The Boeing E-4B, known as the “Doomsday Plane,” is the airborne command center for the United States government during national emergencies meant to ensure continuity of government command after nuclear attack, major natural disasters, or terrorism. And it’s a fleet of old Boeing 747-200s that’s difficult to find parts for. //
The E-4 was developed in the early 1970s as the National Emergency Airborne Command Post. The first was delivered in 1973 (“E-4A”) and three of the planes were upgraded to higher specs (“E-4B”) in 1985. Four E-4Bs are currently in operation, maintained by the 1st Airborne Command out of Offutt Air Force Base outside of Omaha. //
Since the planes are now 50 years old, they’ve become incredibly costly to maintain. The Government Accountability Office estimates a cost of $372,496 per flight hour, and spare parts procurement is difficult as there’s no longer an active world fleet of similar aircraft.
Last April, the Air Force awarded a $13 billion contract to Sierra Nevada Corporation for developing the next-gen Doomsday Plane” called the Survivable Airborne Operations Center. These will be ex-Korean Air Boeing 747-8s. The first of these aircraft arrived at Sierra Nevada facilities late last year to start conversion. The fleet will grow to 10 “E-4C” aircraft by 2036. //
David says:
March 30, 2025 at 2:49 pm
The little-known HBO’s “By dawn’s early lights”, with Powers Boothe and James Earl Jones, almost takes place entirely in a Doomsday plane during WW3. Highly recommended.
Pete Hegseth @PeteHegseth
·
Since “Judge” Reyes is now a top military planner, she/they can report to Fort Benning at 0600 to instruct our Army Rangers on how to execute High Value Target Raids…after that, Commander Reyes can dispatch to Fort Bragg to train our Green Berets on counterinsurgency warfare.
The Washington Times @WashTimes
U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes orders Pentagon to allow transgender troops, calls Trump ban ‘unabashedly demeaning’
https://trib.al/FxJRjiz
Image
3:29 PM · Mar 22, 2025 //
In my view, the bottom line is that no one has an inherent right to serve in the Armed Forces. When the person suffers from a diagnosable mental illness and requires daily infusions of hormones and other drugs as well as surgery at government expense to live their best fantasy life, they shouldn't be allowed near weapons, ammunition, or explosives. From what we've seen of the impact of transgender "women" on women's athletic teams, you'd have to be a moron not to think they would have a much more deleterious effect while living in close quarters in barracks or deployed.
It is easy for Reyes to make the decisions she's made so far because she has never served in the military and will never have to live with the consequences of her actions.
When I wore Uncle Sam's colors back in the closing years of the Cold War, we took a lot of pride in being STRAC - "Strategic, Tough, Ready Around the Clock." Not only physical fitness but appearance factored into that; we took pride in looking sharp, in looking soldierly. We eschewed standard-issue boots for Corcoran jump boots that took a better shine. We pressed our uniforms, we blocked our caps, and we shined our brass; we were honed like razors, and we took great pride in it.
In recent years, some of the military people we've seen in airports and so on have not only looked non-STRAC, but some of them looked a little saggy around the midsection. But there's a new boss at the Pentagon, and he looks to be bringing STRAC back.
In 1935, General Billy Mitchell, testifying before the House of Representatives, said:
I believe that in the future, whoever holds Alaska will hold the world… I think it is the most important strategic place in the world.
This may be one of the most prescient geopolitical observations of the early 20th century. Alaska is, as I write regularly, the crown of the Pacific, and the Aleutians control the gateway to the Arctic. We ignore that at our peril. //
anon-x8p1
an hour ago edited
Excellent history of the forgotten WWII front in the Aleutians: The 1000 Mile War.
Highly readable. Japanese were relentless and dug in up and down these remote islands, where the weather itself caused the death of more US soldiers than active warfare.
Their story is as compelling as the War in the Pacific and the European theater - just buried and forgotten as the site of a few military missteps when the weather itself forced errors.
Interforce rivalry and personalities played roles too: was this going to be an Army/Airforce War or a Navy War? But it did leave us with the AlCan Highway and now annual arrival of the millions of Alaska visitors every summer who typically know very little about why this highway was even built in the first place - just one of many challenge fighting in the American Ice Box.
