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> all the legitimate merchant vessel owners would rush to register in the US or China The US can't afford to field the navy necessary to back this ams hasn't b

> all the legitimate merchant vessel owners would rush to register in the US or China The US can't afford to field the navy necessary to back this ams hasn't been able to for many decades

JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
> US can't afford to field the navy necessary to back this ams hasn't been able to for many decades This is nonsense. The U.S. Navy de facto guarantees freedom of navigation today. Globally. If we switched to a national system, our Navy wouldn’t literally escort U.S.-flagged ships. Its military would just need to enforce the threat that you get bombed if you fuck with America. We’d save money switching to a big-stick model. (I think we’d be poorer for it in the long run. But if you’re playing chess and your opponent machete, you’re not going to find any winning moves on the board.)
- deleted 9mo ago
  [deleted]
- lostlogin 9mo ago
  > Its military would just need to enforce the threat that you get bombed if you fuck with America. Panting a Russian flag on the side of a crappy tanker is enough to get the US to back off. Russia can do what it likes with current US leadership. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/us/politics/russia-oil-tanker-venezuela.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/us/politics/russia-oil-ta...
  - JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
    > Panting a Russian flag on the side of a crappy tanker is enough to get the US to back off Has the White House rolled over?
    - lostlogin 9mo ago
      I can’t see any update that says they have engaged. So yes… I think.
      - JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
        > can’t see any update that says they have engaged. So yes… I think. I wouldn't be suprised if Trump chickens out. But this logic is terrible. The same pursuit that has been happening for days continues to happen. That the pattern has not changed in reaction to new stimulus isn't proof that the stimulus worked.
        lostlogin 9mo ago
        Just stumbled on the below link - Russia has directly asked the US to leave the ship alone. It’s going to be hard to duck this one. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/us/politics/russia-oil-tanker-venezuela-us-pursuit.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/us/politics/russia-oil-ta...
        JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
        > Russia has directly asked the US to leave the ship alone Yes. I am aware. Flags are being painted, registries updated and sternely-worded letters sent. The ship sails on. So do its pursuers. > It’s going to be hard to duck this one It really shouldn't be. Just board the ship. Putin makes noises about international law. A D.C. lawyer insists that no, the vessel was stateless when found. And assuming there isn't like fissile material or a senior IRGC liaison on board, everyone grumbles and moves on. Trump and Putin have a complicated relationship. But about the single thing that this will not depend on will be what maritime law says the U.S. should do. (And I think the legal arguments for seizure are on America's side on this one.)
        lostlogin 9mo ago
        Well, I got it wrong. The US has seized the ship. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/583459/us-seizes-venezuela-linked-russian-flagged-oil-tanker-after-weeks-long-pursuit https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/583459/us-seizes-venezuela-...
- MangoToupe 9mo ago
  > The U.S. Navy de facto guarantees freedom of navigation today. How is this working for the gulf of aden? Go to sleep grandpa, we can take it from here
  - JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
    > How is this working for the gulf of aden? You’re really claiming the U.S. military cannot stop the Houthi attacks? The administration’s position is this is Europe’s problem [1]. It’s literally part of America retreating from that historic guarantee. (That said, the simplest response would be to give the Saudis a weapons deal to secure the coasts. You have to blow up the ports, which will trigger a humanitarian disaster.) [1] https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/vance-anti-europe-obsession https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/vance-anti-europe-obsession
    - MangoToupe 9mo ago
      > You’re really claiming the U.S. military cannot stop the Houthi attacks? Yes, absolutely we cannot. Everytime we drive by we roll the dice with hundreds of lives. And stop reading western propaganda! It's bad for you. > That said, the simplest response would be to give the Saudis a weapons deal to secure the coasts. You have to blow up the ports, which will trigger a humanitarian disaster. The saudis have BEEN a humanitarian disaster for longer than either of us have been alive.
oooyay 9mo ago
I am formerly a Marine. This a rather silly notion and I think you should back your claim up with some evidence. Even with as much damage as Donald Trump has done to the US's military preparedness and hegemony around the globe no other fleet operates like the Marine Expeditionary Units. No other fleet can respond to any critical location in less than 24 hours. Add the Coast Guard for near-CONUS and partnered patrols and the US still maintains dominance both at home and abroad. Nations, like China, are catching up but largely because of two outsized factors: - The US for some time has not been able to produce ships at home, at scale, and at cost. This is more of a slow burn because the fleet has been kept up to date for the most part. Eventually, new ships need to be built at home. - Donald Trump has done damn near everything he can to install lackey's within the military, which reduces the military's top decision making acumen down to yes-men to a 79 year old geriatric patient. Russia's fleet, on the other hand, is an aging joke. It is where we will be if we continue electing fascists that install Martians like Hegseth.
- s5300 9mo ago
  [dead]

