Doc Robinson
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France’s Navy Has a Problem: Only 1 Nuclear Aircraft Carrier That Is Getting Old
The deployment of the Charles de Gaulle is a calculated gamble that highlights the “Single-Point-of-Failure” in French strategic autonomy. In the 2026 landscape of Operation Epic Fury, France is forced to choose between NATO’s northern flank and the stability of the Levant.
International Business Times UK
‘They Were Extended. Then Extended Again’ — USS Gerald R Ford Sailors Now Suspected of Sabotage to Avoid Continuing Deployment
The US Navy is investigating whether the fire aboard the USS Gerald R Ford was deliberately set by sailors, amid extended deployment and operational strain.It’s confirmed that the carrier USS Ford is heading back to the base in Crete for “more than a week of pierside repairs”.
Ford will travel to Naval Support Activity Souda Bay for more than a week of pierside repairs, a senior U.S. official confirmed to USNI News on Tuesday. The official confirmed a report in a local Greek news outlet that said Ford is returning to Crete.
One sailor was medically evacuated from the carrier after being injured in the damage control effort and is in stable condition, while two others were treated for lacerations, another official told USNI News. More than 200 sailors were treated for smoke inhalation and returned to duty, two sources familiar with the fire response told USNI News.
The smoke damage extended to the berthing, requiring the Navy to take 1,000 mattresses off the future USS John F. Kennedy (CVN-79) in Norfolk, Va., over the weekend to send to Ford, USNI News understands. The Navy has also collected almost 2,000 sweatsuits and other clothing items to distribute to the crew because many sailors are unable to clean their clothes with most of the laundry services out of commission, a source confirmed to USNI News.
https://news.usni.org/2026/03/17/uss-gerald-r-ford-headed-to-souda-bay-for-repairs-after-fire
Aircraft carrier USS Ford reported to be leaving Red Sea and heading away from Iran to Crete.
USS Ford heads to Greek port days after fire that raged for over 30 hours: Report
Washington’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, is returning from the Red Sea to the Greek island of Crete for refueling, and to probe the recent fire which erupted on board the ship days ago, Greek media reported on 17 March.
Tasnim News in Iran reports that another US refueling plane was damaged over Iraqi airspace and made an emergency landing at Ben Gurion airport.
Today, the New York Times reported that the last week’s fire on the aircraft carrier USS Ford “took more than 30 hours for sailors to put out” and “by the time it was over, more than 600 sailors and crew members had lost their beds and have since been bunking down on floors and tables.”
“The officials and sailors interviewed for this article spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.”
The NYT repeated the earlier claim that only two sailors received treatment for injuries, despite the report today that a third sailor was injured and evacuated off the ship for medical treatment (“Third injured sailor flown off USS Gerald R. Ford after fire unrelated to combat” article in Stars and Stripes today.)
Even if it really was a laundry vent fire that took more than 30 hours to fight, could it be that the evacuated sailor was actually a wounded special forces team member, and last week’s fire made a good cover for his medevac?
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/16/us/politics/uss-ford-fire-iran-venezuela.html
The boatload of Marines on the USS Tripoli, headed towards Iran, has been spotted near Indonesia.
USS Tripoli spotted on AIS North of the Riau Archipelago, transiting the southern South China Sea at 18 knots.
There is somehow now a third sailor on the USS Ford who was injured in last week’s laundry fire, and has been “flown off the aircraft carrier to receive medical treatment, according to the Navy.”
Last week there were only two injured sailors reported.
Third injured sailor flown off USS Gerald R. Ford after fire unrelated to combat
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-03-16/ford-fire-red-sea-iran-war-21082703.htmlFrom Craig Murray today –
It should be plainly understood that Israel is today launching a major army into Lebanon with the objective of permanently annexing Southern Lebanon into Greater Israel, up to and beyond the Litani River and including the cities of Tyre and Nabatieh.
I am happy to say the Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon has not got off to a very good start.
On the northern slopes of Khiam they lost four armoured vehicles (the central prong of their attack). They also lost two at Taybeh. On the coastal side they have not managed to advance at all. I don’t have news from further west yet.
From carpet bombings… to standoff missiles.
A single B-52 can carry up to 20 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles (JASSMs) that have 450kg armor-piercing warheads and ranges of up to 920km.
With a combat range of 14,200km, the B-52 can fly indefinitely with aerial refueling.
For example, the JASSM is capable of navigating the high peaks and deep canyons of Iran’s Zagros Mountains, which provide perfect cover for the missile to avoid Iranian air defenses.
With its advanced navigational capabilities at low altitudes, the JASSM would be impossible to detect.
