So many of the 'participating' countries are sending pretty much nothing. The Dutch, with their huge and hugely profitable ports, are sending 2 staff officers. Australia is sending 10 men. Norway is sending 8.
Europe is milking the US every way it can… The British is at least at lockstep’s with the US recognizing its contribution during WWII. France in the other hand is the child bastard that always seems to undermine the US. If it wasn’t for the Americans, British and Canadians.. France would still be under German occupation today.
There are about 4 channels I watch, this is the only one on shipping, the others have other disciplines. I would not watch them to know about shipping.
@@wgowshipping You have been courted by quite a few Channels who don't know anything about Shipping however have the good sense of trying to get some good info , the rest just blabber , repeat "from official sources " or invent
Saw you on Fox segment about convoying. Surprised that they had an expert - you- to explain what is going on in the Red Sea and shipping issues that affect the entire world You excelled
It was a mistake for the USN to put all their eggs into the LCS Program, they should have built a small batch of the two LCS-classes to see how they worked and ordered the "Sea Control" frigate version of the USCG Legend-class cutter that Ingalls touted as the “Patrol Frigate 4921”. It would have had a 12-cell VLS that could fire off Sea Sparrow missiles for AA defense, and a 76mm deck gun. Just what is needed now for convoying ships through the Red Sea, while the Burkes provide greater cover.
Thank you for the great coverage. Between the issues with Panama and suez, the global changes in traffic and the associated financial impact of both choke points have yet to be directly addressed on the "Standard news channels. It will be interesting to see how the general public will respond to possible solutions.
100% agree. I'd have no idea whatsoever about the Panama low-water issue if I hadn't stumbled across WGOWS, which is now one of my daily "must-watch" items. tbh, I'm somewhat surprised that hasn't gotten wider attention, as it seems tailor-made for folks wishing to beat the climate-change drum.
A secret Ally means they are providing intelligence, logistical support, fuel delivery or fueler access, port and/or airport access, allowing use of their airspace without filing objections to overflights, providing personnel for maintenance of general assets, radar and/or sonar tracking information, ammunition spares, etc.
@@thomascraiker6449 Everything. The Exodus Road takes an entire year to traverse. You cannot do that without gaining an exquisite understanding of logistics.
Sal, you seem to be one of the very few that I trust to give me perspectives that actually MAKES SENSE!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours, from an Adopted Son Of The South in Cumberland County, North Carolina ❤
Great reporting as usual Sal! This whole situation is bringing up a concern in my head, wonder if you would care to comment. If the commercial ships that are being paid by the US Gov to be reserve ships for Sealift won't go into this relatively low threat environment, how can we expect them to provide service in a "real" conflict with a near peer? So far the ships that have been hit by the Houthi are mostly dumb luck, perhaps aided by Iranian intel. Chinese ballistic/anti-ship missiles aided by satelitte recon, subs, etc will be a 100x threat to commercial ships. That's a real "hot" warzone, unlike this. Related to that, if the worlds Navy's can't coordinate simple escorts / pickets after a month, how are they going to coordinate to repel a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which we would have only days warning of? This whole situation is really bringing to light some weak areas in the West's maritime defense capabilities.
I seriously laughed at 18:06 far more than I should have. Keeping up with shipping delays is immensely helpful, because shipping is what makes the world go around. Thanks for your informed opinions and updates, Sal.
Shout out to the French for sending help to the area. I saw the French frigate Languedoc off the coast of Provence when I was on vacation last year. Very cool.
The Frogs are only protecting their ships and ships flagged in the EU. Meanwhile, the frogs periodically request the US Navy send a USN destroyer to escort their frog aircraft carrier. The frogs and the rest of the euro parasites have 0 ABM capabilities, so they want the USA to babysit their ships from time to time.
Unfortunately the German navy cannot send anything despite having a dozen of frigates. Why, you may ask? They have no air defense against drones or balistic missiles. They just did not include things like that during design phase. The latest class of their frigates even is specialised for coastal operations like against the "good old" Somali piracy attacks - which questions their classification as frigates in the first place.
None of the European countries have ABM defense, despite the USA foolishly giving them the technology. Europeans would rather not spend the money. An SM-3 missile is thought to cost between 10 to 25 million dollars, just for 1. Similarly, the USA has dumped untold billions of dollars into Europe for ABM defenses, yet most of the USA has 0 ABM defenses. For some foolish reason, the USA also provides escort destroyers to go with British and French aircraft carriers, because those "allies" also refuse to invest in ABM protection. Recently, the US Navy increased the size of the USN's forwardly deployed destroyers in Europe to 6 from the previous 4. Those destroyers also provide ABM defense for Europe. The USA needs to get out of NATO and Europe. Ami go home... you damn right we should and never go back.
