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SOS – The US Navy is Sinking
US Defense Watch ^ | April 16, 2016 | Ray Starmann

Posted on 04/15/2016 9:31:21 PM PDT by pboyington

The US Navy has taken three torpedoes to its bow and is going down.

These are trying times for the US Navy. It seems that every two weeks or so there is some crisis engulfing the once proud, competent and steadfast organization that used to be a bedrock of the nation’s defense.

The performance and conduct of the US Navy lately has seemed like something emanating from a Third World, Banana Republic coastal defense force; heavy on medals and light on brains, skills and tenacious fighting spirit.

Two days ago the USS Donald Cook was taunted and embarrassed by Russian SU-24 fighters who used the guided missile destroyer as mock target practice during danger close gun runs on the vessel.

According to CBS News:

A senior defense official told CBS News that two recent incidents were “more aggressive than anything we’ve seen in some time.”

The first, on April 11, involved two Russian SU24s, when the USS Donald Cook left the Polish port of Gdynia and was about 70 nautical miles from Kaliningrad in the Baltic Sea. The official said the Russian jets made 20 passes of the American ship and flew within 1,000 yards at an altitude of just 100 feet.

In the second incident on April 12, two Russian KA27 Helix helicopters flew several circles around the Donald Cook, apparently taking photos, after which two jets again made numerous close passes of the ship in what the official described as “Simulated Attack Profile.”

The U.S. ship tried to contact the plane’s cockpit, but received no response.

The Russian plane, which the U.S. says was unarmed, made at least 12 passes. This continued for about 90 minutes. The event ended without incident.

Twelve passes for 90, count ‘em, NINETY minutes and all the US Navy did was video the incident and put it on You Tube and Facebook so they could get a few “likes.”

Where in the heck was Naval Air the whole time to chase away the Russian aircraft? I find it hard to believe that a US Navy destroyer was wandering around in the Baltic by itself.

US Navy air power seemed to be as absent from this disgraceful incident as it was in the Persian Gulf when the Navy was surrendering to Iranian thugs in dinghies.

And, it gets worse. It seems that the Russians pulled this same act with the USS Donald Cook in 2014 and all we did was sit there and twiddle our thumbs.

The Iranians also know we’re a weak sister. Lieutenant David Nartker, commanding officer of two US Navy Riverine boats, surrendered his men and his craft with superior firepower and navigation systems to a half dozen Iranian thugs in bass boats that they had stolen from Babe Winkelman’s fishing show. Nartker surrendered without firing so much as a flare. After boarding the Navy boats, Nartker and his men were ordered down on their knees while the Iranians trained machine guns and cameras on them.

Nartker doubled and tripled and quadrupled down on his disgraceful conduct by telling a worldwide TV audience that the Iranians hospitality was just fabulous. To add insult to injury, one of his men, felt it was an opportune time to start bawling his head off like he was a guest on Oprah.

As of now, the public has never been told what actually happened in the Persian Gulf. The Pentagon is very adept at hiding things.

Smoke and Mirrors is job one at the Pentagon.

Ash Carter may be able to stow Nartker away in preparation for his eventual assignment as Chief of Naval Operations, but he can’t hide the Navy’s incompetence and cowardice from the enemies of this nation.

We are weak and the bad guys damned well know it.

The word is out on the high seas, on the Arab Street, in the mountains of Afghanistan and in the snowdrifts of the Kremlin; the US military is a feminized weakling. Its senior leaders are the rubber men of Arlington and its commander in chief learned how to street fight on the set of Will and Grace.

The word is out. You can taunt, harass, kick, capture and throw sand in the face of the US Navy and nothing will happen to you because the US Navy doesn’t have the leadership, or the stones to do a damned thing about it.

Superseding the sickening display of fecklessness on the Baltic Sea was the revelation this week that US Navy Lieutenant Commander Edward Lin faces charges of espionage, attempted espionage, patronizing a prostitute, adultery and falsifying federal records.

