Wesley Clark, another stupid liberal pri** moron

Unless you're living in a cave in Afghanistan (oops, probably there, too), you may have missed General Wesley Clark (retired Obama advisor) dissing John McCain's service yesterday on Face the Nation. To recap, Clark said:

"It's a matter of gauging your opponents, and it's a matter of being held accountable. John McCain's never done any of that in his official positions. I certainly honor his service as a prisoner of war. He was a hero to me and to hundreds of thousands and millions of others in Armed Forces as a prisoner of war. He has been a voice on the Senate Armed Services Committee, and he has traveled all over the world. But he hasn't held executive responsibility. That large squadron in Air- in the Navy that he commanded, it wasn't a wartime squadron. He hasn't been there and ordered the bombs to fall. He hasn't seen what it's like when diplomats come in and say, 'I don't know whether we're going to be able to get this point through or not. Do you want to take the risk? What about your reputation?"

He went on to say:

"Well, I don't think riding in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to be President."

So, let's consider Wesley's statements, which seem to center on McCain not holding executive responsibility. True, McCain's experience with VA-174 was post-Vietnam, but it is still executive experience, something, I might add, that Barack Obama does not have. Perhaps some of my aviator readers can help me here, but VA-174, which McCain was both Executive and Commanding Officer of, had 50 and was the largest squadron in the Navy, so this bubblehead figures the command was in excess of 200 people (or bigger than a submarine, which I consider pretty impressive executive experience), the command received a MUC, and McCain got an MSM for his leadership. Let's compare that to Barack's executive experience......that sound you hear is crickets.

As a POW, we all know the stories. McCain led by example. While there is no official record of his holding any executive positions during his captivity, his actions are well documented, and are those of a man leading other men in the absolute worst conditions imaginable. What experience does Obama have that compares to that?

He hasn't been there and ordered bombs to fall, but, what 20th century presidents were present when the bombs fell? Eisenhower, JFK, Teddy Roosevelt. And, of those, only TR and Eisenhower would have been in a position where diplomats would have come in and asked them anything. So, please, Wesley, YOU aren't running for President this time (thank God), Barack Obama is, and he has absolutely ZERO experience with anything to do with foreign policy.

In the same interview, Wesley touts Obama's strengths as:

"...incredible communication skills, proven judgment. You look at his meteoric rise in politics, and you see a guy who deals with people well, who understands issues, who brings people together and who has good judgment in moving forward. And I think what we need to do, Bob, is we need to stop talking about the old politics of left and right, and we need to pull together and move the country forward. And I think that's what Barack Obama will do for America."

Please. I know 8 years of W's attempting to speak have driven us all crazy sometimes, but, when you have nothing to say, it doesn't matter how good your communication skills are. And, Wes, let's face it, Obama isn't running for Dan Rather (oops, Katie Couric's) job, he's running for President. And, who has he ever brought together? He votes with the Democratic caucus about 95% of the time, and has no significant bipartisan bills to point to. If Barack Obama is goign to bring the country together, where is the evidence that he has ever even brought members of the Senate together? None.

As for Wesley Clark, this is a guy who wanted to start a war with the Russians and had to be stopped by a British general, was releived early of his command by Bill Clinton, and said of another Vietnam veteran (one who didn't serve 5 years in captivity):

"John Kerry has heard the thump of enemy mortars. He's seen the flash of the tracers. He's lived the values of service and sacrifice. In the Navy, as a prosecutor, as a senator, he proved his physical courage under fire. And he's proved his moral courage too.

John Kerry fought a war, and I respect him for that. And he came home to fight a peace. And I respect him for that, too.

John Kerry's combination of physical courage and moral values is my definition of what we need as Americans in our commander in chief.

John Kerry is a man who in time of war can lead us as a warrior

He has the moral courage born in battle..."

Like others, I find Wes Clark's comments obscene and not worthy of a retired General. He's an egomaniac and a moron, and, a pri**.