The combined power of just eight B-52s could launch 160 JASSMs, easily overwhelming the S-400 surface-to-air missile systems Russia has reportedly given to Iran.
The S-400, a mobile, surface-to-air missile system manufactured by the Almaz Antey Air Defense Missile Manufacturing Group, is among Russia’s most advanced hardware.
Meanwhile, the US Air Force just received delivery of the JASSM-XR — the extreme range variant — with a range exceeding 1,850km.
https://centcomcitadel.com/en_GB/articles/ssc/features/2025/02/17/feature-01
US pivoting from carriers to long-range bombers?
From sitting ducks to flying ducks?B52 bombers flying from UK RAF base, loaded with cruise missiles.
U.S. B-52H Loaded With AGM-158 Cruise Missiles Signals Operation Epic Fury Long-Range Strike Posture.
16 Mar, 2026 – 6:04
Defense News Aerospace 2026On March 15, photos and videos appeared to show a U.S. Air Force B‑52H Stratofortress departing RAF Fairford armed with AGM‑158 JASSM cruise missiles, just days after additional bombers arrived during Operation Epic Fury. The visible loadout hinted at an operational stand‑off strike posture rather than a symbolic deployment amid the ongoing U.S. bomber buildup linked to strikes on Iranian targets
US Deploys B-52 Stratofortress Bombers for Night Strikes Against Iran in Operation Epic Fury.
15 Mar, 2026 – 11:15
Defense News Aerospace 2026U.S. Central Command has deployed B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers to conduct night strike operations as part of Operation Epic Fury. The move expands the reach of U.S. airpower in the region and signals Washington’s ability to integrate long-range strategic bombers into active operational campaigns.
U.S. Central Command has deployed B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers to conduct night-strike missions under Operation Epic Fury, expanding the operational reach of American airpower in the region. The heavy bomber, capable of delivering large payloads of precision-guided munitions over intercontinental distances, adds a strategic layer to ongoing strike operations.
Real photo of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (from 2021)
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) successfully completes the third and final scheduled explosive event of Full Ship Shock Trials while underway in the Atlantic Ocean, Aug. 8, 2021. The U.S. Navy conducts shock trials of new ship designs using live explosives…
USS Gerald R. Ford: The U.S. Navy’s Problem Child 100,000 Ton Nuclear Aircraft Carrier
https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/uss-gerald-r-ford-the-u-s-navys-problem-child-100000-ton-nuclear-aircraft-carrier/16 hours ago, the 54th wave was being reported.
Tehran Times
@TehranTimes79
16h
#BREAKING
In wave 54 of operation, the Sejil ballistic missile was used for the first time since the start of the war.
https://xcancel.com/Tehrantimes79Posted by the Tehran Times, three hours ago –
Iranian Security Council Secretary:
“I’ve heard that the remnants of Epstein’s team have devised a conspiracy to create an incident similar to 9/11 and frame Iran for it. Iran is fundamentally opposed to such terrorist programs and has no war with American people.”
In wave 54 of operation, the Sejil ballistic missile was used for the first time since the start of the war.
An Iranian military source says that both of these attacks were done by the US or Israel, and not done by Iran –
1. Drone attack on Lanaz refinery in Erbil, Iraq
2. Attack on the civilian airport in KuwaitFrom a news source said to be primarily funded by the government of Qatar –
Propaganda in overdrive as Trump’s war spirals out of control
As the war on Iran enters its third week, the upper hand the United States and Israel hold militarily is being countered asymmetrically by Iran. It has been targeting various economic pressure points outside its borders. With censorship and propaganda shaping coverage on all sides, news audiences are having to navigate a confused and often misleading maze of information.
FWIW, this past week I saw an article – which I cannot find now – from the Iranian media which said that the command bridge of aircraft carriers would be targeted to disable the ship.
Aircraft carrier Ford still holding in the Northern Red Sea, but it’s now joined by a third destroyer, which supposedly “provides a fully-capable Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) umbrella” which would help them get past Yemen.
THE BUILDUP CONTINUES: 3rd Destroyer Joins the Ford
OSINT Update (Mar 12 imagery): Tracking the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78) as she continues to hold off the coast of Al Wajh in the Northern Red Sea.
She has shifted her box slightly to ~100km offshore, but the critical tactical update is the formation. The escort screen has grown yet again.
Spotted in the formation:
3x Arleigh Burke Destroyers (up from 2 in our last pass)
1x Kaiser-Class Oiler (USNS Kanawha)The Assessment: A three-destroyer screen provides a fully-capable Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) umbrella.
