Interesting Question: "Could Asymmetric Warfare “Sink” the U.S. Navy?"

An interesting question (probably overstated in its headline) from The National Interest blog Could Asymmetric Warfare “Sink” the U.S. Navy? Starting with the Russian use of sunken ships to block the harbor mouth of Ukraine's Southern Naval Base, the authors write:

American ships are not adequately prepared for this tactic, and would have been hard-pressed to escape the bay. In the open sea, US Navy ships are powerful actors, protecting sea-lanes and projecting American power abroad. Near shore, however, their advantage is lost and they are vulnerable to asymmetric attacks. The US Navy must put more resources into preparing for and countering this sort of unconventional threat.

The answer is, of course, that the U.S. Navy, like every other force in the world, can be "vulnerable to asymmetric attacks." Like the Boy Scouts, the need is to "Be Prepared."

Is it a good idea to assemble a "Red Cell" to think about how these vulnerabilities could be exploited by a determined enemy? Sure. Just ask the folks who ran into the swarm attack of Lieutenant General Paul Van Riper at Millennium Challenge 2002.

On occasions when concerned with protecting an area or a unit, it is always a good plan to brainstorm with your team how you would attack that position or unit and make contingency plans on a "what if" basis. Some lessons we learn from flaming datum. I doubt waterside security now is "assumed" after USS Cole took its IED hit.

Given some of the ports the U.S. Navy operates in, a ship sinking in a harbor mouth may not even be intentional, but it can happen.

The good news is that our Navy is dispersed and a large portion is "out there" operating. This makes it unlikely that the entire fleet could be trapped by the sort of tactics employed by the Russians in the Ukraine matter.

As far as removal of a ship in a channel goes, our capabilities far exceed those of the Ukraine.

Now, if you want to talk about mining harbors and fairways, that's a really good topic.

However, there are always innovators who lurk about- remember this improvised diver delivery vehicle developed by some Tamil Tiger whiz kid? It was a torpedo powered by an outboard and guided by a diver with suicidal tendencies . . .

So . . . couldn't sink the whole Navy, but the unwary could pay a price.

Thoughts on the U.S. Navy of the Future: Capt. Wayne Hughes "Single-Purpose Warships for the Littorals"

VT Halter Marine photo Patrol Missile Craft

In a age of generalization and massive high dollar "do-it-all" warships, Captain Wayne Hughes offers up an alternative point of view in the pages of the June 2014 Naval Institute Proceedings with his thoughts set out in 'Single-Purpose Warships for the Littorals':

Foreign littoral waters have become an unsafe place to operate on the sea surface. Although the bulk of U.S. naval action has been in coastal waters since 1950, their significance has increased with the rise of China, the continuing threat from Iran, and the recent ventures of other countries, such as Russia. In these narrow seas, early warning and constant alertness are harder to achieve. Depth of fire is lost for lack of sea room. The clutter of inlets, differing coastlines and islands, coastal shipping, fishing boats, and oil rigs are all factors that complicate both offensive and defensive tactics.

For many reasons, a single-purpose ship is far preferable to an open-ocean multipurpose ship in situations that require a vessel to sail in these dangerous areas. The advantage of the single-purpose ship can be clearly illustrated by using lost combat capabilities as the basis of comparison. Assume a notional multipurpose ship has four. These might be surface-missile warfare, antisubmarine warfare, mine clearance, and the employment of helicopters or unmanned aerial vehicles. Since there is a high probability that one modern antiship cruise missile will put either ship out of action, the advantage in missile combat is 4:1 in favor of the single-purpose ship; when the multipurpose ship is put out of action in a missile battle, the Fleet also loses all its other capabilities. This is a tactical measure of combat advantage. (footnotes omitted)

Read the whole thing.

We had Captain Hughes on Midrats for an interesting discussion about a year and half ago, Episode 150: Policy, Fleet Size, and the Navy Next.

On the Clean Marine Fuel Front: Clean Glycerine Fuel?

