Trump parades his generals as destroyer loaded with cruise missiles arrives off Syrian coast - and carrier strike group is about to set sail for the M

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

[h=1]Trump parades his generals as destroyer loaded with cruise missiles arrives off Syrian coast - and carrier strike group is about to set sail for the Mediterranean[/h]

Trump is weighing another military strike after a weekend chemical attack timed to the anniversary of the U.S. assault last year on dictator Bashar al-Assad's army
President tweeted a picture from the Oval Office of his top military commanders, saying they led the 'GREATEST' fighting force the world had ever seen
The USS Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer has arrived off the Syrian coast
On Wednesday a carrier strike group led by the USS Harry Truman will set sail from Norfolk, VA, for the Mediterranean, where it could be used for air and missile strikes
Attack has had Trump turning the screws on Russia and saying that Vladimir Putin would have a price to pay if his country was involved

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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Donald Trump flexed his military muscle Tuesday by tweeting an Oval Office image of 19 of his most senior military commanders, as a guided missile destroyer moved inside strike range of Syria.
The USS Donald Cook, loaded with 50 Tomahawk cruise missiles, is now stationed in the eastern Mediterranean close to territory held by Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
And on Wednesday the USS Harry Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier embarked with F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet strike planes, and escorted by four more guided-missile destroyers and a guided missile cruiser, will set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, for the Mediterranean.
That would put it in strike range of the Assad regime within days - significantly increasing the options open to Trump.
He used Twitter to boast of the military might at his disposal saying: 'Last night it was my great honor to host America's senior defense and military leaders for dinner at the White House.
'America's military is the GREATEST fighting force in the history of the world. They all have my pledge of unwavering commitment to our men and women in uniform!'
Tuesday morning, the White House suddenly announced that Trump would no longer make an appearance at the U.S.-founded Summit of the Americas this week in Lima, where he was scheduled to hold bilateral talks with regional leaders and deliver a plenary speech, citing Syria as the reason.

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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Military might: Trump tweeted a photograph showing him parading his top military commanders and the defense secretary and deputy press secretary in the Oval Office as tensions over Syria mounted

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

[h=3]TRUMP PARADES HIS GENERALS IN THE OVAL OFFICE[/h]

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1. Army General Curtis Scaparrotti, Commander, U.S. European Command and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe
2. Army General Mark Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff
3. Marine Corps General Robert Neller, Commandant of the Marine Corps
4. U.S. Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zukunft, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard
5. Navy Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, Commander, U.S. Southern Command
6. Army General Raymond A Thomas, Commander, US Special Operations Command
7. Marine Corps General Thomas D. Waldhauser, Commander, U.S. Africa Command
8. Air Force General Paul Selva, Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
9. Marine Corps General Joseph Dunford, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
10. Defense Secretary James Mattis
11. President Donald Trump
12. Vice President Mike Pence

13. Navy Admiral Michael Rodgers, Director of the National Security Agency

14. Navy Admiral John Richardson, Chief of Naval Operations
15. Army General Joseph Votel, Commander, U.S. Central Command
16. Air Force General David Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Staff

17. Air Force General John E Hyten, Commander, US Strategic Command
18. Air Force General Joseph L. Lengyel, Chief of the National Guard Bureau
19. Air Force General Lori Robinson, Commander, Northern Command and NORAD
20. Patrick M. Shanahan, Deputy Secretary of Defense
21. Navy Admiral Harry Harris, Commander, U.S. Pacific Command
22. Air Force General Darren W McDew, Commander, U.S. Transportation Command
23. U.S. Coast Guard Vice Admiral Karl Schultz, Commander, Atlantic Area

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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The USS Harry Truman, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier embarked with F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet strike planes, and escorted by four more guided-missile destroyers and a guided missile cruiser, will set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, for the Mediterranean

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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In strike range: The USS Donald Cook, an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer is now close to Syrian waters, and in missile range of Bashar Assad's regime

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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On its way: The USS Harry Truman, seen on a previous Mediterranean deployment, is setting sail Wednesday from Norfolk, Virginia, for the Mediterranean, meaning its F-18 and F/A-18s could be unleashed against Assad

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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Fire and fury: Trump has indicated he is considering a military strike - but Vladimir Putin's Russia has made clear that it would oppose such a move

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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Syrian dictator Bashar Assad, who has been blamed for the chemical attack near Damascus

4AF6C73700000578-5600495-Britain_and_France_led_growing_international_momentum_for_action-a-47_1523388450040.jpg