Because they were thinking that they would only be colonising weak people (all the while complaining about immigrants). They never imagine people would advance. Kinda funny to think about it.
Germany’s navy is quite small. They’ve got 11 frigates & 6 corvettes. Few of our Western European allies field more than twenty or so surface warships. And they don’t get a lot of bang for their buck. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has a budget roughly equal to the Royal Navy’s & has four times the number of major warships. They’re also a lot newer, in the main, and much more capable.
Let the French do their own thing. Hope the Brits follow suit. The west shares the same interest in freedom of navigation. "Many hands" gets the job done.
Thank you Dr Sal for another very cogent presentation about a volatile problem in a troubled part of the world. I guess the main issue is what nation will be a leader to ameliorate the egregious situation. Why does it always have to be the good old USA ? Where are the other countries that are also impacted with this issue ? A lot of those dots on your chart are not all USA ships. I think leadership from other countries is what is needed. Thank you. Happy Holidays to you and yours, along with all the mariners at sea. Art Rogers, Hawsepipe Mariner
If i took a drink everytime someone in my household said Bab al-Mandeb, no one would have taken a drink ever. Learned alot from you today, as usual. Also, never apologize for looking good.
Thank you for providing unbiased, factually accurate, historically informed analysis. I get so much more value from your videos than I do from my normal talking heads.
So many people slam France for being "surrender monkeys," etc. but nowadays, they are bringing it to the table and have a pretty robust military with some amazing French built equipment.
France being surrender monkeys is basically American propaganda spread by Hollywood. And it only worked on the American public due to that tragic level of education.
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was always more about their political leadership than their military capability. You are correct, their kit is nothing to take lightly.
Hey, Sal... I was just looking on Marine Traffic at some of the ships in the area. A few of them (tankers, from what I can tell) have the "destination" listed as "ARMGUARDS ABOARD". I thought that was interesting. 🙂
You look just fine I love your globe before I forget, I wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and a happiest of New Year’s, please stay safe out there, and God bless.
Thank you for your wonderful commentary and analysis. I, for one, never thought I'd see the U.S. Navy playing second chair to the French but alas, tis the world we live in I guess.
I’m curious how many missile intercepting capable missiles are aboard the USS Carney. Is it possible they’re just too low on munitions, and waiting a resupply before risking any more engagements?
You made my day with “send the Constitution!” And ya know, god bless the French. Too bad we have to (again) watch them to see what a “real country” who could get their political shit together would do. Viva la France!
Nailed it on the political front. The various Overpowered departments and agencies all fighting while the White House focuses on micromanaging things it doesn't comprehend is spot on. "Protect our Democracy" my left foot. Peer to peer fighting isn't an issue for the US Navy, no matter how much the bureaucracy flails around.
"Peer" is pretty much a nonissue since the end of the USSR... so yeah I would say the US really needs to spend a little more of its money on light ships. Britain has not had a significant blue water fleet in years, same with anyone else, because large ships tie up too much of a navies resources.
@@leechowning2712 US did not need to spend more on small ships as there is no need for them other than subsiding China and Europe. US does not depend on the red sea ever since 2015 shale. Let those European and Asian fight over it.
@@leechowning2712 I hear you. I think it's all about what you intend to accomplish. The US isn't too interested in micromanaging local waterways with the US Navy.
Hey, @wgowshipping, are there any maritime limitations of weapons usage by private security companies who protect the commercial ships as they traverse these troubled waters? Can they, e.g., use missiles, or are they limited to small arms?
The laws of the countries where the ships are flagged There's no real law in international waters, hence Russian anti-piracy cruises where you could go hunting pirates, as if they were wild geese ...
Previous reporting indicated that the foreign shipping companies were refusing to be escorted unless all flags were escorted. France seems to have applied pressure to the French-owned companies.
Why would they need to apply pressure to the French companies when they will in fact escort all flags? Did you actually watch the video before commenting?
A few points. 1. The convoys aren't happening yet because all assets are not YET in theater. (I believe two Canadian Frigates are on their way, they were in Hawaii recently.) I suspect more UK & French assets are on the way as well, and probably ships from some other countries. Depending on how far some of these ships have to travel to get there, it could take a bit of time to organize this. 2. As to the "secret" nations, these are countries that probably don't have their own ships, but have money to help pay for the operation. 3. The politicians are not likely to be "micromanaging" this. Instead they are laying the political groundwork for this. That may mean getting permission to stage ships out of other African countries other than just Djibouti, which is a rather small nation. This isn't going to be a small undertaking, and won't happen fast. It will happen and I really wouldn't want to be the Houthi, once all assets are in theater!
