money to fight a war. Their time is running out quickly.
"Look for mid 2012 as the target date."
Hmm... but how could they? ... with the elections so close.
5 minutes of truth :
The Petrodollar Explained
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JN5q_0H41VE
Israel won't do shit. These people are armed. Israel only attacks unarmed, helpless people. Kind of like the USA. All Iran has to do is cut off the spigots for a couple of months. Give the world a taste of $200 oil. Everyone will come to their senses very quickly. And if that doesn't work... the Russians and Chinese will call Israel's bluff soon. Wait and see...but I have a feeling in 10 years time we're all going to wish that the little shitty country was blown off the map. They're the fucking fanatics.
Fucking fanatics on all sides. Yeah -- I'm talking to you, rufus.
rufusleaking, You are under a deep delusion.
We dont need to be involved. Let Israel do it themselves! We have too many problems going on!
The chart I see has twenty ships listed. Sixteen of them are in thier home port. Five of those are un-deployable. And, yes, three of the six active ships are kind of close to Iran. Two others are in the South China Sea.
Hmmm, Iran and South China Sea...what do they have in common?
Do we really need carrier groups for Pubama's War on Christmas?
How come the warmongers who push false info to start wars are not tried in a court with death as the penalty for crimes against ALL of humanity?
Strike 2......
Sorry three times a charm?
Apology accepted, however I didn't think much of your comment on it's first posting.
EDIT: (To make less unsense)
I always save these and compare them. Thanks for this info TD.
USA is being TOLD by Israel (read Rothschilds) it's time to go to war.
Israel says Iran is "looking at me funny"
..........FUCK YOU Israel.
PS....
Fuck you too MillionDollarCumSwallower.
The USA and NATO are owned hook, line and sinker by Israel. It must be very depressing to be a patriotic (in the true sense) American in the military and have to put up with this sort of bullshit 24/7. What a pathetic, corrupt and lazy bully we have become.
It is hilarious how they call these gun-boat operations wars. Wow - we almost lost against Grenada, Iraq, Libya, Vietnam. Korea, Afghanistan...I felt so scared that the USA was going to fall.
All we accomplish is to build hatred that will be used to justify horrific actions against our children when there is a REAL war of aggression against us. The latest attack on Libya was beyond pathetic.
Hey - did anyone see the CMA awards last night? Do you feel better when you are discussing NFL games? Grow up.
it's called gun-boat diplomacy, aka it's not war but the precursor to war.
it's when you move your tin ships into position to make a tacit threat
or deterrent credible. most of the time for the US that's all it takes.
shift a carrier group here and things calm down oil prices return to mean.
mostly.
I wouldn't be worried unless either one or both of the CVN's in theater now bugged out. If they do, then we know that Israel is going in and we are making sure the world knows that they are going in alone. Besides, no one wants to see one of those go down via a missle that leaked through those layered defenses, unless you are Chinese, Iranian, Libyan, Pakistani, Russian, well it's a long list.
Im not in favor of any organization or religon that disapproves of drinking untill you black out. I have yet to hear of any organized group of people supporting the "drink til you black out" agenda, besides students and husbands.
I wonder why. :)
Interesting the positioning of the West Pacific fleet (I'd like to see what the US destroyer and FFT deployment looks like).
Russian naval deployments are probably less material here, but I can see a very real worry that any action against Iran will provoke an aggressive act by China, most likely towards Taiwan, but possibly by proxy through the N. Koreans into S. Korea. It's hard to tell as well how many of the LHCs that are homebased are drydocked; if it takes weeks for the US to get a carrier out of drydock, the Chinese could very well consolidate their positions on either of those fronts and have land based defenses well in place long before the US could act to support.