If Obama Wins

With a spate of recent Supreme Court decisions, everyone on the right side of the political spectrum has to ask themselves, what is really at stake in this year's Presidential election. Nothing can change the nature of this country as much as an activist, leftist Court. The last two elections have seen George W. Bush get my vote largely because of the Court. In 2004, I added the War on Terrorism (or the War against Islamofascism) to my list. Those two reasons and the fact that I believe he is tremendously thoughtful and honorable man are why I will vote for McCain this year, despite his heresy on Campaign Finance Reform, Global Warming, and Immigration.

But, what happens if Obama wins in November, and brings with him at least two years of Democrats controlling Congress (and, perhaps a 60-seat majority in the Senate)?

Doomsday scenarios say he would put us on a fast track to withdraw from Iraq (ensuring defeat), would damage the economy with tax increases (removing the social security cap, increasing capital gains, restoring the death tax to Clinton levels, and raising marginal rates on the highest wage earners), would do little to reduce our dependence on middle-eastern oil (putting us on a path to $10/gal gas while enriching those Arab sheiks who bankroll our enemies and costing us billions in non-productive global warming prevention measures), would likely put the death knell on school choice initiatives, would take control of the health care industry and ensure rationing, and would appoint leftist judges to the Federal bench and Supreme Court, ensuring a further erosion in individual rights for a generation.

But, would all those things really happen?

Some might have made the same arguments when Bill Clinton was the nominee.

Of course, Bill Clinton, after the health care fiasco, realized that he needed to govern more moderately in order to 1)get anything done, and 2)(more importantly to him) get re-elected.

Crucial to #1 was the fact that he didn't have 60 Dem Senators to prevent filibusters. Assuming Obama also doesn't have this, will he, like Clinton, move right to ensure that#2 also happens to him? Reading the tea leaves, do Obama's recent statements in the wake of a couple of Supreme Court decisions give us any indication that he intends to not just govern more centristly, but to campaign that way?

I don't know.

I have to hope that 1) McCain wins, or that 2)If Obama wins that the R's retain 41+ seats in the Senate, or that 3)Obama is not as left-wing as his record indicates.

If 2 or 3 aren't true, we all have to come up with some contingency plans, which will be the subject of another post...

New Hampshire Christened

The USS New Hampshire (SSN-778) was christened today (Saturday), eight months early. Check out more pictures here. CT Representative Joe Courtney has been working hard to bring home the bacon to CT and while he faces a re-election battle with the former SUBASE CO, Sean Sullivan, his ability to get submarines built endears him to me, and likely to voters in Connecticut as well. Not to say that having Sullivan wouldn't also help, but, having members in somewhat unsafe seats in the majority party get a little help from their leadership in getting defense spending sent to their home states, is a good thing, in this case, for the submarine force. Would Sullivan get the same respect and treatment as a minority member in the next Congress? Doubtful. It's the way the game is played in Washington, like it or not.

RIMPAC coming to a state near you...

Since the wife and I are in Hawaii vacationing, I thought I'd provide a little local focus today. RIMPAC starts soon, and the Hawaiians are looking for a little economic boost from the exercise. Participating submarines will be coming from the South Koreans and Japanese, as well as the Key West, Los Angeles, and Santa Fe, according to this Star-Bulletin article.

Oh, here is the obligatory "postcard" shot of Waikiki from Diamond Head:

More UAV's for ASW

In what I consider some interesting news on the anti-submarine warfare front, the P-8 is being developed without magnetic anomaly detection capability, because "Planners became confident that acoustic processing systems will provide adequate sub-hunting capability." Losing the MAD allows the P-8 to shed some weight and lose drag, which are good platform things.

I've worked with P-3 guys over the years, and I honestly have never heard one talk about MAD's capabilities, as we always focus on their acoustic sensors, so I tend to discount its usefulness. In other P-8 news, a UAV, MagEagle, which is a variant of the ScanEagle already in useis being developed for use in ASW. A variant is being developed also that can be launched from a Trident missile tube.