@@MazesSA-uc6yb That went out the window pretty quick as they have already attacked ships that have nothing to do with Israel at all. However, those ships attacked DO have one thing in common, they belong to countries Iran doesn't like. To be clear, Israel is an excuse, a pretty empty excuse to attack Iran's "enemies".
People love to deride the French Military. However, it is plenty capable and the French often go their own way. They answer to the French government. Not the US or NATO political blow hards and politicians.
I have an idea ! Let’s just pay Yemen tribute ….. It worked for the European powers in Barbary , that’s why the U.S. had to build those 6 ships as we were no longer covered by the UK protection money after the revolution . As said earlier by Robert Goodloe Harper in the XYZ affair - Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute…..
The lack of action is telling, we should have implemented a plug and play escort operation able to deploy or activate at any given moment. Not to mention we haven’t made precision strikes against the Houthis. Is this orchestrated?
Given the amount of time over the years that the closure of the straights of Hormuz has been worried about and considered it's really amazing how much a potential closure of the Bab al Mandab has been regarded as a footnote. It's also interesting how little money Saudi Arabia has invested in its Navy considering Iran now more or less has the ability to entirely cut it off from the rest of the world (other than through Suez). Retiring the OHPs without replacing them was an error. I suspect the problem is that there was never any real buy in to CTF153 as an international force.
The problem is that the Perry class WAS replaced...with LCS. And we've seen how that turned out. Now playing catch-up with Constellation-class frigate, which obviously is not of any help right now with this particular situation. I'm sure there's lots of folks in the Pentagon wishing they'd gotten the ball rolling on that thing years ago. That said, I'm not real sure just how effective FFG7's would've been here. Probably could've dealt with drones and ASCMs, but within a much smaller engagement envelope than a DDG. And I doubt that a Perry could do anything against these new ASBMs (which obtw, is the absolute clearest indicator that other countries are involved; lol it's not like the Houthi cooked up ballistic missiles on their own - c'mon, everybody knows it's really Iran behind all this). I'm not at all knocking the Perry-class; great ships. Served on one during the '90s. Could do lots of things which the DDGs couldn't do (often due to much shallower draft), or do them much more economically. Far more effective (or at least, far cheaper) option for bonafide anti-piracy work; a VBSS team launched from a Perry is just as good as one sent from a Burke. But area air defense against a threat which includes ballistic capability really does call for DDGs. Not clear the Constitutions would be much help even if the USN already had some.
@cragnamorra You can't deal with this kind of threat by only defending. For example imagine a tough guy and a normal guy. The normal guy can throw as many punches as he wants for days and the tough guy will only defend. Even if the tough guy is stronger, if he only defends eventually he's going to get worn down and punched in the face.
@@cragnamorra No disagreement with that, so far as it goes, but what we've left out is capacity to flood an enemy coastal area (and a good distance inland) with overwhelming numbers of modest cost drones.
@@jgw9990 Fully agree. But the defensive component is still be necessary, and right now. That includes the need for ASBM defense. As far as the offensive piece that is obviously called for to deal with this problem, yeah, that's a different conversation. We'll just have to see if, when, and how that pans out.
Where, or what is the Egyptian navy doing ? After all these merchant ships which transit the canal are their customers. They must be loosing canal passage fees.
Dr. Mercogloano, Please consider maintaining course when doing the gigs associated with the RUclips channel by retaining your signature uniform. If you will choose to dress up, please let it be for a more worthy organization than the woke BBC. Also, thank you for your honest opinions. Just my opinion for entertainment purposes only.
Offense is easier than defense when you have guided missiles. So, if you are unwilling to go on offense, you are playing a losing game. Only offense will reduce hoothi missile & drone attacks.
One possible answer may be 'sustained ops tempo'. How long can we intercept $100k targets with $1M missiles? The alterative is to strike the launchers and stores of missiles and drones. As you noted, this has been going on for years. That we don't have target sets ready for tasking is a problem. If our Navy is tasked with operating in a theater, it is only logical to evaluate threats and work out contingencies.
Mobile launchers, no fixed sites. However, it should be possible to use spotter drones at high altitude to pinpoint a launch from a mobile launcher, guiding counterbattery. Need to protect the spotters. Would have been nice to keep the SR-71's around, but there may be an undisclosed replacement.
