Doc Robinson
Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
THE PENTAGON – The Navy wants to buy the first Trump-class battleship in next year’s budget submission, a schedule that would allow the service to make the purchase before President Donald Trump leaves office.
In the FY 2028 budget submission the Defense Department will unveil next year when it buys the first ship, the Navy projects asking for $17 billion in procurement funding. The service currently projects buying the second ship in FY 2030, when it will seek $13 billion, and the third ship in FY 2031, when it will ask Congress for $11.5 billion
Trump and Navy Secretary John Phelan announced in December that the service would pursue a new battleship, which anchors the Trump administration’s pursuit of the Golden Fleet concept.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/21/navy-wants-to-buy-trump-class-battleship-in-fy-2028
Article from Tasnim News Agency in Iran –
(translated from Persian)The Lloyd’s List data show that at least 26 of the ships of Iran’s shadow fleet have crossed the U.S. blockade line.
These statistics show that, contrary to the Pentagon’s claim, there is a continuous flow of the movement of the shadow fleet into and out of the Persian Gulf
The Iranian container ship Shoja 2 (formerly the Hanne Christine of Norway) has a length of 90 meters and is passing through the Strait of Hormuz. It can be tracked here –
Iranian news source announced that “Another Iranian ship is passing through the Strait of Hormuz“, on its way to India. It’s a container ship named “Shoja 2”.
I wonder if it could be bait, for somehow targeting a USN ship which tries to seize it?
(translated from Persian)
According to Tasnim news agency, a cargo ship with the flag of Iran and the name Shoja 2 is passing through the Strait of Hormuz despite the siege announced by the US terrorist army.
The ship leaves the port of Shahid Rajaee near Bandar Abbas and continues its route to the port of Candella in India
Map showing where the Iranian container ship TOUSKA was disabled and seized by the US Navy.
Official pushback against US Navy food shortages and substandard meals.
The chief of naval operations pushed back Monday against reports that sailors were experiencing food shortages and substandard meals aboard several vessels stationed in the Middle East.
Adm. Daryl Caudle told reporters during a media roundtable at Sea-Air-Space 2026 in Maryland that food quantity and quality were meeting Navy standards.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2026/04/20/cno-denies-reports-
US Navy fleet tracker updated today.
The USS Bush carrier group is taking the long way around Africa towards Iran, now near Madagascar.
The burnt-out USS Ford carrier group went back through the Suez canal and is now is the northern Red Sea, away from Yemen.
No US ships are listed in the Persian Gulf.
A couple comments from below the update, about the unlikeliness of a Marine Expeditionary brigade forming (they’ll stick with boardings), and how “If the USN is too unwilling or afraid of convoy escort duty, Iran wins.”
With neither the Boxer ARG nor the Iwo Jima ARG advancing toward the Middle East, I no longer foresee a Marine Expeditionary Brigade forming up. The Tripoli ARG will continue to prosecute smaller missions such as boardings.
Until the USN provides real escorts for non-Iranian tankers or the Iranian regime is changed out, nothing will really change. As along as the non-Iranian tankers are too afraid to cross the Strait, Iran “wins.” It doesn’t matter if we deploy 10 carrier groups there. If the USN is too unwilling or afraid of convoy escort duty, Iran wins.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/20/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-april-20-2026
Some headlines from Iran
Attack sub USS Boise scuttled after only one patrol — 10 years ago
It’s been docked for repairs for a decade, costing the taxpayer $800 million — a poster child for the Navy’s procurement issues
The Navy inactivated the USS Boise attack submarine earlier this month, canceling its overhaul after spending $800 million to complete less than 25% of the vessel’s needed repairs. The cost of the full overhaul had ballooned from $1.2 billion to roughly $3 billion — nearly the cost of a new submarine altogether.
That pricey, nail-in-coffin decision capped off maintenance delays that had sidelined the Boise for over a decade — more than one-third of its career.
