Stavridis to SACEUR

I wish him well.

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Wednesday he has recommended the nomination of Admiral James Stavridis to be the next NATO supreme commander.

Stavridis, currently head of Southern Command, "is probably one of the best senior military officers we have," Gates told a news conference.

If nominated by President Barack Obama and confirmed, the admiral would become the first naval officer to take the NATO post.

SACEUR's job is mostly a political one. Hopefully, Admiral Stavridis has gotten past his "war is new" transformationalism - but the nature of the job should blunt much of that thought anyway as there are much more important things for SACEUR to do in order to keep the alliance happy and helpful. The job should play to his strengths.

Hat tip Maggie.

Oh, and it's 18 MAR. Ungh.

It's been a long day.



March. Irish-American appreciation month, or sump'n.

CAPT Brad Conners, USN - Salamander Leader of the Month

As the CO of Naval Base Ventura County, in their 'lil paper "The Lighthouse" he has a "Ask the Captain!" column. From the 15 JAN 09 edition, this jewel came across his desk.

Question:
What is the deal with the gate guards not surrendering salutes to officer’s vehicles? I don’t think an admiral’s wife or your wife would appreciate that either. We’ve worked hard to get here and should be recognized. They learned to recognize your vehicles. On every base I’ve been on they have a sign WE RENDER SALUTES PROUDLY. Here they work on trying not to salute the vehicle if the active duty member is not present. Isn’t it by UCMJ code they are supposed to render a salute to an officer? The vehicle has a sticker so why do they not (salute) whether or not the active duty member is present or not? Fill me in!! DO THEY NOT TRAIN THESE PEOPLE ANY MORE?? If not, I see more and more laxness going on in this military. A CWO wife.

You should read whole thing - but here is the opener.

Wow. That’s quite a sense of entitlement you have. Are you sure a salute is sufficient? Perhaps a curtsy or a genuflect would be more appropriate? We could have one sentry prostrate himself before you while the other fetches some oats for that high horse you’re riding.

First, the irony of addressing what you perceive to be an issue of respect in such a disrespectful tone is not lost. Secondly, since you specifically brought her into the dialogue, my wife thinks your question indicates a regrettably narrow perspective. Third, yes, we have training which encompasses many things for which a post sentry is responsible and accountable, primarily focused on force protection, anti-terrorism, law enforcement, defense of critical assets and infrastructure, and the use of lethal force. But thanks for asking. Fourth, if you consider standing a post 65-70 hours a week as “laxness,” then I invite you to put on your winter coat and go stand on the asphalt in front of your house for four hours holding your vacuum cleaner when the temperature reaches 85 degrees. That will give you some very small sense of what it is like to man a post, without of course the lethal responsibility.

CAPT - you would have made a fine SWO.

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A sad note though: the Navy has lost him. CAPT Conners has retired.

Can we please see LCS do this?

With its most top-heavy configuration; please.



BTW, that was the USS KITTY HAWK (CV-63) in MAR of last year.

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UPDATE: Sorry I forgot to embedd the video the first time. Medfixie.

Religion, not race ...

You know, all that chanting, "One, two, three, four - we won't fight your racist war!" stuff? Well, thinking people have always known that this has nothing to do with race (heck, give me 9 months to grow a beard and some sun exposure, and I would walk around Nuristan all day) - this has everything to do with religion (as chosen by the aggressor Islamists - not the West).

Back to Britain.

A Christian minister who has had heated arguments with Muslims on his TV Gospel show has been brutally attacked by three men who ripped off his cross and warned: ‘If you go back to the studio, we’ll break your legs.’

The Reverend Noble Samuel was driving to the studio when a car pulled over in front of him. A man got out and came over to ask him directions in Urdu.

Mr Samuel, based at Heston United Reformed Church, West London, said: ‘He put his hand into my window, which was half open, and grabbed my hair and opened the door.

He started slapping my face and punching my neck. He was trying to smash my head on the steering wheel.

Then he grabbed my cross and pulled it off and it fell on the floor. He was swearing. The other two men came from the car and took my laptop and Bible.’

The Metropolitan Police are treating it as a ‘faith hate’ assault and are hunting three Asian men.

In the UK, "Asian" means South Asia - AKA Pakistan, India, Bangladesh.

Is it just me, or are the only Christian leaders actually doing much for the Faith from South Asia or Africa? The native born seem Islamist apologists or holocaust deniers.

Awww, what the heck. Let's give Reverend Samuel some free air time.

Bring beer

Buy why only once a year?

Annual salamander love-in means spring is on the way

Hat tip to my handful of Dayton readers who sent this in.

Multi-national St. Patty's day