Interesting little teaser at Maritime Propulsion by Eric Haun about an upcoming conference Glycerine Engine Featured at Seawork 2014: Glycerine Fuel for Engines and Marine Sustainability:

The Cummins marine engine will be on display throughout the exhibition on the Alicat workboat on berth V28, courtesy of Gardline Marine Services, who are partners in the GLEAMS (Glycerine Fuel for Engines and Marine Sustainability) project, and Dalby Offshore, the vessel’s new owners. The Technology Strategy Board funded project is investigating the use of glycerine as a marine fuel to comply with the highest regulations for sulphur and nitrous oxide emissions, as well as slashing carbon emissions and potentially reducing costs.

More at The Royal Institution of Naval Architects website:

Simon Powell, MSE operations director, says: “There is a global over-supply of glycerol, a by-product of the expanding biofuel industry.” GLEAMS intends to analyse the advantages and drawbacks of using this substance ­ and, according to MSE, initial information makes it an attractive contender. He tells Ship & Boat International: “The combustion of glycerol is more thermally efficient than that of MDO / HFO and, therefore, the basic carbon reduction calculation is improved. Glycerol has no sulphur emissions, reduces particulates to practically zero and produces very low NOx emissions.

“Glycerol is also non-toxic, water soluble and requires no criteria for vapour risk or fire risk ­ it is nearly impossible to ignite accidentally.” Regarding carbon emissions, Powell says: “The EU Renewable Energy Directive quotes crude glycerol as resulting in 0% carbon; however, cleaned fuel grade glycerol would probably result in 2-3% of the carbon level of MDO or HFO.”

He adds that glycerol has a low energy density when compared directly to fuel oils, but that this can be compensated for by an increased level of efficiency. Similarly, users would need to carry a larger volume of glycerol to attain the operational results expected of fuel oils, but the low-hazard nature of glycerol means that it can be easily incorporated into vessel hull space.

Sure, fill those voids with glycerine.

Some more from the GLEAM Forum FAQs:

Is Glycerine compatible with most existing diesel engines?

The holders of the patents (Aquafuel) tell us the fuel could be used in all suitably modified diesel engines. This applies equally to four stroke high and medium speed engines and large two stroke engines. The technology should be applicable across the range of diesel engines employed in shipping.

What are the price and emission reduction comparisons with LNG-fuelled solutions?

It is too soon for us to answer this question fully, that is part of the GLEAMS Project’s work. However we can say:
o The combustion of Glycerine is more thermally efficient than MDO or HFO and therefore the basic carbon reduction calculation is improved.

o Glycerine has no sulphur emissions

o However, EU renewable Energy Directive quotes crude glycerol as ‘0’ % carbon – cleaned fuel grade Glycerine will be ~ 2 -3% (97-98% carbon free ‘OFGEM’) carbon level of MDO or HFO.

If you, like me, are a little sketchy in your chemistry background, here's some background on glycerine.

I also highly recommend Vaclav Smil's Prime Movers of Globalization: The History and Impact of Diesel Engines and Gas Turbines:

In Prime Movers of Globalization, Vaclav Smil offers a history of two key technical developments that have driven globalization: the high-compression non-sparking internal combustion engines invented by Rudolf Diesel in the 1890s and the gas turbines designed by Frank Whittle and Hans-Joachim Pabst von Ohain in the 1930s. The massive diesel engines that power cargo ships and the gas turbines that propel jet engines, Smil argues, are more important to the global economy than any corporate structure or international trade agreement.

Because this is all about energy to move goods and services around the world. Cleanly.

The rub, of course, is whether or not expanded production of glycerine is less damaging to the environment than continuing with the alternatives. Trying to avoid the "ethanol trap", you know.

Bergdahl Release

We discussed the Bergdahl prisoner swap a little yesterday on Midrats - "Welcome back, there, Bergdahl, now you have some explaining to do." And, if the stories of you deciding to go walkabout are true, some very serious apologies to make and debts to attempt to repay.

We discussed the possible illegality of the swap but with a somewhat cynical eye toward how the current Administration views the Congressional will to make the Administration stay within the law. As in "we will do what we want and by the time you sue us to stop us, we'll long gone, so there."

