War Shot Loaded - The Next Torpedo Shoot?

According to very frequent updates this month by Eagle1 over at EagleSpeak, there is a growing piracy menace in the world, much of it off Somalia’s shores.

But Eagle1 reports shipping companies have turned to private navies to combat pirates in the Malacca Strait (between Malaysia and Indonesia). It seems the Strait is so dangerous, Lloyd’s classifies it a warzone. Five companies, including three British and an American security firm, are serving the area. The price for each cargo protection run starts at $50,000.

Alex Duperouzel, managing director of Background Asia Risk Solutions, the first naval security firm in Singapore, told the Sunday Herald: If you are attacked by pirates on the ocean, it can be hours before help arrives, and an attack might be over in 20 minutes. We can protect a ship, or do whatever it takes to recover a ship or crew. Duperouzel has been operating for about a year, and says pirates are already well armed, often better than the security firms, who are prohibited from using heavy machine guns.

Molten Eagle suspects that use of private security escorts offers a legal avenue for special ops resources of unnamed countries to go after troublesome pirates in large vessels under the guise of rendering assistance or training. A few Mk-37 torpedoes (newer types would be much too costly) could take out the larger pirates ships. Several countries stock the Mk-37s.

al-Qaida Dispatching Followers from Horn of Africa to Europe and the World

Today's AP report by FRANCES D'EMILIO on the London Blast Suspect just captured in Italy, confirms hints dropped in Molten Eagle's July 11th posting.

Osma Hussain aka Hamdi Isaac was arrested Friday in Rome. Italy’s Interior Minister, Giuseppe Pisanu, said the man had contacts with others from the Horn of Africa. Italy was closely watching the Horn of Africa, the eastern section which includes Somalia, Ethiopia and Eritrea.

"We are following the evolution of the overall situation in the Horn of Africa where, in stateless lands, al-Qaida has arrived, has settled, and from where it tends, in various ways, to dispatch its followers into Europe and the rest of the world," Pisanu said.

A ruthless cell linked to al-Qaida is established in Mogadishu. The cell leader, a Somali militant, had been trained in Afghanistan. Islamic hard-liners, have imported high explosives, mines, rifle-fired grenades, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. U.N. monitors identified at least 17 mobile, military training camps established by Al-Ittihad al-Islami, which wants to impose Islamic law over Somalia (and _________ ).

No wonder a submarine has been patrolling nearby waters. What U.S. submarines may be armed with is described in an answer to one commenter's question on July 23rd.

"Struggle" Choice: SECRETs Between The Lines

No one without clearance for Bush's Daily Intelligence Briefing seems to understand to a credible degree a sudden shift from WAR on global terrorism to the trial balloon STRUGGLE Against Violent Extremism. Whatever is driving the change is elemental and deadly serious. The president's detractors know he is much too savvy to blunder without purpose, but for consistency’s sake say it is a sign of his stupidity, anyway. Bush's supporters, who know how deliberate and calculating his strokes have been, seem universally puzzled and fear the president has succumbed to politically motivated back stepping. Neither explanation is at all logical.

Hint#1- The problem with the term GWOT is that it automatically invokes the Bush doctrine of unilateral preemptive strike. Nice if you have to use it, but bad when it looks like you should and you really should not.

Hint#2- According to Michael Ledeen in yesterday's Coalition of Evil "The centrality of Iran in the terror network is the dirty secret that most everyone knows, but will not pronounce."Our military people in both Iraq and Afghanistan have copious evidence of the Iranian role in the terror war against us and our allies. Every now and then Rumsfeld makes a passing reference to it. But we have known about Iranian assassination teams in Afghanistan ever since the fall of the Taliban, and we know that Iranians continue to fund, arm, and guide the forces of such terrorists as Gulbadin Hekmatyar. We know that Zarqawi operated out of Tehran for several years..

Hint #3- (quoting Ledeen, again): we are fighting a sucker’s war in Iraq, because the terrorists get a great deal of their support from the Syrians, Saudis, and Iranians...

Molten Eagle's Synthesis: Among the Syrians, Saudis, and Iranians there is probably none less culpable of supporting Islamo terrorists than the others. Unless WMDs are unleashed against a coalition country or its forces, another preemptive strike to overturn a regime (rather than take out some resources) is not in the cards. The public GWOT strategy had to be publicly changed. The non-public GSAVE Struggle strategy has not changed at all, except that by now much damning data against the Axis of Syraudiiran has been collated. In each of those countries, people with clean hands will manage to purge those with soiled hands of their own volition. How is this possible? Using one of the oldest techniques devised by civilized man -diplomacy. How will you know when this has started? Look more closely, it already has.

Global Struggle?

