Weekend Observations

Note there will be some work on the blog this weekend, probably not much, although I'm considering options.

Picture of 998 stolen from Chinese BBS. See below because Feng has more.

First things first, Captain Bob Wiley of USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) is running a blog. Among the website changes this weekend will be to get a link up to this. Good luck to your ship and your crew, we look forward to getting insights regarding the work you guys do during this deployment off your blog we would otherwise miss relying on media sources. Very good idea.

Robert Farley is having a caption contest for this picture. If I had 5 minutes with the CJCS while I was holding liquor, I have a feeling it would be 4 minutes of the good Admiral telling me I'm an asshole, and 1 minute of me agreeing with him.

Eagle1 is talking about Convoys off Somalia to protect commercial traffic from piravy. Actually, regular readers to Eagle1 know he has been talking about convoys for years. Establishing convoys should be part of the discussion at the UN, because unlike other suggestions, it doesn't create any contested issues with sovereignty.

Compare these two stories... Russian submarines are completely manned vs UK Nuclear Submarines Understaffed.

Feng has new pictures of the 998. The Chinese didn't build that ship for any strategy associated with Taiwan, they built that ship for a strategy associated with Africa. Only a matter of time...