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Old 31st March 2026 | 11:43
  #4561 (permalink)  
 
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From: London
Last tanker of jet fuel for the UK arrives Thursday. Good luck everyone.

Does anybody else find it ironic that by allowing the USA to attack Iran from our land and bases, we are complicit in our own impoverishment?

Trump is not grateful for the support either.

https://news.sky.com/story/iran-war-...#liveblog-body




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Old 31st March 2026 | 12:36
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by ORAC
That tweet
Dear President Trump:
As an experienced real estate man you understand the importance of location.

A goodly number of our NATO allies host bases (joint use, or US bases) in their countries which enables our military to carry out a variety of missions all over the world.
That's a part of the benefit of being in NATO: geographical access.

Every time one of our wounded soldiers was flown to Landstuhl, our ally hosting the base where our hospital is contributes to a part of NATO 'being there'

Spoiler
 





Every time one of our aircraft takes off, refuels, has maintenance done, rearms, or lands in an airbase in one of our NATO allies' countries, a small return on our larger investment is realized.
Yes, when France closes their airspace, or Spain does not support ops from bases in their territory, it's going to be frustrating.

But to declare that NATO has not been there for us is both untrue and unfair.
Being in NATO has never been about "I say jump, you ask how high" - it's been about building consensus and then embarking on a course of action together.
If one doesn't do the first part, it's not right to complain about others not directly participating (in this case in Iran) in the second part.

The nations of the Persian Gulf are trying to convince you to put American boots on the ground in Iran, for their benefit: security.
Israel is encouraging you to conduct military operations in and around Iran for their benefit: security.

None of the NATO nations are encouraging you to do that.
Who are our actual friends?

Last edited by Lonewolf_50; 1st April 2026 at 01:05. Reason: fixed some grammar errors
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Old 31st March 2026 | 12:46
  #4563 (permalink)  
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by DogTailRed2
Lets not forget NATO is a defensive alliance.
It was until 1995.
It then embarked on out of area operations, so it isn't solely a defensive alliance.
We've been over this before. Retire that inaccurate sound byte, if you please.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 12:47
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From: Over the rainbow
Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50
It was until 1995.
It then embarked on out of area operations, so it isn't solely a defensive alliance.
We've been over this before. Retire that inaccurate sound byte, if you please.
Please provide an example of NATO acting aggressively and not in defence and I'll retract my `sound byte` as you put it.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 12:52
  #4565 (permalink)  
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From: Mauritius,soon or latter
Originally Posted by DogTailRed2
Please provide an example of NATO acting aggressively and not in defence and I'll retract my `sound byte` as you put it.
Should I?
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Old 31st March 2026 | 13:00
  #4566 (permalink)  
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by DogTailRed2
Please provide an example of NATO acting aggressively and not in defence and I'll retract my `sound byte` as you put it.
Operation Allied Force, 1999.
There, answered, so please hold up your end of the deal.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 14:05
  #4567 (permalink)  
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Tomahawk cruise missile carrier.
Video
US Navy Ohio-class SSGN conducts personnel transfer in the Bay of Gibraltar escorted by HMS Cutlass.
​​​​​​​it has the Special Forces unit on her casing and a personnel transfer, interesting
https://web.archive.org/web/20120108...0&tid=300&ct=4

"...Each submarine has the capacity to host up to 66 SOF personnel at a time. Additional berthing was installed in the missile compartment to accommodate the added personnel and other measures have been taken to extend the amount of time that the SOF forces can spend deployed aboard the SSGNs. The two forward most missile tubes were permanently converted to lock-out chambers that allow clandestine insertion and retrieval of SOF personnel. Each lock-out chamber can also accommodate a Dry Deck Shelter (DDS), enhancing the SSGNs' SOF capabilities."


​​​​​​​

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Old 31st March 2026 | 14:53
  #4568 (permalink)  
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And undoubtedly a repeat customer as it has reportedly performed flawlessly.

Another competitor for Patriot and, currently, far shorter delivery times as the US will have to rebuild it's own stocks and existing customers.
​​​​​​​The UAE has received its third M-SAM-II air defense battery from South Korea, further strengthening its layered missile defense capabilities.

The system is designed to intercept ballistic and aerial threats, marking a deepening defense partnership between Abu Dhabi and Seoul.