Pete Hegseth @PeteHegseth
·
John is, of course, correct.
The @DeptofDefense does not do climate change crap.
We do training and warfighting.
Haley Britzky @halbritz
In response to a list of questions from CNN about military readiness as it relates to climate programs, Pentagon Spox John Ullyot said “Climate zealotry and other woke chimeras of the Left are not part” of DOD’s mission.
8:09 PM · Mar 9, 2025 //
The Army set a deadline of 2035 for all of its administrative vehicles to be electric and 2050 for tactical vehicles. //
If climate change is real, it will be addressed at home and abroad by agencies not called the Department of Defense. When the Defense encounters it, it will come in the form of weather and terrain; how we got there will be an academic exercise. Secretary Hegseth is right; his focus has to be on training troops, structuring forces, modernizing equipment, and building warrior spirit to win wars, something Defense has gotten out of the habit of doing over the last 41 years. //
anon-ymous99
9 hours ago
Y’know what’s bad for the environment? Destructive wars, that wouldn’t have started if a strong President and militarily focused US Armed Forces were in place.
Prevent those and the environment will benefit.
I think there is a common thread running through these selections. They are not creatures of the system, but they are familiar with it and how it is broken. Their loyalty is to Trump and Hegseth, not to defense contractors or congressional powerbrokers. They have a genuine desire to rebuild the military.
Putting Parlatore in the Navy JAG slot will give Phelan and Cao a strong partner in cleaning up the cultural morass that has created a Navy that appears to be absolutely broken to the outside observer.
The point is not about Donald Trump, and the meaning of the moment is much larger than most of the reporting suggests. The claim that it’s outrageous, unprecedented, and a crisis to fire flag officers is laughable. It’s also dangerous and threatens to reduce civilian control of the military if the premise is accepted at all. If it’s an illegitimate act for President Donald Trump to fire senior military officers, then it’s illegitimate for presidents to fire senior military officers — all presidents. It means that anyone who wears stars on his or her collar is somehow untouchable, a member of a protected guild that stands above political control. “You can’t fire me — I’m a general.” Good luck with that. //
The current president’s decision to fire flag officers isn’t a break with American law and tradition. The “Appeal to Congress” from former secretaries of defense certainly is. The warning about a crisis is the crisis. This dangerous argument needs to be hammered into its grave, quickly and forcefully.
Stoutcat
7 hours ago
”…the irony of it all is that Donald Trump never served a day the freaking coward…”
Did Biden? Did Obama? Did Clinton?
NavyVet Stoutcat
6 hours ago
President Trump was shot by a democrat, in the democrat war on America.
That makes President Trump a combat veteran in my book.
Fight! Fight! Fight!
TexasVeteran Stoutcat
7 hours ago
At least he attended a the New York Military Academy and learned to salute properly! That puts him well ahead of the three presidents mentioned above!😁
He has never served on the Air Staff in the Pentagon. He has never served with the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He has never worked in the procurement community or for a Defense contractor. In short, there is nothing about him that would make him stand out as a choice other than he is untainted by the uncontrolled coercive medical experimentation that masqueraded as the COVID-19 vaccination program and also by any contact with the Air Force's DEI program. You can read his full bio at JOHN D. CAINE > Air Force > Biography Display.
Another plus for him is that retired Lieutenant Colonel Alexander "Krispy Kreme" Vindman disapproves.
There is a lot in Caine's selection that recalls General George C. Marshall's decimation of pre-World War Il Army leadership and dipping deep to find lieutenant colonels, like George S. Patton, Jr., to catapult into the general officer corps. It is hard to believe he will not be the only top military leader with a non-traditional background.
US government-owned "moored passive acoustic recorder" was able to hear and record the 2023 implosion of the doomed Titan submersible—even though the recorder was 900 miles away from the dive site.
That implosion, during an attempted dive to the wreckage of the Titanic, killed five people, including Stockton Rush, the CEO of the company that built and operated the Titan.