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Britain and France led growing international momentum for action against Syria today following Bashar al-Assad's poison gas attack that left dozens dead. Children were among those caught up in the atrocity (pictured)

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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Unleash the Hornets: An F/A-18 Hornet on the USS Theodore Roosevelt in the South China sea this week shows some of the airpower at Trump's disposal

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

'President Trump will not attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Peru or travel to Bogota, Colombia as originally scheduled,' the statement read.
'At the President’s request, the Vice President will travel in his stead. The President will remain in the United States to oversee the American response to Syria and to monitor developments around the world.'
France and Britain also discussed with Trump how to respond to the incident. Both stressed that the culprit in the incident still needed to be confirmed.
Trump has the immediate option of the missiles on board the USS Donald Cook, the Washington Examiner reported.
It has at least 50 Tomahawk missiles embarked and is now close to Syria, having left Larnaka in Cyprus on Monday.
And the strike group Harry Truman, led by the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier the USS Harry Truman, is due to sail for the Mediterranean Wednesday.
The Navy says it can operate in the Mediterranean or the Gulf.
At least 60 people were killed and more than 1,000 injured in Saturday's suspected attack on Douma, then still occupied by rebel forces, according to a Syrian relief group.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government and its ally Russia have said there was no evidence a gas attack had taken place and that the claim was bogus.
The incident has thrust Syria's seven-year-old conflict back to the forefront of international concern and pitted Washington and Moscow against each other again.
Russia and the United States were also headed for a showdown at the United Nations over how to respond to the Douma attack. The Kremlin rejected a United Nations Security Council resolution put forward by the U.S. on Tuesday to probe the chemical weapons attack.
Aggravating the volatile situation in the region, Iran, Assad's other main ally, threatened to respond to an air strike on a Syrian military base on Monday that Tehran, Damascus and Moscow have blamed on Israel.
In Syria, thousands of militants and their families arrived in rebel-held parts of the country's northwest after surrendering Douma to government forces.
Their evacuation restored Assad's control over the eastern Ghouta, formerly the biggest rebel bastion near Damascus, and gave him his biggest battlefield victory since 2016, when he took back Aleppo.
But the prospect of U.S. strikes on Syria prompted a senior Russian lawmaker to say that such a move could trigger a direct military clash between Russia and the United States.
Vladimir Shamanov, a retired general who heads the defense affairs committee in the lower house of parliament, said in televised remarks Tuesday that a U.S. strike in Syria could hurt Russian servicemen and trigger Russian retaliation.
He said that Russia has 'the necessary means for that and the Americans and their allies know that quite well.'
Shamanov emphasized that a retaliatory Russian strike could target U.S. navy ships and aircraft. He added that the use of nuclear weapons is 'unlikely.'
Meanwhile the president's new national security adviser, John Bolton, was said to have urged President Donald Trump to skip his trip to South America this week because of the ongoing crisis in Syria. The White House called off the trip on Tuesday.
This reflects a view in the White House that deeper Russian and Iranian involvement in Syria have complicated calculations about a response to any U.S. military attack. That was according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations.
Moscow has cautioned the U.S. not to launch a military attack.
But Trump signaled Monday that he was likely to launch another military strike against Syria after a weekend chemical attack timed to the anniversary of the U.S. assault last year on dictator Bashar al-Assad's army.
'It will be met, and it will be met forcefully, and when I will not say, because I don't like talking about timing,' Trump told reporters. 'We can't let atrocities like we all witnessed, and you can see that and it's horrible.'
Trump also warned the leaders of Syria, Iran and Russia there would be a 'big price to pay' for the gas attack that is said to have killed nearly 50 people. He also referred to Assad as an 'animal.'
At at Cabinet meeting on Monday morning, Trump again said, 'If it's Russia, if it's Syria, if it's Iran, if it's all of them together, we'll figure it out.'
'Everybody's gonna pay a price,' he said, including Russian strongman Vladimir Putin. 'He will, everybody will.'
The U.S. president also suggested on Monday that his calculus on an immediate troop withdraw from Syria had changed. After saying prior to the attack that the 2,000 soldiers the U.S. has in Syria would be coming home 'very soon' and the problems there would become someone else's problem, Trump mused this week that America has a responsibility to act.
'In our world, we can’t let that happen, especially when we’re able to — because of the power of the United States, because of the power of our country — we’re able to stop it,' he said of the repeated chemical weapons attacks.
Trump's press secretary signaled Monday that the president is conflicted about America's involvement in the war-torn country.
'Look, the President wants to bring our troops home after we complete the mission to eradicate ISIS in Syria. At the same time, he wants to make sure Assad is deterred from chemical weapons attacks on innocent civilians,' she said.
It remained unclear on Tuesday if the gas attack had changed Trump's calculus on the timing of a troop withdrawal.

