Pyongyang Posturing

This week has seen the U.S. Third Fleet change its plans. In the recent wake of increased tensions with the DPRK, the Navy canceled the scheduled port of calls in Australia and re-directed the U.S.S. Carl Vinson (CV-70) and it's carrier group to take up station within the sphere of the Korean Peninsula.  Under normal circumstances this would seem like routine posturing to let the rogue nation and it's "Dear Leader" that the United States stands ready to defend it's South Korean & Japanese allies. What is troubling is not so much the threats coming out of Pyongyang but rather from our own new regime of amateurs whose sole foreign consistency has been its own unpredictability. Particularly when Trump claims to know more than his generals and takes his foreign policy advice from his handbag designer daughter and inexperienced son in law. This makes for a dangerous mix especially when you count the PRC's recent deployment of 150,000 ground troops along North Korea's northern border. We at American Mishima are counting on Secretary of Defense "Mad Dog" Mattis and our Naval Commanders in the Third Fleet to use caution and not indulge the impulsive whims of our unpredictable part time leader who spends more time golfing at his Florida resorts and Tweeting threats than actually governing. This should make for interesting conversation in Beijing and nervousness in Seoul & Tokyo. As we have said many times, may cooler heads prevail.

American Naval Might

Seen here is at Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego is a rare gathering of American Naval Power in one place: Three United States Navy Nimitz Class Carriers the USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70), the USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), and the USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). While some people have used this photo and a similar one at Norfolk Virginia as a call for alarm with fears of another Pearl Harbor, such fears are made without facts. In this case, The USS Carl Vinson has just returned from a ten month deployment. The USS Ronald Reagan is preparing to move to Japan. And the USS John C. Stennis was simply making a scheduled port of call before heading to her home port in Bremerton Washington. So for those worry-wort's out there who question the judgment of our naval leadership we say to you enjoy this photo and just relax. The U.S. Navy is on watch 24/7 365 days a year.