As Predicted
By Mitch Berg
When President Potato promised, during his State of The Union address, to build a supply pier so the US could, er, “feed starving people in Gaza”, I’m sure my prediction at the time could have been seen as partisan and cynical. I’ve got the receipts right here.
I could have just as easily worded it like this:
We – and if we like it or not it is Uncle Sam and his taxpayers – inherited stewardship of the global system that cannot prosper when it’s primary force continues to demonstrate abject incompetence – from Afghanistan to Gaza – all the while holding no one accountable. Our enemies are encouraged and our friends disheartened. It is almost as if the humiliation and failure is the actual goal.
Provide another explanation if you have one.
We have three branches of government for a reason. Each branch is supposed to check the other.
Congress – this is in your corner. It appears the Executive Branch is incapable of policing its own competence. Do work.
…but they beat me to it, and brought the authority to support it.
The pier fell apart. Bits and pieces spent last weekend driving along the Eastern Med coastline.
That, of course, was the least of the problems – not just the easily-anticipated results:
From the time the first load came off the pier, the aid barely made it past 300 meters until it disappeared into Hamasistan.
But the overall concept:
An interesting note; this is not a Navy operation, but an Army operation. Remember what I told you about the fate of the East Coast Amphibious Construction Battalion TWO (ACB2) last summer? This story aligns well with the Anglosphere’s problem with seablindness we discussed on yesterday’s Midrats with James Smith.
As for my general thought on doing this? I’ll avoid the politics as much as I can, but I have concerns.
Generally speaking, no operation starts out on the right foot with a lie.
Read the whole thing.
It may feel like deja vu.
May 29th, 2024 at 2:38 pm
The Corps of Engineers has done these things back to World War Two, so that’s not the issue, but rather that for some strange reason, they took a dock designed for calm water–no more than 3′ waves–and put it in an area with an approaching storm and routine waves taller than 3′. It’s something that any new 2nd Lieutenant out of West Point ought to have been able to look up and figure out in his free time.
The question, then, is why didn’t anyone do this, or if he did, why didn’t he get heard? There are places where the groupthink gets so strong, one must question the culture, because in more serious circumstances, it’ll get people killed.
May 29th, 2024 at 7:35 pm
It’s all about optics and feeeeelings… and buying votes of course. This is not incompetence; it is unadulterated malice.
May 30th, 2024 at 2:32 am
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May 30th, 2024 at 8:15 am
So $300+ million taxpayers dollars are floating aimlessly around the Mediterranean?
Won’t the Russians steal it?
Way to build back better.
May 30th, 2024 at 8:25 am
gosh this is so reminiscent of Jimmy Carter’s failed attempt to rescue the embassy hostages…
it clearly illustrates, now as then, the collapse of our military into ineffective expert worship
it took Reagan to restore military competence.
May 30th, 2024 at 10:59 am
The Army does not have a Manufacturing Brigade. Those floating dock parts were purchased with taxpayer funds paid on a contract awarded after a bid process.
The successful bidder may or may not be a contributor to Democrat political campaigns but I will bet a brand-new nickel the bidders for the replacement dock parts know who The Big Guy is.
And “Government Spending” in the formula for GDP goes up just enough to offset the lost profits from nobody buying X anymore, avoiding the recession for another quarter.