WEBVTT 1 00:00:35.079 --> 00:00:37.799 Welcome to mid Rats with sal from Commander Salamander and 2 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:41.200 Eagle One from Eagle Speak at seer Shure your home 3 00:00:41.280 --> 00:00:44.119 for a discussion of national security issues and all things 4 00:00:44.159 --> 00:00:48.840 maritime and welcome aboard everybody. This is the aforementioned Sho 5 00:00:49.000 --> 00:00:52.079 along with Egle One here today and we are live 6 00:00:52.320 --> 00:00:55.280 fun little twist today. Because I'm a bear of little brain, 7 00:00:56.439 --> 00:00:59.560 some of those who are checking the email are actually 8 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:02.240 getting the link as a guest, so we can see 9 00:01:02.520 --> 00:01:05.640 Slugo and Mark and Steven their early adopters before I 10 00:01:05.760 --> 00:01:08.120 change that link. So we look like we have lots 11 00:01:08.120 --> 00:01:10.280 of guests, but it's just Mark and I today in 12 00:01:10.359 --> 00:01:12.959 the audience link. Thank goodness, I hope went out to 13 00:01:13.200 --> 00:01:15.000 tens of thousands of people on X. 14 00:01:14.959 --> 00:01:16.840 But that's all right. You're all welcome aboard. 15 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.640 But we are live right now unless you are listening 16 00:01:19.640 --> 00:01:23.439 to the podcast, and today we are having our September 17 00:01:23.560 --> 00:01:26.560 free for all, which means that our topic list is 18 00:01:26.599 --> 00:01:29.680 so open that before the show and Slugo, who was 19 00:01:29.719 --> 00:01:34.159 the first guy across the unsecured door, no, we didn't 20 00:01:34.159 --> 00:01:36.480 even coordinate our topics ahead of time, but that means 21 00:01:36.519 --> 00:01:39.400 it's open board. And if you're with us Live. We'd 22 00:01:39.439 --> 00:01:41.680 like to invite you to go into the chat room. 23 00:01:42.000 --> 00:01:43.760 Does Mark and I pick up the subjects that we 24 00:01:43.840 --> 00:01:46.519 find the most interesting today. If there's a topic you 25 00:01:46.560 --> 00:01:48.599 would like for us to address to, whether it's on 26 00:01:48.719 --> 00:01:51.040 our list or not, we'd like to be invite you 27 00:01:51.079 --> 00:01:53.120 to go in there and just pop it down there. 28 00:01:53.439 --> 00:01:56.920 Mark and I will both be watching the chat room 29 00:01:57.000 --> 00:02:00.000 as it scrolls along for those that wish to play, 30 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:03.079 and if you're just here to listen, that's great. So hey, Mark, 31 00:02:03.319 --> 00:02:05.200 good afternoon. Let's see whether there's surprises. 32 00:02:05.239 --> 00:02:05.560 I did. 33 00:02:06.680 --> 00:02:08.479 Yeah, I think this is this is a lot of 34 00:02:08.479 --> 00:02:11.280 fun actually, So I hope, I hope slug Oh and 35 00:02:11.319 --> 00:02:15.719 Steven and Paul enjoy their enjoy their status as guests. 36 00:02:15.919 --> 00:02:17.199 Well, they've all been. 37 00:02:17.080 --> 00:02:21.000 With us for a regular basis, especially Paul, so they're 38 00:02:21.039 --> 00:02:23.400 they're more than welcome to you know, I was I 39 00:02:23.439 --> 00:02:27.680 was talking to somebody who were remained nameless who was 40 00:02:27.719 --> 00:02:31.000 interested in, you know, starting a podcast. I've talked to 41 00:02:31.000 --> 00:02:33.080 a few people through the year, so he just wanted 42 00:02:33.080 --> 00:02:37.240 a few hints and he was really kind of concerned 43 00:02:37.360 --> 00:02:41.639 about production and careful planning and didn't know whether he 44 00:02:42.000 --> 00:02:45.439 to do it live and you'll appreciate this. Maybe you 45 00:02:45.479 --> 00:02:47.879 have a better answer than I do. But he's like, well, yeah, 46 00:02:47.919 --> 00:02:50.400 how do you deal with with going live? You must 47 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:53.759 do a lot of preparation and scripting. And I literally 48 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:57.319 just laughed, Well, we've been doing this is twenty ten 49 00:02:57.439 --> 00:03:00.000 and we we actually just literally make it up. 50 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:01.360 No, you can't just do that. 51 00:03:01.479 --> 00:03:04.080 I mean, you don't have any control. It's like, well, 52 00:03:04.120 --> 00:03:06.159 that's the way we do it. It saves us whole lot 53 00:03:06.159 --> 00:03:08.319 of time. So this is kind of the pinnacle that 54 00:03:08.360 --> 00:03:10.840 it keeps you humble. Lets you know that you never 55 00:03:10.879 --> 00:03:12.199 know what's going to happen on midrets. 