And with the USS Bush, we now have three

"When it has all been said and done, what will we have accomplished? Two things, really. First, we would have helped liberate Iran so that the vile threats from this country will be over. Peace should again come to the shire. Second, we have shown the world what a top-notch military looks like. I was going to say a precision military, but we are even better than that. We should all be proud. The good guys are about ready to win once again."   

Did you hear the news? The USS George H. W. Bush have left the comfy confines of Norfolk and is headed towards the Med to join the fray. Wait - why? Don't we already have two aircraft carriers over in theater? The USS Gerald R. Ford and the USS Abraham Lincoln are already on station, dishing out all kinds of pain and suffering to the Iranian Regime. When the Bush arrives, all full of rested pilots and lots of ammo, we will really be able to really open a can of "Whoop Ass" on the bad guys.

I give up. Don't we already have the best of the best off the coast of Iran right now. Sure do. But with a third carrier, we can offer attacks coming in from three different directions and keep an eye on the Houthis at the same time. What we are seeing here is the polar opposite of war of attrition. It is part of the Trump Doctrine. Hit them hard and then hit time harder again. Get this war over as quickly as possible with all the desired results obtained.

As soon as Iran suggested they might try and mine the Strait of Hormuz to really gum things up, off the carriers go our mighty fighter jets to hunt down and destroy any Iranian ship capable of laying mines. And just like that, about twenty more Iranian ships are hugging the bottom of the ocean. There might be some smaller boats still hanging around which are used for laying mines, but when we see them, they will be dust.

Now to get into the rumor mill for a bit. Israel is broadcasting into Iran to get ready to rise up, as the time for your freedom has come. That part is true. Here is the conjecture - the Mossad has been busy behind the lines, getting more of the lower levels of the regime eliminated. Between the US bombing the heck out of everything and Israel working the inside, this rumor might be true. As soon as the good people in Iran throw off the yoke of this treacherous theocracy, our heavy lifting will be over.

When it has all been said and done, what will we have accomplished? Two things, really. First, we would have helped liberate Iran so that the vile threats from this country will be over. Peace should again come to the shire. Second, we have shown the world what a top-notch military looks like. I was going to say a precision military, but we are even better than that. We should all be proud. The good guys are about ready to win once again.   

And what if, we have Iranian sleeper cells in our homeland?

"What happens next? Hopefully, nothing. But we need to be 'Alert times four' at all times. Watching each other's sixes. What if there are sleeper cells in sanctuary cities where ICE is not welcomed? How can we root that evil out of our country? That is a great question to a vexing issue. All we can do is hope and pray this sleeper cell alert is a false alarm. But remember - hope is not a plan. If the bad guys come knocking, we need to be ready for them."  

Scary thought, right? The fact we may have sleeper cells in our homeland. Trained and ready once they receive the "go" signal from their homeland. What is even more frightening, is that during four years under Joe Biden, we put out the welcome mat to anyone and everyone who wanted to come into America - unvetted. Is it possible that sleeper cells from a place like Iran (who hates us) could have crossed our border during those four years. Not possible - probable.

One of the things l learned when I had a high-level clearance in the Navy, was a simple truth. What is being reported in the public sector, and what is really happening are often very different. But for everybody's protection, it needs to be that way. I did hear on the news yesterday that our intel services had intercepted a coded message which looked like it could have been a signal to a Iranian sleeper cell. Why report that rather than keep it under wraps? To prepare the American people. This far away war could be coming home to roost. The target(s)? Soft targets - the softer the better.

What are the Senate Democrats doing to help in this heightened threat environment? Nada. Zip. They are holding the DHS funding hostage, so the Coast Guard, TSA, and the Selective Service are going without pay. Wait - are we not at war right now? Is this not an "all hand on deck" event? Why would Schumer and the Senate Democrats do something so foolish? Ask them, as most normal folks don't have a clue on why they did it now.

Here is my biggest fear about sleeper cells. Since they were able to come into our country unvetted before Trump was sworn in (for the second time), is it possible they could have brought some WMD materials with them? Automatic weapons? RPGs? Chemical agents? Bio agents? The list could go on and on. Even though our government is now in a state of enhanced readiness and alert, there are not enough good guys to thwart just a few bad guys who want to do vulnerable Americans harm.

