Decline of American technology

 Technical problems not confined to US space station:

'GAO examined 49 aircraft and found that only four met their annual mission capable goal in a majority of the years from fiscal years 2011 through 2021.

As shown below, 26 aircraft did not meet their annual mission capable goal in any fiscal year. The mission capable rate—the percentage of total time when the aircraft can fly and perform at least one mission—is used to assess the health and readiness of an aircraft fleet.'

'Think about the implications of this. The United States defense budget for FY 2022 is $715 billion. This is almost two and a half times the defense budgets of China and Russia combined.'

'For fiscal year 2021, GAO found that only two of the 49 aircraft examined met the service-established mission capable goal. More specifically, for fiscal year 2021, 30 aircraft were more than 10 percentage points below the mission capable goal in fiscal year 2021; and 17 aircraft were 10 percentage points or less below the mission capable goal in fiscal year 2021.

Many of the selected aircraft are facing one or more sustainment challenges, as shown below. According to program officials, these challenges have an effect on mission capable rates.'

The planes are deficient in the following areas:

Unexpected replacement of parts and repairs.
Delays in depot maintenance.
Shortage of trained maintenance personnel.
Unscheduled maintenance.
Diminishing manufacturing source.
Parts obsolescence.
Parts shortage and delay.

'Prior to the start of World War II, the United States had 790 active ships. By the end of the war, that number soared to 6084. Today’s fleet is half-the size of the U.S. fleet at the dawn of World War II. The U.S. Navy is now a carrier centered force, as I have discussed in previous posts. Its ability to project force has diminished over the last ten years as Russia and China have developed effective hypersonic missiles that can defeat the current air and missile defense systems in place ostensibly to protect the Carrier task forces from attack.

The critical difference between now and December 7, 1941 is the dramatic decline in the U.S. industrial base.

After Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States built and deployed 5,294 ships–e.g., aircraft carriers, battleships and destroyers–in three years.The United States was producing on average 147 ships a month.

Today, it takes 5 to 7 years to build and deploy an aircraft carrier. In the event of a war with Russia and/or China, the United States can no longer churn out the volume of naval craft it did in World War II. Just because the ships are loaded up with more advanced technology does not automatically translate into greater combat effectiveness and longevity.'

Link to article: https://sonar21.com/if-you-think-the-united-states-is-ready-for-a-conventional-war-with-russia-or-china-think-again/

Anonymous

Pak Jokowi at G20 - Well said

In his opening remarks, Jokowi said the world is still trying to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic amid increasing world rivalries and war.

“We all have responsibilities, not only for our people but for the people of our world.

“Being responsible means respecting international laws and principles of the United Nations Charter consistently,” he said.

Jokowi added that they must create win-win solutions and also end the war.

“If the war does not end, it will be difficult for the world to move forward. We should not divide the world into parts. We must not allow the world to fall into another Cold War.”  CNA 

Indonesian President Jokowi has stood out as an exceptional leader of Asean and the world. In his opening speech he clearly made himself clear that he is not a stooge of the Americans but an independent world leader. He talked about peace, about ending wars and rivalry, about being responsible and respecting international laws and principles of the United Nations Charter, not a word about American's mischievous rule of law. Not about the fake and fabricated threats used by the Americans to divide the world to go against one another. 

Yes, Jokowi talked about win win solutions and ending the wars. Every civilised nation would want to have peace and build a prosperous world for everyone, not harping about fake threats, inciting and instigating one country against another. With the Americans starting wars, gathering gangsters to go against countries they smeared and badmouthed, without them selling weapons to kill, the world would be a much safer and better place for everyone.

The rest of the world must pray and support Pak Jokowi to lead this G20 Meeting into a Meeting for Peace and Development, not to be hijacked by the Americans into a Meeting that produced nothing but war and hate rhetoric to divide nations against one another. The joint communique, if there is one, must be about peace, development and climate change. It must not be about the Ukraine War and about attacking Russia and China or any other nation state.

All the best, Pak Jokowi. It would be a medal of honour for Indonesia if the Meeting goes as desired by Pak Jokowi, more cooperation and collaboration for the common prosperity of the world.

