Pentagon bloat, etc. thread

[Ulysses]

Did you eat that mushroom?

Did you eat all your asbestos, like a good little hominy boy?

[Vrede too]

Well, that may explain a lot.

And it's been apparent for quite a while that you are not, in fact, OK. There's some serious dementia going on in your noggin.

NTTAWWT

Project much? You are the poster that placed neoplacebo on a ship that he had just clearly said that he wasn't on. Also, as most of us know asbestos causes lung issues, not brain disease.

Of course there's something "WW (wrong with)" dementia, but maybe your dementia prevents you from understanding that.

[Ulysses]

Vrudy Two Face is back on full ignore again.

[Vrede too]

( )

Demented Useless is cowering from his screw ups, again.

[Vrede too]

A video appears to show the British F-35 fighter jet crashing into the Mediterranean during take-off mishap

...



The video shows the plane losing speed as it climbs the runway, so much so that it immediately drops instead of taking off. The pilot's parachute is visible as he ejects, and smoke billows around the ramp and sea.

The BBC's report added that the MoD confirmed that the pilot survived and was rescued. The MoD also told the BBC that an investigation was still underway as crews are still trying to recover parts of the high-technology, sensitive parts of the plane....

Costs are a little tricky to pin down for "the most expensive military aircraft ever produced," but It looks like the UK's F-35Bs have a price tag of $121M or more each. Opps.

[Vrede too]

It's a never ending saga, one we've been documenting for 9 years on BRD.
forum/viewtopic.php?p=74822#p74822

Trump on "The Digital":

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-na ... iew-2017-5

In an interview with Time magazine published Thursday, Trump railed against what he called a "digital catapult system" the Navy was using on the USS Gerald R. Ford.

Here's what Trump told Time's Zeke Miller:

"You know the catapult is quite important. So I said, 'What is this?' 'Sir, this is our digital catapult system.' He said, 'Well, we're going to this because we wanted to keep up with modern [technology].' I said, 'You don't use steam anymore for catapult?' 'No sir.' I said, 'Ah, how is it working?' 'Sir, not good. Not good. Doesn't have the power. You know the steam is just brutal. You see that sucker going, and steam's going all over the place, there's planes thrown in the air.'

"It sounded bad to me. Digital. They have digital. What is digital? And it's very complicated. You have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out. And I said — and now they want to buy more aircraft carriers. I said, 'What system are you going to be' — 'Sir, we're staying with digital.' I said, 'No you're not. You going to goddamned steam. The digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it's no good.'"

We need to go back to the good ol' days of American military might when we marched in line to the rhythm of the infantry drummer-boy's snare drum, bayonets at the ready, firing only when signaled by the call of the bugle.

If this was good enough to win the war for independence and Civil war, it should be good enough to defeat ISIS.

The digital is making us lose. It's time to start winning again!

While he was cowering from Vietnam service Trump studied marine avionics.

To be fair, we shouldn't have expected anything to work right on the USS Gerald R. Ford. Not that it's a surprise on BRD:

...Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier...

Are golf clubs and balls prohibited?

Nah. That would be the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) itself, now under construction. She'll be launched next year, and commissioned in 2015. In view of Ford's problems with stairs, I hope the launch goes without incident.

Perhaps one of the future stealth ships named will be named after Bush II. If the stealth measures work, years later no-one will never know whether the ship was ever present or in service.

I read about the Navy's new aircraft carrier today; the Gerald Ford Class. First, I want to say I hope it doesn't fall down....but it supposedly started today two years of trials for all the various new systems, one of which is a new electromagnetic catapult system, which has been a steam powered device since the 1940's. Also a bunch of new radar stuff, etc. They said it was almost 13 billion dollars, but the first of any class of ship is always quite expensive; the following ones less so. Go Navy, I guess. .....update.....Dick Cheney wants to send it to striking distance of Crimea as soon as possible after sea trials......

The Crimea mission is still on, but it's a goodwill visit.

U.S. Navy's new $13B aircraft carrier can't fight

Also, its attempts to play golf resulted in unacceptably high numbers of civilian casualties.