Pretty cool stuff...

became confident that acoustic processing systems will provide adequate sub-hunting capability


More...

Air Force Schooled By Submariners

Two top Air Force leaders were forced to resign today after they demonstrated their incompetence and lack of leadership in controlling nuclear weapons. Navy Adm. Kirkland Donald, director of Naval Nuclear Propulsion, issued a report which revealed widespread problems and convinced Defense Secretary Robert Gates that senior officials must be held accountable.

Things would be different there if we were in charge...

Miss Virginia

This lucky guy gets to escort Miss Virginia, Hannah Kiefer, around the USS Virginia, in this official Navy photo. The article further informs us that this marked a couple of "firsts," the first time a Miss Virginia had been on any submarine, and her first time on the Virginia. Isn't that the same first?

And, does she have to wear that crown everywhere, or just for pictures?

Perisher Course Series on Sky News

Sky News followed British and one American officer, as they went through the famed Perisher course for prospective submarine CO's. Interesting who the Brits will consider for command of a submarine. I knew the Brits had Engineers and Operational tracks, but never knew they would consider non-career submariners for command of a submarine.

See the series...

Museum Ships and Submarine Memorials

One thing I have been planning to do for a while is compile a list of all the ship memorials you can visit in the United States. While a lot of this information is culled from the Wikipedia article on Museum Ships, that article lists ships all over the world, and I, with a few exceptions (those I have visited, some interesting submarines), wanted to limit this to the United States, where I, and most of you, will probably limit our travels. If you're looking for ships overseas, the Wikipedia entry was updated 5/12/2008, so it's up-to-date, and I recommend it.

What it doesn't list, and will take me some time to improve on, is all the submarine memorials and museums that do not include ships. I expect that list will take quite some time to compile and I look to all of you for help adding a particular submarine (or naval) museum, no matter how small. If you have one I don't have, pass me the name, location, and a link to their "official" web site, if you have it. If not, something decent is good enough!

Of these, I can say I have visited many of them; USS Arizona (will add Missouri in two weeks!), USS Wisconsin, USS North Carolina, the ships at Patriot's Point (but not since the Cold War Memorial was erected, but I did visit the SS Savannah when she was still there!), USS Massachusetts, USS Lionfish, USS Joseph P Kennedy, USS Fall River, USS Alabama, USS Drum, USS Nautilus, HMS Belfast, Mystic Seaport, USS Barry, USS Constellation, USS Constitution. But, I am saddened by some I have been close to and missed (in San Diego, Buffalo, Long Beach).

Submarines
USS Albacore, SS-569, Portsmouth NH
R/V Aluminaut, Science Museum of Virginia, Richmond, VA
B-39 (Soviet Foxtrot), Maritime Museum of San Diego, San Diego, CA
B-427 (Soviet Foxtrot), alongside the Queen Mary, Long Beach, CA
USS Balao, SS-285, Balao Class, Conning Tower on display at the Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC
USS Batfish, SS-310, Balao Class, Muscogee, OK
USS Becuna, SS-319, Balao Class, Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, PA
USS Blueback, SS-581, Barbel Class, Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, Portland, OR
USS Bowfin, SS-287, Balao Class, Pearl Harbor, HI
USS Cavalla, SS-244, Gato Class, Seawolf Park, Galveston, TX
USS Clamagore, SS-343, Balao Class, Patriot's Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC
USS Cobia, SS-245, Gato Class, Wisconsin Maritime Museum, Manitowoc, WI
USS Cod, SS-224, Gato Class, Cleveland, OH
USS Croaker, SS-246, Gato Class, Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park, Buffalo, NY
USS Drum, SS-228, Gato Class, Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile, AL
Fenian Ram, Holland Designed Submarine, Paterson Museum, Paterson, NJ
USS George Bancroft, SSBN-643, Franklin Class, sail at entrance to SUBASE King's Bay, St. Mary's, GA
USS Growler, SSG-577, Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum, New York, NY
HA-19, Japanese Midget Sub, Ko-hyoteki Class, National Museum of the Pacific War, Fredricksburg, TX
USS Marlin, SST-2, T-1 Class, Freedom Park, Omaha, NE
USS Lionfish, SS-298, Balao Class, Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
K-77, Soviet Juliett Class, Collier Point Park, Providence, RI (note closed as the sub sunk at the pier during a storm)
HMS Holland I, Royal Navy Submarine Museum, Gosport, UK
USS Ling, SS-297, Balao Class, The New Jersey Naval Museum, Hackensack, NJ (note, apparently the museum is in danger of losing the Ling).
USS Nathaniel Greene, SSBN-636, Sail only at entrance to Port Canaveral Naval Base
USS Nautilus, SSN-571, US Navy Submarine Force Museum, Groton, CT
USS Pampanito, SS-383, Balao Class, San Francisco Maritime National Park Ass., Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA
USS Razorback, SS-394, Balao Class, Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, Little Rock, AR
USS Requin, SS-481, Tench Class, Carnegie Science Center, Pittsburgh, PA
USS Silversides, SS-236, Gato Class, Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum, Muskegon, MI
USS Torsk, SS-423, Tench Class, Baltimore Maritime Museum, Baltimore, MD
Trieste, Bathyscape, Naval Historical Center, Washington, DC
Trieste II, DSV-1, Naval Undersea Museum, Silverdale, WA
U-505, Type IX-C, Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago, IL


