Comments on: Irreversible Decline

By: b2

b2 — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 15:20:22 +0000

Boo-hoo!

By: Cybella

Cybella — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 06:49:21 +0000

Yeah, reality bites, so they’re palming off their nuclear carrier, the “Admiral Gorshkov”, an Akula sub, and two squadrons of Mig-29Ks to the Indian Navy.

By: TwoFiveZulu

TwoFiveZulu — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 04:47:27 +0000

We can argue for a week about if they needed a fleet, but I don’t think that anyone who ever saw one of their ships in the wild would disagree that they built some beautiful ships. Graceful lines, fast, wicked looking weapons, and good sea-keeping as well.

Went aboard a Frigate that came to Boston a few years ago. I was wearing my Navy ball cap with the CPO anchor on the front. Our tour guide recognized the anchor and, after the tour, asked what I had done in the Navy. I told him I was a Chief Gunner’s Mate, and he replied so was he, and invited me into his twin 122mm mount. Biggest surprise was the lack of automation; it didn’t look much different from an old 5″/54 mount from my era (the 60′s). Clean and well maintained, though. Had a bit of fun guessing what controls were what, and got most of them right. Left thinking I was glad we never had to go barrel to barrel with them.

By: Subby

Subby — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 03:06:42 +0000

Probably the only remaining proud part of their military, as such it died of starvation.

By: Curtis

Curtis — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 00:18:29 +0000

One thing the Russians can be honest about is that they never needed a fleet in the first place. All it did was consume resources that could have been better invested elsewhere. I think they realize this fact now and I wouldn’t be surprised if there is a working party off to dig up Gorshkov’s bones and throw them into a radioactive pond somewhere.
Us? We have an industrial base totally geared for bespoke weapon systems be they ships, submarines or aircraft.

By: virgil xenophon

virgil xenophon — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 22:08:45 +0000

Zane/

The attitude of half our people about the trends you note is like that of the tale of the guy who jumped off the Empire State Bldg, and about half-way down somebody stuck their head out the window and asked him how he was doing as he passed by; to which the jumper/fool replied: “so far, so good.”

Their is ALWAYS a cost to doing nothing as well as the more readily identifiable costs of doing something. Unfortunately, the costs of doing something are always upfront and in democracies usually viewed as distasteful–the costs of doing nothing usually are out of sight and immediately un-felt–but they often greatly dwarf the costs of innoculation and can be utterly disasterous. Like that old Fram oil-filter commercial: “You can pay me now–or you can pay me later.” Or, alternatively: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”

(I’ll stop now, I’ve run out of homilies)