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Old 31st March 2026 | 15:10
  #4569 (permalink)  
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From: Texas
Originally Posted by ORAC
And undoubtedly a repeat customer as it has reportedly performed flawlessly.
Another competitor for Patriot and, currently, far shorter delivery times as the US will have to rebuild it's own stocks and existing customers.
It's not just the missile (I know that you are aware of that), it's the system which includes radar, C2 functions, and the Early Warning bit in the case of ballistic missiles.
Glad to hear these are working.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 15:36
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Glad to hear these are working.
​​​​​​​Reportedly so:

​​​​​​​Breaking news. The UAE's Korean-made M-SAM-II fired around 60 interceptors and shot down over 94% of Iranian targets......
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Old 31st March 2026 | 16:06
  #4571 (permalink)  
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If you want cheering up in these grim times take a peak at Fox News's Youtube feed. Absolutely insane! Its no wonder most Republicans support the war if they're watching this guff.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 16:22
  #4572 (permalink)  
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From: 3rd Rock, #29B
What passes for victory when the White House starts a show seems to have crossed over into the surreal.

Once upon a time, the Straits were open, and Iran was actually talking to the world with some resentment about curtailing their nuclear weapons ambitions. Once the USA had allies. Then, we get to today, where victory has been declared multiple times by the Guy in the White House, "the war was won on the first day"; "the war is not a war, I can't use the word war because that would upset the congress...."; "the excursion was won on the first day..."; "we destroyed all of their airforce..."; "we destroyed their whole navy..."; "we don't really care that shipping is being stopped in the straits..."; "If you dont open up the straits, we will we will invade..."; "we don't care if the straits are blocked, thats everyone else's problems, not ours...".

Heres the thing, control of the Straits of Hormuz arises from the actions that Israel and the US elected to unilaterally undertake. Forget about capping the "dead of state" sequentially, which while there were not on my xmas card list, is still a rather problematic manner of conducting international diplomacy, forget about unilaterally taking action that affected allied nations, and then suggesting that when there is pushback that it doesn't matter about the cheat-up on aisle 13 that is left behind....

Presumably the is the same technique that the incumbent used to bankrupt almost every company he ever owned, including the remarkable feat of bankrupting a casino! Presumably it is the same technique that has been applied to head the USA towards recession once again, with the spectre of stagflation. The winner in this is not currently the majority of US citizens, those that have had the opportunity to manipulate the market certainly have been winning, but then, that seems to be like water off the ducks back, apparently "draining the swamp" has various interpretations. So, very specific individuals in the US are indeed benefitting from the efforts of Kapt'n Kaos and his band of planners. However, Iran is one of the winners here, and should thank the WH for their assistance, they gain complete control of the gulf states, and with the expected next step being the closure of theBab-el-Mandeb and the odd occasional swipe at traffic in the Suez Canal, to assist the concentration of the minds of Saudi Arabia, the figures on the amount of global energy controlled by Teheran will need a bit of an adjustment. Iran and Vlad have been besties for some time, and given the assistance that Vlad has curiously received from his man in the WH, that places Vlad in an extraordinary position, as a consequence of the actions of the WH.

Wondering where the rights to gaudy golden edifices for hotels have been drawn up for.

Walking away with a gratuitous "mission accomplished" when the WH has effectively damaged Saudi, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, UAE and even Oman seems to be impolite, but not without precedent.

I do not wish to see boots on the ground, and lord knows those boots will never be Bibi's, or Donnie's, they would be some poor troops that drank the Kool-aid, but it ain't over just because y'all are approaching a tee off time, nope, what remains is the clean-up on aisle 13, and golly, you need a big pail and mop for that.

Walking away now with reality being replaced by rhetoric brings forward the fate of Taiwan, which should be really worthy of popcorn. China has effectively a near repeat of the strategic conditions that existed with resources at the time that the Japanese considered that there was merit in a visit to Hawaii without the need to clear customs and immigration. The closure of the SoH starts the clock on that, and perhaps that is of zero importance now to the USA, or at least to the WH, who are probably preoccupied with the advance planning for November 3. China has the same existential condition that Japan had, which set off a resource grab to the South including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia and more of Vietnam etc, the whole greater co-prosperity sphere thingy. That clock is ticking, thanks.

So, when your dear leader is talking about 20% of global energy, he might need to be corrected, as it isn't; It includes Russia, all of the Middle East, most of SEA at the very least, and that makes about 7.7 Billion individuals out of 8.0 that are going to be displeased. Vlad's xmas came early, giving him a say in the Middle East is the gift that keeps on giving.

Unfortunately, Amazon is not running any sales on popcorn at present, and as the SoH will affect the farmers of the USA, then that is a bit of a shame.

Congratulations on the regime change, the winning and the whining; I hope the fallout will be worth it. The new Ayatollah that is in place as a consequence of his dad, mother, wife, children being turned to pink frothy mush with a hint of meat shouldn't hold any grudges against the USA, surely! TSA, ICE etc can sleep well knowing that their CIC has acted to mitigate the risks to the citizens of the USA as surely that is one of the core imperatives of a leader of a nation, unless it is for grift and self enrichment and self gratification. Nothing new here, Hans Christian Anderson wrote about this almost 200 years ago... The Emperor's New Clothes.

