Zumwalt class destroyers.
Zumwalt class destroyers.
"As we learned last year, you don't necessarily need expensive aircraft to chase down and deal with a bunch of Pacho Villa's teenage Mexican bandits wielding Winchesters," ...... Secretary of War, February, 1917
Name one, single American-made aircraft that saw combat in World War One in 1917 and 1918.
You can't.
The U.S. was so unprepared for a "real war" that American pilots had to fly the left-overs that the French and the British allowed them to have. (Nieuports had a nasty habit of shedding wings during combat, so, the French gave them to the Americans so that French pilots could have first dibs on the sturdier SPADS).
In the next major naval war, possibly with China, we won't have the luxury of being unprepared.
No, we need 13 to 15, of which, to be blunt about it, three or four would be reserves against losses in any confrontation with anyone whose asses we'll have to kick so hard their hemorrhoids will get stuck to their tonsils.
The stink of rationalization is all over this "review" Gates is talking about.
We have plenty of "cheap ships" if he needs them: They're laid up in Bremerton and Suisun Bay and the James River.
If the politicians can stop expending them as targets.
The NWO needs to limit the Navy. (and the military in general)
Haven’t folks figured out why Gates was kept on.......?
Gates is just another RAT whore...no different than Pelosi,Sphincter,”Reverend” Wright or Bill Ayers.Gates’ current appointment is Hussein’s way of telling our enemies “you need not fear us”.
Without the US Navy, Allies like Taiwan and Israel may be in considerable danger.
Ping
He has Queeg-itis...
Better hide the strawberries...
“As we learned last year, you don’t necessarily need a billion-dollar guided missile destroyer to chase down and deal with a bunch of teenage pirates wielding AK-47s and RPGs (rocket-propelled grenades),” Gates quipped.
Stupid bastard. We did`nt build them just to chase down teenage pirates. Where do these people come from?
Without our Navy, we’re going to be a sitting duck!
How do these people sleep at night ..??
Somebody get this idiot an impairment test he seems to be totally Drunk on Obama Juice...
China is not a nation that's incapable of major ship building by any means. Actually the situations in Russia and China could change drastically in months. Both Russia and China have the facilities to build ships and subs in mass quantities or the ability to quickly build such.. The main missing element isn't technology but rather money. Where would money come from? Look to the Middle East. Who would be willing to fund Russia and China's military build up for self protection and their end goal of the elimination of Israel? Look to the Middle East.
The United States of America has gone from four to one shipbuilders that are capable of turning out even a conventional aircraft carrier.
Now everyone remembers Pearl Harbor but no one considers this fact. The entire east coast carrier fleet minus one carrier is home-ported all out of the same home port. In that port can be up to possibly eight carriers in a 10 mile or less radius. I have a picture of FIVE at the same base at the same time in a half mile roll. Up the river from there just a very few short miles is the carrier repair shipyard for the east coast fleet. Only that shipyard and the one a few miles downstream can repair carriers. Of those two yards one is also the only builder left.
Oh but I'm not through yet. A few miles from there is the Naval Amphib Base for most amphibious assault and carriers at one base. Also in the area is two Naval Air Stations. In other words a potentially worse than Pearl Harbor because if those facilities were destroyed in a single attack we would not be able to recover in time.
The defense of the United States Of America is the primary function of our federal government. There can be no higher priority than this. Anyone with any basic knowledge of how ships must operate knows that in all reality you at no given time will have more than two thirds available for deployment due to necessary maintenance which is mission critical. That would be under the best of circumstances. Ships can not miss this downtime more than once without serious issues developing. Anyone thinking otherwise needs to study the time frame between 1990-1996. The Kitty Hawk and JFK fiasco's weren't the first ones to happen. We lost a carrier in that time frame. Three six month deployments in three years. Then BOOM! The Navy was already in a deep readiness spiral by 1993 thanks to the policies that began under Poppy Bush/Sec of Def Cheney and it has only continued to get worse ever sense that time.
One lucky air strike at the right time in the right place would make Pearl Harbor look mild in comparison to the damage we now are open too. Downsizing more is not the answer. Aircraft carrier whether Gates likes them are not is still the fastest way to get 70 plus aircraft on that carrier and their support moved almost anywhere in the world and operational in less than a week.
As for pirates? Like one Freeper said. The U.S. Government lacks the will to authorize our Navy to act. The sooner our elected stop trying to make diplomats out of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen, the sooner things will change. Diplomatic stupidity put the COLE in the wrong port and the wrong time two days out from fleet and alone in a known terrorist nation. The Navy I served under The COLE could have been fuel at sea even by a carrier if necessary.
ALWAYS remember this, Gates works for Hussein Obama.
Hussein Obama makes all the final calls on the preparedness, and equipment for our standing Army & Navy. Do you understand what is being said here — who do you think wants the USA to be on an equal or lesser basis with the rest of the military world?