Just look at the response to Pancho Villa when he attacked Brownsville Texas.

Gave lt. George Patton his first combat experience working for. Black Jack Pershing.

Bet they would do a better job today than 113 years ago…

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Friday, February 13, 2026 - 02:46 pm: Edit

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, February 13, 2026 - 06:04 pm: Edit

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Friday, February 13, 2026 - 07:49 pm: Edit

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Friday, February 13, 2026 - 09:10 pm: Edit

So was Russia gate, and that turned out to be totally fake news.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 05:37 am: Edit

Confirmation bias is a poor guide to reality. I have no idea if that story is true, partly true, false, whatever.

And yes, SVC, this is directly relevant to real-world military. It's an objective of Russia to get Americans to argue with each other, and to get different groups of Americans believing different versions of reality. We all have to fight that tendency, lest they succeed in splitting us up into useless squabbling camps.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 07:40 am: Edit

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 07:43 am: Edit

...and I realize that I have once again fallen into the trap of responding to Jswile, when he and I are not supposed to address each other in the RWM topic. Steve, my apologies; I will endeavor to refrain from such bait-taking in the future.

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 08:54 am: Edit

Jessica, Russian interference is of course all over the place. That much is true. But why limit yourself to the portions that make Trump look bad?

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 09:33 am: Edit

Jeff the city attacked that resulted in the response was March 9, 1916, in Columbus, New Mexico.

By Matthew Lawson (Mglawson) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 11:10 am: Edit

Note that little Patton knew John Mosby, the Confederate Calvary "Gray Ghost". Patton undoubtedly learned hit and run tactics from him that he put to use with his motorized squad.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 12:31 pm: Edit

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 01:05 pm: Edit

The only thing I know about Russiagate is that there are alligators out there for whom that word is like the bell for dogs in Pavlov's experiments; they hear it and they think dinner is about to be served.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 01:32 pm: Edit

Russiagate is proven to be a total Hoax, the “steel dossier” was never anything but baloney, the FBI investigation was based on false statements and as fake as the news reports. Trump was never any kind of Russian agent or pawn or blackmail victim or stooge. The attack on Trump is the worst sort of lie and anyone who still believes it is delusional or a liar. Do not mention it again as anything but an example of fakery. EVER.

(No doubt, Russia has meddled in US politics since 1850. Dig into the purchase of Alaska.)

By William Jockusch (Verybadcat) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 01:57 pm: Edit

Partisans tend to focus on different aspects. The Steele Dossier was nonsense and was used by the FBI for an investigation. Hence Trump can justifiably talk about a "Russia Hoax".

But Russian interference in US politics is also real, and they pushed all sorts of divisive narratives in 2016.

It seems that partisans on various sides want to pretend that portions of the above picture they find inconvenient don't exist.

This last part is a Russian success against the USA. We can overcome it. We simply have to choose to recognize the Russian threat as the dangerous part, not out various partisan points of view.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 05:05 pm: Edit

Russia has always been dangerous. Putin is a KGB officer, it’s a habit he cannot break.

By Kosta Michalopoulos (Kosmic) on Saturday, February 14, 2026 - 05:38 pm: Edit

Earlier today there was a rally in Toronto (half-jokingly referred to as Tehran-to by locals) of an estimated 350,000 people calling for the Canadian government to recognize Reza Pahlavi (the son of the last Shah) as the leader of the Iranian democratic transition government. Of course, this has garnered very little attention outside Canada, and only moderate attention within the country.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 10:34 am: Edit

There are reports that a “Second” u.s. Navy aircraft carrier and strike group are being readied for deployment to the Persian gulf.

A quick google search for what ships are assigned to the persian gulf, the result of which, is:

Quote:” As of mid-February 2026, the U.S. Navy has a significant, reinforced presence in the Persian Gulf and surrounding 5th Fleet area, including the aircraft carriers USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN-78), along with guided-missile destroyers USS Mitscher (DDG-57), USS McFaul (DDG-74), and USS Delbert D. Black (DDG-119).
USNI News
USNI News
+4
Aircraft Carriers: The Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group is operating in the region. The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group was ordered to the Middle East in February 2026 to join in the increased presence.
Surface Combatants: Destroyers Mitscher, McFaul, and Delbert D. Black are operating in the Gulf theater.
Littoral Combat Ships (Mine Countermeasure): Littoral Combat Ships USS Canberra (LCS-30), USS Santa Barbara (LCS-32), and USS Tulsa (LCS-16) are deployed to the 5th Fleet for mine countermeasure operations.
Additional Assets: Destroyer USS Bulkeley (DDG-84) and USS Roosevelt (DDG-80) have been operating in the eastern Mediterranean with potential to assist in the region.
USNI News
USNI News
+7
These deployments, part of a "big flotilla" strategy, are aimed at strengthening regional security and countering threats.”

Unofficial reports indicate the carrier to be sent will be the U.S.S. George H.W. Bush, and strike group.

At a guess, it may likely mean that one of the two carriers listed in the google list will rotate back to home port when the U.S.S. Bush arrives. (Either the Lincoln or the Ford.)

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 11:28 am: Edit

Seems like it is a tad light on surface ships. Or Amphibs

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 11:33 am: Edit

My understanding is that Russia WAS meddling, people in Trumps orbit were involved in "contacts" and nothing has ever been proven that Trump himself was involved.

Note that Steele himself said it is "raw intelligence – not established facts, but a starting point for further investigation".

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 12:06 pm: Edit

Pity those who used the Steele Dossier did not bother to consider his words, since everything in it proved false. I remain skeptical that he said such things before the hoax was blown wide open, but no matter.

A report that one of my playtesters was asked, by a Chinese agent, if he thought Steve Cole would be open to a bribe to give more favorable coverage of China on the BBS is not even a start on proof that anyone in my orbit ever would have taken a bribe (from China, anyway) or thought I would take a bribe (from China, anyway). I think if Germany offered me a mint condition SG44 that I just might say something nice about them on the BBS.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 02:54 pm: Edit

Mike Grafton:

I believe that you would find that each of the carriers involved ALL have their assigned escorts since the report specifically mentions “Strike Group” for each carrier.

It should also be pointed out that the individual destroyers (Mitscher, McCaul, Black) are indicated to be “operating in the Gulf Theater”). I take that to mean that they are not formally assigned as carrier escorts, but conducting other tasks separately from carrier escort duty.

I will have to look, but the U.S. has maintained a regular Mediterranean Marine Amphibious group (and its regularly assigned Marine Expeditionary Force) since the 1950’s.

Can’t say if there is a similar group assigned to the 5th Fleet, but there is such a force assigned to the 7th Fleet.

Can’t say, but with the operational loss of the U.S.S. Bon Homme Richard, there might be a gap in the deployment schedule, but that would be a “floating gap” in that it wouldn’t always be in the same place, it would rotate somewhat depending on how the navy adjusted to the loss of the ship.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 04:21 pm: Edit

This is going to sound stupid, but I don't care...

I hope that when the Gerald R. Ford is deployed, she's escorted by the U.S.S. Monterey.

Likewise, when the George H.W. Bush is deployed, I hope she's escorted by the San Jacinto.

Yeah. Stupid, but hey, it's something for which I hope.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 05:29 pm: Edit

Unfortunately both of those ships have been decommissioned.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Sunday, February 15, 2026 - 06:02 pm: Edit

The San Jacinto (sand jac we called it in the yard) decommissioned sigh.

Worked on the Mitscher and the Bulkeley