This NYTimes piece discusses some of the legal issues:

Among other complications, there was a potential legal obstacle: Congress has imposed statutory restrictions on the transfer of detainees from Guantánamo Bay. The statutes say the secretary of defense must determine that a transfer is in the interest of national security, that steps have been taken to substantially mitigate a future threat by a released detainee, and that the secretary notify Congress 30 days before any transfer of his determination.

In this case, the secretary, Chuck Hagel, acknowledged in a statement that he did not notify Congress ahead of time. When Mr. Obama signed a bill containing the latest version of the transfer restrictions into law, he issued a signing statement claiming that he could lawfully override them under his executive powers.

“The executive branch must have the flexibility, among other things, to act swiftly in conducting negotiations with foreign countries regarding the circumstances of detainee transfers,” he wrote in the signing statement, adding that if the restrictions “operate in a manner that violates constitutional separation of powers principles, my administration will implement them in a manner that avoids the constitutional conflict.”

An administration official said the circumstances of a fast-moving exchange deal made it appropriate to act outside the statutory framework for transfers.

Some of our thoughts had to do with trading with terrorists in prisoner exchanges and the dangerous precedent that might set.

Bigger names now have weighed in on this swap. Before you read those, it might be good to read Nathan Bradley Bethea's We Lost Soldiers in the Hunt for Bergdahl, a Guy Who Walked Off in the Dead of Night:

The Daily Beast’s Christopher Dickey later wrote that "[w]hether Bergdahl…just walked away from his base or was lagging behind on a patrol at the time of his capture remains an open and fiercely debated question.” Not to me and the members of my unit. Make no mistake: Bergdahl did not "lag behind on a patrol,” as was cited in news reports at the time. There was no patrol that night. Bergdahl was relieved from guard duty, and instead of going to sleep, he fled the outpost on foot. He deserted.

As usual, Max Boot has a good perspective on such prisoner swaps (which, yes, are not uncommon) in his How Not to Handle a Prisoner Swap

What I find offensive is that the president and his team are not treating this as a grubby and inglorious compromise–an attempt to reconcile our competing ideals of “don’t deal with terrorists” and “leave no man behind.” Instead the administration seems to be taking a victory lap. The president held a White House event with Bergdahl’s parents. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel flew to Afghanistan to commemorate the occasion. National Security Adviser Susan Rice called it “a great day for America.”

If only the president and his team showed as much passion about actually winning the war in Afghanistan. Sadly, it appears that the handling of this whole issue is symptomatic of the administration’s approach to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: Their emphasis has always been on bringing the troops home, no matter the price, not on making sure that the troops accomplish their objectives.

Now, suppose Mr. Bethea is correct in his suggestion that this was a desertion that ended as a captivity and that other soldiers paid with their lives in the search to find Bergdahl? Is this a time where some anonymous official can ignore those losses and say:

Another senior Defense official said Bergdahl will not likely face any punishment. "Five years is enough," he told CNN on condition of anonymity.

As always in such cases, there are families whose losses will endure far longer than five years of captivity.

On Midrats 1 June 14 - Episode 230: "Summer Kickoff Free For All"

Please join us on 1 June 2014 at 5pm (U.S. EDT) for Midrats Episode 230: "Summer Kickoff Free For All":

Now that Summer is on the way and that there are more national security issues being produced from the South China Sea to the Dardanelles than can be consumed locally - that sounds like the perfect time for Sal from CDR Salamander and Eagle1 from EagleSpeak to hold a Midrats' "open house."

A little bit of a potpourri of what we find of interest from the latest news,to a chance for you to call in or ask via the live chat room the questions and issues you'd like to to discuss.

Yep, it's a good old fashioned "bull session" - join in live if you can at 5pm (EDT) on 1 June or pick it up later by clicking here.

Call in if you've a mind to -um- further our discussion.

Saturday is Heinlein Quote Day #10

From the Notebooks of Lazarus Long

If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion. It has long been known that one horse can run faster than another-but which one? Differences are crucial.

