Trudeau and Obama: SOSOS. (Same Shiite Only Softer!)
Posted on 10/26/2015 1:46:41 PM PDT by amorphous
For anyone who might still be somehow unaware, the US is currently in a superpower staring match with both Russia and China. The conflict in Syria has put Moscow back on the geopolitical map (so to speak), creating an enormous amount of tension with Washington whose regional allies have been left to look on in horror as Russian airstrikes and an Iranian ground incursion dash hopes of ousting President Bashar al-Assad.
Meanwhile, in The South China Sea, Beijing has built 3,000 acres of new sovereign territory atop reefs in the Spratlys and although the reclamation effort itself isn’t unique, the scope of it most certainly is and Washington’s friends in the South Pacific are crying foul.
Beijing has continually insisted that it doesn’t intend to use the islands as military outposts, but the construction of runways and ports seems to tell a different story and so, Washington felt compelled to check things out over the summer by sending a Poseidon spy plane complete with a CNN crew to the area. Once the PLA spotted the plane the situation escalated quickly with the Chinese Navy telling US pilots to “Go Now!”
After that, an intense war of words developed with Defense Secretary Ash Carter insisting that the US would sail and fly anywhere it pleased and Beijing assuring the US that sailing within 12 nautical miles of the islands would prompt a harsh response from the PLA.
For weeks, the US was rumored to have been planning a freedom of navigation exercise in the Spratlys which, as we’ve pointed out several times this month, amounts to sailing by the islands just to see if China will shoot.
(Excerpt) Read more at zerohedge.com ...
I remember. Didn’t NK turn it into a museum and now charge admission?
SEAL team deployment stalled 36 hours, hampered by limited rules of engagement
WASHINGTON – While Barack Obama is basking in praise for his “decisive” handling of the Somali pirate attack on a merchant ship in the India Ocean, reliable military sources close to the scene are painting a much different picture of the incident – accusing the president of employing restrictive rules of engagement that actually hampered the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips and extended the drama at sea for days.
Multiple opportunities to free the captain of the Maersk Alabama from three young pirates were missed, these sources say – all because a Navy SEAL team was not immediately ordered to the scene and then forced to operate under strict, non-lethal rules of engagement.
They say the response duty office at the Pentagon was initially unwilling to grant an order to use lethal force to rescue Phillips. They also report the White House refused to authorize deployment of a Navy SEAL team to the location for 36 hours, despite the recommendation of the on-scene commander.
The White House also turned down two rescue plans offered up by the Seal commander on the scene and the captain of the USS Bainbridge.
The SEAL team operated under rules of engagement that required them to do nothing unless the hostage’s life was in “imminent’ danger.
In fact, when the USS Bainbridge dispatched a rigid-hull inflatable boat to bring supplies to the Maersk Alabama, it came under fire that could not be returned even though the SEAL team had the pirates in their sights.
Many hours before the fatal shots were fired, taking out the three young pirates, Phillips jumped into the Indian Ocean with the idea of giving the snipers a clear target. However, the SEAL team was still under orders not to shoot.
Hours later, frustrated by the missed opportunities to resolve the standoff, the commander of the Bainbridge and the captain of the Navy SEAL team determined they had operational authority to evaluate the risk to the hostage, and took out the pirates at the first opportunity – finally freeing Phillips.
“Having spoken to some SEAL pals here in Virginia Beach yesterday and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I got the following:”
1. BHO wouldn’t authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.
2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their ROE that they couldn’t do anything unless the hostage’s life was in “imminent” danger
3. The first time the hostage jumped, the SEALS had the raggies all sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction
4. When the navy RIB came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the raggies were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them all dialed in.
5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the Bainbridge CPN and SEAL teams.
6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead raggies
7. BHO immediately claims credit for his “daring and decisive” behaviour. As usual with him, it’s BS.
So per our last email thread, I’m downgrading Oohbaby’s performace to D-. Only reason it’s not an F is that the hostage survived.
Read the following accurate account.
Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken.
The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States, Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.
The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable.
After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough.
Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.
Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe.
There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage.
Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.
Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort.
What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship.-WND
You’ll never get any member of the Free Republic Free Traitor™ Army to comment on a situation like this.
Maybe he's not actually pro-Iranian at all. Maybe he's just anti-Israel.
In a few years China will have 3 or 4 airbases in this sea. The US is clearly fighting a losing battle.
Trudeau and Obama: SOSOS. (Same Shiite Only Softer!)
I’m at a loss to understand it myself, unless you look at it from the unthinkable: That he’s secretly assisting in Islamic world domination.
I’m at a loss to understand it myself, unless you look at it from the unthinkable: That he’s secretly assisting in Islamic world domination.
That’s exactly what he’s doing. Bits and pieces of covert activity slip out now and then.
Follow the money.
China doesn’t want to blow up the area and trash the economies of Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, and, most importantly, the US.
Not to mention economic and political relations with the same, plus the Philippines and Vietnam.
Given the nature of the times in which we live, Americans will no doubt go to sleep someday while glowing in the dark, but not now and not over this.
Obambi, trying to look tough...
Too funny!!
The Captain of this ship might be a 25 year old lesbian who was promoted over 30 more qualified men.
We don't make much consumer goods anymore so just how does China trash the US economy? I would say a cold war with China would be a boon to the US economy, at first we'd suffer while the infrastructure was rebuilt. Then we'd be on the right track.
A hot war would be worse for the gooks than for us.
Giving new meaning to the term “drive by.”
Agree, except I think the “someday” you refer to is approaching much faster than we imagine. Look at the thousands of muslims invading Europe, soon to be coming here. Also, the billions of rounds of ammo purchased by our government, a push to eliminate our 2nd amendment rights, militarization of our police, bankrupting us, purging of our military, Russian and Chinese aggressiveness, and so forth. You’d have to be pretty dense not to think somethings up.
How so?
You can find out who this ship’s Capt is. It isn’t a LGBT type. He looks to have the quals to be there.
Agreed. If I were in Taiwan, I would be very worried.
You can find out who this ship’s Capt is. It isn’t a LGBT type. He looks to have the quals to be there.
I’m sure he is. I should have put “/s”. I was being facetious.
Thanks.
Surely he's not a type of person who could sell out 300 million fellow citizens for such deals?!
China’s holding hundreds of millions of American dollars in T-Bills; war would render them nothing but useless paper.
It’ll never happen.
Money talks, BS walks.
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