56 00:03:13.560 --> 00:03:16.800 Nope, so let's see. You suggested talking about the red 57 00:03:16.840 --> 00:03:19.800 sea to begin with, So start off with the red seat. 58 00:03:20.080 --> 00:03:24.080 Yeah. Well, in honor of our guests last two weeks ago, 59 00:03:24.159 --> 00:03:27.080 the last time we had a show, sal Marcagliano, he 60 00:03:27.199 --> 00:03:31.879 had a rather unfortunate exchange over on X with some 61 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:34.800 of the usual left wing trolls on there who just 62 00:03:35.319 --> 00:03:37.919 they don't contribute, They just like to throw throw mudd 63 00:03:37.919 --> 00:03:40.479 at people. But it was an interesting to see that 64 00:03:40.759 --> 00:03:44.039 in some sidebar conversations with some of the points that 65 00:03:44.199 --> 00:03:48.000 Sal actually brought up, because here we are coming on 66 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:51.719 on eleven months since the attack on Israel on October 67 00:03:51.759 --> 00:03:56.039 seventh of twenty twenty three, and then the extra little 68 00:03:56.080 --> 00:03:59.400 effort gave by the Iranian proxies and the hoo Thies 69 00:03:59.400 --> 00:04:01.000 that we've talked about quite a few times here in 70 00:04:01.000 --> 00:04:03.240 the course of the last eleven months here on Metraps 71 00:04:04.240 --> 00:04:12.039 and the great naval power that is the US and 72 00:04:12.159 --> 00:04:15.800 her allies and friends. And you can look at the 73 00:04:16.160 --> 00:04:20.560 open source information on where our fleet is deployed right now. 74 00:04:20.600 --> 00:04:23.759 It's in the Persian Gulf, Arabian Golf, whatever you want 75 00:04:23.759 --> 00:04:28.839 to call it, and the Eastern Mediterranean. Trying to keep 76 00:04:29.079 --> 00:04:33.160 Iran actual back inside her box a little bit because 77 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.319 of what's going on still in Israel and Gaza and 78 00:04:36.319 --> 00:04:41.240 with Hesbla and the Red Sea is still it's worse 79 00:04:41.279 --> 00:04:45.040 than the wild Wild West because there's not even a 80 00:04:45.079 --> 00:04:49.199 good cavalry patrol. There's just the occasional element here and 81 00:04:49.240 --> 00:04:51.800 there that is going up and down and at will. 82 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:58.480 The houthis are able to attack international shipping and one 83 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:04.399 of the most critical junctures in the world when it 84 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:09.040 comes to trade, and it's just amazing that more people 85 00:05:09.240 --> 00:05:11.199 are not and a lot of It may or may 86 00:05:11.240 --> 00:05:12.959 not have to do with the fact that this is 87 00:05:12.959 --> 00:05:15.199 an election year, and I always try to keep that 88 00:05:15.279 --> 00:05:17.680 in my back pocket when I wonder why things are 89 00:05:18.279 --> 00:05:21.399 or are not being talked about. That might have something 90 00:05:21.439 --> 00:05:23.519 to do with it, maybe not, I don't know, but 91 00:05:24.639 --> 00:05:27.879 there is a in the national security arena. Mark there's 92 00:05:27.959 --> 00:05:30.879 a large arena of people who love to come into 93 00:05:30.879 --> 00:05:35.480 the conversation about international law, the rule of law. They 94 00:05:35.879 --> 00:05:40.120 want us to be signed on to the Law of 95 00:05:40.120 --> 00:05:44.720 the Sea treaty that we haven't signed on to. They've been, 96 00:05:45.639 --> 00:05:50.399 especially in the last nine months, very quiet. You also 97 00:05:50.519 --> 00:05:54.959 have those that above all, and there's a non zero 98 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:57.959 percentage of people in the leadership at d D who 99 00:05:58.000 --> 00:06:01.240 think that climate change is the most important thing, and 100 00:06:02.839 --> 00:06:07.160 people in the arena like Salamar Cogliana who worked that segment, 101 00:06:07.759 --> 00:06:12.000 they've been