With this level of combat power now assembled, is this the final piece of the puzzle before they make the push south to transit the Bab al-Mandeb (BaM)?
An article from last month questioned whether the aircraft carrier USS Ford would be ready for an Iran war, due to crew fatigue and maintenance issues. The ship and crew were supposed to return home last December. But it was then sent to the Caribbean (Venezuela), with the return home date extended to early March.
Now there’s a second extension for the Iran war, and “it’s not just Ford’s nearly 4,500 sailors who are tired and do not know when their deployment will end.. The carrier was due for a major maintenance and refitting period at the Newport News Naval Shipyard in Virginia early this year.”
USS Gerald R. Ford “Not Ready” For Iran War? Rushed to Gulf — Will Fatigue, Maintenance Delays & Navy Warnings Spell Trouble?The USS Gerald R. Ford has been on a cruise since June last year, when it left its homeport in Norfolk.. The USS Ford’s initial deployment was supposed to end by the last week of December. However, its redeployment to the Caribbean meant this timeline was missed. The ship’s crew was then expecting to come home by early March.
Now, the second extension means that the crew cannot expect to return home by early April at the earliest. However, if the Iran operation stretches many months, as happened in the Venezuelan operation, which lasted from August 2025 to January 2026, then this timeline could stretch even further…
Notably, it’s not just Ford’s nearly 4,500 sailors who are tired and do not know when their deployment will end.. The carrier was due for a major maintenance and refitting period at the Newport News Naval Shipyard in Virginia early this year.
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-iran-not-ready/A followup article published today –
Fighter Jets Skidding Next? USS Gerald R. Ford Hit by Clogs & Fire – Why More Mishaps Threaten World’s Biggest Warship?
https://www.eurasiantimes.com/uss-gerald-r-ford-hit-by-clogs-fire-why-more-mishaps/Meanwhile, “TASS data show Russia has used Kinzhal hypersonic missiles at least 44 times in the Ukraine conflict.”
The missile was first used on 18 March 2022, when it destroyed a large underground depot of rockets and aviation munitions belonging to the Ukrainian Armed Forces near the settlement of Deljatin in the Ivano-Frankovsk region.
In 2022, three Kinzhal strikes were officially mentioned, and two more were recorded in 2023. TASS notes that in 2024 the number of launches rose to 14, while the peak came in 2025, when the system was employed 23 times in the special operation zone.
The agency reports that this year hypersonic missiles have been used at least twice.
https://voennoedelo.com/en/posts/id13944-russia-s-kinzhal-strikes-44-hypersonic-uses-in-ukraine
More delays for America’s first hypersonic missile, which “was initially forecast to be ready in September, 2023.” Operational testing of the missiles is now expected to be completed in 2027.
“Tests in 2023 and 2024 were marred by launcher, launch sequence and missile production quality issues.” The estimated cost of the program is more than $10 Billion.
(Bloomberg) — The Pentagon testing office said it won’t get enough data to evaluate the combat effectiveness of the US’s first hypersonic missile until early next year, another troubling sign as the US struggles to catch up with China and Russia in deploying the weapon.
Tests so far of the Army’s Dark Eagle haven’t produced enough data to determine its “operational effectiveness, suitability and survivability,” according to the Director of Operational Test and Evaluation. Also unknown is its ability to withstand a cyber-attack, the office found.
The testing office forecasts that it will get sufficient data after operational testing is completed in March, 2027. In January, the Army had said it planned to field the weapon this year.
The conclusions are part of the office’s annual report, which is scheduled to be published in the coming days. The insufficient data is another concerning development for a weapon that was initially forecast to be ready in September, 2023. Lockheed Martin Corp. and a unit of Leidos Holdings Inc. are the prime contractors of the program, which is estimated to cost more than $10.4 billion..
The Army has repeatedly failed to demonstrate the Dark Eagle system’s success in real-world testing. Tests in 2023 and 2024 were marred by launcher, launch sequence and missile production quality issues, according to the Government Accountability Office.
Someone on X is looking at satellite images to report movements of aircraft carrier strike groups. The USS Gerald Ford is said to still be in the northern Red Sea, no further south than Luxor. Staying a safe distance away from Yemen?
From Mar 12
Carrier Strike Group 12 is actively building up its combat power in the Red Sea.
Following my March 7th update where the USS Gerald R. Ford was operating with a single escort, new imagery confirms the defensive bubble is growing.
Spotted ~80km off the coast of Al Wajh
1x Ford-Class Carrier (CVN-78).
2x Arleigh Burke Destroyers (an increase from the last visual).