On the bright side, its officers' quarters and galley are nice. Maybe the cost overruns could be mitigated by having it double as a hotel.

The banner on the superstructure reads: Skeptics' Mission Accomplished.

On the bright side, the USS Gerald R. Ford is already making plans to pardon Flynn, Sessions and Trump.

The US Navy's top admiral admits they crammed too much new tech onto their new aircraft carrier

The USS Gerald R. Ford is the Afghanistan of warships.

The Most Expensive Warship Ever Built Is (Finally) Ready for Action

The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the most expensive warship ever built, is finally ready for combat duty. The U.S. Navy quietly approved the ship for initial operations capability during the tail end of 2021, with little to no fanfare—an unusual ending to a ship development process that saw more than a half-decade of terrible publicity. Ford will head out for its first deployment later this year, four years later than originally planned....

According to the Congressional Research Service, USS Ford ultimately cost $13.3 billion, making her one of the most expensive (if not the most expensive) ships ever built....

It’s a bit of a mystery, as DefenseOne points out, why the U.S. Navy was so quiet about Ford’s IOC status. Ford’s news coverage has been deservedly negative over the years, as costs grew and equipment failed to work as advertised. Now that the long, tortured road is over, it should be time for the Navy to celebrate and communicate to the world that the ship is finally ready for duty....

Running aground is scheduled for August 2022.

Meanwhile:

US Navy intends to decommission some of its newest warships

The Navy that once wanted smaller, speedy warships to chase down pirates has made a speedy pivot to Russia and China — and many of those recently built ships could be retired.

The U.S. Navy wants to decommission nine ships in the Freedom-class of littoral combat ships — warships that cost about $4.5 billion altogether to build....

All told, the Navy wants to scrap 24 ships, including five cruisers and a pair of Los Angeles-class submarines, as part of its cost-cutting needed to maintain the existing fleet and build modern warships. Those cuts surpass the proposed nine ships to be built.

Most of them are older vessels. However, the littoral combat ships that are targeted are young. The oldest of them is 10 years old.

... That entire class of ships suffers from a propulsion defect that will be costly repair....

U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Virginia, was more blunt, tweeting that it “sucks” to be decommissioning so many ships, especially newer ones.

“The Navy owes a public apology to American taxpayers for wasting tens of billions of dollars on ships they now say serve no purpose,” she said....

Seems to me that the goal is not national defense, but rather to build things. More money for the merchants of death and their puppet pols that way.

[GoCubsGo]

Seems to me that the goal is not national defense, but rather to build things. More money for the merchants of death and their puppet pols that way.

Building toys is definitely a factor, but at least they want to cut their "losses" after only wasting 4.5 billion.

Seems like those ships could have a roll in the Coast Guard.

[Vrede too]

Building toys is definitely a factor, but at least they want to cut their "losses" after only wasting 4.5 billion.

Seems like those ships could have a role in the Coast Guard.

It never ends.

A $4.4 billion US destroyer was touted as one of the most advanced ships in the world. Take a look the USS Zumwalt, which has since been called a 'failed ship concept.'

[billy.pilgrim]

Building toys is definitely a factor, but at least they want to cut their "losses" after only wasting 4.5 billion.

Seems like those ships could have a role in the Coast Guard.

It never ends.

A $4.4 billion US destroyer was touted as one of the most advanced ships in the world. Take a look the USS Zumwalt, which has since been called a 'failed ship concept.'

They should call it The Elmo


"The USS Zumwalt was named after Adm. Elmo Zumwalt"

[Vrede too]

They should call it The Elmo

"The USS Zumwalt was named after Adm. Elmo Zumwalt"

As effective, lots cheaper:

[O Really]

Looks like they copied the old ironclads.

[GoCubsGo]

Looks like they copied the old ironclads.

What's old is new again. Who knew stealthy was a thing in the 1800's?

[Vrede too]

Looks like they copied the old ironclads.

What's old is new again. Who knew stealthy was a thing in the 1800's?

Their weapons system was more reliable, too.