Lin’s last duty station before being arrested was with Special Projects Patrol Squadron 2 in Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii, from February 2014 to March 2016. The unit flies the P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, searching for enemy submarines and performing reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering operations in the Pacific.

This week the Washington Post also learned that Lin has been in the brig for eight months, conveniently hidden from the public by the Pentagon. What’s new? The Pentagon has more dirt under the E-Ring Oriental rug than all the sawdust in America.

Lin, a Taiwanese-born naturalized American, seems to have successfully dodged the CI boys in low quarters and white socks for years, while passing vital national security information to the Chinese.

Speaking of national security scandals, there is the ongoing Fat Leonard Affair, which involves the Chief of Naval Intelligence.

Fat Leonard is not a villain on Hawaii Five-O, but the Malaysian defense contractor, Leonard Glenn Francis, who pleaded guilty to orchestrating one of the U.S. Navy’s biggest corruption scandals. Standing 6 feet, 3 inches, and weighing some 350 pounds, the 51-year-old is better known as “Fat Leonard” in Navy circles, and has admitted to bribing countless Navy officials with cash, prostitutes and lavish gifts.

“Fat Leonard” was the CEO of the Glenn Defense Marina Asia group, headquartered in Singapore. He initially fought the charges, but after a wave of defendants admitted their complicity, he later admitted he overcharged the U.S. Navy by more than $20 million for fuel, food and other services at his Asian ports, and also invented tariffs via fake port authorities. Between 2004 and 2013, Francis plied Navy officials with gifts of cash exceeding $500,000, promises of sex from prostitutes amounting to hundreds of thousands of dollars, all-expense-paid hotel stays, Cuban cigars and various other material gifts, according to his plea agreement.

In return, Francis received classified information such as ship schedules from various naval officers, including Cmdr. Michael Vannak Khem Misiewicz, who was seen as a rising star in the Navy, according to Raw Story. “Misiewicz and Francis moved Navy vessels like chess pieces, diverting aircraft carriers, destroyers and other ships to Asian ports with lax oversight where Francis could inflate costs,” the criminal complaint alleges, according to AP. Misiewicz maintains his innocence and has pleaded not guilty.

Eight people, including Misiewicz, have been implicated in the corruption scandal so far, including Navy officers, a senior Navy investigator and Francis’ cousin.

Vice Adm. Ted “Twig” Branch, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information and the Director of Naval Intelligence has been without a security clearance since November of 2013 after his name was mentioned in a far-ranging investigation into the infamous “Fat Leonard” bribery and corruption scandal. The Navy had nominated Rear Admiral Elizabeth Train to take over as head of Navy Intelligence, but the nomination was pulled two weeks ago.

Think about that; the head of Navy Intelligence doesn’t even have a clearance!

More importantly, why would the Navy dither for over two years on the replacement for Branch?

Obviously, this crisis has been overlooked by Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus, who is too busy destroying the new Gender Neutral Marine Corps.

Adding to all these problems, the Navy has serious readiness issues. Three days ago, Republican Congressman Randy Forbes chaired a hearing Wednesday where he advocated for growing the size of the Navy’s fleet.

Forbes, the chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, heard testimony from former Navy Secretary John Lehman, on the Navy’s ship shortfalls and the need for a significantly larger fleet. Former Fleet Forces Commander Admiral Robert Natter will testify later.

Forbes released the following statement before the meeting:

When John Lehman stepped down as Secretary of the Navy in 1987 we had 594 ships. When ADM Natter retired from the Navy in 2003 we had 297 ships. Today we have a fleet of 272 ships that is too small to meet the demands being thrust upon it.

Poor leadership, gutless officers, unethical and traitorous officers, lousy morale, enlisted personnel who don’t understand the Code of Conduct, readiness concerns, old equipment, fighting spirit issues; the US Navy has deep, serious problems that if allowed to continue will bring down this once proud and brave service.