> all the legitimate merchant vessel owners would rush to register in the US or China The US can't afford to field the navy necessary to back this ams hasn't been able to for many decades

JumpCrisscross 9mo ago

> US can't afford to field the navy necessary to back this ams hasn't been able to for many decades This is nonsense. The U.S. Navy de facto guarantees freedom of navigation today. Globally. If we switched to a national system, our Navy wouldn’t literally escort U.S.-flagged ships. Its military would just need to enforce the threat that you get bombed if you fuck with America. We’d save money switching to a big-stick model. (I think we’d be poorer for it in the long run. But if you’re playing chess and your opponent machete, you’re not going to find any winning moves on the board.)

deleted 9mo ago
[deleted]
lostlogin 9mo ago
> Its military would just need to enforce the threat that you get bombed if you fuck with America. Panting a Russian flag on the side of a crappy tanker is enough to get the US to back off. Russia can do what it likes with current US leadership. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/us/politics/russia-oil-tanker-venezuela.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.nytimes.com/2025/12/31/us/politics/russia-oil-ta...
- JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
  > Panting a Russian flag on the side of a crappy tanker is enough to get the US to back off Has the White House rolled over?
  - lostlogin 9mo ago
    I can’t see any update that says they have engaged. So yes… I think.
    - JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
      > can’t see any update that says they have engaged. So yes… I think. I wouldn't be suprised if Trump chickens out. But this logic is terrible. The same pursuit that has been happening for days continues to happen. That the pattern has not changed in reaction to new stimulus isn't proof that the stimulus worked.
      - lostlogin 9mo ago
        Just stumbled on the below link - Russia has directly asked the US to leave the ship alone. It’s going to be hard to duck this one. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/us/politics/russia-oil-tanker-venezuela-us-pursuit.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/01/us/politics/russia-oil-ta...
        JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
        > Russia has directly asked the US to leave the ship alone Yes. I am aware. Flags are being painted, registries updated and sternely-worded letters sent. The ship sails on. So do its pursuers. > It’s going to be hard to duck this one It really shouldn't be. Just board the ship. Putin makes noises about international law. A D.C. lawyer insists that no, the vessel was stateless when found. And assuming there isn't like fissile material or a senior IRGC liaison on board, everyone grumbles and moves on. Trump and Putin have a complicated relationship. But about the single thing that this will not depend on will be what maritime law says the U.S. should do. (And I think the legal arguments for seizure are on America's side on this one.)
        lostlogin 9mo ago
        Well, I got it wrong. The US has seized the ship. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/583459/us-seizes-venezuela-linked-russian-flagged-oil-tanker-after-weeks-long-pursuit https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/world/583459/us-seizes-venezuela-...
MangoToupe 9mo ago
> The U.S. Navy de facto guarantees freedom of navigation today. How is this working for the gulf of aden? Go to sleep grandpa, we can take it from here
- JumpCrisscross 9mo ago
  > How is this working for the gulf of aden? You’re really claiming the U.S. military cannot stop the Houthi attacks? The administration’s position is this is Europe’s problem [1]. It’s literally part of America retreating from that historic guarantee. (That said, the simplest response would be to give the Saudis a weapons deal to secure the coasts. You have to blow up the ports, which will trigger a humanitarian disaster.) [1] https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/vance-anti-europe-obsession https://www.axios.com/2025/03/26/vance-anti-europe-obsession
  - MangoToupe 9mo ago
    > You’re really claiming the U.S. military cannot stop the Houthi attacks? Yes, absolutely we cannot. Everytime we drive by we roll the dice with hundreds of lives. And stop reading western propaganda! It's bad for you. > That said, the simplest response would be to give the Saudis a weapons deal to secure the coasts. You have to blow up the ports, which will trigger a humanitarian disaster. The saudis have BEEN a humanitarian disaster for longer than either of us have been alive.

oooyay 9mo ago

I am formerly a Marine. This a rather silly notion and I think you should back your claim up with some evidence. Even with as much damage as Donald Trump has done to the US's military preparedness and hegemony around the globe no other fleet operates like the Marine Expeditionary Units. No other fleet can respond to any critical location in less than 24 hours. Add the Coast Guard for near-CONUS and partnered patrols and the US still maintains dominance both at home and abroad. Nations, like China, are catching up but largely because of two outsized factors: - The US for some time has not been able to produce ships at home, at scale, and at cost. This is more of a slow burn because the fleet has been kept up to date for the most part. Eventually, new ships need to be built at home. - Donald Trump has done damn near everything he can to install lackey's within the military, which reduces the military's top decision making acumen down to yes-men to a 79 year old geriatric patient. Russia's fleet, on the other hand, is an aging joke. It is where we will be if we continue electing fascists that install Martians like Hegseth.

s5300 9mo ago
[dead]