very open about the additional hydrocarbons that are 102 00:06:12.000 --> 00:06:14.759 being injected into the atmosphere from having to go around 103 00:06:15.639 --> 00:06:17.759 South Africa as opposed to going through the Red Sea 104 00:06:17.839 --> 00:06:19.680 for those ships that decided they don't want to have 105 00:06:19.720 --> 00:06:27.759 the insurance premium. And you also have from a strictly 106 00:06:28.360 --> 00:06:31.600 American point of view, is we have not had a 107 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:39.319 good record the last fifteen to twenty five years of 108 00:06:39.680 --> 00:06:43.680 burnishing and reinforcing hour which is our greatest deterrence, which 109 00:06:43.720 --> 00:06:47.360 is our reputation and our credibility on the world. Saint 110 00:06:48.360 --> 00:06:50.800 and the fact that here we are. I would not 111 00:06:51.600 --> 00:06:56.120 have thought back in February or so that you and 112 00:06:56.199 --> 00:06:59.000 I would be talking in September where we still have 113 00:06:59.240 --> 00:07:03.800 these ability to go into onto tankers who were carrying 114 00:07:03.800 --> 00:07:07.959 four times what was leaked, and by the Exxon Valdez 115 00:07:09.560 --> 00:07:12.519 attack the ship, stop the ship, forced the evacuation of 116 00:07:12.560 --> 00:07:16.000 the ship, and then with a multimedia presentation blow it 117 00:07:16.079 --> 00:07:19.600 up right in the Red Sea. But here we are, 118 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:23.920 I don't see. And there's a real interesting and we 119 00:07:24.000 --> 00:07:27.720 did mention a couple of weeks ago, but there's been 120 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:33.639 some echoes of it. Ward Curl's interview with the former 121 00:07:33.680 --> 00:07:37.000 commander of the Eisenhower Strike Group and what he had 122 00:07:37.000 --> 00:07:40.160 to say about the decisions. There are some secondary and 123 00:07:40.240 --> 00:07:45.639 tertiary effects of the lawlessness in the Red Sea. I 124 00:07:45.639 --> 00:07:47.399 don't know who's going to resolve it or when it's 125 00:07:47.439 --> 00:07:49.759 going to be resolved, but it's going to take a 126 00:07:49.759 --> 00:07:53.920 lot law back to center line, because I think the 127 00:07:55.040 --> 00:07:59.000 international order for lack of a better phrase, has been 128 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:02.680 damaged more than of people appreciate by US, the imperial 129 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:03.439 US not. 130 00:08:03.480 --> 00:08:04.600 Doing anything about it. 131 00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:08.399 Yeah, I think I think people have to remember a 132 00:08:08.439 --> 00:08:11.000 couple of things. One is that the Suez Canal was 133 00:08:11.040 --> 00:08:15.519 closed from nineteen sixty seven, I think for several years. 134 00:08:15.560 --> 00:08:18.199 I think six years, maybe maybe not quite that long, 135 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:20.560 but at least sixty seven to seventy two. 136 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:21.040 I think. 137 00:08:21.399 --> 00:08:25.800 So this is not should not be a world shaking event. 138 00:08:25.879 --> 00:08:26.879 We've been down. 139 00:08:26.680 --> 00:08:29.759 This road before where the Seuz Canal could not be used. 140 00:08:30.319 --> 00:08:34.039 And the question, you know that I think many people 141 00:08:34.159 --> 00:08:37.559 ask is why would we do we have to be 142 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:41.120 the world's share all the time. There are other nations 143 00:08:41.120 --> 00:08:44.600 that are really thoroughly impacted by by what is going 144 00:08:44.639 --> 00:08:49.240 on with the Huthis and the Red Sea. And you know, 145 00:08:49.279 --> 00:08:51.639 I mean even the Chinese are apparently sending some of 146 00:08:51.679 --> 00:08:55.799 their ships around the Northern Route instead of through the 147 00:08:56.919 --> 00:09:00.600 Red Sea area, even though for a while apparently they 148 00:09:00.600 --> 00:09:04.360 were under some kind of immunity from attack by the Houthis. 