European colonies of the American Empire pleading for more autonomy

 The European countries suddenly woke up and realised that they are but colonies of the American Empire. The Americans are not only telling them what to do, but cutting off their cheap oil and gas supplies from Russia and forcing them to buy from the Americans at 4 times the price of Russian oil and gas. How did Europe ended up as colonies of the American Empire without knowing it until it is too late/

The Americans wanted to fight a war with Russia but telling the European countries to contribute in the hundreds of millions in money, weapons and food to the war in Ukraine. During Trump's reign as POTUS, the European still could live by the make belief that they were independent and sovereign states and America should foot the bulk of the bill for their defence as it benefits the American Empire. Trump demanded that they should foot a bigger share for the defence of Europe but could hardly make a difference.

With the Ukraine War, Biden dictated to the European countries to contribute directly to the War. And the European could not refuse. The Empire dictates and European countries, the colonies of the Empire, just have to obey and pay up for the war. The Americans also forbid the European states from trading with Russia. The final straw was the blowing up of the gas pipeline to stop the European countries from getting cheap gas from Russia.

The Americans are now sitting on the European countries, deciding on the fate of their economies and their lives in this cold winter. The Americans are telling the European colonies who they can trade with and who they cannot trade with. The European states are now in a situation that they are worse off than an American state. They are American colonies, no longer independent sovereign states.

So they are now pleading for more autonomy to run their countries. Under American democracy, the European colonies do not have the freedom of choice to run their own countries and economies. Would pleading to the Americans for more freedom of choice work? Would the European colonies break free from the American Empire?

This is the fate of all American allies. The American Empire calls the shot. Poor Japan and South Korea have been living under this guise, thinking they are independent states but actually colonies of the American Empire.

The Americans are trying to expand NATO to East and South East Asia. Asean is slowly slipping into the embrace of the American Empire without having a clue how it is happening. Soon they would be just as free as the Japanese and South Koreans, and the Europeans, as colonies of the American Empire. India is also losing its independence by becoming gang members of the QUAD, to take orders from the Americans.

Stop being deceived by American myths. The threat comes from the Americans.

 

Actually the idea that Europe depends on the US for their security is a myth as good as Japan needing the US to protect its security or Asean needing the Americans to protect their security, from who. The only aggressive country that is conducting regime change and wars is the US.

Europe, Japan and Asean needs the US for their security should be read as 'to protect themselves from regime changed conducted by the Americans.' No one is going to attack Europe, Japan or Asean. The North Koreans are not going to attack the South Koreans. These are myths fabricated by the US to control these countries to the extent of conning them to have American bases in these countries.

Remember, Japan was an Empire, Germany and France were empires too. Germany and France are fully capable of defending against Russia. Maybe a bit outsized by the USSR. But there is no more USSR and Russia is just about the same size as Germany or France in population and wealth. China and North Korea have nothing to do about invading Asean. In fact China saved Asean from the then Vietnam that had already invaded Laos and Cambodia in the 1970s.

The Americans need all these aggressive myths and strawmen aggressors to frighten the countries they want to control and turn into their semi colonies. Period.

Anonymous 

China Can Now Convert All Its Commercial Ships Into Guided-Missile Destroyers

 

China's leading missile developer exhibited a container-type sea defense combat system at the ongoing Airshow China in Zhuhai, South China's Guangdong Province, with outstanding mobility and capability to disguise itself which could effectively improve the country's coastal defense capabilities.

Displayed at the exhibition hall was a missile launch system in the shape of a container with naval camouflage, which was developed by the China Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation (CASIC), the country's largest manufacturer of cruise missiles. The container is about 13 meters long, 2.3 meters wide and 2.5 meters high.

The missile launch system can integrate an operating station, a power station and missile launchers into the container. No matter what platform it is mounted on, the missile launch system does not need an external power source. Its own power supply can fully meet the operational needs.

"The launch system can connect with various independent detection and command units such as early warning aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and shore-based radars. It could receive target information from those external sources through encrypted data," a representative from the No.3 Research Institute under CASIC said.

Based on the information from the detection unit, the command unit could formulate a combat plan automatically. The command unit then sends the instructions to the launch system. The detection unit and command unit can also provide operational information support for the launch system. After making some adjustments, the operators then confirm the plan and send the order to each station as well as the firing parameters to each launch unit.

"The launch system does not require a lot of personnel. It only takes four people to complete the whole launch process," the representative said.

Anonymous