The US Navy hasn’t been in a direct fire engagement since 1988. While Naval Air assets played a vital role in the Gulf War, the Iraq War and in Afghanistan, the absence of actual naval combat has begun to take a toll on the Navy.

The US Navy has a peacetime attitude in a wartime world.

Dot, dot, dot

Dash, dash, dash

Dot, dot, dot


TOPICS: Government; Military/Veterans; Politics
KEYWORDS: navy; obama; su24; usnavy
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1 posted on 04/15/2016 9:31:22 PM PDT by pboyington
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To: pboyington

That’s because the CIC set out to ruin America.


2 posted on 04/15/2016 9:34:25 PM PDT by G Larry (ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS impose SLAVE WAGES on LEGAL Immigrants.)
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To: pboyington
The Last Ship series is showing our guys & gals in action.

Go, Navy!

3 posted on 04/15/2016 9:35:13 PM PDT by kiryandil (.)
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To: G Larry

wouldn’t matter if there were 500 ships if the CIC wouldn’t use them.

Each day on here I read about some fantastic new weapon we have, then read about the disastrous condition of our armed forces.

truly confusing.


4 posted on 04/15/2016 9:41:59 PM PDT by dp0622 (The only thing an upper crust conservative hates more than a liberal is a middle class conservative)
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To: dp0622

Howdy! You mean like this video?

Majority of Marine Corps jets grounded due to budget cuts

Apr. 15, 2016 - 2:38 - Lack of funding for maintenance has left majority of aircrafts inoperable

http://video.foxnews.com/v/4847399981001/majority-of-marine-corps-jets-grounded-due-to-budget-cuts/?#sp=show-clips


5 posted on 04/15/2016 9:44:05 PM PDT by huldah1776 ( Vote Pro-life! Allow God to bless America before He avenges the death of the innocent.)
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To: pboyington

Sad but true article.

Slim odds we’ll ever learn the whole truth about the surrender to the Iranian bass boats.


6 posted on 04/15/2016 9:44:14 PM PDT by Dagnabitt (Islamic Immigration is Treason.)
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To: pboyington

The scariest part is what do you think the condition of our Nuclear arsenal?


7 posted on 04/15/2016 9:50:27 PM PDT by Fhios (Going Donald Trump is as close to going John Galt as we'll get.)
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To: pboyington

Gotta fund those illegals. Just read a story about how the government is funding start-up businesses for illegals in this country AND aren’t we, the US Taxpaying citizens, “building a wall” in Tunisia to keep illegals from crossing their border?


8 posted on 04/15/2016 9:52:21 PM PDT by notaliberal (St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle,)
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To: Dagnabitt

Chinese have a saying:

A fish rots from the head on down.


9 posted on 04/15/2016 9:53:44 PM PDT by OldArmy52 (The question is not whether Obama ever lies, but whether he ever tells the truth.)
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To: Dagnabitt

I do not know if you are aware of this, but likely odingus ordered them to stand down and get captured by the iranians. I would have disobeyed the order and had one boat tow the other boat back.

http://www.central-view.com/default.asp

http://usatransnationalreport.org/2016/01/17/will-the-farsi-island-incident-turn-out-to-be-a-cover-up-like-benghazis/


10 posted on 04/15/2016 9:54:40 PM PDT by Captainpaintball (Immigration without assimilation is the death of a nation -- FUJB!!!)
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To: pboyington

Our military is taking lessons from Monty Python: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol5Dfs7jqFI


11 posted on 04/15/2016 9:55:03 PM PDT by AZLiberty (A is no longer A, but a pull-down menu.)
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To: dp0622
Each day on here I read about some fantastic new weapon we have, then read about the disastrous condition of our armed forces.

We got a lot of good stuff, but it's more expensive than it should be, and the compromises endanger the troops.

On the flip side, the Russians and Chinese have good stuff, too now, just not as much of it.