149 00:09:04.399 --> 00:09:04.600 You know. 150 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:08.919 So the I think fundamentally we have to ask the 151 00:09:09.000 --> 00:09:11.360 question how much of our how many of our people, 152 00:09:11.360 --> 00:09:13.720 how many of our large ships, how many of our 153 00:09:13.759 --> 00:09:19.159 aircraft do we want to risk to get involved with 154 00:09:19.200 --> 00:09:21.399 the Houthis? And in this case, I mean, if we're 155 00:09:21.399 --> 00:09:25.720 going to pursue this vigorously, then you really and you've 156 00:09:25.720 --> 00:09:27.279 already touched on we have to go after i Ran. 157 00:09:27.480 --> 00:09:31.279 We cannot sit back and let Iran continue to supply 158 00:09:31.399 --> 00:09:34.759 it seems to be an unlimited amount of weaponry to 159 00:09:34.840 --> 00:09:38.480 the Houthis. And the question is does anybody want to 160 00:09:38.519 --> 00:09:42.039 take on Iran right now? And this administration in particular 161 00:09:42.120 --> 00:09:44.480 has been pretty soft on them, and a lot of 162 00:09:44.480 --> 00:09:47.639 the money that has been turned over the last few 163 00:09:47.720 --> 00:09:50.799 years to the Iranians has helped pay for all this weaponry. 164 00:09:51.279 --> 00:09:57.279 And and we're also seeing I think reports of Iranian 165 00:09:58.360 --> 00:10:01.720 influence campaigns that to a lot of the anti Semitic 166 00:10:03.039 --> 00:10:07.120 activities have been going on the various parts of the country, 167 00:10:07.120 --> 00:10:10.120 included college campuses and stuff. You know that they're funding 168 00:10:10.159 --> 00:10:14.519 a lot of this stuff, so that you know, we 169 00:10:14.519 --> 00:10:16.840 we have pretty good reasons as we as usual to 170 00:10:16.879 --> 00:10:19.600 go after a RAM. But I don't know if anybody 171 00:10:19.720 --> 00:10:25.120 has the stomach to to go into another big This 172 00:10:25.159 --> 00:10:28.519 would be a big war in the in that region 173 00:10:28.519 --> 00:10:30.720 of the world, And whether we need to. I mean, 174 00:10:31.080 --> 00:10:35.080 you know, we will pay additional cost for the the 175 00:10:35.120 --> 00:10:40.600 shipment of oil and goods around Africa. But you know, 176 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:43.720 we've we've done that before. And I don't I don't. 177 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:45.480 I just don't know if anybody really wants to get 178 00:10:45.480 --> 00:10:48.159 involved the way we'd need to get that said. We've 179 00:10:48.200 --> 00:10:51.080 already put I think one of our guests as he 180 00:10:51.120 --> 00:10:54.159 has a son who deployed with VFA. 181 00:10:55.519 --> 00:10:56.080 Thirty two. 182 00:10:57.000 --> 00:10:58.960 There are a lot of other squadrons that getting ready 183 00:10:58.960 --> 00:11:02.159 to go out there, and uh on other on on 184 00:11:02.279 --> 00:11:06.519 yet another carrier, you know, and it has as somebody 185 00:11:06.559 --> 00:11:09.360 pointed out, it just takes one hit by the Huthis 186 00:11:09.720 --> 00:11:14.519 on one of our warships two to you know, they'll 187 00:11:14.559 --> 00:11:16.960 they'll consider that a major a major victory if they 188 00:11:17.000 --> 00:11:19.320 did some damage to one of our d d gs 189 00:11:19.480 --> 00:11:21.480 or or cruisers or. 190 00:11:23.080 --> 00:11:23.600 Carriers. 191 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:26.159 And uh and I and I don't think I would 192 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:29.799 want to be I guess and we'll find out. I 193 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:31.559 don't think the president wants to be in the chair 194 00:11:31.600 --> 00:11:34.960 if that were to happen. And uh, but you know, 195 00:11:35.240 --> 00:11:37.240 I think it's a risk question whether we're willing to 196 00:11:37.320 --> 00:11:40.279 risk it, whether it's our nation's job to risk it, 197 00:11:40.759 --> 00:11:42.799 or we you know, we we we are believers in 198 00:11:42.879 --> 00:11:47.200 international law. These are people clearly violating international law. But 199 00:11:48.039 --> 00:11:50.440 as with all international law, you always have to ask, well, 200 00:11:50.480 --> 00:11:53.600 who's who's going to enforce it? Who's enforcing the international 201 00:11:53.679 --> 00:11:59.000 law against the Chinese intruding on the Filipino uh Exclusive 202 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:02.399 Economic Zone and rent ramming their their coast guard ships 203 00:12:02.440 --> 00:12:05.559 into the end of the Philippine Coast Guard ships? 