SkyDekker 1,150 #1 December 20, 2018 The commander in chief noted yesterday that the US military is being completely rebuilt. Since we have many posters here with military backgrounds, including one member with super secret back channel private communications with US Special Forces, I was wonder if anybody is aware of what the plans are for this rebuild? https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1075368918204719105 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jakee 1,262 #2 December 20, 2018 Trump Tanks, Trump Ammo, Trump Missiles... Do you want to have an ideagasm? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,403 #3 December 20, 2018 jakee Trump Tanks, Trump Ammo, Trump Missiles... And your GI Bill education benefits will only be usable at Trump University."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TriGirl 278 #4 December 21, 2018 Not a clue what he's talking about. Not sure he even knows.See the upside, and always wear your parachute! -- Christopher Titus Shut Up & Jump! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil1111 921 #5 December 21, 2018 TriGirlNot a clue what he's talking about. Not sure he even knows. What is ingrained in his psyche is that neither he, nor America, need friends. That negotiations are essentially conducted by threat, bluster and outrageous demands. I hope that he dosn't compound this mistake by making another. One that sends US personnel into another trump created miscalculation. If Iran, NK, Russia, etc. decides to test him. If FOX decides that they should embarrass trump's inaction on the matter. American service members could suffer. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phil1111 921 #6 December 23, 2018 Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive " not everyone in the Pentagon is on board with Shanahan’s style. Several officials with first-hand exposure to Shanahan told Defense News they feel the deputy is too focused on having meetings, sucking up staff time without having many concrete victories to point to. The officials also described Shanahan as having a sometimes combative personality. The deputy has reportedly clashed with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and was allegedly a driving force in the firing of Chief Management Officer Jay Gibson after only nine months on the job. He also reportedly was not particularly close with Mattis.... “It is also natural that people are defensive when leaders begin focusing on performance rather than process,” he wrote. Asked what he would say to complaints his initiatives have yet to produce major shifts, Shanahan expressed confidence that at the end of the day, results would be evident. “In any large organization, successful change requires rewiring and retooling systems. These are not quick fixes, and take time to produce results, but it is only way to produce lasting change at scale,” he wrote. “In the end, the question will be: ‘Did we implement the National Defense Strategy?’ The NDS is our plan, now we are assessing performance of the enterprise against that plan, and rewiring the systems to enable improved, long-term performance.”... “He’s not a policy or geopolitics guy. He’s a business guy,” the source said. “But he’s spent the last year learning from the best. And Shanahan is known for having a good relationship” with Trump and Vice President Mike Pence." So he has a whole year of defense related experience. naturally thats enough for trump. trump sure showed General Mattis. The hell with a transition team. Change the locks on Mattis because trump knows "more than the generals" and Shanahan has a "whole year" of military experience. Minus the boot camp of course. https://www.defensenews.com/pentagon/2018/12/21/with-mattis-out-is-shanahan-poised-to-rewire-the-pentagon/ With Patrick Shanahan, the Military-Industrial Complex Is Alive and Well "Boeing is the second largest contractor for the Department of Defense, having received $25 billion in fiscal year 2016. Among the major Boeing weapon programs DoD currently oversees is the $43.5 billion KC-46 tanker;already $2 billion over cost and the $62 billion V-22 Osprey.... Shanahan’s own career at Boeing included managing the... Ground-Based Missile Defense system the Union of Concerned Scientists found cost taxpayers $40 billion and still has no proven track record of being an effective countermeasure. Boeing is also half of a joint venture with Lockheed Martin called United Launch Alliance, the prime contractor for the Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program, which has come under Congressional criticism for cost overruns that more than doubled the cost of the program and having an unfair monopoly... The DoD is also currently evaluating alternatives for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, including comparing the platform to Boeing’s F-18;which could result in substantial benefits for Boeing. Concerns about the revolving door between defense contractors and the Pentagon go beyond specific acquisition programs, however, and include policies that impact government oversight of companies’ operations. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Boeing is one of the top spenders on lobbying, ranking seventh." https://medium.com/war-is-boring/with-patrick-shanahan-the-military-industrial-complex-is-alive-and-well-91f67a3e98e3 I'm sure that John McCain is rolling over in his grave. Perhaps that brave man is better off RIP. Rather than see how Boeing lobby money has paid off. A top trump lobbyist landed the top defense job. He has a personal history of wild cost overruns on the weapons systems he has managed. Lobbying Client Profile: Summary, 2018 Subtotal for Parent Boeing Co: $11,270,000 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gowlerk 1,939 #7 December 23, 2018 And the "breaking news" is: https://www.cnn.com/2018/12/23/politics/james-mattis-trump-shanahan/index.html Mattis out by year end, Shanahan is the new Def Sec nominee. Edit, Shanahan " Acting Secretary of Defense " , 'cuz who knew confirmation hearings could be so tough?Always remember the brave children who died defending your right to bear arms. Freedom is not free. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
