U.S.
Get flash to fully experience Pearltrees
V IRGINIA BEACH, VA: Coping with China and Iran at the same time is stretching the Navy thin, and it will soon have to choose which theater to prioritize, warned Peter Daly , the recently retired admiral who now heads the prestigious US Naval Institute . Recommended for you X Recommended for you X The Obama administration's new strategic guidance said the US would boost its presence in the Pacific as it drew down in the Middle East, but subsequent statements have qualified that as a "pivot to Asia." The first problem is the force isn't truly fungible: it's mainly ground troops coming out of Afghanistan and Iraq, while the Pacific requires mainly ship s and long-range airpower . The second problem is that Iran isn't cooperating. "The annoying realities of the Iranian situation fly in the face of this wonderfully crafted strategy," Daly said.
Navy Strains To Handle Both China And Iran At Once
The U.S. Navy could eventually have a force of eight ships operating from Bahrain if plans to base littoral combat ships (LCS) in the Arabian Gulf continue as envisioned, the service’s No. 2 official said May 21. The Navy has long been planning to operate LCS ships in the gulf, Undersecretary Bob Work told an audience at the Cato Institute in Washington. The ships, able to perform several different missions when fitted out with specialized equipment packages, already are to replace U.S. minesweepers and patrol boats in the region. The four-ship minesweeper force operating from Bahrain will be doubled by next month when another four ships arrive from the U.S.
8 LCSs Could Be Based in Gulf, Says U.S. Navy Undersecretary
Navy Needs Both LCS Versions For War With China, Iran; Navy UnderSec Defends Program
W ASHINGTON: While the Littoral Combat Ship is not suited for the front lines of a war with China, it would provide vital protection to US supply lines in such conflict, said Under Secretary of the Navy Robert Work, and against Iran, LCS would be in the battle from "day one," with eight LCSs ultimately operating out of Bahrain. Indeed, the two potential theaters of war are so different that the Navy may consider focusing the "much more maneuverable" Lockheed Martin version of the LCS on fighting fast attack boats in the narrow waters of the Persian Gulf, while the very different General Dynamics design, with its larger flight deck and fuel tanks, operates primarily in the vast reaches of the Pacific. Recommended for you X Recommended for you XGuest Post: Is China Really Liquidating Treasuries?
Submitted by John Aziz of Azizonomics Is China Really Liquidating Treasuries? The news that China has become the first sovereign to establish a direct sales relationship with the U.S. Treasury (therefore cutting out the middleman and bypassing Wall Street ) raises a few interesting questions. From Reuters :
A Peek Inside The CIA, As It Tries To Assess Iran
The CIA took considerable heat over Iraq, where weapons of mass destruction weren't found. Now, as the agency assesses Iran, it invites an NPR correspondent to its headquarters for a rare chat about the issue. Andrew Harrer / Bllomberg via Getty Images The latest talks in Baghdad over Iran's nuclear program have prompted the usual arguments.
This is the third story in our three-part series on California's Delta . Tules on Twitchell Island in the Delta. (Photo: Josh Cassidy/KQED) With thousands of acres of rich farmland, the Delta has a long agricultural legacy. But farming there can be a risky business. Dozens of farms have been flooded over the past half century as aging levees have collapsed.
California's Deadlocked Delta: Is Carbon Farming the Future?
Despite fashionable twaddle about American decline, America’s cultural influence has never been as dominant as it is now. Indeed, the 21st century promises to be the American Century to an even greater extent than the 20th. The American attitude to life – The American Idea – is now reflected in the universal aspirations of all humanity. Throughout history foreign observers have perceived and portrayed the dignity and majesty of the American Idea in ways that have impacted the thinking of the rest of the human race and triggered their desire to emulate the good life. Crèvecœur, a pre-independence 18th century French immigrant to the colonies, wrote about American equal opportunity, self-reliance, ingenuity, religious pluralism and uncomplicated attitude towards life. These characteristics morphed into the aristocracy of the self-made man, the free spirited independence of the American entrepreneur and the egalitarian meritocracy of American society at large.
The Second American Century
Era of a diminished superpower
Enjoy full access to FT.com's award-winning news, comment and analysis. With over from 500 journalists reporting from over 50 countries, read our trusted news, expert insight and authoritative opinion as it's happening. Access FT.com's 5 year archive of news, comment, analysis, reports and more for all the information on factors affecting your business you need. Whether you're researching a competitor or just need background information for a presentation, you're sure to find what you need. <p style="text-align:right;color:#A8A8A8"></p>
National and Global Security Issues
A Tour of Drought as it Unfolds Across the U.S.
Last year at this time, all eyes were on Texas, where drought conditions were intensifying into what became that state’s worst single year drought on record, causing nearly $8 billion in economic losses . Recently, though, Texas has gone from famine to feast in the precipitation department, and drought concerns for the upcoming summer are focused farther to the west, as drought tightens its grip across a broad swath of the interior West and Southwest In addition to the West, drought conditions are also prevalent in the Southeast, Mid-Atlantic, and parts of the Northeast as well, along with a small pocket in the Upper Midwest. In all, 56 percent of the Lower 48 states were experiencing drought conditions as of May 8, almost twice the area compared to last year at this time, according to data from the U.S. Drought Monitor .