204 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:06.240 You know there? 205 00:12:06.440 --> 00:12:08.799 Who was the Is this is this a job from America? 206 00:12:08.879 --> 00:12:11.240 Do we have some other force that can can do this? 207 00:12:11.679 --> 00:12:14.360 I think these are questions that are are fundamental to 208 00:12:14.440 --> 00:12:20.759 our national security and our our our strategic greater strategic 209 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.759 uh plants. You know, do we have a grand strategy 210 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:29.080 and does it and geopolitical strategy and does it involve 211 00:12:29.159 --> 00:12:32.120 getting involved in these kinds of the affairs? 212 00:12:32.840 --> 00:12:34.679 And you know, you brought up a good point. And 213 00:12:34.720 --> 00:12:37.759 I think you know this existed while the Cold War 214 00:12:37.759 --> 00:12:40.279 were still going on. Is now you remember better than 215 00:12:40.320 --> 00:12:42.120 I do because I was too busy being a college 216 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:44.759 kid during the last part of it. But we may 217 00:12:44.840 --> 00:12:48.399 just be seeing some of the and it's been accelerated 218 00:12:48.440 --> 00:12:52.519 by the events in Ukraine and also in Israel. But 219 00:12:53.279 --> 00:12:58.440 kind of the last gasp of some of the illusions 220 00:12:58.480 --> 00:13:01.600 by well meaning people who are being taken advantage of 221 00:13:01.639 --> 00:13:08.879 by not well many people about international organizations quote international 222 00:13:08.960 --> 00:13:14.360 law unquote. You know, what the UN was doing in 223 00:13:14.720 --> 00:13:17.399 Gaza that's been uncovered kind of speaks for itself in 224 00:13:17.440 --> 00:13:22.600 that regard, and it's it has to do with national 225 00:13:22.639 --> 00:13:24.679 will and things that you could do. And you know, 226 00:13:24.679 --> 00:13:27.960 you mentioned going after Iran, and I don't think that 227 00:13:28.080 --> 00:13:29.960 though it's on the spectrum of things you can do, 228 00:13:30.519 --> 00:13:33.840 there's a lot of non kinetic things that we could 229 00:13:33.879 --> 00:13:37.840 do against Iran. And you know, you also alluded to 230 00:13:37.879 --> 00:13:43.960 something I've been real proud of us in the fourteen 231 00:13:44.039 --> 00:13:48.480 years plus that we've been doing mid Rats that we 232 00:13:49.200 --> 00:13:51.840 talk about policy, not politics, and we do our best 233 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:56.039 to keep politics out of it, as we should. But 234 00:13:56.840 --> 00:14:00.799 people are policy and people are appointed by politicians that 235 00:14:00.840 --> 00:14:05.720 are elected. So it's it's tangentially arranged that. And the 236 00:14:06.200 --> 00:14:09.480 people that we have making our national security decisions right 237 00:14:09.519 --> 00:14:13.200 now are the same people that were with during the 238 00:14:13.200 --> 00:14:16.600 Obama administration, and they do have, if not a pro 239 00:14:16.679 --> 00:14:26.559 Iranian lean review, a non confrontational and excessive optimism about 240 00:14:26.559 --> 00:14:30.799 what could be had with the Iranian regime. I think 241 00:14:30.799 --> 00:14:32.799 if the if we didn't have the present regime we 242 00:14:32.840 --> 00:14:36.720 had in Iran, as we happened before the Mola's got 243 00:14:36.840 --> 00:14:40.519 charge of Iran, we all get along great here. I 244 00:14:40.559 --> 00:14:43.960 grew up with the kids of Iranian refugees, and one 245 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:47.720 of the largest Iranian cities in the country is Los Angeles. 