Today, an Iranian-flagged cargo ship named TOUSKA, nearly 900 feet long and weighing almost as much as an aircraft carrier, tried to get past our Naval Blockade, and it did not go well for them. The U.S. Navy Guided Missile Destroyer USS SPRUANCE intercepted the TOUSKA in the Gulf of Oman, and gave them fair warning to stop. The Iranian crew refused to listen, so our Navy ship stopped them right in their tracks by blowing a hole in the engineroom. Right now, U.S. Marines have custody of the vessel. The TOUSKA is under U.S. Treasury Sanctions because of their prior history of illegal activity. We have full custody of the ship, and are seeing what’s on board! President DONALD J. TRUMP
The crew “refused to listen.”
What’s the “prior history of illegal activity” of this container ship?
All I found was that the TOUSKA’s flag is Iranian, and the US Government put it on their “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons list” (“SDN List”).https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/Details.aspx?id=25315
It’s not the UK, despite the face of King Charles appearing on all of Australia’s new coins. This week, in its 2026 National Defence Strategy, the Australian Government has announced that the US is their “closest ally” and “principal strategic partner.”
The United States is our closest ally and principal strategic partner.
Intense competition between major powers – principally the United States and China –
will be an enduring feature of our strategic environment.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/17/2026-australian-national-defence-strategyIranian news source says that by April 4, more than 10 million Iranian volunteers had joined the grassroots “Janfada” campaign for defense of the country if there’s a ground invasion.
“If you encroach upon our home, you will face the entire family,” adding, “We are not warmongers—but when it comes to defending our homeland, each of us becomes a soldier.”
“During the war with Saddam, they claimed Tehran would fall within a week, yet the war lasted eight years. We are a resilient nation and will continue until our enemies regret their actions.”
Historically, the scale of this mobilization is notable. During the eight-year Iran–Iraq War, around two million volunteers joined the front lines—roughly 5–6% of the population at the time. In contrast, more than 10 million registrations in the “Janfada” campaign within days amount to over 11% of Iran’s current population, reflecting both the speed and scale of today’s response.
https://wanaen.com/over-10-million-iranians-join-janfada-campaign-amid-war/UPDATE (April 16)
Fars News Agency reported that the total number of Iranians registered for the Janfada campaign now exceeds 26 million.The actual support is still happening, Israel will still get the military equipment.
Senate vote on arms sale shows ‘massive cracks’ in US support for Israel
Rights advocates hail a ‘historic’ shift as 40 out of 47 Democratic senators vote to block the transfer of military bulldozers to Israel.
US navy ships including the USS Abraham Lincoln and USS Tripoli are reported to be “short on food.”
“The food is tasteless and there’s not nearly enough and they’re hungry all the time.”
“Morale is going to be at an all-time low.“
“The 3,500 sailors and Marines aboard the Tripoli and its two accompanying warships are now tasked with enforcing the U.S. blockade of ships leaving Iranian ports, according to the U.S. Central Command.”From USA Today today –
“A picture shared by a US Marine deployed on the USS Tripoli of a meal service that members on board received.”
“A picture of dinner on the USS Abraham Lincoln sent to family by a service member on board.”The Pentagon did not respond to a request for comment on the mail stoppage or reports that some U.S. vessels were short on food.
A Texas mother whose son, a Navy sailor, is also aboard the Tripoli, said she panicked after hearing he was hungry on the ship. Her family has now spent at least $2,000 on care packages, but none have reached her son. The mother asked to remain anonymous out of fear her son would face retaliation.
Supplies “are going to get really low,” and the crew doesn’t anticipate any port visits until the ship returns from its mission, he wrote in a message on March 11.
“Morale is going to be at an all-time low,” he wrote.
Karen Erskine-Valentine, pastor of a church in Shepherdstown, West Virginia, said she was alarmed to hear from a community member whose son is in the Middle East aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln about the poor quality of food on the ship. The Abraham Lincoln is one of two aircraft carriers sent to the region, along with the USS Gerald Ford. A third, the USS George H.W. Bush, is on the way.
“The food is tasteless and there’s not nearly enough and they’re hungry all the time,” Erskine-Valentine said. “That kind of breaks your heart.”