I see one problem with this: elections. The presidential elections are coming and the support to Ukraine has been widely criticised, the same is starring with the support to Israel. Opening yet another front where hundreds of millions would be spent in an at least year long conflict would be the dumbest thing to do for the president and his presidential opponents who would inherit the situation if they win the presidential.
Thank you Sal. Amazing the French are stepping into the breech of this topic. Separately maybe France can start protecting and defending their own land and maritime borders. In any event this should be helpful stopping the attacks. Interesting news !
The French are one of the few European countries with an actual military. They are always going to protect their own interests in every case. (And they should) Most of the rest of Europe are free riders and we should drop them as allies. (US perspective here)
I wonder if there is some backroom stuff going on. Like lets say the US wants to charge Maersk for example, for every missile fired in defense during an escort.
i play a smoking game much the same Sal, every time you mention J Booty the smoking lamp is lit, some episodes are tough on the ole lungs attire wise, the Hawaiian casual look is bestest but understand. Merry Christmas Sal!
If this goes on for long enough I wonder if you'll start seeing weapons systems fitted to merchant ships eg. point defence systems to provide defence against missiles and drones - a bit like going back to the 15th -17th centures when merchant ships reallly did need to be able to defend themselves.
I doubt it. CIWS like Phalanx is, from what I've read from people more knowledgeable than I, isn't regarded as particularly effective anymore. Systems like the Oerlikon Millennium Gun, Bofors MK4 and Mk110 etc need external radar and FCS which moves beyond simple plug and play. Then there's issues with armourers and technicians needed, requiring a magazine for the ammunition, handling procedures, fire hazard mitigation etc etc. No company would go to that extent. Far easier to demand naval protection.
@@brunol-p_g8800 Fine against drones to some extent. Does nothing about anti-ship missiles. Best thing I can think of would be stationing destroyers with long range armament, like the Burkes and Type 45, at intervals on patrol in a box of sorts then frigates with shorter range missiles running escort between those. We'll just have to wait and see.
If only there was a college that taught real SeaPower is not just warships but commerce and protection of lines of communication ! Al T. Mahan ‘ class of 59….
i guess that is an operational things so the french aren't directly tied in with us rules of engagement and can handle individual situations their own way.
Sir, till now Cosco Shipping had not announced anything. As the are Chinese flagged, did they get convoys? Will they have a advance in freight rates? All carriers announced overnight up to $600 extra charges per TEU for traveling via Africa. Rgds.
"will reignite inflation for the U.S. economy" (sigh).... There is no such thing as just the U.S. economy because if that were the case, you would be alone against the whole world. My arms fall off when I read such superficial comments, like not only the earth but the whole fucking solar system revolves around you. Good thing they are not all like you, who think allies only have to obey when the US snaps its fingers.
It's bad enough that our own merchant fleet has dwindled down to almost nothing, and the largest navy in the world (also our own) can't spare a few ships for convoys.
Sal, I see your frustration and feel the same way. The fact that a relatively small group of terrorists has had such a huge impact on the world is hard to believe, yet here we are. As you said, when politicians micro-manage military activities, things get bogged down.
@@sarajones9532 @scottscouter1065 @scottscouter1065 0 seconds ago The Houthis are a proxy force for Tehran. Iran provides weapons, training, and the Houthis (non-state, ipso facto "terrorists) do the dirty work. The Houthi problem will not be solved unless and until there is a smoking crater where the IRGC HQ in Tehran used to be. FACTS.
Sir. Thanks. Merry Christmas. For some reason my comments get evaporated but I don’t know why. While I admit to sarcasm and expressions of incredulity, I’ve NEVER used foul language.
Italian FREMM frigate Virginio Fasan is also heading to the Red Sea but, interestingly, under the parliament-authorised Atalanta mission rather than Prosperity Guardian. This appears to be a major US political failure.
@@brunol-p_g8800 This is precisely the point. The Fasan should have gone anyway in February. She is being sent now because of the Houthi emergency and she will probably be escorting Italian-flagged/owned vessels. However, the fact that she, the Languedoc and other EU ships will not be under US command seems very significant.
@@jgw9990 Well, to be discussed but it would seem hardly a difficult task to persuade allies into a coordinated escorting operation under US command. The fact that they all but positively refuse to accept this is not a good sign. The reasons seem clear - they don’t want to be dragged into an all-out attack on the Houthis and they don’t think it is necessary, as they have enough escort on their own to keep their ships safe.