What happens next? Hopefully, nothing. But we need to be "Alert times four" at all times. Watching each other's sixes. What if there are sleeper cells in sanctuary cities where ICE is not welcomed? How can we root that evil out of our country? That is a great question to a vexing issue. All we can do is hope and pray this sleeper cell alert is a false alarm. But remember - hope is not a plan. If the bad guys come knocking, we need to be ready for them.  

The "Save America Act" - better than 80 -20

"Rather than just comply and vote to pass this thing, the Democrats have decided this would be a nice hill to die on. Trump has had it with this bunch of bedwetters. He has made it known that no other bill will be signed until the Save America Act is passed, and on his desk, waiting to be signed." 

By now, most have heard of the Save America Act. It should be passed and signed into law ASAP. Why? It is something whose time has come. In fact, whose time has come a long, long while ago. In any event, time to get it done. How do I know it is something the people want? The polling has been very constant. High majority of whites, almost as high majority of blacks, high majority of Hispanics, almost 100% of Republicans, and (here is the shocker) - a majority of Democrats. There is only one group in America who is against this much needed legislation - elected Democrats. Huh?

The Save America Act is necessary to ensure that only an American citizen can vote. Sounds noble - who in the world could be against this very important bill? Brace yourselves - only those who like to cheat. I know this is a shocker, but there are people in this country who are dishonest. Who commit fraud in Minnesota. Who cheat. Who lie. Who vote when they are not entitled to. Will the Save America Act take care all ballot box cheaters? Nope - but it will cut them down to size.

The paid for Democrats in the Senate respond by saying, "This will disenfranchise women, minorities, and whomever else is too dense to have a valid ID these days!" Boy, what an insult! I would be hopping mad if I were in one of those categories. Here are some facts of life: First - Since you need an ID to do just about anything these days, it would be hard not to have one. Next - Since it is March, and if it gets passed into law this month, that leaves over 1/2 year to get an ID. If voting is important to anyone, there is the runway.

Rather than just comply and vote to pass this thing, the Democrats have decided this would be a nice hill to die on. Trump has had it with this bunch of bedwetters. He has made it known that no other bill will be signed until the Save America Act is passed, and on his desk, waiting to be signed. If the paid for Democrats decide to play footsie with this issue like they did the DHS funding, they might as well just go home. Mission accomplished. The Coast Guard, TSA, and other elements of the DHS continue to work without pay, and soon they might just stop coming in all together. Not a smart thing to do in a time of war - but nobody ever accused this group of being smart.

We have come a long way since how we as a nation acted during World War II. Everybody pitched in. Everybody was committed to win. Today, many on the left are only committed to one thing - how to hate the Orange Man more and more every day. For Senate Democrats, even it is means ruining the country. FDR would be spinning in his grave if he could see show today's Democrats act in a time of war.

The cost of defeat; the cost of victory

"It is a shame it had to come to this. Trump gave Iran many outs and many off-ramps. But the Mullahs thought they were immune to western power. They found out the hard way they were not."

There is an old saying that it is easier to start a war than to end a war. Why? War is messy. It is icky. Many bad things happen in war which are hard to forget. Many times, much lasting pain. That being said, Donald Trump has promised no more forever wars. He wanted to do some modern-day shock and awe with Iran and then have some veto power (or approval power) in what Iran's new government would look like. But right now, with a bit over a week of war under our belts, the messiness of this war is starting to reveal itself.

So far, we have taken out almost 50 of Iran's leadership. Hundreds of missiles and launchers. Thousands of drones. So then, what constitutes victory? Where we can leave with our heads held high. Where our blood and treasure were worth the sacrifice. First and foremost, the old regime needs to be gone - gone for good. A new government, which will be fair to its people and good to its neighbors needs to be installed. But almost as important as that one, the 440 kilograms of enriched uranium needs to be accounted for. Why? According to Iran before the war started, that is enough uranium to build eleven nuclear bombs. It is critical that this uranium come under our control. So, it can never be used or sold on the black market.