Not even a cuddle after the unprotected sex that the WH has perpetrated on the world. Disappointed.

Moving E3s back into theatre while TACO's mate Vlad is passing on targeting information seems to be ill advised. If I was a crew of any of those aircraft I would be writing a sternly worded letter to my CIC.
Driving A10s back from the bone yard suggests that there is still some common sense remaining in command levels, replacing the F-22 on site with the A10 says a lot, as the replacement for the F-35 is also, an A10. Pretty sure that Qatar might ask for their B748 back, they are being stabbed in the eye by the actions of the one they were "negotiating" with. MBS and Saudi may just feel the same way, they can use their 2.0B under management by the WH's incumbents Son in Law to better purpose given they are being handed over to Iranian hegemony.

It's still March, Xmas seems to be coming early this year for some.

For the record, I have offered capability enhancement to the US DOD, I am not against the USA, I think that invasion of Iran is a terrible idea, however, every other option that exists is far worse. This is the Benni & Taco show, they thought this was a good idea, and I am curious as to what they envisage "winning" to look like. A closed SoH with the whole of the Middle East under the control of Vlad and the rather irritated Ayatollah would seem to not be a brilliant option.

"Go get your own oil" is not a polite exit strategy.


Last edited by fdr; 31st March 2026 at 17:02.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 16:25
  #4573 (permalink)  
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From: Glorious Devon
Originally Posted by ORAC
China bound oil tanker attacked.....







Does that look like an exit hole to you?
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Old 31st March 2026 | 17:14
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From: Washington.
Originally Posted by ORAC
The U.S. Air Force is deploying another E-3G Sentry AWACS to Prince Sultan Air Base, Saudi Arabia, as a replacement for 81-0005, which was destroyed by a ballistic missile strike by the IRGC Aerospace Force on March 27.

The replacement aircraft is expected to arrive at Prince Sultan Air Base on Friday.

Figures. Maybe they are trying to get rid of E-3s
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Old 31st March 2026 | 17:36
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Iran’s IRGC warns it will target U.S. companies in the region, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Intel, IBM, Tesla, and Boeing, in retaliation for attacks on Iran, starting 8 p.m. Tehran time on April 1st.
​​​​​​​IRGC:

"For every elimination, a US company will be destroyed. Since the most central entity in planning and locating elimination targets is American ICT and AI companies, in response to this terrorist act, from now on, the central institutions influencing terrorist actions will be legitimate targets from our perspective."
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Old 31st March 2026 | 17:41
  #4576 (permalink)  
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From: Over the rainbow
Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50
Operation Allied Force, 1999.
There, answered, so please hold up your end of the deal.
Fair play although in the case of genocide perhaps it's justifiable. I'll remove my post however I still see NATO as primarily defensive.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 17:53
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From: Austria
According to the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO is indeed intended as a defensive organisation. It got involved in Kosovo, that is true, but that decision was made back then under the impression of the recently finished Yugoslavian civil war that came with various genocidal crimes. Srebrenica might ring a bell.

A repeat of this was feared and deemed intolerable, so the NATO countries indeed exceeded the scope of their organisation for a cause they agreed upon as worthy.

The other part of the deleted post saying that NATO was not there to cater for every whim of the US president has noticeably gone unchallenged, so I trust it to be general consensus on here.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 18:13
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From: UK
So DJT is even more unhappy that (former) allies of the USA, especially the UK, haven’t joined-in with his SMO. Donald - you broke it, you bought it. When I last looked Mr Hegseth, UK had invested heavily in the defence of those countries directly affected. 1000 or so personnel, air defence systems, ships and aircraft and, no doubt, other assets which will not be discussed here. We, also, will remember.

Last edited by Canary Boy; 31st March 2026 at 18:26.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 18:21
  #4579 (permalink)  
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From: Europe
Originally Posted by DogTailRed2
Fair play although in the case of genocide perhaps it's justifiable. I'll remove my post however I still see NATO as primarily defensive.
Don't be so quick to give in, this 1999 NATO operation was essentially defensive, humanitarian, and within the originally conceived NATO operating area. The destabilising effects of the Serbian etc actions very much gave it a defensive character. Ditto for all the follow-on missions to this date.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_b..._of_Yugoslavia

Having said that, this 1999 history ought not to be a cornerstone of the technical 'kinetic' aspects of Iran-USA/Israel in 2026 which is where this 'thread' has it's centre of gravity.
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Old 31st March 2026 | 19:02
  #4580 (permalink)  
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From: Peripatetic
……………..
​​​​​​​The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) has departed Norfolk for the Middle East.

The Bush will likely replace the damaged Ford in the eastern Mediterranean.
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