The implosion audio was just released publicly by the US Coast Guard's Titan Marine Board of Investigation, which has been investigating the disaster in enormous detail. As part of that investigation, the Coast Guard obtained the audio from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), part of the US Department of Commerce.
The audio isn't much to listen to—just some static followed by a staticky explosive noise that decays in swirling fashion for multiple seconds. The implosion itself, given the pressure the vehicle was under at the time, probably occurred in milliseconds, as you can learn from simulations of the event. //
Back in the 1960s, '70s, and '80s, this kind of sonic technology was deeply important to the military, which used the Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS) to track things like Soviet submarine movements. (Think of Hunt for Red October spy games here.) Using underwater beamforming and triangulation, the system could identify submarines many hundreds or even thousands of miles away. The SOSUS mission was declassified in 1991. //
"At some point, safety just is pure waste," Rush once told a journalist. Unfortunately, it can be hard to know exactly where that point is. But it is now possible to hear what it sounds like when you're on the wrong side of it—and far below the surface of the ocean.
He traveled to Europe by way of a C-17 cargo plane with a command pod rather than in a Gulfstream executive jet. //
He traveled with his wife and child. This has become something of a standard image of all Trump Cabinet secretaries. Trump has had his grandchild at his desk. Sean Duffy's family is prominent in events. JD Vance's wife and kids travel with him. Musk's kid was at the press conference he held yesterday. The image of family as a central point in life rather than an adjunct to your job is striking when compared to previous administrations, including Trump 1.0. See my colleague Brandon Morse's post on the subject: Elon Musk Is Demonstrating the Best Pro-Life Strategy Right Now and It's Heartwarming to See – RedState. //
I'm old school on uniforms. I think the custom of wearing BDUs (utilities, fatigues, whatever you want to call the field uniform) all the time is horrendous. When I was a young officer, you weren't allowed to wear BDUs off-post. Period. You couldn't go to a fast food place or run an errand on the way home or at lunch wearing BDUs. In my view, if you can't break out the Class A uniform to welcome the SecDef and note the color guard is in dress uniform, then there is no possible occasion that calls for them. But, if you do wear BDUs to greet the SecDef, show him the respect of wearing a fresh set. Meeting the head of the Department of Defense in wrinkled BDUs is a calculated insult because I really don't believe this three-star or his aide are that stupid. //
This is just the tip of the iceberg. If you're willing to greet your boss in wrinkled clothes and allow him to be heckled by dependent wives, you can imagine what else is going on out of sight.
Here are the powers given to the President by the 1807 Insurrection Act, as modified in 2006:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insurrection_Act //
This law, I am given to understand, provides a statutory exemption to the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, which prohibits the use of the armed forces in civil law enforcement. In other words, President Trump would seem to have a tool here, if he chooses to use it. The Posse Comitatus Act also specifically states “…except in cases and under circumstances expressly authorized by the Constitution or Act of Congress…” This means that suppression of domestic insurrection is specifically exempted, as an Act of Congress – the Insurrection Act – allows the use of the military.
Now, I’m not generally in favor of the government, at any level, using force unless met first by force. But dip me in... something unpleasant if the events of the last few days ain’t been different. There is an organized, armed, destructive rebellion going on against civil authority. The protesters are blocking the public roadways, interfering with the law-abiding citizenry’s right to go about their daily business unimpeded, and possibly endangering lives by impeding the passage of emergency vehicles.
If the president won’t authorize the use of soldiers and Marines to quell the burning, rioting, and looting, then the only recourse is for private citizens to arm themselves in response and to use deadly force themselves in defense of the life, limb, and property of themselves and their neighbors. //
So, yes, the president has some tools to deal with these protests, if things get bad enough. But it's likely, for the time being, he's going to continue the "you made your bed, now you lie in it" approach.
DaveGinOly | January 29, 2025 at 4:26 pm
Remember, Milley created a bottleneck in the chain of command during the final hours of the Trump administration, requiring that only orders issued or approved by him were to be followed, effectively elevating himself above the POTUS, the lawful civilian authority at the top of the military chain of command. He can’t be tried for this criminality, but he should be demoted for it. (Nancy Pelosi encouraged him in this venture, and she remains exposed to prosecution for her part in it.)