[GoCubsGo]

Looks like they copied the old ironclads.

What's old is new again. Who knew stealthy was a thing in the 1800's?

Their weapons system was more reliable, too.

And apparently the engines.

[Vrede too]

A fatal mistake: The truth behind a Marine Corps lie and broken promises

... On the night of April 12, 2004, a deadly explosion rocked a schoolhouse in Fallujah, Iraq, where U.S. troops had set up a temporary base. Two Marines died and a dozen were wounded, some severely.

But as seared as the fatal explosion is in the men's memory, to the Pentagon it's as if it never happened.

An NPR investigation found that the explosion at the schoolhouse in Fallujah was a tragic accident — the worst Marine-on-Marine "friendly fire" of recent decades. Officers determined almost immediately that the explosion was caused by an errant 81 mm mortar fired by the victims' own comrades, yet the families of the dead men weren't told for years, despite Marine Corps regulations. Some of the wounded have never been told.

Three officers involved in the deadly mortar fire were recommended for punishment, but that was rejected by the Marines' ground commander in Iraq — Maj. Gen. James Mattis. Consequently, no one was ever disciplined.

Aside:

Jim Mattis

... Mattis was nominated as secretary of defense by president-elect Donald Trump, and confirmed by the Senate on January 20, 2017....

On December 20, 2018, after failing to convince Trump to reconsider his decision to withdraw all American troops from Syria, Mattis announced his resignation effective the end of February 2019; after Mattis's resignation generated significant media coverage, Trump abruptly accelerated Mattis' departure date to January 1, 2019, stating that he had essentially fired Mattis.

2020 George Floyd protests

... Mattis wrote that Trump was "the first president in my lifetime who does not try to unite the American people—does not even pretend to try. Instead, he tries to divide us". He added that America is "witnessing the consequences of three years without mature leadership". He called for accountability for "those in office who would make a mockery of our Constitution." He concluded, "Only by adopting a new path—which means, in truth, returning to the original path of our founding ideals—will we again be a country admired and respected at home and abroad."

He became a bit of a hero to the left for this belated truth-telling, but he was an asshole to the Fallujah schoolhouse Marines. Back to the article:

And NPR found another secret: An officer who was part of the confusion, but was not cited for discipline, was the son of an important and powerful member of Congress. Then-1st Lt. Duncan D. Hunter was working in the command center that mistakenly approved the mortar launch. His father — U.S. Rep. Duncan L. Hunter — was then-chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, responsible for oversight of the war.

Duncan L. Hunter (R), southwestern portions of San Diego County, 1981 to 2009.

... However, Marine commanders knew instantly that it was a terrible mistake.

"My heart sank," said then-Lt. Col. Gregg Olson, who was the battalion commander and approved the mortar mission.

A Marine 81 mm mortar sailed into the school's courtyard, killing Lance Cpls. Brad Shuder and Robert Zurheide, as well as an Iraqi interpreter. A dozen others were wounded, three so seriously that they had to be medically retired. It was the worst Marine-on-Marine "friendly fire" in decades, but the families weren't told the truth about how the men died. They were told by Marine officers who knocked on their doors that the deaths were the result of hostile fire....

Not only that, the Marines failed to follow their own procedures and tell the families an investigation had begun. The Marines also failed to tell the families when the investigation concluded four months after the explosion that the cause was friendly fire.

It would take three more years before families were told the truth, when the Marine leadership was ordered to appear before Congress. Some of those wounded only learned recently what happened — because they were told by NPR reporters.

... (Lt. Col. Gregg Olson, who was the battalion commander) recently told NPR that Duncan D. Hunter had pointed to the wrong target on a map, though that detail is not in his statement in the 2004 investigative report. As Olson described it, Hunter's misidentification was the first step in the command center confusion that resulted in the tragedy.

Hunter, who later held his father's seat in Congress, declined multiple requests for an interview with NPR.