Once this war is over - and it will someday be over, picking up the pieces will start. Iran will be a mess. Many buildings will lie in ruin. The oil refineries will need to be rebuilt. And the shock to oil futures, will take a while to calm down. Until that happens, until this war if officially done (with victory by the US and Israel secured), the messiness will continue. The Strait of Hormuz will continue to be a challenge for free and open transit. Rogue missile or drone launches will continue. Gas prices will remain at Joe Biden levels, and some commodity shortages might develop. The easy part of the war is coming to a close - the hard part is just starting.

What do I mean by the hard part? Twice now, POTUS has intimated that we might need to send in ground troops. Door kickers. Troops which can not only root out hidden IRGC members but also find the 440 kilos of enriched uranium. Can the Kurds help? Maybe. Can other friendly nations help? I sure hope so. Remember however, Iran is twice the size of Texas. Lots and lots of territory to cover. 

It is a shame it had to come to this. Trump gave Iran many outs and many off-ramps. But the Mullahs thought they were immune to western power. They found out the hard way they were not.

Meanwhile, as we continue to try and fix Iran, Rubio is down in Cuba laying the groundwork on how we can fix that failed country. Bored yet with Trump? Hard to be, as he might be the most consequential president in US history.  

Time for "Defense extreme (DX)" on everything!

"Right now, we need a better solution for the thousands of drones which are being produced every year. We need a good solution for the new hypersonic missiles. To ensure the safety of the fleet as well as the homeland, we need to think in the future and not in the present."    

I spent about 25 years of my civilian working life as a government contractor. It was a good life - I learned a lot, traveled a lot, and negotiated a lot. One of the things I learned while working with the US Government was this - every order had a DOD priority on it. It was called the DPAS System which stood for Defense Priority and Allocation System. Most orders I had were normal in their DPAS ratings. Once in a while however, I received a DX rated order. The "DX" stood for Defense Extreme, and it always went to the top of the pile.

Yesterday, the president had about half dozen or so of our largest defense contractors at the White House for an "SOS" meeting. It is no secret that between supplying Ukraine (mostly under Biden) with weapons and ammo, and now with the war on Iran, our ammo and missile inventory is getting a bit sparce. Even though we keep saying that we are good, I really wonder how good we are. With the meeting yesterday, I think we might not be that good at all.

Trump asked the CEOs who were present at the White House yesterday to really jump start their production rate. Like double it? That is a huge favor to ask! Nope - he wants everybody present yesterday to sign up to ramp up to a fourfold increase in production. The president said he would eliminate as many of the middlemen as possible as well as get rid of needless regulations. When the meeting was over, all left with the agreement it shall be done.

The one item I am the most concerned about is our Standard Missile (SM) 3. This is the bad boy which is fired from a VLS (Vertical Launch System) to take out high flying ballistic missiles. We have wasted many of these million dollars plus missiles on cheap drones. These missiles (I worked at BAE when the SM 3 was being developed) are very effective. But - they are also very expensive and are now becoming a bit scarce. 

For those who work for a defense contractor, the days ahead might be filled with "pedal to the metal" type of work. But it is important work. Right now, we need a better solution for the thousands of drones which are being produced every year. We need a good solution for the new hypersonic missiles. To ensure the safety of the fleet as well as the homeland, we need to think in the future and not in the present.    

For a stronger NATO, Starmer and Carney must go!

"Both Carney and Starmer need to wake up and smell the coffee. They are both lost living in the same bubble, creating sound and fury, and signifying nothing. Besides supporting Donald Trump, they could learn a thing or two. As Trump reshapes the world, it would be smart to be a part of that process, rather than on the outside looking in."

Okay - let me get this on the table. Love him or not, Donald Trump is the leader of the free world. Period. He is the leader both by his position (POTUS), and more importantly, the way he acts. The things he does. But here are the facts of life. During the four years before Trump's second term, NATO became lazy and ineffective. While the US spent many billions to bolster the Ukraine Army, the rest of NATO (for the most part) - did very little. China went hog wild, and Iran was racing to get enough uranium to build that first nuclear bomb. Some might say we got Trump back in the White House in a nick of time. I am one of those people.