We know how to crank out Burkes. They seem to work pretty well in the real world, as is being demonstrated now. How about we focus on producing a bunch of units of this known pretty good platform. Quantity has a quality all its own.
You're kidding right? You've already got about 75 of them. That is literally the largest Destroyer fleet in the world by far. How many more do you intend to build?
@@death_parade No. The US is the only nation that has responsibilities throughout the world, and has a need for a larger fleet than any other country. As I said, we know how to turn out Burkes without a bunch of risk and new engineering, but instead we are wasting time and money Americanizing small Italian frigates, which aren't nearly as capable. It appears a LOT of money is being spent adapting the foreign designs. The current standard is "how many cells?". This is opposed to the time and money wasted building Little Cr@ppy Ships, and then scrapping them, and frigates/corvettes that don't have as much capability. We are currently dealing with multiple conflicts, with China vs Taiwan on the horizon. China is currently mass producing ships, with the intention of overwhelming the US. The only rational alternative is building cruisers, expanded from the Burke design. One concern for a new development is adding more electrical generation capacity to support lasers, railguns etc.
@@SteamCrane Well, IMHO the current approach of US with DDG(X) with a 6 meter aperture AESA radar is the way to go forward. Even Flight III Burkes don't have the capacity to fit in a 6-meter aperture radar. And then there is USN's staffing constraints and automation benefits that won't be there on a Burke. Everybody is moving to the 6-meter aperture radar: China, India, etc.
@@death_parade Newer better ships would be great, but at present the US can't seem to build good ships. Somehow it would turn into a fuster cluck. The 2 classes of LCS each have their own fatal flaws, Ford went so well with untested technology, and Zumwalt...? Looking at the ambitious DDG(X) specs and 2032 delivery gives me a queasy feeling. Here we go again. Let's keep the yards busy for now with something we understand, like Burkes, maybe upgraded a bit, to avoid losing the yards knowledge base. Think what happened to the UK Navy with their pause.
So many of the 'participating' countries are sending pretty much nothing. The Dutch, with their huge and hugely profitable ports, are sending 2 staff officers. Australia is sending 10 men. Norway is sending 8.
Europe is milking the US every way it can… The British is at least at lockstep’s with the US recognizing its contribution during WWII. France in the other hand is the child bastard that always seems to undermine the US. If it wasn’t for the Americans, British and Canadians.. France would still be under German occupation today.
Im dutch and ashamed , we once conquered the seas are now we are nothing
Its a coalition of the willing son (queue Chappelle show clip ruclips.net/video/9DLuALBnolM/видео.html )
@@Holypaladin887 The Dutch Navy is 3 submarines and 6 Frigates.
Your time as a naval power is centuries gone.
USA has used up alot of it goodwill, after 20yrs of desert wars. All for a nation hellbent on committing war crimes.
This channel has become my most looked forward to. Another great report. Keep it up Sal ✌🏾
same here
Much appreciated!
Also looking on finance channels too…
There are about 4 channels I watch, this is the only one on shipping, the others have other disciplines. I would not watch them to know about shipping.
@@wgowshipping You have been courted by quite a few Channels who don't know anything about Shipping
however have the good sense of trying to get some good info , the rest just blabber , repeat "from official sources " or invent
You are doing a fantastic job! I’ve been seeing you popping up in other media places. Very well deserved recognition!
謝謝！
Great episode! Beaucoup respect to the French for taking the initiative.
Saw you on Fox segment about convoying. Surprised that they had an expert - you- to explain what is going on in the Red Sea and shipping issues that affect the entire world
You excelled
Sal, every story you post is more accurate than national sources. You are my hero! Stay healthy have a Merry Christmas and keep on trucking!
You know Ukraine are actually Nazis right we're talking World War II style Nazis so your little flag in your profile is supporting actual Nazis.
It was a mistake for the USN to put all their eggs into the LCS Program, they should have built a small batch of the two LCS-classes to see how they worked and ordered the "Sea Control" frigate version of the USCG Legend-class cutter that Ingalls touted as the “Patrol Frigate 4921”. It would have had a 12-cell VLS that could fire off Sea Sparrow missiles for AA defense, and a 76mm deck gun. Just what is needed now for convoying ships through the Red Sea, while the Burkes provide greater cover.
💯% agree!
The Chinese Navy is laughing at us.
@@wgowshipping why don't you stop booming women and children. USA CRACK HEAD OF WAR
Makes no difference. The US Navy has what it has, it’s never enough
Maybe a phalanx for good measure.
