Men of consequence – Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis hold a joint statement and press availability to discuss ongoing constructive discussions with China and the current efforts to deal with an increasingly unstable North Korea.

While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 20, 2017

(more…)

YOKOSUKA, Japan (NNS) – The remains of seven Sailors previously reported missing were located in flooded berthing compartments, after divers gained access to the spaces, June 18, that were damaged when the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) was involved in a collision with the Philippine-flagged merchant vessel ACX Crystal.

The deceased are:

♦Gunner’s Mate Seaman Dakota Kyle Rigsby, 19, Palmyra, Virginia
♦Yeoman 3rd Class Shingo Alexander Douglass, 25, San Diego, California
♦Sonar Technician 3rd Class Ngoc T Truong Huynh, 25, Oakville, Connecticut
♦Gunner’s Mate 2nd Class Noe Hernandez, 26, Weslaco, Texas
♦Fire Controlman 2nd Class Carlosvictor Ganzon Sibayan, 23, Chula Vista, California
♦Personnel Specialist 1st Class Xavier Alec Martin, 24, Halethorpe, Maryland
♦Fire Controlman 1st Class Gary Leo Rehm Jr., 37, Elyria, Ohio

The incident remains under investigation (link).

Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin, answers questions about USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) collision with cargo freight-liner ADX Crystal during a press conference at Fleet Activities Yokosuka.

.

[Prepared Remarks – Transcript] USS FITZGERALD experienced extensive damage and flooding after a collision with the Filipino container ship at 0220 local time, 17 June, approx. 56 nm off the coast of Honshu, Japan.

The damage included a significant impact under the ship’s pilothouse on the starboard side and a large puncture below the ship’s waterline, opening the hull to the sea.

The ship suffered severe damage rapidly flooding 3 large compartments that included 1 machinery room and 2 berthing areas for 116 crew. The Commanding Officer’s cabin was also directly hit, trapping the CO inside.

(more…)

Initial photographic appearances showed the port-side bow anchor of the ACX Crystal impaled a portion of the USS Fitzgerald near starboard side amidship below her bridge. Later reporting confirmed the Fitzgerald was ruptured above and below the waterline by the much larger cargo vessel.  Seven sailors were missing.

The latest update from the 7th Fleet is terrible.  Several bodies, perhaps all, of the missing sailors have been located in their berthing quarters.

U.S. 7th Fleet, YOKOSUKA, Japan – A number of Sailors that were missing from the collision between USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and a merchant ship have been found.

As search and rescue crews gained access to the spaces that were damaged during the collision this morning, the missing Sailors were located in the flooded berthing compartments.

They are currently being transferred to Naval Hospital Yokosuka where they will be identified. The families are being notified and being provided the support they need during this difficult time. The names of the Sailors will be released after all notifications are made. (link)

#FITZ UPDATE: Divers were able to access the space and found a number of bodies.

— 7th Fleet (@US7thFleet) June 18, 2017

(more…)

Follow up to the details release LAST NIGHT – Seven U.S. Sailors still missing.

TOKYO, June 17 (Reuters) – Rescue crews searched into the early hours on Sunday for seven American sailors missing after a U.S. destroyer collided with a container ship in the pre-dawn hours off the coast of Japan.

U.S. 7th Fleet Vice Admiral Joseph P. Aucoin said the search was continuing in a statement released nearly 24 hours after the USS Fitzgerald, an Aegis guided missile destroyer, collided with the much larger Philippine-flagged merchant vessel 56 nautical miles southwest of Yokosuka.

“It’s been a tough day for our Navy family. It’s hard to imagine what this crew has had to endure, the challenges they’ve had to overcome,” Aucoin said.

Thoughts and prayers with the sailors of USS Fitzgerald and their families. Thank you to our Japanese allies for their assistance. https://t.co/d1l5ctjNyB

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2017

(more…)

This is really odd in the extreme. Multiple human-factors, and technological safeguards, would need to fail simultaneously -on both vessels- in order for this catastrophic impact to have happened at sea.

Seven U.S. Navy crew members are missing and one injured after a U.S. Navy destroyer Fitzgerald collided at approximately 2:00am (local) Saturday morning with the merchant vessel ACX Crystal (Philippine Registry) off the coast of Japan.  All nautical vessels have been requested to respond for maritime search and recovery efforts.

Footage and images from the Japanese TV network NHK showed heavy damage to the mid-right side (starboard) of the USS Fitzgerald and less severe damage to the left side (port) of ACX Crystal. The Crystal is 29,060 tons (w/out cargo) and is 222.6 meters (730 feet) long.

The land-based equivalent of a freight train (Crystal) hitting a school bus (Fitzgerald). By all rough photographic appearances the port-side bow anchor of the Crystal impaled a portion of the Fitzgerald near starboard side amid-ship just below her bridge. Anyone on the deck of the Fitzgerald would have been thrown from her almost immediately.

(more…)

Jordan’s King Abdullah III becomes the latest Arab leader to denounce Qatar and join the growing diplomatic boycott of the Islamic extremist sympathizers.

Jordan will downgrade its diplomatic representation with Qatar, it said on Tuesday, standing with several Arab powers that have cut ties with the tiny Gulf state.

The decision was made after Amman examined the “cause of the crisis” between Doha and the other Arab states, government spokesman Mohammed al Momani said.

He added that Jordan also revoked the TV license for Al Jazeera, Qatar’s influential state-owned satellite channel.  (link)

What we are seeing unfold is a seismic shift in Arab sentiment away from the extremist Muslim Brotherhood.  This action is 100% the result of months of careful diplomacy between the Trump Administration and members of the Gulf Cooperation Council in a modern coalition to confront political Islam and the extremist messaging that results in terrorism.

The U.S. and Western Media never reported on the frequency of high diplomatic engagement by President Trump in the lead-up to his historic visit to Saudi Arabia.  It is specifically because of this willfully blind and intentional void in prior diplomatic understanding that most media are missing how this approach was constructed.

(more…)

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis are in Sydney, Australia, June 5–6, participating in the 2017 Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations hosted by Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and Australian Defense Minister Marise Payne.

T-Rex, Mattis and their Australian counterparts are discussing a full range of U.S-Australian cooperation on bilateral, regional, and global issues.

Press Conference Video:  (U.S. media show publicly why T-Rex dislikes them at 16:30, who was that idjit.)

Secretary Tillerson will then travel to New Zealand to discuss strategic interests with Prime Minister English and Foreign Minister Brownlee.

(more…)

It was 28 years ago tonight when the Chinese government sent the Mongolian Army into Tiananmen Square to crackdown on the mostly student protestors.

It is against the law in China to recognize today, memorialize the dead, or even speak publicly of this bloody anniversary.   Few people know the short and long-term political ramifications to this event which extended far beyond the borders of China.

Many people are familiar with this image:

However, not as many people are as familiar with the wide shot.

(more…)

Yesterday President Donald Trump signed two new bills into law.  One of the bills is something many people might be familiar with from 2015 and 2016 when it was initially proposed that returning U.S. military veterans should have an elevated opportunity, and prioritization (w/ supportive grants), to work on internal U.S. security, border security and local law enforcement.

(more…)