246 00:14:47.759 --> 00:14:50.279 They're they're finding, they're great people. It's just the government 247 00:14:50.320 --> 00:14:54.919 the policy they're pursuing. And you also have to face 248 00:14:54.960 --> 00:15:00.080 the fact there's people who've heard me here and and 249 00:15:00.120 --> 00:15:01.960 have read my stuff over the years. Knows I'm not 250 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:08.039 an interventionist, piny stretch of the imagination, but there are 251 00:15:08.080 --> 00:15:12.480 some things that if not us, who And when you 252 00:15:12.519 --> 00:15:17.639 talk about the free flow of market goods across the sea, 253 00:15:17.639 --> 00:15:20.559 lions of communications, the open seas, the free seas, the 254 00:15:20.960 --> 00:15:24.279 safe sees. If not the US Navy, people will look 255 00:15:24.320 --> 00:15:27.240 towards the Royal Navy. And the Royal Navy and the 256 00:15:27.320 --> 00:15:33.080 United Kingdom have been for well over eighty years the 257 00:15:33.159 --> 00:15:35.559 give or taken incident or two have been our best 258 00:15:35.600 --> 00:15:38.720 and most reliable allies. We work best with them. But 259 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:43.799 there is a graphic that made the rounds this week that, 260 00:15:44.440 --> 00:15:48.279 as I pulled the thread on. Its pretty accurate and 261 00:15:49.039 --> 00:15:54.759 I'll post it in the show notes afterwards. It's how 262 00:15:54.840 --> 00:15:57.159 most of our naval fleet is out of action. It's 263 00:15:57.159 --> 00:16:01.559 for the Royal Navy's major warships, of its attack submarines, 264 00:16:01.799 --> 00:16:04.159 and it does active or inactive, which I think from 265 00:16:04.279 --> 00:16:06.360 rib operational or non operational. 266 00:16:09.440 --> 00:16:10.200 Of their. 267 00:16:11.879 --> 00:16:17.879 Five astute and one remaining Trafogar class submarine, the Trafalgar class, 268 00:16:17.919 --> 00:16:23.720 the HMS Triumphs, she's coming back from a deployment and 269 00:16:24.480 --> 00:16:30.639 the newest I believe it's the newest astute class, the ants, 270 00:16:30.639 --> 00:16:35.159 and she's still in posts production trials, So they have 271 00:16:35.240 --> 00:16:37.320 none of their submarines that are are ready to really 272 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:42.360 deployed anywhere. Both of their aircraft carriers are fine, they're construction, 273 00:16:43.000 --> 00:16:48.919 they're lpds, they're ones in refit and ones inactive. Of 274 00:16:49.000 --> 00:16:52.279 their Type forty five guided missile destroyers, which are their 275 00:16:52.279 --> 00:16:56.759 most capable, you only have four of their six that 276 00:16:56.919 --> 00:17:01.480 are four of their six are inactive. And of their 277 00:17:01.559 --> 00:17:07.279 Type twenty three multipurpose frigates, you have ten of them, 278 00:17:07.400 --> 00:17:10.319 nine correction and only five of those nine are deployable. 279 00:17:11.079 --> 00:17:14.079 And it'd be interesting to see the US Navy's outlay 280 00:17:14.079 --> 00:17:16.599 of that, but we're better than that. So if something 281 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:21.119 does come up, our most capable ally, the Royal Navy, 282 00:17:21.240 --> 00:17:24.079 is simply not there, and our other allies, their navies 283 00:17:24.119 --> 00:17:28.160 are really really thin. Some news did come out this 284 00:17:28.200 --> 00:17:34.960 week the new Dutch government announced, in addition to bringing 285 00:17:35.039 --> 00:17:38.839 back their heavy armor they're bringing back they're going to 286 00:17:39.000 --> 00:17:45.039 order I think twenty or so new main battle tanks 287 00:17:45.079 --> 00:17:49.799 from Germany Leopard A two six is where it is, 288 00:17:50.559 --> 00:17:55.240 and they're also going to be building two additional of 289 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.440 their multipurpose they call their ASW frigates, which would be good, 290 00:17:58.720 --> 00:18:02.720 but again it's not that large. So if it's not 291 00:18:02.759 --> 00:18:04.279 going to be us, who is it going to be, 292 00:18:04.480 --> 00:18:08.559 And it's not going to be them either, then we're 293 00:18:08.599 --> 00:18:14.039 going back to a situation where locally, the international community 294 00:18:14.759 --> 00:18:17.720 is just going to have to accept that we're going 295 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:21.799 to lose free access to certain bodies of water, which 296 00:18:22.559 --> 00:18:27.440 we can do if Egypt, the local powers Egypt, Saudi Arabia, 297 00:18:27.880 --> 00:18:31.640 Iran decide that's what they want in the local waters. 