- Joined
- Nov 25, 2007
- Messages
- 9,295
I was just going to assume the President "didn't know" about the Coast Guard's budget..... that response seems to be working pretty nicely.
Erm, not that we need to have a d*ck measuring contest on SAF regarding old sh*t, but I'm not sure a plane can last longer than a ship. The environment can be rough too (even if not salt water), pressurization cycles tax the structure, and once that wing spar reaches its life - no amount of upgrades elsewhere can salvage the plane. I'm no mech engineer or anywhere near that educated on the topic though. Regardless - just saying the age argument is spurious IMO.
I was just going to assume the President "didn't know" about the Coast Guard's budget..... that response seems to be working pretty nicely.
Good point. What didn't he know? And when didn't he know it?
The age isn't spurious when you have functional/safety problems. For instance, some of the 110' Patrol Boats (30 years old) operating in D7 (Florida/Caribbean Area) are so broken down/beat up that they routinely leak and take on water that has to be pumped overboard. The XO of one of the cutters I was on mentioned that the fleet in the 90's was "nothing but a bunch of bastardized ww2 navy boats".
How's flight training going btw? You almost finished up?
Some of our aircraft, such as T-38s, have (critical) parts that are "fly to fail." AKA, don't replace unless it stops working....and some of those things are pretty important. Bottom line, we all have old sh*t.
My training start is in January. Working a transition job in the meantime.
Whoa whoa whoa.... now we're using training aircraft as the "we have old things?" I'll see your T-38 and raise you an EAGLE (because T-boats are too new).
It's fun to laugh about our old things, but Fox has reported that the Russians have conducted a massive nuclear force exercise. I am guessing they used some of their new stuff.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/10/30/putin-oversees-massive-exercise-russian-nuclear-forces/
Putin is a dangerous man, and it is clear that the Russians are willing and able to project force. Where and how are we going to fight the next war? Are we planning as if will be community policing in a far away place?
PHEW! I was affraid we might actually have to talk about the decaying USCG fleet.... but luckily we can talk about how modernization and improvements are being made elsewhere.
On a side note, I visted the new Coast Guard HQ at St. Elizabeths Tuesday and it is AMAZING. We spent years making fun of it.... but I can tell you, that set up is something else. Wow. I think it's a DHS budget item, but I'm not entirely sure. The CGHQ building complex is all new. I think the plan is to renovate the remaining buildings for other DHS agencies. They have been abandoned since 1992. The old main admin building ois the main building at the beginning of "A Few Good Men".
And the rest of St. Elizabeths? CREEPY!
Maybe if the CG could justify having a few nukes, they could get some bucks? Some sort of 'last line of defense - afloat' rationale might make the sale?
Shhhhhh ... don't give away all the good secretsWhat I learned from World War Z is, in the event of zombie invasion, go afloat.