On this site you will find all the German U-boats of both World Wars, their commanding officers and operations including all Allied ships attacked, technological information and much more. You can also browse our large photo gallery and thousands of U-boat books and movies. While hundreds of U-boats were lost some of the boats are preserved as museums today.
We also have a huge section covering the Allied forces and their struggle with the U-boat threat - not to mention the Pacific war. Included there are all the Allied Warships and thousands of Allied Commanding officers from all the major navies (US Navy, Royal Navy, ...) plus technical pages and information on the air forces.
OrneryCoot
3 hours ago
There is something inherently wrong with the idea that the leader of the executive branch of government cannot fire persons under his authority, tasked with implementing his policy, in the executive branch. That is all kinds of "only in Washington" dumb. Trump is right to blast through that and try to tee up a SCOTUS decision. In the meantime, I will breathe a sigh of relief that these people are removed from their positions of power. Democrat appointed workers in the administrative state are open sores that need to be cut out. //
TexasVeteran
6 hours ago edited
Milley reminds me of General Thomas Conway, the backstabber who conspired with others to replace George Washington with Horatio "Granny" Gates. What a disaster that would have been. To get satisfaction, Washington encouraged his supporters to challenge the conspirators to duels! Talk about FAFO!
When challenged Gates cried, apologized and begged forgiveness. Conway fought a duel with Brigadier John Cadwalader, who shot Conway in the mouth. "I have stopped the damned rascal's lying tongue at any rate," he said afterwards. We could use a little Colonial justice today!
We need fewer Milleys and Conaways!🤦♂️. //
UpLateAgain
3 hours ago edited
- " the infamous incident where he called "Chinese counterpart on two occasions in the final months of Trump's first term, warning him the U.S. military had no plans to strike China in a bid to avert tensions between nuclear-armed countries."
It was even worse than that. Milley reportedly told the Chinese that he would be the one who determined whether or not nuclear weapons would be deployed...... and said this in a room full of major US Commanders.
THAT is tantamount to assuming overall command of US forces and constitutes a coup. i.e. treason... plain and simple. He may not be chargeable because of the pardon, but he should lose ALL his stars... and in fact, his commission. I don't know if they can take his retirement without a criminal conviction. Officers generally retire at their highest grade achieved. There may not be anything they can do about that. But commissions exist at the pleasure of the President. Trump should be able to revoke it. //
GreyBob Sarcastic Frog
5 hours ago
Nine ranks of enlisted soldiers: private (E-1) to sergeant major (E-9) five ranks of Warrant Officer, and nine ranks of officers Second Lieutenant (O-1) to General (O-9). Sometimes there is an extra general rank, but usually only in times of a really big war.
Busting this guy down to private would be fun, but not allowed under what he is being investigated for.
Laocoön of Troy Steprock
3 hours ago
We've done this before...
From March 16, 1916, to February 14, 1917, an expeditionary force of more than fourteen thousand regular army troops under the command of Brig. Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing operated in northern Mexico "in pursuit of Villa with the single objective of capturing him and putting a stop to his forays. Another 140,000 regular army and National Guard troops patrolled the vast border between Mexico and the United States to discourage further raids. //
anon-pkys Laocoön of Troy
36 minutes ago
Back in the 1840s the U.S. declared war on Mexico. We had two small armies that attacked, one from the north across the border, and one by sea from Vera Cruz. Our troops, although greatly out numbered kicked A$$ and took names in several battles with the Mexican Army. We conquered and held Mexico City in a battle in which we were outnumbered. Texas Rangers served as Scouts for the Army and as shock troops. They were hated and feared by the Mexicans. To this day the Mexican people have no love for the Texas Rangers. During the 1870s-80s the Texas Rangers guarded much of the border with Mexico. They were not afraid to go into Mexico after Mexican rustlers.
On January 17, 1961, in this farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned against the establishment of a "military-industrial complex."
In a speech of less than 10 minutes, on January 17, 1961, President Dwight Eisenhower delivered his political farewell to the American people on national television from the Oval Office of the White House. Those who expected the military leader and hero of World War II to depart his Presidency with a nostalgic, "old soldier" speech like Gen. Douglas MacArthur's, were surprised at his strong warnings about the dangers of the "military-industrial complex."