298 00:18:31.680 --> 00:18:36.400 I guess that's their decision, but that's moving away from 299 00:18:36.640 --> 00:18:39.319 I don't know, Mark, when do you think it's a 300 00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:40.960 shame we don't have claud in the chat room he 301 00:18:41.000 --> 00:18:45.079 could answer this force. When did the Royal Navy really 302 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:49.119 draw a line on the calendar and said we've got it? 303 00:18:49.160 --> 00:18:52.640 Was it right after the Napoleonic Wars, after the US 304 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:56.200 Civil War? But whatever that line is in the eighteen hundreds, 305 00:18:56.920 --> 00:19:01.400 until very recently, somebody was guaranteed free access to the seas. 306 00:19:01.960 --> 00:19:04.039 And if the Red Sea is allowed to be uh 307 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:09.680 a little ink blot across an important flock, when when 308 00:19:09.799 --> 00:19:11.480 is the next lock up gonna come? 309 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:12.519 And where? 310 00:19:13.480 --> 00:19:17.279 Well? I think you know we've got The world has 311 00:19:17.359 --> 00:19:20.000 changed a lot since the Brits and the and the 312 00:19:20.079 --> 00:19:23.720 US Navy controlled all the sea lines of communication. And 313 00:19:23.720 --> 00:19:25.960 and one of those things that that people have been 314 00:19:25.960 --> 00:19:34.440 warning about for years, you see it in the in the. 315 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:33.000 Fleet tactics books. 316 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:35.559 You know that that one of the concerns has always 317 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:41.799 been the anti ship missiles which have become commonplace now. 318 00:19:41.920 --> 00:19:42.720 And we saw this. 319 00:19:43.160 --> 00:19:45.279 We saw it when the has Bull of shot sympathy 320 00:19:45.720 --> 00:19:50.599 at the Israeli ships during one of their set tos. 321 00:19:51.000 --> 00:19:54.720 We've we saw it during the Gulf War when when 322 00:19:54.759 --> 00:19:58.039 we saw some and during the Tanker Wars when we 323 00:19:58.119 --> 00:20:02.039 saw the silk worms and other whatever the Iranian version 324 00:20:02.079 --> 00:20:06.200 of those things is and the Iraqi version. We saw 325 00:20:06.240 --> 00:20:09.519 those being fired. If it hadn't been for a written destroyer, 326 00:20:09.599 --> 00:20:12.079 I think one of the silkworms may have gotten through 327 00:20:12.119 --> 00:20:13.799 to I don't know what had done any damage, but 328 00:20:13.799 --> 00:20:16.440 I think that one of the battleships was targeted. You 329 00:20:16.480 --> 00:20:20.960 know this this these these Chinese missiles the sea eight 330 00:20:20.960 --> 00:20:22.799 oh two's, eight O one's whatever they are. 331 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:25.279 You know, the pictures changed. 332 00:20:25.400 --> 00:20:29.240 And and now that that what we've seen in in 333 00:20:29.240 --> 00:20:31.799 in Ukraine and with the who thies is that these 334 00:20:32.240 --> 00:20:39.880 unmanned uh uh surface vessels uh with which are loaded 335 00:20:39.920 --> 00:20:43.160 with with explosives. You know, they're they're hard to stop 336 00:20:43.480 --> 00:20:45.400 unless you are really making the effort to do it. 337 00:20:45.920 --> 00:20:48.519 And and I think that that, you know, there has 338 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:51.880 to be a sense of realism about about what has changed. 339 00:20:51.920 --> 00:20:53.920 You know, it was different from the days when the 340 00:20:54.440 --> 00:20:57.160 range of of a gun determined the three mile limit 341 00:20:57.279 --> 00:21:00.599 or the twelve mile limit that we we had for 342 00:21:00.599 --> 00:21:04.799 for our coastal waters. Because you know, the guns now 343 00:21:04.880 --> 00:21:08.200 and the and the missiles now are much more rain 344 00:21:08.359 --> 00:21:10.960 have much more range than those than those old canon did. 345 00:21:11.480 --> 00:21:13.799 And it's just one of those things to be aware of. Now, 346 00:21:13.839 --> 00:21:17.400 we keep spending a lot of money and effort trying 347 00:21:17.440 --> 00:21:21.480 to shoot these things out of the sky and at 348 00:21:21.519 --> 00:21:24.359 great cost to the taxpayers and at high risk to 349 00:21:24.400 --> 00:21:28.039 a lot of our people. Or we can do, as 350 00:21:28.079 --> 00:21:31.480 I have urged on some occasions, we could engage in 351 00:21:31.519 --> 00:21:35.039 a opptunity expedition to try and take out these hoothy things. 