Submarine Museums and Memorials:
Visit the USSVI Web Site to search for memorials by state
St. Mary's Bay Submarine Museum, St. Mary's GA
Cold War Memorial featuring replica of Franklin class SSBN, including sail and rudder from USS Lewis & Clark (SSBN-644), Patriot's Point, Mt. Pleasant SC
USS Snook (SS-279) Memorial, Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum, Little Rock,AR
Naval Undersea Museum, Silverside, WA, includes sail from USS Sturgeon (SSN-637) and control room from USS Greenling, SSN-614
Fast Attacks and Boomers, Submarine Display at the Smithsonian Institute (H/T Lou)

Battleships:
USS North Carolina, BB-55, North Carolina Class, Wilmington NC
USS Alabama, BB-60, South Dakota class, Battleship Memorial Park, Mobile AL
USS Massachusetts, BB-59, South Dakota Class, Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
USS Texas, BB-35, New York Class, La Porte, TX
USS Missouri, BB-63, Iowa Class, Pearl Harbor, HI
USS Arizona, BB-39, Pennsylvania Class, Pearl Harbor, HI
USS Wisconsin, BB-64, Iowa Class, Nauticus, Norfolk, VA
USS New Jersey, BB-62, Iowa Class, Camden, NJ
USS Iowa, BB-61, Iowa Class, planned for display at the former Mare Island Naval Shipyard, thanks to the wussies in San Francisco not wanting her there

Carriers:
USS Yorktown, CV-10, Essex Class, Patriot's Point, Mount Pleasant (Charleston) SC
USS Midway, CV-41, Midway Class, San Diego CA
USS Lexington, CV-16, Essex Class, Corpus Christi, TX
USS Hornet, CV-12, Essex Class, Alameda, CA
USS Intrepid, CV-11, Essex Class, Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, New York, NY (being refitted until 11/2008)
USS Saratoga, CV-60, Forrestal Class, Air Land & Sea Heritage and Technology Park, North Kingstown, RI (acquisition still in progress)
USS Ranger, CV-61, Forrestal Class, the USS Ranger Foundation is trying to bring the Ranger to Portland, OR.
USS John F. Kennedy, CV-67, Kitty Hawk Class; an effort is underway to bring the JFK either to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale

