Free Republic

Hillary Clinton’s 2016 campaign manager, John Podesta, played a central role in another potential Russian collusion scandal that has not yet been investigated. Podesta, the former chief of staff to President Bill Clinton, served on the board of Joule Unlimited, a now defunct alternative energy company, from January 2011 to January 2014. He resigned from the company’s board to accept the powerful job of Counselor to President Barack Obama. During Podesta’s tenure on the board of Joule Unlimited, a significant investment in the company by a firm owned by the Russian government escaped review and scrutiny by the Committee on...

Canada’s last destroyer is temporarily sidelined after a series of engine problems and other technical issues on the 43-year-old vessel caused senior navy leaders to worry the ship might not be able to continue operating. HMCS Athabaskan, the flagship of the country’s Atlantic fleet, is undergoing a series of repairs in Halifax, according to Royal Canadian Navy documents leaked to Postmedia. Earlier this year, the ship broke down in Florida because of engine problems. It later broke down in the Caribbean, again because of engine issues. HMCS Athabaskan sailors have contacted Postmedia to point out a litany of problems, including...

Thousands of Atlanta students stranded all night long in their schools were reunited with their parents Wednesday, while rescuers rushed to deliver blankets, food, gas and a ride home to countless shivering motorists stopped cold by a storm that paralyzed the business capital of the South with less than 3 inches of snow. The result was gridlock on freeways that are jammed even on normal days. Countless vehicles were stranded and many of them abandoned. Officials said 239 children spent Tuesday night aboard school buses; thousands of others stayed overnight in their schools. One woman's 12-mile commute home took 16...

THE Navy’s flagship deployment of 2010 is underway… with the nation’s flagship kicking it off. HMS Ark Royal departed Portsmouth on a glorious spring morning as the Auriga 2010 deployment to the Eastern Seaboard of North America began. When the exercise reaches its peak off Florida in July, it will see the carrier joined by HMS Ocean and Albion, plus American assault ship USS Kearsarge (a combination of Ark/Ocean, but twice the size…). The road to Florida begins in rather chillier climes, however. Ark’s first ‘stomping ground’ on the deployment is the west coast of Scotland and the regular Joint...

Check out the slide show sent to me by a good friend in the U.S. Marines. They pay close attention to this sort of thing because it's how they get to work. (I guess this will put him on the Homeland Security watch list!!) Sorry, could not transfer link to this post. See slide show a The Edisto Joe Outlook.

The latest addition to the Iraqi Navy fleet, Patrol Ship “The Fatah,” arrives at the Port of Umm Qasr, June 21. Courtesy photo. UMM QASR — Leading a procession of Iraqi Navy (IqN) ships and escorted by three MI-17 helicopters, the latest addition to the Iraqi fleet, Patrol Ship “The Fatah,” arrived in port here, June 21. Fatah is the first of four ships contracted from the Fincantieri Shipyard in La Spezia, Italy, and is being designated as the flagship of the IqN. The 34-member Iraqi crew sailed the Fatah here from La Spezia, completing a 5,100-nautical mile, 26-day voyage....

LA SPEZIA, Italy, May 15, 2009 – The Iraqi navy reached a critical milestone today by receiving its first patrol ship from an Italian shipbuilder here. Patrol Ship 701 – named Fatah, meaning “Conquer” or “Victory” -- is the first of four ships built under a contract with the Fincantieri Shipyard here, and will be designated as the flagship of the Iraqi navy. Fatah's 34-member crew traveled to Italy in January to begin their training on the ship. The training encompassed all aspects of shipboard operations to ensure the crew will be ready to sail from Italy to Umm Qasr,...

ITALY — The Iraqi Navy has been conducting training over the last several months to prepare for the maiden voyage of the Fatah Patrol Ship 701 in mid-May. The Italian patrol ship will be transferred to Iraq, May 15. The 34-member Iraqi crew traveled to Italy in January to begin their training on PS 701. The training encompassed all aspects of shipboard operations to ensure the crew would be ready to sail the ship from La Spezia to Umm Qasr, Iraq. The Fatah, meaning ‘Conquer’ or ‘Victory,” is the first of four Italian built ships directly contracted from the Fincantieri...

ABOARD HMS BULWARK -- HMS Bulwark (L15), the Royal Navy's most modern and versatile warship, assumed duties Feb. 28 from USS Cape St. George (CG 71) as the flagship for the Royal Navy staff which leads Combined Task Force 58 (CTF 58), a multinational coalition that conducts maritime security operations (MSO) in the North Arabian Gulf (NAG). Maritime security operations help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. MSO deny the illegal use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to...

GROTON, Conn. (NNS) -- The Naval Historical Center’s (NHC) search for Revolutionary War naval hero John Paul Jones' ship Bonhomme Richard received further support in early February, when it was recommended for funding through the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Office of Ocean Exploration's competitive grant process. The NHC and Ocean Technology Foundation (OTF) plan to launch a search for Bonhomme Richard off the coast of England in July. "You cannot find an underwater archaeological site more important to the U.S. Navy than that of John Paul Jones' Bonhomme Richard," said Dr. Robert Neyland, head of the NHC's...