The Tripoli has been at sea for more than a month since it left its home port in Japan to join the Iran war. The 3,500 sailors and Marines aboard the Tripoli and its two accompanying warships are now tasked with enforcing the U.S. blockade of ships leaving Iranian ports, according to the U.S. Central Command.
Lloyd’s List reported Thursday that eight ships crossed the blockade and are sailing through the Strait of Hormuz, bound for Iranian ports.
Lloyd’s List Intelligence has tracked 27 transits – the majority of which were westbound – since Monday when the blockage began.
Of the 27 transits, 15 used Iranian routes, according to Lloyd’s List.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/16/u-s-expands-search-for-contraband-as-iranian-blockade-continuesAlso this –
Data from the ship tracking company Kepler revealed that at least 4 ships have departed from Iranian ports and crossed the Strait of Hormuz following the American announcement of a navigation ban on the Strait of Hormuz.
From a Yemeni news source, Iran may target regional ports to cut off supply chains for American forces.
Iran revealed its plan to confront the American blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.
The spokesman for the “Khatam Al-Anbiya” headquarters affirmed that the security of the ports of the Gulf and the Sea of Oman is either for everyone or for no one, in a clear reference to the Iranian forces placing the region’s ports on the list of targets if the American plan to blockade the Strait of Hormuz is implemented.
He also indicated that the plan includes preventing the passage of enemy ships.
American forces use those ports for resupply and food, which means cutting off their supply chains.
The Iranian hint at placing all ports in the region within targets comes amid anticipation of a new American escalation in Hormuz.
Some tweets from Courtney Bonneau, a war correspondent in Lebanon.
Apr 13
Fuck you @NPR for perpetuating the lie that Israel is striking ‘Hezbollah targets.’ They are committing daily massacres off the battlefield of civilians and your correspondent in Beirut knows it.
5h
Another hearty “fuck you” to @NPR for airing the Israeli ambassador saying that they are working on liberating the Lebanese people from Iran.
Let me be crystal clear; the only country bombing Lebanon for the last two years is Israel. The only country forcibly displacing over a million people is Israel. The only country killing children, paramedics and journalists is Israel. The only country committing egregious acts of ecocide with white phosphorus is Israel. The only soldiers who have threatened me and my colleagues for telling the truth are Israeli soldiers.
I am a witness. I have photos and video of all of it. NPR, do better. Your correspondent in Beirut knows what’s actually happening. Let them say it.
5h
Another Israeli double-tap attack on medical professionals in Mifdoun, Lebanon. Two people were killed and four wounded after ambulances were intentionally targeted as they arrived at the scene of another ambulance that had been targeted.
Targeting medial professionals is a war crime. Israel has killed almost 100 medial professionals in Lebanon since March 2nd.
On Saturday, the aircraft carrier USS Lincoln and a couple destroyers were spotted in the Gulf of Oman, around 200 km from Iran’s coast during the ceasefire.
Aircraft carrier USS Ford is still in the Mediterranean Sea, while aircraft carrier USS Bush is taking the long way around Africa towards Iran.
Two US destroyers are said to be somewhere in the Red Sea, with no US ships in the Persian Gulf.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/13/usni-news-fleet-and-marine-tracker-april-13-2026This article from Iran doesn’t seem too worried about a naval blockade affecting trade, because of their upgraded network of ground corridors. “The more diverse, decentralized and multi-layered the routes of supplying a country, the higher the cost of external pressure on it.”
(translated from Persian)
Strategic rearrangement at the ports of entry of goods, immediate response to the enemy’s naval blockade
Since the beginning of the conflict and the intensification of attacks on the south of the country, one of the most important priorities of the government has been the rapid and operational redesign of the network of basic goods, raw materials of production and items needed by various economic sectorsThis change is not just the movement of one route with another route; rather, the transfer of the center of gravity of a part of foreign trade from the south of the sea-based to a diverse, multi-way and flexible network of ground corridors and combinations
In this framework, the free zones and customs located on the northern, northwest, western and eastern borders of the country have been upgraded from a complementary position to a determining position and are now at the forefront of supplying the goods needed by the country.
