28 Comments
User's avatar
Joe's avatar

Biden gaza pier assessment came out

62 injuries occurred ; one person died from injuries

The Navy reported damage to 27 boats and (Improved Navy Lighterage System) INLS equipment totaling about $31 million,

a cost of $230 million.

The Army’s damage assessment is redacted.

https://www.airforcetimes.com/news/your-military/2025/05/06/ill-fated-gaza-pier-mission-lacked-sufficient-training-equipment-ig/

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/05/06/investigation-gaza-pier-mission-finds-funding-cuts-poor-planning-hindered-operation.html

Meanwhile Trump claims Houthis begged to stop

and the US lost a 3rd Fighter Jet - Another Fighter Jet Tumbles Off Truman

remembering last December a jet from the Truman was shot down by the USS Gettysburg accidentally - a 2nd fell off when Truman took a hard right - now another 3rd jet reportedly failed the landing Houthis claim due to confusion caused by their attack -

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/05/07/uss-truman-loses-third-fighter-jet-amid-red-sea-deployment.html

Expand full comment
dissonant1's avatar

Thank you presenting the figures, tragic as they are. As for the overall military effort, we are left once again to ask "For What?" Does that pattern never end?

Expand full comment
dissonant1's avatar

Where will this renaming epidemic end? Maybe in Greenland?:

https://buddycarter.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=15398

Your representatives hard at work - and not at the Onion.

Expand full comment
johnycomelately's avatar

Interesting that Pakistan straddles military procurement from the US and China simultaneously.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

Instead of war think Conclave.

Expand full comment
Mark Hazard's avatar

Re: Rename Persian Gulf

The dip-shit-lomatic international crisis equivalent of MISGENDERING!

Shma cpehich hes najabati nadarid gharban?

Rand McNally will neither admit nor deny their ties to Trump. Rumors have begun.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

Trump taking his derby winnings e.g. Sovereignty literally.

Expand full comment
Tristam's avatar

In 2017, after Trump I's visit to Saudi Arabia and participation in a Saudi sword-dance, Pat Lang (RIP) posted this item on his blog:

https://turcopolier.typepad.com/sic_semper_tyrannis/2017/05/httpwwwfoxnewscompolitics20170522israeli-minister-expresses-concerns-over-us-saudi-arabia-deal-ahead-trump-visitht.html

Lang says the cultural meaning of Trump's behavior signals that the Saudis have bought Trump therefore he now owes the Saudis something. Lang compares the ease of the Saudi 'purchase' to the many years of effort AIPAC etc. have invested in controlling US, and concludes that

"This must be disheartening for the Israelis and their supporters in the US.

The "rub" will come of course when the Saudis try to crack the whip over Trump."

EDIT:

headline:

**Sucking up to the Saudis: 'America first' is finishing last with Trump | Mulshine**

Interesting part is the date: May 28, 2017

Expand full comment
TomA's avatar

Trump is being proactively chaotic and unpredictable. This is a distraction, or more specifically, a smoke screen to conceal his underlying geopolitical strategy. The real bad guys are a cabal of financial power players located in Europe and London that have ruled from the shadows for centuries. They foster endless war as an instrument of control. And they must be defeated or our misery will be endlessly ongoing. That is the fight that Trump is concealing with his feigned insanity. Either he succeeds or we all lose big.

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

Trump's madness is keeping the Democrats out of the MSM and keeping the MSM out of the Democrats.

Expand full comment
Marie's avatar

Correct! And the Vatican is involved too.

Expand full comment
Ray-SoCa's avatar

Wow on the effectiveness of the Chinese PL-15E air-to-air missile. The export version is equivalent to the standard western air to air missile, and the non export version is even better.

The use by India of aircraft launching air ground missiles, verses drones and ground to ground missiles is another example of how the Ukraine, Houthi, and Iranian experience are rewriting what’s best practices.

Israel, India, and the U.S. are still using mostly aircraft for ground attacks.

References:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIM-120_AMRAAM

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/PL-15

Expand full comment
AmericanCardigan's avatar

To your point, you'd think India would have had drones at the ready for these kind of operations. Maybe they've given munitions away?