Thank you for the great coverage. Between the issues with Panama and suez, the global changes in traffic and the associated financial impact of both choke points have yet to be directly addressed on the "Standard news channels. It will be interesting to see how the general public will respond to possible solutions.
100% agree. I'd have no idea whatsoever about the Panama low-water issue if I hadn't stumbled across WGOWS, which is now one of my daily "must-watch" items. tbh, I'm somewhat surprised that hasn't gotten wider attention, as it seems tailor-made for folks wishing to beat the climate-change drum.
Ii heard your frustration rightfully so and you are right and explained really well!
A secret Ally means they are providing intelligence, logistical support, fuel delivery or fueler access, port and/or airport access, allowing use of their airspace without filing objections to overflights, providing personnel for maintenance of general assets, radar and/or sonar tracking information, ammunition spares, etc.
Yeah curious why nobody talks about the challenges of fuelling ships. I understand that’s one of the biggest challenges for ship operators
What do pod born sibkin lovers know about logistics?
@@thomascraiker6449 Everything. The Exodus Road takes an entire year to traverse. You cannot do that without gaining an exquisite understanding of logistics.
Great coverage! thanks for staying on top of this!
Sal, you seem to be one of the very few that I trust to give me perspectives that actually MAKES SENSE!!! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you and yours, from an Adopted Son Of The South in Cumberland County, North Carolina ❤
Great reporting as usual Sal! This whole situation is bringing up a concern in my head, wonder if you would care to comment.
If the commercial ships that are being paid by the US Gov to be reserve ships for Sealift won't go into this relatively low threat environment, how can we expect them to provide service in a "real" conflict with a near peer? So far the ships that have been hit by the Houthi are mostly dumb luck, perhaps aided by Iranian intel. Chinese ballistic/anti-ship missiles aided by satelitte recon, subs, etc will be a 100x threat to commercial ships. That's a real "hot" warzone, unlike this.
Related to that, if the worlds Navy's can't coordinate simple escorts / pickets after a month, how are they going to coordinate to repel a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which we would have only days warning of?
This whole situation is really bringing to light some weak areas in the West's maritime defense capabilities.
I seriously laughed at 18:06 far more than I should have. Keeping up with shipping delays is immensely helpful, because shipping is what makes the world go around. Thanks for your informed opinions and updates, Sal.
Hon-hon-hon
Thank you for your excellent work. I feel like I'm getting news days or even weeks before I would've otherwise.
Thank you for your content. I work in the shipping industry and your content ist great! Thank you Sir!
Shout out to the French for sending help to the area. I saw the French frigate Languedoc off the coast of Provence when I was on vacation last year. Very cool.
The Frogs are only protecting their ships and ships flagged in the EU.
Meanwhile, the frogs periodically request the US Navy send a USN destroyer to escort their frog aircraft carrier. The frogs and the rest of the euro parasites have 0 ABM capabilities, so they want the USA to babysit their ships from time to time.
Unfortunately the German navy cannot send anything despite having a dozen of frigates. Why, you may ask? They have no air defense against drones or balistic missiles. They just did not include things like that during design phase. The latest class of their frigates even is specialised for coastal operations like against the "good old" Somali piracy attacks - which questions their classification as frigates in the first place.
None of the European countries have ABM defense, despite the USA foolishly giving them the technology. Europeans would rather not spend the money. An SM-3 missile is thought to cost between 10 to 25 million dollars, just for 1.
Similarly, the USA has dumped untold billions of dollars into Europe for ABM defenses, yet most of the USA has 0 ABM defenses. For some foolish reason, the USA also provides escort destroyers to go with British and French aircraft carriers, because those "allies" also refuse to invest in ABM protection. Recently, the US Navy increased the size of the USN's forwardly deployed destroyers in Europe to 6 from the previous 4. Those destroyers also provide ABM defense for Europe.
The USA needs to get out of NATO and Europe. Ami go home... you damn right we should and never go back.
If that would ever happen, you will would have no partner anymore on earth. US would be isolated@@willw8011
@willw8011 You'd say the same for Israel who literally contributes nothing?
Because they were thinking that they would only be colonising weak people (all the while complaining about immigrants). They never imagine people would advance. Kinda funny to think about it.
Germany’s navy is quite small. They’ve got 11 frigates & 6 corvettes. Few of our Western European allies field more than twenty or so surface warships. And they don’t get a lot of bang for their buck. Japan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force has a budget roughly equal to the Royal Navy’s & has four times the number of major warships. They’re also a lot newer, in the main, and much more capable.
