@Plantagenet, posted Friday, 21 November 2014 11:40:04 AM
Pete
I'm not sure which part of my post you suggest doesn't hold water.
Russia did order the Mistral ships
She also paid for them in advance
France accepted the order and the advance payment
The ships have been built
Delivery has been denied
France has kept both the ships and the payment
As for the NATO link, while I admit this does have some supposition on my part, I base that on my impression that the NATO countries, the EU in general and Australia are all looking in their relationship to the US more and more like the old music logo, His Master's Voice.
It's a national shame we could not have chosen a more neutral stance, but as Abbott's national agenda tanks, he is drawn to playing on the international stage to compensate. To do that, he needs a patron as this article so amply demonstrates. He could have just stayed at home and concentrated on being an English speaking Asian nation, but I fear that would require more courage and imagination than our PM has shown to date.

Brave Sir Rhrosty

As is often your want you ere on the side of nationalist science fiction.

Taking your unsubstantiated claims in turn:

- It was the UK that for years tested rockets at "Womera" (sic) including the Blue Streak medium-range ballistic missile and Europa rocket http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Streak_(missile)

- the Russians and Chinese are still developing "stealth bombers" and "stealth drones". Only the US has completed these stealth items and made them operational.

- However I agree that Australia developed the SILEX laser Uranium enrichment method (which we handed over to the US and Japan). But a working nuclear weapon takes a while longer.

- we partly developed a scram jet (with some US help) but are yet to find a practical use for it.

You are a visionary with your talents somewhat askew of accuracy ;-)

Cheers

Pete

Hi halduell

1. Twas the author (a good mate of mine) who brought up the Mistral-Russia link - so there's not dispute with 'im-me there.

But your original claim:

"Could this be in part explained because France re-joined NATO in March 2009, and NATO, with Hollande as a cheer leader, was complicit in toppling the elected government of Ukraine in 2014. One objective - the main objective? - was to wrest control of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol from Russia."

needs further development, with more causative proof.

In any case NATO politics veer off the Pacific focus of the article.

2. Re your point "When was Putin made Russian Leader for Life? I thought he was serving a five year term as President."

Strictly speaking Putin is not Leader for Life and you are right. But as Putin has been the acknowleged strongman ruling Russia since 1999 Putin has beeen Leader for 15 years SO FAR http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Putin#Political_career .

Putin has been Playing the only recently established Russian Constitution by alternating between the jobs of President, then Prime Minister, then President again. In this Putin has been aided by his subordinate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dmitry_Medvedev who obligingly reciprocated by taking Predent then Prime Minister turns and terms.

The Russian people oddly seem to cherish Leaders for Life to order Russia around.

Regards

Pete

In April this year the USS Donald Cook was in the Back Sea as an agent of intimidation against Russia. An unarmed Russian Bomber disabled all US advanced AGIS electronic weaponry and buzzed this disabled ship 12 times. I've read this story from many sites.

Could this be the reason why Putin positioned his warship off the Australian coast and there was no action from our war mongering elites ? Perhaps Tony's shirt fronting Putin was a bit risky.

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2014/11/13/aegis-fail-in-black-sea-ruskies-burn-down-uss-donald-duck/

Dear Arjay

I'll have you know that that was the USS Donald Duck. But most seriously Vladimir Putin's Top Secret personal account of the episode - that I just deciphered (personally) goes thusly:

On 8 April 2014, USS Donald Cook deploy to Black Sea in order to shamefacedly attempt to sink Russian Black Sea Fleet at anchor. Brave aviators of Putin's Peoples Airforce (Su-24 bombermen) struck terror in hearts of capitalist scum and broke Donald's phased array radar very badly. Radio Moscow report greater victory than 1905 drubbing of brave Russian fleet at Battle of Tsushima Strait by Four-eyed Asian peoples.

Prezident Obama, he being six-pack body surfing man that Putin likey :) (see topless photo
http://cdn03.cdn.socialitelife.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/12/shirtless-barackobama-photos-12222008-07-675x867.jpg ) vow revenge against brave Russian Navymenz and upon G20 Brisbane scared away Great Red Varyag Fleet alla by his-selfie.

By Orders Of

Vladimir "Hot Lips" Punani

@ Arjay posted Friday, 21 November 2014 7:42:56 PM
Another intriguing story that I remember reading at the same time as the USS Donald Cook incident was one that told of another US warship running aground near (I think) Samsun on the Turkish Black Sea coast. Since a warship running aground seems unlikely unless somehow pushed, I wondered at the time if another plane had overflown that second ship and disabled its navigation system? Or is all this the same story? Whatever, it seems the advanced AGIS electronic weaponry is not the only point of vulnerability.
Give it a rest, Pete. First you make good points, and then you talk absolute rubbish.