One of the most important teachings of the political economy of the crisis is that the more diverse, decentralized and multi-layered the routes of supplying a country, the higher the cost of external pressure on it.
In its calculations, the enemy usually relies on the assumption that the focus of Iran’s foreign trade on waterways and southern ports can increase the cost of supply and slow the flow of goods by threatening, monitoring, disruption or siege, but when the country moves rapidly towards activating the land borders, strengthening the role of neighbors, using alternative rail and road routes, and taking advantage of the capacity of free zones in non-seam points, the effect of this calculation is practically reduced. This is the point where the enemy’s naval strategy is faced with Iran’s ground and network tactics.
Tasnim News reports that the “U.S. efforts to exploit ceasefire failed.”
Iran’s IRGC said that two US destroyers tried to make a surprising infiltration into the Strait of Hormuz yesterday at the start of the Islamabad talks by impersonating an Omani merchant ship, but both destroyers were forced to retreat at the entrance of the Persian Gulf in the waters of the Oman Sea without crossing the Strait of Hormuz.
(Tasnim News article translated from Persian)
U.S. efforts to exploit ceasefire failed
The U.S. attempt to move Frank Peterson and Michael Murphy through the Strait of Hormuz became a failed propaganda operation.
The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement that yesterday’s attempt by the United States to pass two destroyers Frank Peterson and Michael Murphy from the Strait of Hormuz became a failed propaganda operation.
The purpose of the destroyers’ efforts to cross the Strait of Hormuz was to exploit the conditions of the ceasefire to make false achievements from the claim of crossing the Strait of Hormuz on the one hand and to influence the Islamabad negotiations on the other.
The efforts of the Patterson and Murphy destroyers have been described as an extremely risky measure that could have become a disaster for the United States. The Press TV investigation quoted senior military official as saying that the two destroyers Frank Peterson and Michael Murphy tried to make a surprising infiltration into the Strait of Hormuz yesterday at the start of the Islamabad talks.
The two destroyers tried to deceive the IRGC Navy by electronic warfare and shut down the automated positioning system. The destroyers were impersonating the Omani merchant ship, which intends to sail in the southern part of the Oman Sea.
These destroyers also took a high risk by choosing a route very close to the coast and shallow, so that they could only cross this path through secrecy, deception and hope for the neglect of Iranian forces in the ceasefire and enter the Persian Gulf.
Finally, both destroyers are forced to retreat at the entrance of the Persian Gulf crater in the waters of the Oman Sea without the possibility of crossing the Strait of Hormuz. The Press TV investigation says it was a very dangerous move for the military stationed on these two destroyers, which professional commanders do not naturally accept, but under the political pressure of the Trump administration and in the absence of ousted generals, the US military was forced to do so.
The inexperienced U.S. Secretary of War has in fact risked the lives of U.S. soldiers to launch a shot at the same time as the negotiations.
A move that, of course, failed, and if Iran was not in a ceasefire, certainly these ships were fat morsels
Former UK ambassador and whistleblower Craig Murray explains the international law applying to Iran and the Hormuz Strait.
In international law, Tehran has every right to close the strait of Hormuz to nations with which it is in armed conflict. Two vital points:
1) States who permit attacks on Iran to be launched from their territory can be blocked
2) Iran can block neutral ships from trading with states with which it is in conflict.
Plainly UK ships can be blocked under 1). But it is also undeniable that Gulf states have permitted attacks to be launched from their territory.
Iran has the right therefore to close the Strait of Hormuz to ships trading with those Gulf States that are hosting US forces attacking Iran. Which effectively means an almost complete closure of the straits.
A week ago I participated in a discussion on Al Jazeera in which I was able to make some of these points. I also pointed out the hypocrisy of the Western powers’ sudden interest in freedom of navigation, when they have been supporting or ignoring illegal blockades of Gaza, Cuba and Venezuela, and illegal action against the misnamed “Russian shadow fleet”.
https://www.craigmurray.org.uk/archives/2026/04/the-strait-of-hormuz/
“Iranian state TV shows identity documents from the site of destroyed US planes”
The name is Amanda.