1x Kaiser-Class Oiler (USNS Kanawha).The Takeaway: The strike group is systematically assembling its heavy escorts. As more destroyers tie into the formation, when will CSG-12 push further south into higher-threat waters?
From Mar 11 –
Spotted today: An Arleigh Burke-Class Destroyer (likely USS Bulkeley or USS Thomas Hudner) operating ~168 km off the coast of Netanya, Israel.
The Mission: The USN continues to operate at least 4 destroyers in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Impact: This surface action group is providing critical, continuous layered air defense for Israel while simultaneously serving as a launch platform for Tomahawk (TLAM) strikes into the theater.
The carriers get the headlines, but the destroyers are doing the daily heavy lifting.
From Craig Murray –
I too am appalled by Russia and China not vetoing today’s security council resolution, which failed to condemn Israel and the USA for their illegal attack on Iran.
However it seems that China and Russia are following “never interrupt your enemy when they’re making a mistake”.
Reported yesterday, “the United Kingdom will not deploy the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the Middle East.”
Why not? The UK “lacks the operational capacity to send them to the Middle East.”
The UK Government has, for now, ruled out deploying the aircraft carrier HMS Prince of Wales to the Middle East, despite criticism coming from the United States in the context of the conflict involving Washington, Israel, and Iran..
It should be taken into account that sending an aircraft carrier is not simply a matter of deploying an isolated ship—it entails deploying an entire Carrier Strike Group, as mentioned above. And within that strike group, surface ships such as Type 45 destroyers must be considered, but also submarine forces. Under that premise, the United Kingdom is not currently able to assemble a strike group at short notice.
This situation is due to the severe limitations affecting its nuclear submarine fleet. The Astute-class submarines are in various states of maintenance or low availability. HMS Astute is waiting for HMS Audacious to complete its maintenance period so it can enter a mid-life refit, while HMS Ambush is at a very low readiness level. Meanwhile, HMS Agamemnon, commissioned in September, is not yet operational. Finally, HMS Anson has been deployed to Australia to strengthen the UK’s commitment to the AUKUS program. As a result, they have no submarine ready to deploy.
This is the UK’s major problem. Despite having two aircraft carriers—HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Queen Elizabeth, which was modernized in mid-last year—it lacks the operational capacity to send them to the Middle East.
From Craig Murray today –
Israel’s total projected defence budget for the Iran war is what the USA spent in the first 4 days.
And the US taxpayer will be paying the Israeli budget anyway.
Americans are suckers.
President of Iran has three conditions for ending the war.
In contact with the heads of state of Russia and Pakistan, while announcing the Islamic Republic’s commitment to peace and tranquility in the region, I emphasized that the only way to end the war that began with the incitement of the Zionist regime and the United States is to
accept Iran’s inalienable rights,
pay compensation,
and impose a firm international obligation not to re-aggress.Criticism from an Israeli daily newspaper today –
With Netanyahu’s Government, There Will Always Be an Enemy
This time it’s Iran. Yesterday it was Gaza, and the day before that, Lebanon. Tomorrow it will be Turkey – and after that, who knows?
You’ve been sitting in shelters for more than a week. Not all of you, of course. Many citizens cannot go to a shelter. By chance, and only by chance, most of them are from weaker segments of the population. But don’t worry, the supreme leader is sheltering in his bunker.
Today the carrier USS Abraham Lincoln is reported to be “500 miles off the Iranian coast”. Maybe the F-35 used one of its $1M missiles to shoot down the drone.
F-35 from USS Abraham Lincoln Engages and Downs Iranian DroneAn Iranian Shahed-139 drone approached the USS Abraham Lincoln while it was transiting the Arabian Sea, approximately 500 miles off the Iranian coast.
An F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter operating from the USS Abraham Lincoln successfully intercepted an Iranian drone following aggressive maneuvers toward the aircraft carrier.
The F-35C is equipped for counter-drone operations, potentially utilizing AIM-9X Sidewinders and AIM-120 AMRAAMs.
Speculation Swirls About Netanyahu’s Possible Death, Injury
1. It has been nearly three days since the last video of Netanyahu was posted on his personal channel, and almost four days since the last images of him were published. Following that, the few statements attributed to Netanyahu have been text-based.
2. Prior to the last video of Netanyahu, at least one video, and sometimes up to three videos, were typically released daily. However, the absence of even a single video over the past three days has intensified speculation.
3. A number of Hebrew sources reported that on March 8, reports emerged indicating that the security perimeter around Netanyahu’s home had been heightened, particularly to counter potential suicide drones.
4. It is said that the cancellation of the planned visit by Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law) and Steve Witkoff (Trump’s special representative) to Israel, which was scheduled for today, is related to this situation.