As President of the United States for two terms, Eisenhower had slowed the push for increased defense spending despite pressure to build more military equipment during the Cold War’s arms race. Nonetheless, the American military services and the defense industry had expanded a great deal in the 1950s. Eisenhower thought this growth was needed to counter the Soviet Union, but it confounded him. Though he did not say so explicitly, his standing as a military leader helped give him the credibility to stand up to the pressures of this new, powerful interest group. He eventually described it as a necessary evil.
A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction. . . . American makers of plowshares could, with time and as required, make swords as well. But now we can no longer risk emergency improvisation of national defense; we have been compelled to create a permanent armaments industry of vast proportions. . . . This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. . . .Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. . . . In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist.
Removing this garbage from the military—and I'm under no illusion that the Air Force is unique in having commands that are surreptitiously telling the Commander-in-Chief to get lost—will require diligent effort and ruthlessness. Anyone involved in rebranding USAF DEI programs must be terminated if civilian or administratively separated if military. What we are seeing here is really nothing less than a mutiny.
I think placing high-profile and very credible critics inside the military's civilian bureaucracy may prove to be a masterstroke. First, it rubs the noses of those who toadied to the forces of DEI, CRT, transgenderism, and every other social science fad in their own ordure every day just by their existence. Much like Biden and Kamala had to sit at the front of a packed auditorium during Trump's inauguration and listen to him castigate their loathsome term in office, Scheller and Lohmeier will condemn the people who punished them every day by just existing. Second, their presence in the upper reaches of DOD will encourage whistleblowers to report on people who are part of the resistance. Finally, if Scheller and Lohmeier can impart a fraction of their passion for military virtues to the Armed Services, they will have done the nation an everlasting favor.
Thank you to my incredible wife Jennifer, who has changed my life and been with me throughout this entire process. I love you sweetheart, and I thank God for you. And as Jenny and I pray together each morning, all glory—regardless of the outcome—belongs to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. His grace and mercy abound each day. May His will be done.
Thank you to my father Brian and mother Penny, as well as my entire family—including our seven wonderful kids: Gunner, Jackson, Peter Boone, Kenzie, Luke, Rex & Gwendolyn. Their future safety and security is in all our hands.
And to all the troops and veterans watching, and in this room—Navy SEALs, Green Berets, Pilots, Sailors, Marines, Gold Stars and more. Too many friends to name. Officers and Enlisted. Black and White. Young and Old. Men and Women. All Americans. All warriors. This hearing is for you. Thank you for figuratively, and literally, having my back. I pledge to do the same for you. All of you. //
As I’ve said to many of you in our private meetings, when President Trump chose me for this position, the primary charge he gave me was—to bring the warrior culture back to the Department of Defense. He, like me, wants a Pentagon laser focused on warfighting, lethality, meritocracy, standards, and readiness. That’s it. That is my job. //
My only special interest is—the warfighter. Deterring wars, and if called upon, winning wars—by ensuring our warriors never enter a fair fight. We let them win and then bring them home. Like many of my generation, I’ve been there. //
The desperation of the left was evident in the fact that no one addressed policy or strategic questions with all of them choosing to direct personal attacks on Hegseth's character. //
It is difficult to get away from the feeling that the Democrats knew they had nothing to stop him, so they resorted to smearing him as much as possible before he takes office.
Hegseth came across weakest on the complaint that he'd refused to engage in one-on-one meetings with any of the Democrats other than the ranking member. His reason for doing so was obvious. The substance of any conversation would be lied about or distorted, and the conversation would give the Democrats a chance to test how he would respond to questions. Hegseth unconvincingly passed this off as "scheduling conflicts" because you can't very well try to come across as bipartisan while revealing that you don't trust the Democrats. //
In terms of optics, Hegseth was polite, responsive, and telegenic. He was able to successfully filibuster during some particularly nasty personal attacks and not look flustered or angry. In terms of intelligence, he may very well have been one of the two or three smartest guys in the room.