Thanks as always for you time Sal, glad to see you on the news spreading the word.
Always!
As a non-French I say "Vive la France!" to that! 😅
Great - and much needed - reporting from this excellent channel.
The French have diplomacy and class.
A great job Sal! Appreciate you telling it like it is!!!
Let the French do their own thing. Hope the Brits follow suit. The west shares the same interest in freedom of navigation. "Many hands" gets the job done.
Thank you Dr Sal for another very cogent presentation about a volatile problem in a troubled part of the world.
I guess the main issue is what nation will be a leader to ameliorate the egregious situation. Why does it always have to be the good old USA ?
Where are the other countries that are also impacted with this issue ? A lot of those dots on your chart are not all USA ships.
I think leadership from other countries is what is needed.
Thank you.
Happy Holidays to you and yours, along with all the mariners at sea.
Art Rogers, Hawsepipe Mariner
The French have always had their own independent Navy.
“Being our enemy can be dangerous, being our friend is fatal”
Kissinger
Lake Erie fleet still available?
Great job and effort keeping up with all aspects of maritime news.
If i took a drink everytime someone in my household said Bab al-Mandeb, no one would have taken a drink ever. Learned alot from you today, as usual. Also, never apologize for looking good.
Agree totally. Sal looks sharp in a sport coat!👍🏼
Heavy topic. And you manage to lighten it up a little. Thanks.
France my dear France...🇺🇸❤🇫🇷
Regular, factual, information. Thank you good sir, you are greatly appreciated.
Thank you for providing unbiased, factually accurate, historically informed analysis. I get so much more value from your videos than I do from my normal talking heads.
Sal Sal Sal, im very very impressed!!!
You were able to point at your Lego sphere while watching your screen. Amazing skills!!
What about extra carbon in the air due to longer transits?
Excellent heads up ,thank you!
So many people slam France for being "surrender monkeys," etc. but nowadays, they are bringing it to the table and have a pretty robust military with some amazing French built equipment.
France being surrender monkeys is basically American propaganda spread by Hollywood. And it only worked on the American public due to that tragic level of education.
They have serious economic post-colonial interests that make it a nationally profitable venture to remain engaged.
They are obligated to the EU which is a primarily economic institution. There will be other EU assets in the region soon.
"Cheese-eating surrender monkeys" was always more about their political leadership than their military capability. You are correct, their kit is nothing to take lightly.
They just left niger. The french army is pathetic. Has always been. Ww1 days are over
I was just in Boston visiting my daughter and we went on the USS Constitution. We learned a lot of interesting things on that tour.
Hey, Sal... I was just looking on Marine Traffic at some of the ships in the area. A few of them (tankers, from what I can tell) have the "destination" listed as "ARMGUARDS ABOARD". I thought that was interesting. 🙂
That should scare Houthi drones away 😂
Thank you for credible dependable maritime news!
You look just fine I love your globe before I forget, I wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas, and a happiest of New Year’s, please stay safe out there, and God bless.
Thanks, what a pleasure. All the best.
Just as the French like to say, you can always count on the Americans to do the right thing, after they've tried everything else!
Winston Churchill
Why not letters of marque?
Thank you for your wonderful commentary and analysis. I, for one, never thought I'd see the U.S. Navy playing second chair to the French but alas, tis the world we live in I guess.
I’m curious how many missile intercepting capable missiles are aboard the USS Carney. Is it possible they’re just too low on munitions, and waiting a resupply before risking any more engagements?
🔥 Everyone Loves Sal 🔥
Thanks!
Thank you!
You made my day with “send the Constitution!” And ya know, god bless the French. Too bad we have to (again) watch them to see what a “real country” who could get their political shit together would do. Viva la France!
Thanks for the vidja.
Peaceful Skies.
Nailed it on the political front. The various Overpowered departments and agencies all fighting while the White House focuses on micromanaging things it doesn't comprehend is spot on. "Protect our Democracy" my left foot. Peer to peer fighting isn't an issue for the US Navy, no matter how much the bureaucracy flails around.
"Peer" is pretty much a nonissue since the end of the USSR... so yeah I would say the US really needs to spend a little more of its money on light ships. Britain has not had a significant blue water fleet in years, same with anyone else, because large ships tie up too much of a navies resources.
@@leechowning2712 US did not need to spend more on small ships as there is no need for them other than subsiding China and Europe.
US does not depend on the red sea ever since 2015 shale.
Let those European and Asian fight over it.