Others:
USS Barry, DD-933, Forrest Sherman Class, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC
USS Olympia, C-6, Independence Seaport Museum, Philadelphia, PA
SS American Victory, Liberty Ship, Tampa, FL
SS Jeremiah O'Brien, Liberty Ship, Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, CA
SS Lane Victory, Liberty Ship, San Pedro, CA
USS Cairo, Union Ironclad, Vicksburg, MS
USS Cassin Young, DD-793, Fletcher Class, Boston Navy Yard, Boston, MA
USS Laffey, DD-724, Sumner Class, Patriot's Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC
USS Ingham, WHEC-25, Patriot's Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC
Cold War Memorial, Replica of Franklin Class SSBN, Patriot's Point, Mt. Pleasant, SC
USS Constellation, 1850's Corvette, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD
USS Constitution, 1797 Frigate, Boston, MA
USS Little Rock, CL-92, Cleveland Class, Buffalo&Erie County Naval & Military Park, Buffalo, NYUSS The Sullivans, DD-537, Fletcher Class, Buffalo&Erie County Naval & Military Park, Buffalo, NY
USS Edson, DD-946, Sherman (Hull) Class, Wisconsin Naval Ship Association, Sheboygan, WI (Planned)
USS Hazard, AM-240, Admirable Class, Freedom Park, Omaha, NE
Hiddensee, Soviet Corvette, Taruntel I Class, Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
USS Joseph P. Kennedy, DD-850, Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA
USS Fall River, CA-131, Battleship Cove, Fall River, MA (Bow only preserved)
PT-796, Higgins Class PT Boat, PT-617, ELCO Class PT Boat, Battleship Cove, Fall River MA
USS Kidd, DD-661, Fletcher Class, Louisiana Veterans Memorial, Baton Rouge, LA
USS Potomac, AG-25, Presidential Yacht, Oakland, CA
USS Salem, CA-139, Des Moines Class, U.S. Naval Shipbuilding Museum, Quincy, MA
USCGS McLane, Great Lakes Naval Memorial & Museum, Muskegon, MI
USS Slater, DE-766, Cannon Class, Albany, NY
USS Stewart, DE-238, Edsall Class, Seawolf Park, Galveston, TX
USCGS Sundew, WLB-404, Iris Class, Great Lakes Floating Maritime Museum, Duluth, MN
USCGC Taney, WHEC-37, Treasury Class, Baltimore Maritime Museum, Baltimore, MD

Honorable Mention (visited by me):
HMS Belfast, C-35, Imperial War Museum, London, UK
Churchill's War Rooms, London, UK
Charles W. Morgan, Whaler, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
Emma C. Berry, Sloop, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
Joseph Conrad, Sailing Ship, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
Sabino, Coal Steamer, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT
L.A. Dunton, Schooner, Mystic Seaport, Mystic, CT

DoD Live Joins the 21st century

Ok, I'll give a link to DoD Live (h/t Chapomatic). You might find this an interesting source for defense news and discussions. Welcome to the bubblesphere, DoD Live.

Idol. Wrong again.

As usual, my Idol prediction was wrong! But, my guy won, and by a sizable margin (as predicted on dialidol.com).

Congrats, David Cook, and here's to downloading your next hit.

Idol Finale

I realize we haven't posted on Idol much lately, as it came down to the inevitable Cook vs. Archuleta final, but tonight I will have a final say on the performances tonight, and my prediction for the winner tomorrow.

David A was very good tonight and David C put in a decent performance, too. But, let's face it, based on tonight's performances, little David is and should be, the victor. Based on the performances from the entire season, I think he's the winner, too.

Still, David Cook has nothing to be ashamed of. He has performed brilliantly, he has shown us the kind of music he will record, and I think he'll be successful with at least one album, in the Daughtry mold.

I think David A will have at least one decent album, too. He is an amazing singer, and it'll be interesting to see what kinds of songs he is given to record. I'm not likely to buy them, but, the kids that are making the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus rich will go for it. They might go for it until he turns 20, too. So, he could have a relatively long career ahead of him.

So, congrats to both. It was obvious after David A did "Imagine" and David C did "Billy Jean" that these two were the class of this field.

Idol is losing some of it's punch, but we found two performers who can be popular. We'll just have to wait and see if they can match Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, and Daughtry in their future success.

Great discussion on options with Iran, regardless of who the next POTUS is...