5. The Élysée Palace also did not specify the date of a telephone conversation between French President Emmanuel Macron and Netanyahu in a news report about the call, and only a text of this alleged conversation was released.
From Reuters today –
The U.S. Navy has refused near-daily requests from the shipping industry for military escorts through the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the war on Iran, saying the risk of attacks is too high
The Navy’s assessments spell continued disruption to Middle East oil exports and reflect a divergence from President Donald Trump’s statements that the U.S. is prepared to provide naval escorts whenever needed
Satellite image company Planet Labs has increased their “data access restrictions in the Middle East” by further delaying when they will make their images available.
Before the current war, there was no delay. Last week it was changed to a 4-day delay, except for images of Iran which were still available without delay. Now it’s been changed to a 14-day delay, which now also applies to images of Iran.
The given reason for the increased delay is “to insure our imagery is not tactically leveraged by adversarial actors to target allied and NATO-partner personnel and civilians.”
Is this a clue that the satellite imagery of Iran is now being delayed to protect “allied and NATO-partner personnel” who might soon be on the ground in Iran?
Flights leaving Israel’s airports are not allowing more than 100 passengers on each plane. Maybe there’s a large amount of heavy cargo being moved out of the country?
Chaos’ at Israel’s main airport as passengers refused boarding
The Times of Israel is reporting that some passengers have been refused boarding at Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport due to a quota on the number of passengers on board outbound planes.
According to Israeli news outlet, police were called to check-in counters as passengers voiced their anger.
The “chaos” came as Israel’s Transportation Ministry said that “airlines are not permitted to carry more than 100 passengers on an outbound flight… in accordance with the guidelines of the Civil Aviation Authority and the defense establishment,” it said.
Some tweets from Craig Murray today.
Israel has dropped over a million cluster bomblets on Lebanon in the last two years. Now they claim victimhood.
Al Jolani is now openly committed to joining zionist traitor “President” “General” Aoun in taking on Hezbollah for Israel and the USA. Aoun faces a problem. His army – who are ordered not to fight Israel – are majority Shia.
MI6 are concerned that the Trump circle are serious about occupying Kharg Island to declare victory. My source described it as “militarily and strategically nuts” and a certain “off the scale” environmental catastrophe.
Reply to Kaja Kallas – Israel attacked Lebanon every single day of the “ceasefire” for 15 months, you genocide supporting piece of trash.
There is a hubristic presumption that if the USA declares the war over, Iran will stop its self defence against Israel. Thankfully this is very wrong.
#BREAKING
IRGC: Any Arab or European country that expels Israeli and American ambassadors from its territory will have complete freedom and authority to pass through the Strait of Hormuz starting tomorrow.Reported 3 hours ago.
Israel media ‘blackout’ on attacks as military censor targets reporters
Throughout this war – I have to say I’ve never seen anything like it – the military censor has been adamant.
It has imposed basically an information blackout on where these missiles and rockets are falling and how many have been fired by Iran or Hezbollah. It is having authorities arrest journalists who are deemed to have said too much on the air.
Meanwhile, we know now two people have been killed today in Israel in an area close to Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv.
From eyewitness reports, we know some of the missiles Iran is firing have cluster warheads, which means they splinter and have a wide geographic scope and can create a lot of damage.
It takes emergency crews a long time to comb through the targeted area to make sure there’s no unexploded ordnance.
Sirens going off almost nonstop because of rocket fire: Israel
The military censor has not cleared information for publication yet, but we can tell you eyewitnesses report plumes of smoke from several areas of impact.
The area targeted in central Israel is where about 44 percent of the population lives. This is where the Ben Gurion Airport is, where several military bases are, the Ministry of Defence and Mossad headquarters.
This is a very strategic area for Israel
Alarms and sirens are going off almost nonstop in Haifa and the northern communities because of rocket fire from Iran or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Speculations in Hebrew sources about Netanyahu’s death or injury
Reported today by Tasnim News Agency, Iran
in Persian not English
https://tasnimnews.ir/fa/news/1404/12/18/3536378/%DA%AF%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86%D9%87-%D9%87%D8%A7-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%A7%D8%A8%D8%B9-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%B1%DB%8C-%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%87-%D8%A7%D8%AD%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%84-%D9%85%D8%B1%DA%AF-%DB%8C%D8%A7-%D9%85%D8%AC%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%AD%DB%8C%D8%AA-%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C%D8%A7%D9%87%D9%88Drug advertisements in the US are the the butt of the joke on the NBC network.
A real drug (Otezla) is portrayed as having potentially horrific side effects.
The tide is turning?Otezla – SNL