WWIII will be a coordinated affair. China into Taiwan, Russia into the Baltics, Iran possibly attacking Israel or vice versa, splitting Arab loyalties down the middle - probably not nuclear, no one wants to be the one to push the button, at least not initially. Syria would back Iran (and the Iranian internal opposition would very quickly melt away if it became a question of survival), Jordan and Kuwait would probably ally with the West, Iraq ... would become a battleground all over again, as the Iraqi Shiites see an advantage to overwhelm the fragile Sunni gov't while it's still weak. Germany goes on high alert, possibly after Russia cuts off oil and NG supplies to the West. India gets dragged in through Pakistan, with a lot of Americans either expelled or rounded up and held captive/shot that are currently uneasily deployed in Pakistan to support Afghanistan. The Mujahideen in Pakistan attempt a coup in that country and Afhanistan. The Sauds fall in a Shia coup. The Russians themselves may run into problems with southern Republics, but I rather doubt it, at least initially (later, especially if Moscow or St. Petersburg get compromised, that may change).
The point here is that when the shooting starts, it will be seen as an opportunity pretty much pan-Asia to reshape territory. Russia's a wild card, but they may simply count upon the fact that the Americans will be spread too thin to bring resources to bear against them. The thing about empires is that when they're in the ascendency they tend to freeze territorial wars elsewhere, but when they are in decline, large scale wars become more common because the factor keeping the peace (through threats of violence) can no longer back that threat up with action everywhere. I'd say the chances of WWIII are higher now than they've been in forty years.
"as the Iraqi Shiites see an advantage to overwhelm the fragile Sunni gov't while it's still weak"
Huh? There is no "Sunni govt" in Iraq. Maliki is a Shi'ite. Did you mean the opposite, perhaps?
Sort of crashes the credibility of your other predictions.
I agree, with some of that. And I wonder about all the carriers in homeport. Still, there are two carrier groups within minutes flying time of the gulf and the Baatan just by the mouth of the Red Sea. Curiously no carriers in the Med? How did they get out of the Libyan fight so quick? I did not think carriers could use Suez but I guess they can. Still, that map shows US carriers and large amphibious support ships but not British or French. I also notice that the GW is headed from Japan in that direction appearing to be in the region of Hong Kong at the moment. The Bonhomme Richard has also just left San Diego headed west and I wonder how routine it is to have that many support amphibious ships out at once. The Essex is near HK as well and has gone toward Japan, but could be in the region of Diego Garcia before GW.
I do not think Russia will be an issue, Putin will be more than happy to see the US/NATO bogged down doing Israel's dirty work. Yeah they had a contract to help Iran but they did that just to goad us, they have no real strategic interests in Iran/gulf region, however they do no want to see Iran grow into a nuclear armed regional power that starts annexing the "stans" like Uzbek, Kyrgyz (buy a vowel already), Turkmen, Tadjik, Kazakh, Afghan, Paki, many of these were part of Soviet Russia a few years ago and Russia sees them as her manifest destiny in the longer term.
It might actually be a better strategy to allow Iran to do as it pleases as long as aims north and east, that would keep China and Russia busy, looking south and west. But Iran is fucking bat shit crazy and just is too much a threat to be allowed nukes. In this war Israel will be told not to fire a shot because the first Muslim killed by the first Israeli jet will turn all of Islam into the Iranian camp, or so at least the Iranians are pretty sure.
Dear Gentlemen,
You're giving too little credit to stealth technologies.
Kind Regards,
Gentlemen,
You are giving no credit to stealth technologies which is smart of you.
Fixed it for you.
Gentlemen,
You are giving no credit to stealth technologies which is smart of you.
Fixed it for you.
I think it is great that all of them want war: Israel, Iran, Saudia Arabia, etc. Let them fight and kill each other. What it has got to do with USA? Let them eat each other. Bring all soldiers home. Ron Paul 2012.
Don't think that Obama would initiate any sort of military action against a foreign government. He views Republicans as the source of all evil in the world.
Now if the carriers were clustering off the Texas coast, that might be something to worry about.
I own a bussiness in San Diego and a lot of my customers are in the military. The Navy Seals in this area just left recently and the USS Vinson is leaving in a couple of weeks. A lot of assets are on the move so invest accordingly. Don't forget to thank a Vet tomorrow!!
Thank you all Vets who may read this post.
What's the U.S. interest?
None. Won't happen unless Obama ignores the Pentagon and goes with Israel. If he does, he can't criticize Iraq or Bush anymore.
And the reason they do not tell you where the subs are is, because no one knows where they hell they are (except the Chinese), not even the personnel on the subs.