Go over to Information Dissemination and read (or join) the discussion on our options vis a vis Iran. While I don't think Obama ought to be saying he's going to unilaterally meet with world leaders such as Ahmadinejad without some strings attached, the point is made that there are few options available to us.

More Scorpion Conspiracies Bandied About...

Today, the Virginian-Pilot runs an article peddling more Scorpion sunk by the Soviets conspiracies. With the bold headline, "New Evidence Suggest Soviets May Have Sunk the Sub Scorpion 40 Years Ago," the article goes on to present precisely ZERO new evidence. And, I will tell you why, because there is no evidence that the Soviets sank her, and there will be no evidence, because the Soviets did not sink her.

I realize that some have tried to make lame arguments about her position in the water, and other completely nonsensical arguments, but, for a short while in the early 90's, I spent some time working with a Captain who was charged with unclassifying some of the details of the Scorpion and Thresher sinkings, in response to Soviet claims at the time that they wanted U.S. help in recovering one of their sunken submarines (I don't recall which). The basis of our analysis was to prove that we had two nuclear submarines lost, one with nuclear weapons on board (the Scorpion, that was one of the things that was declassified, press release here, some decent info here), and that the Russian argument that their submarine posed an environmental hazard and should be salvaged was B.S., since we had then almost 30 years of experience monitoring the wreckage sites of these two submarines.

Anyway, while the Board of Inquiry could not definitively say what sunk Scorpion, the most likely scenario was a hot running torpedo, that either exploded in the tube, or that hit her soon after being released.

I feel for for those loved ones who lost family members and have never been able to get a definitive answer for what happened in May 1968. Hell, we all served on these boats, we all knew what the dangers were. I think I feared a MK48 hot run more than any nuclear accident or attack, it was probably much more likely (except for a battery fire), but that is what happened in the Scorpion's case. I agree with Admiral Trost:

“I think it’s totally unlikely. Nonsense. Let the families have some peace, instead of dragging it out with new speculation and books and queries of the families.”

Update (5/19/08): There are some good comments over at Neptunus Lex's blog on this, go read them (H/T: The Subreport).

Questions for Liberals:

Ok, now that we are receiving our big fat checks from the Feds, I have a couple of questions for Liberals (ok, a lot more than two, but I was on a roll).

How come, when economic Conservatives want to reduce taxes, you claim that lowering taxes will result in all hell breaking loose, usually in the form of lost revenue to the government, but, when it became necessary to do something to pick the economy back up, you guys are falling all over yourselves to push this "Economic Stimulus Package." (As an aside: To his credit, if you're a Liberal, Obama mainly was using it as an excuse to spend more taxpayer dollars on programs that wouldn't bear fruit for 5-50 years.) For info, I personally view this as a return of some of MY tax dollars, so I will be spending it on ME.

The corollary to this is after 60 years of experience with cuts in the marginal tax rates (starting with JFK), we have always seen increases in government revenues. So, tax cuts lead to increased revenues to the government. You would think those interested in increasing the size and scope of government (read: Liberals) would like tax cuts, because it means more money for them to spend. The question: Why don't Liberals like tax cuts?

Why do Liberals complain that the "Religious" right is out to control everything you do and legislate morality? How come those of us who are more on the "Economic" Right (and semi-religious) never get any credit for telling you what to do? I demand to be included in that group. I like telling people what to do. No tax cut for me? Ok, then, no soup (or Federally-funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research) for YOU!

How come you guys on the "Secular" Left never get called out for legislating immorality? Anyway, aren't pretty much all of our laws derived from basic mores? Without that, what do have?

Finally, Liberals seem determined to give Radical Islam a victory in Iraq, and perhaps in the larger War on Terror. Why do those who profess such love for Women's (Womyn's?) rights and secularism not feel threatened by this particular ideology? Do you not realize those are the first two things to go when the Global Caliphate is formed? Or, maybe you know you'll outlive the Christians and Jews, who will be the first slaughtered, and by then, you will have come up with that clever argument that will persuade the Ayatollah's why they should change their ways. Is that what you're thinking? If not, then what are you thinking?

