Another Boner for the Pentagon?

So here's the scenario. The U.S. Navy is running exercises between southern Japan and Taiwan.

Involved is the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk ... a 1,000 foot supercarrier with 4,500 personel on board. She is accompanied by at least a dozen American warships which are supposed to protect the carrier from hostile aircraft and submarines.

Part of the costly defensive screen usually also includes at least two U.S. submarines.

Everything is going along "just swimmingly" until an undetected Chinese submarine suddenly "pops-up" right smack dab in the middle of the exrcise ... haroh yankee boy ...within missle and torpedo range of the Kitty Hawk. Oh my!

According to senior NATO officials the U.S. had no idea that China's rapidly growing submarine fleet had reached such a level of sophistication.

Let me understand this .... with year-over-year multi-billion dollar budgets, satellites, interception of voice and data transmissions, spies, double-agents, triple-agents and God knows what other espionage gadgets and things that go bump in the night the U.S. and its allies use each and every single day to track the "goings-on" of other countries .... after all that .... the Pentagon still had no idea of China's level of naval sophistication? Wow!

Obviously someone has to walk the plank on this one. The only question is ... will it be Larry, Curly or Moe?

The Drums of War in the Middle East - No:1

1. The Daily Telegraph in London is reporting that the U.S. Airforce is working with military leaders from Persian Gulf States to train and prepare Arab air forces for a possible war with Iran.
Pentagon officials have helped set-up a warfare center in the United Arab Emirates where Gulf Nations are training their fighter pilots and America has large-scale bases. The center is modeled on the USAF warfare center at Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

2. Israel Radio reported that on Monday Iran threatened to attack some 170 American targets in the Middle East and around the world if it's attacked by Israel or the U.S.

3. According to Reuters, Israel confirmed on Tuesday that its airforce carried out a strike inside Syrian territory on Sept 6/07. However Israeli military censors continue to censor all other details.
Diplomats in Damascus say that at least 4 Israeli warplanes crossed deep into Syria during last month's operation.
Syria and Israel are formally at war. Peace talks collapsed in 2000 over the scope of an Israeli pullout from the Golan Heights.

4. The Times of London reported Tuesday that Russia has sent technicians to upgrade Syria's air defense system after Israeli electronic warfare systems allowed Israeli warplanes to attack a target in Syria last month.

5. According to foreign media reports, the Israeli airstrike apparently targeted a North Korea-built nuclear facility in northeastern Syria. Syria and North Korea have both vehemently denied any nuclear co-operation.