Friday Fun Movie(s): The Battle of Midway

There are a few battles in history which are remembered as pivotal. Zama, Lepanto, Waterloo, Gettysburg, Stalingrad, Salamis, Trafalgar, El Alamein . . . Midway!

Disaster Prep Wednesday: Things that will kill you

The Federal Center for Disease Control keeps track of how Americans die and from what causes, including Ten Leading Causes of Death and Injury. Among their charts and graphs is one titled, "Causes of Injury Death: Highlighting Unintentional Injury:"

Let's just look at the top two causes of death across all age groups -

Those blue boxes are death related to motor vehicles, which are, as you can see, the #1 or #2 cause of death for all age groups except the under 1 year category. "Unintended poisoning" (green boxes) is #1 or #2 in 5 of the age groups and is discussed by the CDC here:

Deaths from drug overdose have been rising steadily over the past two decades and have become the leading cause of injury death in the United States. Every day in the United States, 105 people die as a result of drug overdose, and another 6,748 are treated in emergency departments (ED) for the misuse or abuse of drugs. Nearly 9 out of 10 poisoning deaths are caused by drugs.

As for those motor vehicle deaths, alcohol plays a big role:

Teen drivers have a relatively higher death rate in motor vehicles:

- Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations.
- Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.
- Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2010, 39% were speeding at the time of the crash and 25% had been drinking.
- Compared with other age groups, teens have the lowest rate of seat belt use. In 2011, only 54% of high school students reported they always wear seat belts when riding with someone else.

Inexperience at driving coupled with inexperience at drinking can be deadly. Showing off weighs in, too.

So, why is this relevant to "disaster prep?"

Just a reminder that things you take for granted - like driving - can be hazardous,  especially as summer comes and that road trip beckons. Use your seat belts and make sure everyone in the car is buckled in. Don't drink and drive. You have to live to survive disasters.

After A Day of Listening to the News

The White House strategy in Afghanistan. The White House response to the VA scandal. The White House response to the outing of a CIA Station Chief. The White House response to the situation in Syria.

Trotting out Grannie with her spinning wheel:

The White House response to conditions that existed when Mr. Obama took office and which have not been fixed. A "Time Machine" that makes 6 years disappear:

I keep wondering about why we don't go with more "punitive expeditions" and fewer "nation building exercises" - if a place was a mess before we got there, why is it incumbent on us to do more than to excise the bad doers and let the natives do their own thing.

A punitive expedition is a military journey undertaken to punish a state or any group of persons outside the borders of the punishing state.

Or, a noted here:

"When the territorial sovereign is too weak or is unwilling to enforce respect for international law, a state which is wronged may find it necessary to invade the territory and to chastise the individuals who violate its rights and threaten its security".

On Memorial Day

My father's next younger brother - 18 months apart. They were very close as brothers and friends.

Flew with the 75th Fighter Squadron, 23rd Fighter Group, China - Burma - India. Had at least 2 kills, I think I've seen an indication of 4.

Saturday is Heinlein Quote Day #9 - Memorial Day Edition

“Liberty is never unalienable; it must be redeemed regularly with the blood of patriots or it always vanishes. Of all the so-called natural human rights that have ever been invented, liberty is least likely to be cheap and is never free of cost.”
― Robert A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers

Memorial Day Navy and Marine Film

For the Memorial Day Weekend:

"Uncommon Valor"



I could post many, many others.

This weekend, remember those who have given their lives in the service of our country.