Have you seen this mistake coming? Washington recasts terror war as 'struggle' by Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker -The New York Times. General Myers and Rummy are playing linguistic games now to deflect attention from purely military aspects of the global war on terror. New terminology is intended to better reflect the concept of an ideological battle rather than a purely military campaign. Global Struggle Against Violent Extremism tops the list.

So, what is the problem with a name change? The word struggle has connotations and denotations like every other word in our fertile lexicon. Here is what MS WORD gives as the top three for the word 'struggle': Move violently,Thrash about, Resist. Am I the only one who sees this as a U.S. lapse into victim mentality?

I would rather Islamo-terrorists and their cowering supporters struggle.

Our inheritance from America's courageous statesmen and greatest military minds demands something less reminiscent of Jimmy Carter's notorious malaise for this great country. Certainly something a bit more positive would be nicer.

Campaign to Quell Intolerance, or
Campaign to Send Al Qaeda to Hell

What is your suggestion?

Predictions: China War and World's 97-lb. Weakling

America's submarines were so effective in WWII, that after the war when their full effects became known many experts believed Japan may have eventually surrendered due to severed supply lines alone.

Later on, the Cold War depended heavily upon America's submarines. The stealth, chess game was deliberately costly and helped undo the soviet union. The Cold War was won economically.

In an era of China's economic ascendancy, LA Times guest columnist, Max "Untersee" Boot, suggests in China's stealth war on the U.S. that we are already at war with China (ed. although, I think economic competition better describes what is being waged). Says Boot, China's spending has been increasing rapidly, and it is investing in the kind of systems — especially missiles and submarines — needed to challenge U.S. naval power in the Pacific.

Boot, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations is concerned with how we respond to what may or may not be indirect aggression by a major trading partner (Beijiing). Worth the very short read, but to understand the full competitive game America faces, I highly recommend CAN AMERICANS COMPETE? Is America the World's 97-lb. Weakling? by FORTUNE's Geoffrey Colvin. The article is captivating. Huge upsets are probably in store for individual workers, and likewise opportunities. You need to read it for yourself.

Here are two predictions based only upon my business experience, and worth what they cost you -nothing. To my knowledge, no one has made these associations or predictions previously:

Prediction 1- Economists differ over the impact of Thursday's yuan revaluation on the United States and China. When China's currency is allowed to float fully against the US dollar, China will encounter the tough decision between military and domestic spending (guns or rice). Domestic spending will be the big winner, in my opinion. Score one for the U.S.

Prediction 2- (You probably will not appreciate this prediction until you have read the FORTUNE article above) Companies like Industrial Distribution Group Inc (IDGR) are poised to be the leading edge of America's new competitiveness, in my opinion. IDGR supplies maintenance, repair, operating, and production products and services to manufacturers and industrial users in the US, Mexico, and China. The company offers procurement solutions used in product applications and process improvements.

"Crusader" Style Rabbit Stew

Savory fare as certain to confuse cell members who rarely get to travel by air any longer as it is to delight coalition supporters.

Ingredients

Large Rabbit, ritually beheaded by first christening ابو مصعب الزرقاوي (Abu Musab al-Zarqawi) cleaned and sliced into 1-inch strips (reserve head). If reluctant to behead a live rabbit, maybe PETA will compassionately guillotine a discarded pet for you.
Medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup 72 Virgin Olive oil
2 cups Water turned to Wine
Salt and Pepper to taste
3/4 cup Raisins
1/2 cup green Olives (pitted)
1 large yellow Onion (quartered)
4 large Carrots sliced
2 large Potatoes diced
1 #22 can Navy Beans
1 small pkg Bacon Bits

Heat a thin layer of olive oil in large pan. Brown the meat and chopped onion. Transfer to large pot. Add cup of water/wine, salt and pepper. Cook on low heat 20 to 25 minutes. Add raisins, olives, onion quarters, carrots and potatoes. Simmer for 1 hour 15. Sprinkle with Bacon Bits. Serve hot on platter with head as centerpiece. Serves 8-10 -hat tip to Al Jazeer.

How To Stop The 300 Bomber Islamo-Terror Menace

Today, Debak reported Al Qaeda issues “final warning” to Europe
Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades claiming London’s July 7 rail-bus attacks gives European states still in Iraq – Denmark, the Netherlands, Britain, Italy – one month to bring their soldiers out.
Otherwise, said the statement, whose authenticity has not been verified, “there will be a bloody war in the service of God.” There will be no more messages, just actions that will be engraved on the heart of Europe.

Meant to stoke fear into the heart of Europe, Islamo-terrorists may have the wherewithal:
DEBKAfile’s Pakistan correspondent reveals: Up to 300 British Muslims of Pakistani origin may have signed up with al Qaeda for suicide missions. British authorities specifically asked the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI to find out is how many more Muslim volunteers of Pakistani origin are now in the UK ready to carry out suicide bombings.

