Hot for Words

Marina was on the factor. She seems to be smitten with Bill, and he with she. Wonder why.

Saluting the US WWII sub force on ANZAC Day

From the NZ Herald:

On Anzac Day thoughts turn to those who gave their lives during various
wars over the last century. But there is one group which has never been given
recognition for what they achieved in World War II and that is the United States
submariners, 3505 of whom lost their lives, including 374 officers.
When one
analyses what they achieved there is no doubt they did more than any other group
to defeat the Japanese and save Australia and New Zealand from being
invaded.

VCJCS speaks about new SSBN

Global Security Newswire has a strange lede on a story about Navy plans to replace retiring Trident SSBNs. The initial thrust of the article is about whether to mix load (strategic and conventional missile on same ship) or to build two different ships (SSBN and SSGN like we now have). This has been debated before in congress with OSD's proposed Conventional Trident Modification that hasn't really gotten off the drawing board.

But midway through the article the theme shifts to discussing plans to replace the Tridents twenty years from now.

Each of the submarine replacements would cost roughly $7 billion, measured
in 2009 dollars, senior analyst Eric Labs of the Congressional Budget Office
said in House testimony last month.

The service has not offered its own cost estimate for the program, saying a price tag is nearly impossible to pin down before additional design details have been determined. However, this is a departure from past practice in which the Navy has offered early estimates for other future ships, naval affairs specialist Ronald O’Rourke of the Congressional Research Service testified alongside Labs.

Given the competition for resources in the defense budget and an already costly long-term shipbuilding budget, it could be that the Navy “just didn’t want to scare the bejesus out of us” with a huge price tag, one congressional staffer said this week.

Probably a good call there.

There is a positive sign from the hill, however:

To date, there has been little debate about whether a new submarine should be
developed and built, according to experts.

“I have seen no indications that anyone would oppose this next-generation SSBN,” one congressional staffer said this week. Instead, the source said, discussion has been focused on one question: “When are we going to get started?”

I think we have a new candidate for NATO

Victor Davis Hanson on the Obama gaff

From Works and Days:

What is really tragic is that successful African-Americans, who have had it far rougher than the Obamas—a Condoleeza Rice, Colin Power, Clarence Thomas, Tiger Woods—excel in American society and really do transcend race. And yet white elite leftish America senses that such talents don’t need liberals’ permission and ratification, and so don’t do anything for their own left-wing guilt.

As usual, the whole post is great. Obama is our European candidate (not Manchurian like HRC). And the Orwellian speak analysis of the two versions of the Obama Pennsylvania quote.

I love fark.com headlines

RFID reader can now ID velocity and location of tags. Heisenberg seen throwing up hands and stalking off in disgust

For more.

Michael Yon - 'Let's Surge Some More'

Final paragraph:

Over the past 15 months, we have proved that we can win this war. We stand now at the moment of truth. Victory – and a democracy in the Arab world – is within our grasp. But it could yet slip away if our leaders remain transfixed by the war we almost lost, rather than focusing on the war we are winning today.

Read the whole thing.