U.S. Super Hornet Shot Down Over Red Sea in Friendly Fire Incident + Experts Cast Doubt on US Claims of F-18 Downing by Friendly Fire in the Red Sea

Ward Carroll

Two U.S. Navy aviators are safe after their two-seat F/A-18F Super Hornet was shot down by an American ship by mistake, according to a late Saturday statement from U.S. Central Command.

U.S. Super Hornet Shot Down Over Red Sea in Friendly Fire Incident; Aviators Safe

Related:

Experts Cast Doubt on US Claims of F-18 Downing by Friendly Fire in the Red Sea

Here’s why the story about a US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet getting taken down in a friendly fire incident by a US Navy destroyer while engaged in anti-Houthi operations is suspect… 1/

2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident, US military says

It wasn’t immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.

Who funded the anti-BRI “Made in Ethiopia” documentary?

WSWS: Made in Ethiopia—or anywhere else in the worldXinyan Yu (National Fellow at New America*), Max Duncan (Reuters in China), Eastern Industry Park

Related:

Industrial park showcasing Chinese extensive investment participation in Ethiopia

In addition to the 12 industrial parks built by the government and managed by the Industrial Parks Development Corporation and regional governments and the Diredawa Free Trade Zone, there are also industrial parks built and managed by private investors in various areas of Ethiopia. One of these private industrial parks is Eastern Industry Park. The industrial park is located in Dukem area, and 153 companies are engaged in production activities in the park. 95% of the companies are owned by Chinese investors, while the rest are owned by companies from India, England, and other countries. These producers are contributing significantly in terms of job creation, foreign exchange earnings, technology, and knowledge transfer.

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For Want of an Oiler: The Fragile State of America’s Afloat Logistics Fleet

What’s Going On With Shipping?

Salvatore R. Mercogliano, Ph.D. – 

The Navy oiler – a tanker designed to refuel other ships while at sea – shuddered from the hit. Almost immediately, water began to flood into the engine room and at least one of the ship’s rudders was out of service. The damage and flow of water proved challenging for the crew. As the only US Navy fuel ship in the area capable of supporting a carrier strike group came to a stop, the vulnerability of the thin lifeline of American afloat logistics became apparent. How would an entire carrier strike group remain operational without fuel for its planes and escorts? With one stroke, the hitting power of a substantial portion of the U.S. Navy was reduced.

For Want of an Oiler: The Fragile State of America’s Afloat Logistics Fleet

US Navy Destroyers Unscathed After Missile, Exploding Drone Attack

US Navy Destroyers Unscathed After Missile, Exploding Drone Attack

Ryder said that the attacks were “successfully engaged and defeated. The vessels were not damaged; no personnel were hurt.”

Earlier, the Houthis said they attacked the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Arabian Sea and two unnamed American destroyers in the Red Sea. The Iran-backed rebels said that they achieved their objectives.

Will another training accident happen soon?

Ansar Allah is kicking NATO’s butt!

by John Konrad (gCaptain) The Red Sea, one of the world’s busiest and most strategically vital waterways, has become so hazardous that even the German Navy is steering clear. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s decision to redirect the frigate Baden-Württemberg and support vessel Frankfurt am Main around the Cape of Good Hope on their return from an Indo-Pacific deployment speaks volumes. The Red Sea is now deemed too perilous, underscoring just how ineffective current U.S. and EU naval protections are in this region.

The broader question is even more stark: If NATO cannot send warships to face the Houthis, how will it possibly survive in a war against a larger adversary like China? 

Red Sea Is Now So Dangerous Even NATO Warships Are Avoiding It

US-Israel Inch Toward Wider, More Dangerous War

by Brian Berletic

Beginning in October 2023 a renewed cycle of violence began destabilizing the Middle East. Hamas’ October 7, 2023 military operation into Israeli-held territory served as a pretext for Israel, not to dismantle Hamas itself, but to conduct an indiscriminate punitive military operation against all of Gaza.

US-Israel Inch Toward Wider, More Dangerous War (archived)

Related:

U.S. to Deploy Missile Defense System and About 100 Troops to Israel + More Updates

Israel—‘Hamas’ War

The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

YouTube

WASHINGTON (AP) — Two U.S. Navy SEALs drowned as they tried to climb aboard a ship carrying illicit Iranian-made weapons to Yemen because of glaring training failures and a lack of understanding about what to do after falling into deep, turbulent waters, according to a military investigation into the January deaths.

The drownings of 2 Navy SEALs were preventable, military investigation finds

Related:

Naval Special Warfare Remembers Two Fallen SEALs

Chambers enlisted in the Navy on May 17, 2012, and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., in July 2012. He served with West Coast-based SEAL units since graduating from SEAL qualification training in Coronado, Calif., in 2014. His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medal with Combat “C,” three Navy/Marine Corps Achievement Medals, the Army Achievement Medal, the Combat Action Ribbon, and other personal and unit awards.

Ingram enlisted in the Navy on Sept. 25, 2019, and graduated from boot camp at Recruit Training Command Great Lakes, Ill., in November 2019. Ingram served with West Coast-based SEAL units since graduating from SEAL qualification training in Coronado, Calif., in 2021. His awards and decorations include the Defense Meritorious Service Medal and various personal and unit awards.

US Military: Two US Navy SEALs Missing Off Coast of Somalia Are Dead

US Officials Claim Two Navy SEALs Missing Near Somalia ‘Fell Into Water’

Pentagon To Spend $1.2B To Maintain Red Sea Operation

Oct 3, 2024 (Bloomberg) –The Pentagon will spend about $1.2 billion to maintain ships deployed as part of operations in the Red Sea and to replenish stocks of missiles fired to repel attacks by Iran and its proxies, according to new budget documents.

Pentagon To Spend $1.2B To Maintain Red Sea Operation

Previously:

US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7

US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States has spent a record of at least $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began and led to escalating conflict around the Middle East, according to a report for Brown University’s Costs of War project, released Monday on the anniversary of Hamas’ attacks on Israel.

US spends a record $17.9 billion on military aid to Israel since last Oct. 7