Non sibi sed patriae

Semper Fidelis

This We'll Defend

Fly, Fight, Win

Semper Paratus

Roundup of Piracy, Sea Robbers, Kidnappers and Hostage Takers- 22 May 14

Be careful out there

From the good folks at the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI)and their World Wide Threats to Shipping report for 22 May 14, a reminder that there is a threat to yachts, no matter where they are:

1. (U) DOMINICA: On 3 May, two men boarded a 43 foot sailing yacht moored south of Roseau and assaulted the owner and passenger onboard. One of the robbers attacked the boat owner while the other attempted to assault the passenger, who used mace on her attacker. At that point, the robbers fled the boat. The crew of the yacht untied from the mooring point in the harbor and departed the area after attempting to contact local authorities, who did not respond. (www.noonsite.com)
****
2. (U) PHILIPPINES: Two German citizens living in the Philippines were reportedly kidnapped in late April from their sailing yacht CATHERINE near Palawan Island while on an island-hopping trip, according to police and press reports. They are reportedly being held by members of the Abu Sayyaf Group, along with two other Europeans taken by the group in 2012. (www.noonsite.com, and www.abs-cbnnews.com)

More trouble in and off Nigeria:

1. (U) NIGERIA: On 13 May, two robbers boarded an anchored tanker near position 04:45N – 006:59E, Port Harcourt Anchorage. The robbers took two crewmembers hostage and threatened them with knives. The robbers released the crewmembers after stealing mooring ropes. Upon release, the crew raised the alarm and mustered on the bridge. While mustered on the bridge the crew smelled cargo gas and noticed a small craft alongside the vessel near the bow stealing cargo. Nigerian Navy contacted and ships in the vicinity warned on VHF Channel 16. The Navy responded by sending a small speed boat, which circled the vessel and then left. Robbers escaped and all crew safe. (IMB)
2. (U) SIERRA LEONE: On 5 May, two robbers armed with knives boarded

a berthed bulk carrier at position 08:29N - 013:13W, Berth No.2, Freetown Port. The robbers took hostage the duty cadet on rounds. They then stole the aft mooring ropes before releasing the cadet and escaping. On being released the cadet informed the duty officer who raised the alarm. (IMB)
3. (U) NIGERIA: On 4 May, three Dutch citizens and two Nigerian citizens were kidnapped near the settlement of Letugbene, a river community in Bayelsa State. The group was reportedly touring the area to promote work on a local hospital. They reportedly had local guides, but not an armed escort. Up to ten heavily armed bandits were involved in the kidnapping, utilizing several speedboats. The Nigerian citizens were later released, but the Dutch citizens are still being held. (Premium Times of Nigeria)

On the good news front, the NATO Shipping Center's Daily Piracy Update has this map of activity in the area where Somali pirates were once very active:

What with Chinese, U.S., NATO, EU, Japanese and other naval forces out there in the area around Somalia and the number of armed security teams riding merchant ships, the pirates finally may be outnumbered and certainly have been tamped down. Of course, it might be they are afraid of the mighty Iranian counter-piracy force which, according to the perhaps biased FARS News, has dominated the area:

“In the last three years, around 3,000 cargo ships and oil tankers have been escorted by the Navy’s commandos and vessels,” Commander of the Iranian Navy’s Missile Program Admiral Ali Vafadar told FNA.
He also said that pirates' attempts to hijack 147 cargo ships and oil tankers in international waters have been aborted due to the timely action of the Iranian warships deployed in the region.
Vafadar said that the Iranian naval forces have also managed to seize control of a number of pirate boats and vessels, arrest their crews and transferred them to Iran to stand trial for their crimes.
The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
The Iranian navy has been developing its presence in international waters since 2010, regularly launching vessels in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden to protect Iranian ships from Somali pirates operating in the area.

Those remarks were made in December 2013. It is interesting to take a look at Somali pirate activity in recent years. Here is a table from the ONI Piracy Analysis and Warning Weekly for 22 May 2013:

The Iranians seem to be finding a lot more trouble out there than the rest of the world's naval vessels and commercial shipping.

Disaster Prep Wednesday: "Heat Emergencies"

Summer is coming. What's something to watch out for on those gloriously sunny days?

How about physical issues related to the heat - or, as the National Institute of Health refers to them "Heat Emergencies". At the extreme end of such issues, you can die. In fact, the Red Cross says:

In recent years, excessive heat has caused more deaths than all other weather events, including floods.

The best idea is to stay out of the heat.

Failing that, though, it is a good idea to have some idea of what to look for to see if the heat is getting to you or to your kids, friends, co-workers, etc.