Pakistani intelligence identified Osama Nazir, a member of the now outlawed militant outfit, the Jaish-e-Mohammad, after the London bomb blasts. Nazir admitted meeting Shehzad Tanweer in 2004. When interrogated, Nazir estimated that 300 British Muslims of Pakistani origin have received training at Jaish-e-Mohammad and Harkatul Mujahideen camps since 9/11 and signed up with al-Qaeda for suicide missions.

The virulent, Islamist plague had been dormant until awakened by Osama bin Laden types. Now, aimless losers programmed for suicide operations spread destruction around the globe. The short-term solutions to this problem could be military, religious (an even more fundamentalist sect), medical (castrations) or statistical (nuclear), but it should be psychological. It will also be necessary to show how quickly the suicide bombers to date have been forgotten by their communities, not enshrined. Any Muslim communities that enshrine suicide bombers will be identifying themselves and their politics without the usual pretenses of peacefullness. That will also also help immensely.

Playing the Free-Celebrity (religious martyrdom) card enables otherwise unacomplished, and distinctly indolent losers to become finally successful in the eyes of their survivors, their communities, their peer groups and even their most esteemed leaders -they now believe. Such instant gratification now seems very tangible to them due to examples of earlier martyrs. The paradise stuff makes it all seem pallatable, but in reality it is all about long-term martyrdom, pure and simple. Who would want to be in a paradise surrounded by others who have done little but use the Free-Celebrity card?

The card has exclusive cachet, much higher than platinum, and can only be issued to and used by muslims. The would-be suicide bombers' entire outlook is based on envy -they sorely want to be envied. Muslims dare not speak out against this morbid idiocy for religious reasons. A few exhaustive studies, some well-written biographies, perhaps a documentary on PBS describing the martyr groups’ earthly accomplishments with their nonsuicidal peers’ accomplishments would go far to cancel out the perception of envy, especially when the martyrs are soon forgotten. Paradise like that can be Hell.

Extreme Creature Poetry - Two Entities

Two poems by submariners:

Extreme Creatures

Who suffer no attrition upon news their kind are sunk,
Who endure sunless weeks on end in want of their own bunk.

Disturbed from precious sleep by those dreaded, alarming sounds,
When the latest hazard has sprung out of its nearby bounds.

Sacrifices are certain for these devoted volunteers,
Qualifications demanded by a jury of their peers.

In clear illustration of “24-7’s” meaning,
There is no phoning home during silent submarining.

- Juan Caruso D.


"The Submarine Force is important to the defense of our national interests. It has the only truly stealthy platforms in our armed services and is the heart of our strategic nuclear deterrent."

- Retired Admiral Bruce DeMars

Ali Bye-bye, Tough Calls for Las Vegas Odds

Score another fanatic Imam for the Gipper. Ali al-Timimi, a native U.S. citizen, was sentenced to life in prison. The Assistant U.S. Attorney said he's not allowed to solicit treason. He deserves every day he gets.

Ali al-Timimi had been convicted in April of soliciting others to levy war against the United States, and inducing others to use firearms in violation of federal law. If not confined to solitary imprisonment, the fanatic Ali al-Timimi will attempt to proselytize lazy elements to radical Islam. His own lawyers, however, must seek solitary confinement to assure Ali is not accidentally skewered by more patriotic inmates. Very tough call.

About 50 of his loyal supporters were in court for al-Timimi, ruining their future chances to perform either as anonymous terrorists or trustworthy Americans. There IQs, too, must be in serious question.

Currently, odds are Ali al-Timini will become a prison homicide victim: (2:1).
That he will commit suicide: (1:900).

Either way, taxpayers will be saved imprisonment expense and receive welcomed assurances that Ali does not become an inglorious martyr. Actually, he will probably be pardoned in 16 years, depending upon how the GWOT is going.

Sub Patrols: Unfinished "Business" With Terrorist Haven, Somalia

AP - RODRIQUE NGOWI reports New al-Qaida Cell Settles in Somalia - A ruthless cell linked to al-Qaida is established in Somalia's capital, according to a report released Monday that dovetails with other analyses showing the lawless country could become a haven for international terrorists. The Mogadishu cell leader, a Somali militant, had been trained in Afghanistan.

In March, United Nations experts monitoring the arms embargo on Somalia reported Islamic hard-liners, including a group tied to al-Qaida, was importing high explosives, mines, rifle-fired grenades, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons. U.N. monitors said they had pictures and information that about 17 mobile military training camps established by the Islamic Somali group, Al-Ittihad al-Islami, which wants to impose Islamic law on Somali society.

No wonder a U.S. submarine has been patrolling nearby waters.