Just wondering....

Acitivity on the export submarine front...

Jane's (extract available) reports that "four of Europe's leading submarine design houses have now all sought to craft compact, highly automated 'entry-level' submarine concepts specifically engineered to reduce capital cost and support overhead and manning requirements. As well as appealing to navies looking to acquire a submarine capability for the first time, the rival contractors are also eyeing nations that may be looking to recapitalise their existing submarine arms."

This is all because "The modern non-nuclear submarine is acknowledged to be a highly potent sea denial and intelligence gathering asset and, in the right hands, a very challenging adversary for even the best-equipped anti-submarine warfare (ASW) forces."

An example Jane's uses is the SMX-23, from French builder DCNS. It's a 900 ton, 18-person, coastal defense submarine that will only set back the buyer about $300M. The French are also offering the Marlin, an update to the Scorpene, while the Spanish are busy rolling out the S80.


. More...

Dolphin to become memorial

Since it's a slow Saturday, I will note that the research submarine, Dolphin, was saved by the Maritime Museum of San Diego and will be joining their "fleet." Since the Dolphin's pretty darn old (commissioned in 1968) it is no betrayal of my ancientness to admit my Weps served his JO tour on her. It's nice to know another submarine has been saved from the scrap heap.

Indians about to join SLBM club, for real...

The Indians are ready to test fire their first true SLBM. Expect a test launch early in 2009.

2 Virginia's per year starting in 2010

Republicans try to get Virginia production to 2 by 2010, and stay there...

"Republicans on the House Armed Services Committee today will attempt to add advanced procurement funding for an additional Virginia Class Submarine. The $422 million would allow the Navy to purchase long-lead items needed to allow the defense industrial base to build an additional submarine in 2011."

They were successful, (see this) "During the first hours of what is expected to be a long markup of the FY09 defense authorization bill, the panel easily approved the submarine funding, which essentially would serve as a down payment for a second submarine in FY11. The funding comes after the Seapower Subcommittee endorsed an amendment last week from Rep. Joe Courtney, D-Conn., that added $300 million to FY09 submarine accounts for a second submarine in FY10. Courtney, whose district includes submarine builder Electric Boat, joined forces today with House Armed Services ranking member Duncan Hunter, who had initially planned to trim funding from an LPD-17 amphibious warfare ship the Seapower panel added to the bill to pay for the additional submarine. But before today's markup, Hunter redirected the offset to the National Defense Sealift Fund, which would pay for two additional T-AKE auxiliary dry cargo dock carriers that the Seapower panel added to the bill last week. Seapower Subcommittee Chairman Gene Taylor, D-Miss., said he believes the Navy still will be able to buy the two additional T-AKE vessels."

Preparing for the century of Asian dominance...

I will make no secret of my respect for the Indians. As we enter a century that is going to be dominated by the Chinese and Indians, I am thankful that we have begun the process of aligning ourselves with the Indians. This is a country that has established a democratic tradition, is filled with human capital, and who I believe recognizes their importance in the 21st century. I think as we move forward, we are all going to thank the Bush administration for one of their more prescient foreign policy moves, the strengthening of ties between our two countries. This ultimately has benefits for the U.S. as we have a strong, democratic global partner, and for our defense industry, if we can yank business away from the Russians, who have a long-term relationship as India's arms supplier.

So, this article discusses briefly the Indian Navy's leader and his worries as the Indian defense budget (though rising, is below 2% of GDP) is less able to sustain the desired ship buildup (sound familiar?). It's heartening to me that the Indians recognize that the quickest way to sea dominance is through the continued building of submarines, and, yes, nuclear ones. India is still planning to lease Akula class subs from the Russians. Of course, since my interest in the Indian Navy is newfound, I didn't realize that India has been trying to complete this Akula lease since 2004 (article and discussion).

Now, the Indians have signed a $2.2B deal to buy 8 P-8's from the U.S.

Nothing after...