"Heat Emergencies" come in three types:

Heat emergencies fall into three categories of increasing severity: heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heatstroke.

"Heat Cramps":

Heat cramps are painful, involuntary muscle spasms that usually occur during heavy exercise in hot environments. The spasms may be more intense and more prolonged than are typical nighttime leg cramps. Inadequate fluid intake often contributes to heat cramps.
***
If you suspect heat cramps

- Rest briefly and cool down
- Drink clear juice or an electrolyte-containing sports drink
- Practice gentle, range-of-motion stretching and gentle massage of the affected muscle group
- Don't resume strenuous activity for several hours or longer after heat cramps go away
- Call your doctor if your cramps don't go away within one hour or so

You see heat cramps during football and basketball games on hot days (on in hot gyms), when an athlete falls down, writhing in pain. Unpleasant but rarely fatal.

"Heat Exhaustion":

Heat exhaustion is a condition whose symptoms may include heavy sweating and a rapid pulse, a result of your body overheating.
***
Causes of heat exhaustion include exposure to high temperatures, particularly when combined with high humidity, and strenuous physical activity. Without prompt treatment, heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke, a life-threatening condition.

Image Source

Symptoms:

- Cool, moist skin with goose bumps when in the heat
- Heavy sweating
- Faintness
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Weak, rapid pulse
- Low blood pressure upon standing
- Muscle cramps
- Nausea
- Headache

Stop activity, get to a cooler spot, drink cool water or sports drinks.

"Heat Stroke":

Heatstroke is caused by prolonged exposure to high temperatures or by doing physical activity in hot weather. You are considered to have heatstroke when your body temperature reaches 104 F (40 C) or higher. High humidity, certain health problems and some medications increase your risk of heatstroke. So does being a young child or older adult.

Heatstroke is the progression of two worsening heat-related conditions. When your body overheats, you first may develop heat cramps. If you don't cool down, you may progress to symptoms of heat exhaustion, such as heavy sweating, nausea, lightheadedness and feeling faint.

Heatstroke occurs if your body temperature continues to rise. At this point, emergency treatment is needed. In a period of hours, untreated heatstroke can cause damage to your brain, heart, kidneys and muscles. These injuries get worse the longer treatment is delayed, increasing your risk of serious complications or death.

Symptoms:

Heatstroke symptoms include:

- High body temperature. A body temperature of 104 F (40 C) or higher is the main sign of heatstroke.
- A lack of sweating. In heatstroke brought on by hot weather, your skin will feel hot and dry to the touch. However, in heatstroke brought on by strenuous exercise, your skin may feel moist.
- Nausea and vomiting. You may feel sick to your stomach or vomit.
- Flushed skin. Your skin may turn red as your body temperature increases.
- Rapid breathing. Your breathing may become rapid and shallow.
- Racing heart rate. Your pulse may significantly increase because heat stress places a tremendous burden on your heart to help cool your body.
- Headache. You may experience a throbbing headache.
- Confusion. You may have seizures, hallucinate, or have difficulty speaking or understanding what others are saying.
- Unconsciousness. You may pass out or fall into a state of deep unconsciousness (coma).
- Muscle cramps or weakness. Your muscles may feel tender or cramped in the early stages of heatstroke, but may later go rigid or limp.

Call for emergency help - in the meantime,

Take immediate action to cool the overheated person while waiting for emergency treatment.

Help the person move to a shaded location and remove excess clothing.
Place ice packs or cold, wet towels on the person's head, neck, armpits and groin.
Mist the person with water while a fan is blowing on him or her.

Also, don't forget to take care of your pets when it's hot out there. Dogs and cats are susceptible to heat stroke, too. Advice for dogs here. Advice for cats here.

Red Cross pet advice . One key for pets is to never, ever leave them in a closed car in the summer.

Some good ideas:
1. Keep plenty of cool water on hand if you plan to be out in the heat.
2. Wear a hat or other head covering.
3. Drink water before you feel the need.
4. Stay in the shade if you can. If nothing else try to work it so that you rotate to a cooler spot for part of every hour.

