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2009-09-05 Africa Horn

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Posted by Steve White 2009-09-05 00:00|| || Front Page|| [3 views ] Top

#1 "If you have a suspected vessel, you board it and investigate it" instead of blowing it up.

Unless, of course, nobody is around. Then who's to know? Enjoy your swim!

Posted by SteveS 2009-09-05 02:42|| 2009-09-05 02:42|| Front Page Top

#2 about 60 French marines are aboard 10 French tuna-fishing boats

Hey, what? Tuna fishing boats have enough room for six big guys and all their stuff to hang around all day? Plus, six Frenchies doesn't really sound like enough, anyway.

Posted by gromky 2009-09-05 06:10|| 2009-09-05 06:10|| Front Page Top

#3 Do the drones have infrared cameras capable of determining number of people on board? Patrolling 3,000 mile swaths of ocean may catch human smugglers and other contraband otherwise impossible.

Posted by Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-09-05 11:28|| 2009-09-05 11:28|| Front Page Top

#4 She sells sea shells in the seychelles.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2009-09-05 12:05|| 2009-09-05 12:05|| Front Page Top

#5 It's a prime location, Redneck. Clean, warm water. Nice beaches. Good surf. It's a well known tourist destination. Kinda makes me wish I knew enough to be one of those 75 U.S. personnel who are going there to support the mission.

Posted by Abu Uluque6305 2009-09-05 13:33|| 2009-09-05 13:33|| Front Page Top

#6 Hey, what? Tuna fishing boats have enough room

Sounds like those huge factory boats (Hoovers of the Sea).

I really don't know why the US, vs Euros or Indian Ocean locals, is patrolling there. We have no skin in this game, neither economic nor tourists/future hostages. Only wealth to be expended and to be bitched at if anything goes wrong.

Posted by ed 2009-09-05 13:49|| 2009-09-05 13:49|| Front Page Top

#7 We have no skin in this game, neither economic nor tourists/future hostages. Only wealth to be expended and to be bitched at if anything goes wrong.

Look at the location of the Seychelles. Try to imagine a big-picture, long-term (years) scenario.

Posted by Pappy 2009-09-05 15:45|| 2009-09-05 15:45|| Front Page Top

#8 Yeah, it's off Kenya and Somalia. BFD.
US trade? None. Only free food (extorted from US taxpayers) shipped to east Afica.
Tourists? Not American.
Oil? Not anywhere near Persian Gulf shipping lanes.
QED: None of our damn business.

Posted by ed 2009-09-05 16:03|| 2009-09-05 16:03|| Front Page Top

#9 They're near the persian gulf shipping lanes for tankers too big to transit the Suez Canal.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-09-05 16:39|| 2009-09-05 16:39|| Front Page Top

#10 Also, the reaper has a 3000 mile range, which could translate to a 1000 mile patrol radius plus a lot of loiter time. Draw a 1000 mile radius circle centered on the Seychelles, you're covering a lot of the shipping lanes between the Persian Gulf and Diego Garcia.

Posted by Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-09-05 16:43|| 2009-09-05 16:43|| Front Page Top

#11 I was considering the Seychelles for my honeymoon next year. I think I'll pass.

Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2009-09-05 20:14|| 2009-09-05 20:14|| Front Page Top

#12 Doesn't the US Navy have its own Predator variant called the umm... Terminator, yeah that's the ticket...

The Terminator

Posted by badanov 2009-09-05 20:34|| http://www.freefirezone.org]">[http://www.freefirezone.org] 2009-09-05 20:34|| Front Page Top

#13 Yeah, it's off Kenya and Somalia. BFD.

I'll try to remain civil.

Not that you'll particularly give a damn, but maybe somebody not married to the Pat Buchanan School of International Studies might: One of the big issues with eastern Africa is that it's still a support area for Islamo-fascists. There have been signs of increased instability in Kenya. One of the jobs of Africa Command is to look long-term and establish some sort of cooperative effort with various nations, in case - no snark here, please - Africa goes to hell in a handbasket. Eastern and southern Africa right now are particularly troubling.

Posted by Pappy 2009-09-05 23:39|| 2009-09-05 23:39|| Front Page Top

23:56 gorb
23:47 SteveS
23:39 Pappy
23:23 ed
23:18 ed
22:20 USN, Ret.
22:06 Sluns and Tenille8706
21:55 Sluns and Tenille8706
21:51 notascrename
21:47 trailing wife
21:46 regular joe
21:45 Skunky Glins 5***
20:55 Redneck Jim
20:49 3dc
20:34 badanov
20:27 Barbara Skolaut
20:25 Barbara Skolaut
20:24 DarthVader
20:17 Barbara Skolaut
20:14 Mizzou Mafia
20:07 Barbara Skolaut
20:06 Barbara Skolaut
19:47 SteveS
19:39 Cornsilk Blondie