PL-15E doesn't bode well for defense of Taiwan.

Expand full comment
Ray-SoCa's avatar

It's even worse. The Pakistani / Chinese plan, the jf-17 is 1/4 the cost of the Rafale.

My semi educated guess is the Indian Military's procurement is broken. The result is drones and ground to ground missiles are not emphasized. A guess also due to internal politics. And the India Air force due to previous over whelming wins over Pakistan, did not see the Pakistani Air Force as a significant threat.

My gut feeling, is many countries that have emphasized the air force, such as US, Israel, India, and Taiwan have huge challenges as manned aircraft have become much more vulnerable. And they have not built up their strength in drones and ground to ground missiles to compensate.

From what I read, the US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is trying to change this. Due to 100% negative main stream press coverage of him, it's hard to see the positive stuff he is doing.

Reference:

https://jetlinemarvel.net/comparing-the-jf-17-thunder-and-dassault-rafale-a-detailed-analysis/

*Assuming the reports are true on the planes shot down.

Expand full comment
Jeff Cook-Coyle's avatar

Dan Caldwell's interview with Tucker was striking. Civilian leadership in the Pentagon could be described as anti-war. Those guys are knee-deep in what it really does to the country.

Expand full comment
Paul Meli's avatar

The bid-to-tender ratio for Treasury securities is nearly 3:1. There are never enough Treasuries. Anyone holding $ will choose to earn interest rather than not and anyway there aren't enough mattresses in existence to hold them. If no foreign country would buy them the Fed can and will.

Expand full comment
Marvin Gardens2's avatar

Gabbard is as bad as any of them - evil as hell

Expand full comment
Cosmo T Kat's avatar

Who is "Them?"

Expand full comment
Ray-SoCa's avatar

Too early to tell.

There are two fights going on. One is this pro war faction, and the other fight is against the deep state that has a large component in the intelligence complex.

My swag was Trump was using the Houthi grand little war as a bargaining chip with the Iranians. Seems it’s also being used with Israel.

Reality is Israel through AIPAC, weaponization of antisemitism, blackmail, and political donors, has huge influence over US politics.

Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

Very true about AIPAC. The good news is that they are being flushed out into the open and more and more people are seeing what they are up to. Also, the younger generation is not pro-Israel.

Expand full comment
dissonant1's avatar

I've always believed we started bombing the Houthis primarily on behalf of Israel because of the importance of the Red Sea to Israeli imports and exports (via the port of Eilat on the Gulf of Aqaba and the Suez Canal). But hey Trump just called it off so maybe he just decided that the bombing was a dead end or he just got fed up with Israeli behavior in Gaza.

Regarding Israeli trade, THIS happens at the same time:

https://www.timesofisrael.com/turkeys-trade-ban-importers-seek-indirect-routes-to-bring-goods-to-israel/

The Israelis are going to be in bad shape until they agree to a cease-fire in Gaza. Remember how Trump just had a meeting with Erdogan? Could this be a result of that meeting?

Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

Israel: "We control the Middle East!"

Turkey: "Hold my beer!"

Expand full comment
Marvin Gardens2's avatar

here Gabbard protests real reporting re the US efforts to take over another country:

https://www.zerohedge.com/geopolitical/us-intel-agencies-ordered-target-greenland-takeover-scheming-intensifies

Expand full comment
Marie's avatar

WSJ is an evil newspaper for the Deep Staters. Every article is infused with Anti-Trump rhetoric. I believe they are paying off a lot of govt people so they can continue undermining the administration.

Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

She was one of those "Firebrands-on-the-campaign-trail" like Patel and Bongino. Since the, crickets.

Expand full comment
Cosmo T Kat's avatar

You have to ask yourself why? Is it her task to be covert or is she being reigned in by "someone."

Expand full comment
Jeff Cook-Coyle's avatar

Her job is to speak to the National Security Council, not the public! I actually don't like hearing from her these days.

Expand full comment
Steghorn21's avatar

Point taken, Jeff. Let's hope she at least is living up to her billing and trying to rein in the crazies!

Expand full comment