OSHA has a program:

To prevent heat related illness and fatalities:

- Drink water every 15 minutes, even if you are not thirsty.
- Rest in the shade to cool down.
- Wear a hat and light-colored clothing.
- Learn the signs of heat illness and what to do in an emergency.
- Keep an eye on fellow workers.
- "Easy does it" on your first days of work in the heat. You need to get used to it.

If workers are new to working in the heat or returning from more than a week off, and for all workers on the first day of a sudden heat wave, implement a work schedule to allow them to get used to the heat gradually.

Remember these three simple words: Water, Rest, Shade. Taking these precautions can mean the difference between life and death.

The CDC has tips:

The best defense is prevention. *** Stay indoors and, if at all possible, stay in an air-conditioned place. If your home does not have air conditioning, go to the shopping mall or public library–even a few hours spent in air conditioning can help your body stay cooler when you go back into the heat. Call your local health department to see if there are any heat-relief shelters in your area.

Have a good summer, but be safe.

Bureaucracy in Action: Lying to Please the Man

All of us struggle with layers of the government that are put in place to administer the laws that impact us.

All of us includes those on the highest seats of power.

How do activities in the bureaucracy below the palace level end up in causing so much trouble?

Well, there is this old Russian story about a clerical error that turned into much, much more.

What follows is a movie based on that tale with its music by Prokofiev. Takes about 85 minutes to watch (if the subtitles don't come up automatically, click on the "CC" thing (which you may have to go to YouTube to find).





Of course, the tale of a living man declared dead is part of Catch-22, another work poking at bureaucracy.

Mixed Maritime Security News: Sea Robbers Off Singapore and China Irks the Philippines

A revival of an old sea robber locale off Singapore and Indonesia reported at Shiptalk: "New Smash and Grab Hotspot":

An Indonesian island just off Singapore has become the epicentre of a new epidemic of SE Asia piracy attacks.
Three vessels were attacked within the space of a week off the Indonesian island of Bintan, according to security consultants.

As can be seen on the nearby ICC IMB Live Piracy Map, the area around in the vicinity of Singapore has been busy all year. These are not ship hijackings, but rather mostly theft and armed robbery efforts (and most often the arms are knives). Because these attacks are located in the internal waters of one of the countries in the area they are not "high seas piracy" but rather the local crime of "sea piracy."

Meanwhile further up the South China Sea, the drumbeat of China irritating the neighborhood goes on, as well reported at USNI News: "New Chinese Outpost Riles The Philippines" by Carlo Muñoz:

A new Chinese military outpost located in the South China Sea is again inflaming tensions between Beijing and and its regional neighbors in the Pacific.

On Thursday, Manila released aerial surveillance photos of the small facility, located on the on the Johnson South Reef in the hotly-contested international waterway, according to recent reports.

Those photos are available here. They are a series of photos taken from March 2012 to March 2014 and appear to show the building of an island through use of dredged materials.

Republic of Philippines comment:

15 May 2014 - This series of photographs, which were released by the DFA and gathered from Philippine intelligence sources, shows in stages the extensive reclamation by China on Mabini Reef (Johnson South Reef). These actions are considered destabilizing and in violation of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea (DOC) and international law. Mabini Reef is part of the Kalayaan Island Group (KIG) which is part of Philippine territory.

On Midrats 18 May 2014 - Episode 228: "A US Military Intellectually Geared for Defeat?"

Please join us on Sunday 18 May 14 at 5pm (EDT) for Midrats Episode 228: "A US Military Intellectually Geared for Defeat?" :

Since WWII, have we developed an officer corps that has not only developed a record of defeat, but has become comfortable with it?

Is our military leadership structurally unsound?

In his recent article, An Officer Corps That Can’t Score, author William S. Lind makes a scathing indictment of the officer corp of the United States in from the structure is works in, to its cultural and intellectual habits.

We will have the author with us for the full hour to discuss this and more about what problem he sees with our military's officers, and what recommendations he has to make it better.