Submariners Rejoice! More Great News

So, maybe you did not get to take as many showers as you wanted when you were earning submarine pay. Even a fellow submariner as logical and persuasive as Chapomatic , who convinced me that "pigboat" sailors "smelled pretty bad", probably never convinced a captain to let him take longer than a regulation shower unless he had just been splashed with
dimethyl-mercury, or something as foul.

John Spangler, M.D of Wake Forest University School of Medicine said: "If our results are
confirmed, they could have profound implications." Dr Spangler's study is the first to show the potential for permanent brain damage from breathing vaporized manganese during a shower. It was conducted by reviewing the medical literature and calculating, based on animal studies, the amounts of manganese absorbed by showering 10 minutes a day.

Manganese is already monitored in public water supplies, so high levels of this naturally occurring metal are likely only in wells or private water supplies. “Nearly 9 million people in the United States are exposed to manganese levels that our study shows may cause toxic effects.”
If manganese levels are not routinely monitored in submarine distillation systems, nowadays,
my guess is it's because it is not necessary. Sounds like good news for our friend Rob!

What's Next After Our 1-4-2-1 Defense? Small, Tactical, Sub-Launched Nukes

The New York Times today reports in Pentagon Weighs Strategy Change to Deter Terror that senior Pentagon planners are challenging our old strategy requiring U.S. military readiness to fight two wars at once. Concern that troop and weapons concentrations in Iraq and Afghanistan is limiting Pentagon ability to deal with other potential needs, was underscored by Gen. Richard B. Myers, JCS chairman, in a classified risk assessment to Congress this spring.
The Pentagon's sweeping study, called Quadrennial Defense Review, is due to be completed early next year.

The 2005 Quadrennial Defense Review is unique in four ways. It will be the first QDR undertaken: during wartime; by an experienced Secretary of Defense who led one previously; in a post GWOT environment; and when power wielded by China is seen as a cause for concern by planners, legislators, and policymakers.

"Whether anybody believed we could actually fight two wars at once is open to debate," one senior military officer said. "But having it in the strategy raised enough uncertainty in the minds of our opponents that it served as a deterrent. Do we want to lose that? We don't want to give any adversary the confidence that they could take advantage of us while we're engaged in one major combat operation."

"The current military strategy is known by a numerical label, 1-4-2-1, with the first number representing the defense of American territory. That is followed by numbers representing the ability to deter hostilities in four critical areas of the world, and to swiftly defeat two adversaries in near-simultaneous major combat operations The final number stands for a requirement that the military retain the capability, at the same time, to decisively defeat one of those two adversaries, which would include capturing a capital and toppling a government."

Shifting longterm emphasis toward combatting counterterrorism focuses more heavily on civilian capabilities with huge military impact. Emphasizing a single war plus a better counterterrorism effort dictates lighter, more agile Special Ops units and employment of more language, intelligence and covert communications specialists.

That said, here is the prediction based upon current ability and future need to use STSLN (small tactical submarine launched nukes) from America's Arsenal of Democracy.

Advantages of submarines: stealth, deterrence, payload, command and control, weapons safekeeping. Advantage of aircraft: non-stationary targeting.

Guess Who Is Coming Back in the News...

For the record, she returned to New London the following November and operated along the eastern seaboard until decommissioned at Submarine Base, New London, in 1977. Your guessing is welcomed to demonstrate your submarine subject matter expertise, but guesses will not be confirmed right/wrong until updated at the time related news actually breaks. If you can guess her hull number, you may be able to guess the origin of a news story after 28 elapsed years.

PBS & the National Academy of Sciences: Slighting Taxpayer Largesse

WillyShake over at Unconsidered Trifles notes some PBS deceit:
"When public broadcasting’s integrity is attacked, the PBSers harrumph that government money is only a tiny fraction of their budgets. But, they say without taking a breath, if you take even one penny of it away, it will destroy us.

And on one of the National Academy of Sciences FAQ pages:

Q: What is the relationship of the National Academies to the government?

Answer: "The National Academy of Sciences was created by the federal government to be an adviser on scientific and technological matters. However, the Academy and its associated organizations are private, not governmental, organizations and do not receive direct federal appropriations for their work. "

but, further down...

Q: What is the Research Council's major source of funding?

Answer: "The federal government funds about 85 percent of the institution's work."

What is going on here? Both organizations were founded and generally operated with good intentions. They have since been politicized by the liberal LAWYER and EDUCATIONAL establishments, respectively and both now engage in self-serving doublespeak given above.
I have been supportive of PBS, although the chronic, unbalanced propaganda of lawyer proxy, Bill Moyers was sickening and anything but educational. PBS gets too many of my tax dollars and it looks as if NAS does, too, admittedly or not.