Duncan D. Hunter (R), 2013 to 2020. Incompetent in Iraq, asshole here:

In 2017, the Department of Justice began a criminal investigation into Hunter and his campaign manager and wife Margaret Jankowski, for alleged campaign finance violations. In August 2018, both were indicted on charges including conspiracy, wire fraud, and violating campaign finance laws. In June 2019, Jankowski pleaded guilty to corruption and named him as a co-conspirator in using campaign funds for personal expenses.

Also in June 2019, federal prosecutors showed that from 2009 to 2016, Hunter had spent campaign funds on extramarital affairs with five women, including lobbyists and congressional staff. In December 2019, Hunter changed his plea to guilty on one count of misusing campaign funds. On January 7, 2020, he submitted letters of resignation to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and California Governor Gavin Newsom, that took effect on January 13, 2020. On March 17, 2020, Hunter was sentenced to 11 months in prison, scheduled to begin in January 2021. He was pardoned by President Donald Trump in December 2020. The next day Trump pardoned Hunter's wife.

Back to the article:

... After Mattis decided no one would be punished, he sent his recommendations to his boss, then-Lt. Gen. James Conway, the top Marine officer in Iraq. Conway agreed with Mattis and signed off on the report two days after a visit to his headquarters in Iraq from Rep. Duncan L. Hunter, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee.

James T. Conway became a four-star general and Commandant of the Marine Corps.

... Only later did NPR discover that Conway obtained a copy of the investigative report after requesting it from one of the Marines we interviewed.

The Fallujah incident happened 10 days before pro football player and U.S. Army Ranger Pat Tillman was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. This was also covered up by the U.S. military.

Why does anyone enlist?

[O Really]

Biden appoints new Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Good Grief, Charlie Brown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canad ... gn=KARANGA

[Vrede too]

Biden appoints new Chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff. Good Grief, Charlie Brown

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65692015

Lucy :

... The confirmation could hit a snag.

More than 200 senior military appointments are currently being held up by the US Senate in a row over abortion.

Senator Tommy Tuberville has been blocking the confirmations over a Pentagon policy that provides travel funds and support for troops and their dependents who are seeking to terminate pregnancies.

The Alabama Republican's opposition has drawn the condemnation of fellow Republicans, who have warned it could pose a risk to US military readiness.

[Vrede too]

First, Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) blocks and is still blocking military promotions in a misogynist tantrum. Now,

Alabama lawmakers turn up the heat on Air Force in escalating Space Command fight

Weeks of partisan sniping between states competing to be the permanent home to U.S. Space Command is ratcheting up even further as Alabama lawmakers use their muscle to cement the headquarters’ move to their state.

Senior Alabama Republicans on the House Armed Services and Appropriations committees have attached provisions to Pentagon spending and policy bills this week that freeze funding for construction, and even limit travel funds for top Air Force officials, in a bid to cajole the service into finalizing the move....

Apparently, Alabama didn't learn its lesson the last time it went to war with the Union military.

[billy.pilgrim]

First, Sen Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) blocks and is still blocking military promotions in a misogynist tantrum. Now,

Alabama lawmakers turn up the heat on Air Force in escalating Space Command fight

Weeks of partisan sniping between states competing to be the permanent home to U.S. Space Command is ratcheting up even further as Alabama lawmakers use their muscle to cement the headquarters’ move to their state.

Senior Alabama Republicans on the House Armed Services and Appropriations committees have attached provisions to Pentagon spending and policy bills this week that freeze funding for construction, and even limit travel funds for top Air Force officials, in a bid to cajole the service into finalizing the move....

Apparently, Alabama didn't learn its lesson the last time it went to war with the Union military.

Not so sure they're at war with the military.
""Huntsville won the competition and they're gonna get the permanent base,” House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers said of provisions in his defense policy bill. “And we're gonna make sure that anybody who thinks they're going to get authorization or funding to [undo] that is mistaken."'

This is about Colorado using political muscle to overturn the best location decision.

[O Really]

No states that elect anti-damgummint senators should get discretionary federal money. It's not like they're going to say "oh thank you for awarding us an operation that will bring billions of dollars of value and good paying jobs to our 5th-from-the-bottom average income state. We'll quit trashing the federal government..."