KHARG ISLAND: Business As Usual
A quick check on Iran’s primary crude export terminal using today’s (Apr 5) Landsat 8/9 imagery.
BAU on the island. Spotted 4x tankers moored and actively loading at the terminals.
Kharg Island remains largely untouched and fully operational. The oil (and the $$$) keep flowing.
https://xcancel.com/MT_Anderson/status/2040930976080220333#m
Wes – “It took 6 years to break Germany’s economy, to stop WW1.”
And “The Blitz” bombing of Britain during WW2 “lasted for eight months” with “40,000–43,000 civilians killed“, “46,000–139,000 injured”, and “two million houses damaged or destroyed.”
That was when Great Britain’s population was less than 50 million. Iran’s population today is over 90 million.
“During the rescue operation, two C-130 ‘Hercules’ planes and one MH-6 ‘Little Bird’ were destroyed.”
https://xcancel.com/TehranTimes79/status/2040732555675369778#m“Satellite imaging company Planet Labs says it will indefinitely withhold Iran war imagery after a request from the Trump administration”
Unusual accusation from Iranian source –
US Trying to Bomb and Kill Downed Fighter’s Pilot in Iran: Source
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – A military source told Tasnim that the US is trying to bomb and kill the pilot of a fighter jet that was shot down in Iran two days ago.
“After their disappointment to rescue the pilot of a fighter jet that was shot down by Iranian armed forces two days ago, the Americans are seeking to bomb and kill pilot in locations where he is likely to be present,” a military source told the Tasnim news agency.
The source noted that several American fighter jets bombed some areas in Kohgiluyeh city of the Kohgiluyeh and Boyer Ahmad province tonight because they thought their pilot was present in this area.
The Americans are desperate to find their second person, whom they call the flight crew, and for this reason they want to kill him by bombing several places, he added.
The source did not comment on whether the individual is currently in the hands of Iranian forces.
“We are not saying anything about this at the moment, but one thing that can be mentioned is that the Americans are not telling the whole truth, even about the first pilot, whom they claimed they saved.”
US Navy announced two days ago that the USS Ford has split Split.
USS Gerald R. Ford Departs Split, Croatia
02 April 2026The world’s largest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), departed the Port of Split, Croatia, following a five-day port visit, March 28-April 2..
The ship’s crew took time to enjoy some liberty in Croatia’s historic and hospitable city..
Meanwhile, today Tyler Durden reported that the USS Ford is “now anchored in Croatia (Split) for largescale emergency repairs.”
Same symphony orchestra, same composer, with a whistling woman.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly – The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
Composed by Ennio MorriconeUS aircraft carrier update –
USS Ford has reportedly left Croatia after 5 days.
The USS Bush carrier strike group left the US a few days ago and is “set to relieve the Gerald R. Ford CSG.”
The USS Lincoln is still “operating from an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea.”
The George H.W. Bush CSG is the latest to join the fray, departing Naval Station Norfolk on March 31 for a regularly scheduled deployment, reportedly to U.S. Central Command. Bush is set to relieve the Gerald R. Ford CSG, which has been deployed for more than nine months and departed the Port of Split, Croatia, on April 2 following a five-day port call. The Abraham Lincoln CSG is operating from an undisclosed location in the Arabian Sea and conducting nonstop combat operations against Iran. The Tripoli ARG and 31st MEU arrived in CENTCOM last week, and the Boxer ARG and 11th MEU are transiting the Pacific en route to the Middle East.
https://xcancel.com/ianellisjones/status/2040137105767116894#m
Hypersonic missiles developed and made in Japan are now deployed there –
Japan Deploys New Hypersonic, Anti-ship Missile
Tokyo’s first batch of long-range strike missiles capable of reaching ground and maritime targets at extended ranges have been operationally fielded, according to Japan’s defense ministry.
The Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) announced Monday the deployment of the Type 25 series of missiles. While the missiles share the same designation, their variants are split through surface-to-ship (SSM) and hypervelocity gliding projectile (HGP) classifications.
Capable of striking targets over 1,000 kilometers away, basing the Type 25 series anti-ship missiles at the service’s Kengun Western Army base in Kyushu enables Japanese forces to hit maritime targets across the country’s southwestern region, the East China Sea and mainland China. The SSM variant is derived from the domestically-made Type 12. While the hypersonic variant is deployed at the JGSDF’s Fuji base, the service has practiced deploying the system via air and maritime means. Future variants of the Type 25-HGP plan to extend the hypersonic’s range to between 2,000 and 3,000 kilometers.
https://news.usni.org/2026/04/01/japan-deploys-new-hypersonic-anti-ship-missiles
From Craig Murray today –
British surveillance helped Israel destroy countless civilians in Gaza for two years.
Now I am expected to be outraged that Russian surveillance helped Iran destroy (checks notes) a military aircraft?(retweeted Andrew Feinstein)
Not even apartheid South Africa codified executions for only one ‘race group’. Israel is now the most racist state the world has ever known.
Shame on every government, every company, every individual who offer it support.French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaul is now near Crete with its carrier strike group on behalf of NATO.
Despite recent reports claiming the Indian Navy is escorting ships through the Strait of Hormuz, the escorts are happening “long after the vessels have cleared the high-threat SoH (or even Fujairah).” The Indian Navy is “not running the gauntlet inside the strait itself.” For the past 10 days, the Indian warship has been “holding a tight patrol pattern deep in the Gulf of Oman, off the eastern coast of Oman.”
Today, the site Responsible Statecraft gives an explainer for “American taxpayers” about “Why the US Navy won’t blast the Iranians and ‘open’ Strait of Hormuz.”
American taxpayers could be forgiven if recent events have left them wondering why the largest and most expensive Navy in the world is sitting well outside the Strait of Hormuz, watching powerlessly as the Iranians decide which ships they will allow to transit the waterway.
After all, they must wonder, why can’t the Navy simply blast the Iranians away and re-open the strait, sending life and the global economy back to normal?
Alas, the days of omnipotent U.S. sea power as a power projection instrument close to well defended shorelines are coming to an end. This change raises questions about the future of navies and the wisdom of investment in these extremely expensive instruments of national power.
https://responsiblestatecraft.org/iran-strait-of-hormuz/
By the way, the questionable MediaBiasFactCheck site says that Responsible Statecraft is Left-Center biased because of “its focus on non-interventionist policies and critical analyses of U.S. foreign policy spending.” Just like Ron Paul and Rand Paul?
Overall, we rate Responsible Statecraft as Left-Center biased for its focus on non-interventionist policies and critical analyses of U.S. foreign policy spending.
IRGC says the attack on the Kuwaiti desalination plant was actually done by the “Zionist regime.” (as reported by Tehran Times)
IRGC: “The brutal aggression of the Zionist regime against the Kuwaiti desalination plant, under the pretext of accusing the Islamic Republic of Iran, which occurred in recent hours, is a sign of the vileness and baseness of the Zionist occupiers.”
Satellite image analysis by MT Anderson finds that there wasn’t any obvious damage done to the Kuwaiti desalination plant.
Kuwait Desalination Plant: Update
Looking at a time-lapse for the month of March, using both false color and false color (urban), I don’t see any obvious damage
Sure there are heat blooms from the 30 March image but there was also a heat bloom on the 27 March image 🤷♂️
Higher resolution is needed to determine if there are major impacts..From Craig Murray today –
al-Jolani allowed the IDF to pass through Syrian territory to attack Hezbollah from the East around Mount Hermon.
The Syrian government gave the Israelis logistic support.
There are no words sufficient.“For the first time in centuries” the Israeli authorities stopped the Roman Catholic cardinal from performing mass on Palm Sunday at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
In hundreds of years of Muslim rule this never happened.
I really want to hear Christian zionists now.