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

[h=3]MIGHT OF THE HARRY TRUMAN STRIKE GROUP HEADS FOR SYRIA[/h]What's in the strike group setting sail from Norfolk Wednesday:
USS Harry S. Truman, a Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, carrying:
Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 11 'Red Rippers';
VFA-211 'Checkmates';
VFA-81 'Sunliners';
VFA-136 'Knighthawks';
Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) 137 'Rooks';
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron (VAW) 126 'Seahawks';
Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 72 'Proud Warriors';
Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 11 'Dragon Slayers';
Detachment from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 'Rawhides.
The Truman is escorted by
Guided-missile cruiser USS Normandy;
Guided-missile destroyers USS Arleigh Burke; USS Bulkeley; USS Forrest Sherman; USS Farragut.
For the first half of its deployment, the group will be joined by Sachsen-class German frigate FGS Hessen.
Guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham and USS The Sullivans will join the deployment at a later, still to be announced, date.

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

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superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

Russia has said there's no evidence that a chemical attack took place in the face of graphic images of civilians, some of whom were children, choking and foaming at the mouth. The country's Foreign Ministry called the episode a 'hoax.'
Syria has also denied allegations that it was behind the assault.
'They're saying they're not. But to me there's not much a doubt,' Trump told his Cabinet, 'but the generals will figure it out, probably over the next 24 hours.'
Trump said that 'nothing's off the table' when it comes to retaliation and he expects to make a decision 'very quickly' after consulting with his national security team.
'So we'll be looking at that barbaric act and studying what's going on,' he said.
In the Cabinet meeting, Trump said it was a 'heinous' attack that was 'atrocious' and 'barbaric' in nature.
'This is about humanity. We're talking about humanity, and it can't be allowed to happen,' he stated
The U.S. president said then that he would make a decision about Syria within 48 hours.
Sen. Lindsay Graham said Tuesday Assad should be classified as a war criminal, and Trump ought to obliterate his air force.
'The world is watching the president, Iran is watching the president, Russia is watching the president and North Korea's watching the president,' the GOP lawmaker who has Trump's ear said. 'This president has a chance to do exactly the opposite of Obama: send a strong signal that there's a new sheriff in town and America's back.'
Barack Obama infamously warned Assad that that the U.S. would intervene militarily if he crossed a 'red line' and unloaded his chemical weapons on civilians. He ultimately backed down from the threat and later cited the unresolved conflict in Syria as his greatest regret as he left office.
Trump now faces a similar decision, having warned Assad last year that the U.S. would not allow him to gas his own people unchecked.
On the anniversary of the United States' limited air strike for his last confirmed chemical weapons attack, Assad reportedly hit the rebel-held town of Douma in Syria's Eastern Ghouta late Saturday.

4AF246B000000578-0-An_image_grab_taken_from_a_video_released_by_the_Syrian_Civil_De-a-12_1523374761490.jpg

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An image grab taken from a video released by the Syrian Civil Defense in Douma shows an unidentified volunteer holding an oxygen mask over a child's face at a hospital following a reported chemical attack on the rebel-held town on April 8, 2018

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A year ago, on April 7, the U.S. attacked Assa'd forces with targeted and limited missile strikes

superbeets · Apr 10, 2018

In Europe, the American ambassador to NATO said that Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is guilty of genocide in the aftermath of the chemical attack on Douma.
Kay Bailey Hutchison said the Assad regime had committed the grave crime as Britain and France earlier today led growing calls for action against Syria.
In an interview with Sky News, she called on Russia 'to do something' since the country is 'propping up Assad'.
She added: 'They should do something to stop this kind of genocide. We would call upon them to do that but I think a military response is appropriate.'
When asked by Sky's Alistair Bunkall if she would describe the Douma attack as 'genocide', she replied: 'I think killing your own people with chemical weapons, yes.'
Meanwhile France, under President Emmanuel Macron, warned it would retaliate against the Syrian regime if evidence emerged that the 'red line' of chemical weapons had been crossed in rebel-held Douma.

Greenbacks · Apr 10, 2018

:toast:

busterhyman · Apr 10, 2018

think we seen this before- assad gassing - only it was not him

Trump parades his generals as destroyer loaded with cruise missiles arrives off Syrian coast - and carrier strike group is about to set sail for the M

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