352 00:21:35.079 --> 00:21:38.000 But I don't know what the population is that's involved 353 00:21:38.000 --> 00:21:41.319 in Yemen, in the in the hoothy movement. But that 354 00:21:41.480 --> 00:21:43.400 would mean, you know, if we were to take the 355 00:21:43.440 --> 00:21:45.599 eighty second and the one oh one airborne and drop 356 00:21:45.640 --> 00:21:48.319 them in there and then have them fight, We're gonna 357 00:21:48.319 --> 00:21:51.440 have to sustain them. We're gonna have to provide the food, 358 00:21:51.519 --> 00:21:53.799 the AMMO, all the other stuff. And you know, we 359 00:21:53.839 --> 00:21:56.599 can do it because we're a great power. But it 360 00:21:56.759 --> 00:22:01.799 is a challenge to to mount that kind of attack. 361 00:22:01.880 --> 00:22:03.319 And you know, it's not one of those things where 362 00:22:03.319 --> 00:22:06.759 you're going to land the the Marine Corps landing force 363 00:22:07.279 --> 00:22:10.240 and the and the airborne guys and uh and get 364 00:22:10.279 --> 00:22:12.359 them in there and then sustain their operations. I just 365 00:22:12.480 --> 00:22:16.720 you know, we modern warfare is a lot more complicated 366 00:22:16.759 --> 00:22:20.440 than than when we drop the Marines off Tripoli and 367 00:22:20.519 --> 00:22:23.079 add them run to it in run around and help 368 00:22:23.440 --> 00:22:28.200 solve the the piracy crisis in the in that part 369 00:22:28.279 --> 00:22:31.599 of the Mediterranean. So you know, we can bomb them, 370 00:22:31.640 --> 00:22:34.319 we can we can shoot down their planes. But I 371 00:22:34.599 --> 00:22:37.200 go back to if you're going to really control the land, 372 00:22:37.440 --> 00:22:39.519 you have to put troops on the on the beach. 373 00:22:39.880 --> 00:22:41.559 If you're going to do that, then you really have 374 00:22:41.640 --> 00:22:44.480 to think of the consequences of putting them in that 375 00:22:44.640 --> 00:22:47.519 environment again, and and how long what's it going to 376 00:22:47.519 --> 00:22:49.680 take to support them, and what are the risks involved 377 00:22:49.680 --> 00:22:53.680 in that? So you know, somebody, somebody much higher up 378 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:55.680 in the world than I will ever be, and and 379 00:22:55.880 --> 00:22:58.519 who's thinking about this stuff, is really trying to figure 380 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:01.119 this out. And you know, and I think what I'm 381 00:23:01.160 --> 00:23:05.240 saying comports with what the former UH Task Force commander 382 00:23:05.279 --> 00:23:08.319 for that area talked about that you know that you 383 00:23:08.400 --> 00:23:10.039 can't just do it from the air, and we knew 384 00:23:10.039 --> 00:23:13.720 that from from Korea. You know that that you just 385 00:23:13.920 --> 00:23:16.680 can't go on this way and you can't, So what 386 00:23:16.720 --> 00:23:18.799 do you do? I mean my suggestion is that we 387 00:23:18.920 --> 00:23:21.519 just we if they want to, if they're content to 388 00:23:21.559 --> 00:23:24.240 do this, and people UH just get sick of it. 389 00:23:24.279 --> 00:23:25.880 The folks that's costing money. 390 00:23:26.319 --> 00:23:28.839 The Egyptians So by the way, I just noticed are 391 00:23:29.000 --> 00:23:32.880 canceling F sixteen or has been buying Chinese jets instead 392 00:23:32.920 --> 00:23:33.839 of US jets. 393 00:23:34.400 --> 00:23:34.640 Uh. 394 00:23:34.720 --> 00:23:37.119 You know, they're the people who who who are are 395 00:23:37.200 --> 00:23:40.359 suffering from this because they're they're losing revenue, they're losing 396 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:44.039 billions of dollars. And you know that's not one of 397 00:23:44.079 --> 00:23:48.359 the world's wealthiest countries anyway, but you know it, I 398 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:50.519 would think would it would be incumbent on some of 399 00:23:50.519 --> 00:23:54.039 the local nations to to partake in the activities and 400 00:23:54.240 --> 00:23:58.279 not just leave this to the US forces. And that's 401 00:23:58.319 --> 00:24:01.759