The real problem is the leadership. Ours sucks, ...and prays five times a day.

12 posted on 04/15/2016 9:55:47 PM PDT by Navy Patriot (America, a Rule of Mob nation)
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To: pboyington

"You have a woman's navy!"

13 posted on 04/15/2016 10:08:48 PM PDT by Oztrich Boy ("History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce." - Karl Marx)
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To: pboyington
Where in the heck was Naval Air the whole time to chase away the Russian aircraft? I find it hard to believe that a US Navy destroyer was wandering around in the Baltic by itself.

The Navy abandoned the safety in numbers policy back in the Clinton years. USS COLE was over a day or more out from the nearest USN ship. The nearest Naval air fire power to respond to the Russians are land based likely in Sicily. We abandoned a two carrier posture in the MED Sea area in the late 80's and even one carrier there 24/7/365 again in the Clinton years.

I wish my older Bookmarks still worked. Many of the Navy readiness ones go back to conditions under Slick Willie and some under W as well. As for the carriers? Half of the 10 we have left active are likely docked meaning physically there at Norfolk Naval Station. Sometimes we actually send a carrier on deployment now. Deployment meaning at least 3 months usually 6-7 months. A very bad decision was made sometime in the Reagan years to build a third carrier pier which made N.O.B. Norfolk a 5 carrier base instead of the three carrier berths it had been even when we had over 20 carriers Navy wide. Previously Pier 12 a two carrier pier and Pier 7 was it as far as carriers go at NOB Norfolk. Or in other words if some Dork in DC decided to order it we can now berth all USN aircraft carriers in one port city all within about a 5 air mile radius.

Pictures of 5 carriers berthed in a row are real easy to find now. I have one picture where some schmuck had four carriers berthed in numerical order of hull ID numbers.

14 posted on 04/15/2016 11:13:11 PM PDT by cva66snipe ((Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?))
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To: cva66snipe

Re: Bookmarks, have you tried pasting the old URL addresses into this website ?

https://archive.org/

Sometimes you can still retrieve stuff that way.


15 posted on 04/15/2016 11:30:44 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

OK Thanks. I’ll try it tomorrow.


16 posted on 04/15/2016 11:38:06 PM PDT by cva66snipe ((Two Choices left for U.S. One Nation Under GOD or One Nation Under Judgment? Which one say ye?))
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To: pboyington
A related article:
ROLL CALL: Rodents and rot: Military facilities are ‘failing,’ report finds
WASHINGTON — A quarter of the U.S. military’s facilities are falling apart, the Senate Appropriations Committee says.“According to recent facility condition assessment data, one in four Defense facilities are rated as being in poor or failing condition,” the committee wrote in the report that accompanies the fiscal 2017 Milcon-VA spending bill that the panel approved Thursday.

Examples of the deteriorating state of U.S. military infrastructure are scattered throughout that report and a similar one, also produced this week, from the House Appropriations Committee. Both documents are rife with references to crumbling and unsafe U.S. military structures, some of which are riddled with mold and rodents.


17 posted on 04/15/2016 11:40:36 PM PDT by Stand Watch Listen (Was addicted to the Hokey Pokey...but I turned myself around...((@))
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To: cva66snipe

OK. Let me know if you have any problems using it.


18 posted on 04/16/2016 12:05:51 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: huldah1776

Save


19 posted on 04/16/2016 12:52:35 AM PDT by Eagles6 ( Valley Forge Redux. If not now, when? If not here, where? If not us then who?)
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To: pboyington

What if the Rusky jet had been a Rusky anti-ship cruise missle?

Our ship would be underwater.

That is wasn’t shot down says we are sitting ducks for all incomings from anywhere - Russia, China, Iran, even N.Korea........

Essentially - we’ve surrendered.......which clearly is O’s international policy.......


20 posted on 04/16/2016 2:29:15 AM PDT by Arlis
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