What would you baboons do without Israel and the Jews to howl at? If they disappeared tomorrow, the world would be no better or worse. Man is Man, and power abhors a vacuum, (especially with 7 billion souls and a resource short world).
Enter the Caliphate and/or the Middle Kingdom.
I-WRECK and I-RAN
&
AMER (AMOR) -I-CAn = LOVE - I CAN / I CAN LOVE and IS-RA-EL
I-WRECK and I-RAN
&
AMER (AMOR) -I-CAn = LOVE - I CAN / I CAN LOVE and IS-RA-EL
who in their right mind would vote out a sitting president - when,... "America at War, Trilogy ?" is beyond the prelude,... _____???___
"Israel’s all-powerful lobby in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), an organization composed of Israeli collaborators, infiltrators, and outright traitors to the United States, is steamrolling through the House of Representatives H.R. 1905, which would prohibit the President of the United States, the Secretary of State, members of the U.S. Foreign Service, or any special envoy from engaging in any sort of diplomatic contact, official or unofficial, with any member or agent of the government of Iran."
http://www.strategic-culture.org/pview/2011/11/10/the-war-clouds-form-over-iran.html
Tyler,
I wonder if it's possible for you or one of our readers to perform a calculation determining what the true cost per gallon of gas once factoring in the portion of the costs of Department of Defense and Homeland security. I bet that we the U.S have the highest gas prices in the world.
Factoring defense spending that supports the wars and actions in the ME, Denninger calculated $85-100 per barrel of oil, so, pretty much at LEAST double current prices.
We have the frequency and abort/scuttle codes for all ASM weapon systems that Iran has. Even if they failed to work, and the Billions we paid russia for the codes was lost, we still have 25-35 seconds to launch an array of countermeasures against a Sunburn. 25-35 Seconds is FOREVER. And thats IF we don't have any laser based systems in the area (sea OR air).
It might not be a cakewalk, but our guys will def be eating chocolate cake talking about the ass kicking we gave Iran (in under 24 hours).
Like in Iraq. Or Afghanistan.
Benjamin Netanyahu wrote in 1995 ''The best estimates at this time place Iran between three and fve years away from possessing the prerequisites required for the independent production of nuclear weapons. After this time, the Iranian Islamic republic will have the ability to construct atomic weapons without the importation of materials or technology from abroad''. In fact Iran has been just a few years away from having a bomb since 1984.
Wow! Judging by the number of 'likes' & 'dislikes' for the comments on this post it's easy to see what gets people hot under the collar. I can't remember seeing quite so many on any other post prior to this.
I imagine that the comments (and likes & dislikes) come from a reasonable cross-section of society, and judging by the vitriol displayed, it's clear we have a long way to go as a society before we can look forward to real peace.
you want some broad based consensus do ya -
last night while channel surfing i briefly passed a startling expos`e on this 'mexican/ spanish channel "extreme[?]" (or whatever they call it for the spanish[*mexican] audience whose programming presents video's of raw garbage [?]) and quickly dialed back to something i watched for a millisecond, but couldn't believe my own eyes,... there were two people beaten, and laying down semi-conscious, when a young black dude poured gasoline over both of them with a glass bottle jug, and then set them on fire - i watched with disbelief as the beaten semi-conscious burning alive victims rose as human torches and then collapsed to burn like trash as the assailant laughed in the camera as he walked away -
this is t.v. today broadcasting to our young, and the irony is the twisted logic of protection by the constitution - what's going on? -
some background filler as to explain my rant, and the contexts of our perennial wars:
my younger brother was in the special forces [101st airborne] in viet [3 tours as a ranger]`nam during the late 60's & early 70's - the one thing he brought/ took-away home with him,... "there is little, if no value of life in communist countries,... it is seen as just a throw-away population, if you aren't from the privileged 1%" [two-class societies] -
he came back a heroin addict, but beat the curse, and now lives a wonderful life - what saved him was the moral fabric that had laid the foundation he was brought up with in the u.s.a as a youth - unfortunately, america has lost it's/ those ways today, Period!
indeed,... yes, this has alot do with the aforementioned post about iran - lenin, stalin, and mao had no use for the human species other than reaching their ends - let us not make the same mistake. jmo