Mr Lind is Director of the Center for Cultural Conservatism at the Free Congress Foundation, with degrees from Dartmouth College in 1969 and Princeton University.

He worked as a legislative aide for armed services for Senator Robert Taft, Jr. and Senator Gary Hart until joining the Free Congress Foundation in 1987.

Mr. Lind is author of the Maneuver Warfare Handbook (Westview Press, 1985); co-author, with Gary Hart, of America Can Win: The Case for Military Reform (Adler & Adler, 1986); and co-author, with William H. Marshner, of Cultural Conservatism: Toward a New National Agenda (Free Congress Foundation, 1987).

Mr. Lind co-authored the prescient article, "The Changing Face of War: Into the Fourth Generation," which was published in The Marine Corps Gazette in October, 1989 and which first propounded the concept of "Fourth Generation War."

Join us live at 5 pm EDT if you can or pick the show up for later listening by clicking here .

Saturday is Heinlein Quote Day #8

From Have Space Suit - Will Travel Chapter 9:

Some people insist that “mediocre” is better than “best.” They delight in clipping wings because they themselves can’t fly. They despise brains because they have none. . . .

A little more at this essay and the Charles Ives work referenced therein:



You may or may not like Ives, but he was not mediocre.

Friday Fun Film: Wings of Eagles, Wings of Gold (1974)

A history of U.S. Naval Aviation from the beginning to 1974.



UPDATE: A good place to visit, The Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, FL.

NAS Penscola celebrates 100 years of Naval Aviation in the "Cradle."

Funny Things

Humor and the military - the two things are vitally linked but every now and then you need a reminder.

For example, there is this photo of an LCAC entering a well deck:

Nice bit of framing an image by Gunnery Sgt. Rome M. Lazarus.

But wait - there's more. If you look at the left side of the picture, there's a red flag ("B" or "Bravo" flag meaning "I am taking in, discharging, or carrying dangerous cargo") with something on it. So, when you zoom in on that flag, you see this:

Why, that's "Dirty Harry" methinks.

Made me laugh. Reminded me of the great sailors of the U.S. Navy who manage to do things that stagger your mind and make it personal in what too many of us think of as an impersonal, lockstep military world. So, unknown LCAC master and Phibron boss, BZ for allowing some modern "nose art." And thanks for the laugh this morning.

Another bit of humor from the USNI News site "Iranian Copy of U.S. Unmanned Stealth Aircraft is a Fake":

However, unlike the original U.S. version of the aircraft, the Iranians claim their version of the Sentinel is armed—and designed to engage U.S. Navy warships at sea. Sources with knowledge of the RQ-170 design dismissed the Iranian copy as a crude mockup.

“It seems their fiberglass work has improved a lot. It also seems that if it were a functional copy, versus a detailed replica, it wouldn’t necessarily have the exact same landing gear, tires, etc,” said one source with familiar with the RQ-170.
“They would probably just use whatever extra F-5 parts or general aviation parts they had lying around.”

I have to hand it to the the Iranian disinformation group, they certainly keep trying hard.

If you missed some of the original reporting of Iran's coup in reverse-engineering, here are a couple of samples: (a) The Sydney Morning Herald and (b) International Business Times. The original FARS news report is here:

IRGC experts said the Iran-made RQ-170, similar to its original model, will be able to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions, but it has been equipped with the bombing capability as well to be able to carry out a wider range of missions.

The highly-advanced radar-evading US RQ-170 was downed by the IRGC in Western Iran more than two years ago and its indigenized model developed by Iranian experts through reverse engineering was among the most important sections of the exhibition.

The US army uses the drone for reconnaissance missions but the IRGC Aerospace experts have equipped the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) with bombing capabilities, enabling it to operate as a bomber aircraft against the US warships in any possible showdown between the two countries.

Okay, suppose the Iranians really have reverse-engineered the RQ-170? And added a "bombing capability?" While maintaining the same aircraft profile? Then, well, wowsers, they are so good we should be trembling.

But probably not.

Dirty Harry they aren't.