But Canada, oh, Canada - what in the world were you thinking when you elected Mark Carney? Wasn't it enough you had years of Trudeau? In one short year, Carney is turning into an American hater as well as a shill for Xi of China. We need Canada right now to be a strong northern neighbor, not a bedwetter. No wonder Alberta (and maybe some others) want to leave this socialist hell and become part of the US.

As weak and feckless as Carny is, that is nothing compared to the man who is afraid of his own shadow in the UK. Yes, that would be Keir Starmer. First a word of clarity from my perspective - I love the UK. Love the people. Been there a half dozen times on business. The UK deserves better than Starmer. Why? He is allowing the Muslim immigrants to take over his country. To change the culture. But Starmer, who is an atheist, does not seem to care. He does not see the danger Maybe his tepid response to the current war in Iraq is formed by that fear of his Muslim population.

Mark Carney should be run out of Canada on a railroad. Like the UK, I love, love Canada. Beautiful country, great people. I have negotiated with the Canadian government twice - both times were enjoyable. But my trust in Mark Carney cannot even be measured in inches. Trump has no time for him. NATO should also have no time for him. In these days when the Arctic is seen as a prize by both China and Russia, Carney is allowing himself (and his country) to be played. Rather than being our best friends right now, Carney, as well as Starmer, are like zits on our bottoms instead of allies.

Both Carney and Starmer need to wake up and smell the coffee. They are both lost living in the same bubble, creating sound and fury, and signifying nothing. Besides supporting Donald Trump, they could learn a thing or two. As Trump reshapes the world, it would be smart to be a part of that process, rather than on the outside looking in.

The only fair question to ask - "What happens next?"

"I suspect that our SOS Rubio and his team are working this issue. My thought? This might be a good agenda item (maybe the only item) for the next Board of Peace get together. The Arab nations should be particularly interested in what happens next in Iran. It is after all - in their neighborhood." 

I don't want to sound like a "homer" when I say this, but I will say it anyway. The United States and Israel together, are beating the living snot out of the leadership and goon squad in Iran. How bad is it? Just short of a massacre. But let me be clear on one thing - this team of the US and Israel, make up probably the finest combo of warfare expertise in the world at this point in time. As good as things are going right now (and they are going very well), one question begs to be asked - what happens next? After the war is over?

Before I address this question, one more thing about how well the US and Israel are executing this operation in Iran. We lost three F-15E jets over Kuwait from friendly fire. Not over Iran from hostile fire nor friendly fire from Israel - it was friendly fire from Kuwait forces. And the six-service people who were killed - that was from hostile fire. Not in Iran, but on one of our Army bases in the area. Killed by a missile or a drone. 

Back to the question at hand. Why is this so important to answer correctly? Many of us still have a hangover from the liberation of Iraq. The war to oust Saddam Hussian went very well - not as well as this war with Iran, but still very well. But then came the aftermath - nation building. Helping the good citizens of Iraq elect and develop a democracy. And it went horribly wrong. Many brave service people died in the aftermath. It burned a memory into many brains that nation building is not one of our fortes. And we should never try it again.

The one question which is being asked by both sides of the aisle is this - (using young folk jargon) - what is the plan, man? This is not a partisan question. It is a fair question. The millions of innocent Iranians who have lived under this brutal theocracy for almost 50 years might need some care and feeding in how to live as a free people. What does that mean? It means that Iran might need a tinge of (dare I say it?) - nation building. But who will do it? There is no stomach by anyone for the US to do it. But if the care and feeding of this newly freed nation is not done, will it become wild and untamed instead of normal and civilized? If so, how, who, where and when?

I suspect that our SOS Rubio and his team are working this issue. My thought? This might be a good agenda item (maybe the only item) for the next Board of Peace get together. The Arab nations should be particularly interested in what happens next in Iran. It is after all - in their neighborhood.

PS - The pic I used is the Iranian Corvette class ship which was torpedoed and sunk by a US submarine. First time since WWII that we have sunk a ship from another country using a torpedo.