@@leechowning2712 I hear you. I think it's all about what you intend to accomplish. The US isn't too interested in micromanaging local waterways with the US Navy.
Hey man this was a fantastic and informative video.
Great voice and presentation too.
Keep it up and have a good Christmas
Thanks, you too!
Hey, @wgowshipping, are there any maritime limitations of weapons usage by private security companies who protect the commercial ships as they traverse these troubled waters? Can they, e.g., use missiles, or are they limited to small arms?
The laws of the countries where the ships are flagged
There's no real law in international waters, hence Russian anti-piracy cruises where you could go hunting pirates, as if they were wild geese ...
Why wouldn't all ship say they have armed guards on board? What is the down size? Thanks
Previous reporting indicated that the foreign shipping companies were refusing to be escorted unless all flags were escorted. France seems to have applied pressure to the French-owned companies.
What makes you think they can compel any civilian French ship to accept the offer? Entering those waters is a risk whether you are escorted or not.
Sounds plausible.
Why would they need to apply pressure to the French companies when they will in fact escort all flags?
Did you actually watch the video before commenting?
Thanks for your reporting.
Merry Christmas.
Excellent report.
Thank you for the informative update 👨✈️ Sal , looking Sharp 🎩
I am so happy we pay so much money to the UN so they can handle this violation of the law of the sea!
A few points.
1. The convoys aren't happening yet because all assets are not YET in theater.
(I believe two Canadian Frigates are on their way, they were in Hawaii recently.)
I suspect more UK & French assets are on the way as well, and probably ships from some other countries.
Depending on how far some of these ships have to travel to get there, it could take a bit of time to organize this.
2. As to the "secret" nations, these are countries that probably don't have their own ships, but have money to help pay for the operation.
3. The politicians are not likely to be "micromanaging" this. Instead they are laying the political groundwork for this.
That may mean getting permission to stage ships out of other African countries other than just Djibouti, which is a rather small nation.
This isn't going to be a small undertaking, and won't happen fast.
It will happen and I really wouldn't want to be the Houthi, once all assets are in theater!
@@MazesSA-uc6yb
That went out the window pretty quick as they have already attacked ships that have nothing to do with Israel at all.
However, those ships attacked DO have one thing in common, they belong to countries Iran doesn't like.
To be clear, Israel is an excuse, a pretty empty excuse to attack Iran's "enemies".
People love to deride the French Military. However, it is plenty capable and the French often go their own way. They answer to the French government. Not the US or NATO political blow hards and politicians.
Call me cynical but how much of this situation is being governed by rates of insurance rather than the safety of crews?
I have an idea ! Let’s just pay Yemen tribute …..
It worked for the European powers in Barbary , that’s why the U.S. had to build those 6 ships as we were no longer covered by the UK protection money after the revolution .
As said earlier by Robert Goodloe Harper in the XYZ affair -
Millions for defense but not one cent for tribute…..
The lack of action is telling, we should have implemented a plug and play escort operation able to deploy or activate at any given moment. Not to mention we haven’t made precision strikes against the Houthis. Is this orchestrated?
This White House is actively working to undermine American interests both domestically and abroad. Why is everyone so complacent with this?!
Given the amount of time over the years that the closure of the straights of Hormuz has been worried about and considered it's really amazing how much a potential closure of the Bab al Mandab has been regarded as a footnote.
It's also interesting how little money Saudi Arabia has invested in its Navy considering Iran now more or less has the ability to entirely cut it off from the rest of the world (other than through Suez).
Retiring the OHPs without replacing them was an error.
I suspect the problem is that there was never any real buy in to CTF153 as an international force.
The problem is that the Perry class WAS replaced...with LCS. And we've seen how that turned out. Now playing catch-up with Constellation-class frigate, which obviously is not of any help right now with this particular situation. I'm sure there's lots of folks in the Pentagon wishing they'd gotten the ball rolling on that thing years ago. That said, I'm not real sure just how effective FFG7's would've been here. Probably could've dealt with drones and ASCMs, but within a much smaller engagement envelope than a DDG. And I doubt that a Perry could do anything against these new ASBMs (which obtw, is the absolute clearest indicator that other countries are involved; lol it's not like the Houthi cooked up ballistic missiles on their own - c'mon, everybody knows it's really Iran behind all this).
I'm not at all knocking the Perry-class; great ships. Served on one during the '90s. Could do lots of things which the DDGs couldn't do (often due to much shallower draft), or do them much more economically. Far more effective (or at least, far cheaper) option for bonafide anti-piracy work; a VBSS team launched from a Perry is just as good as one sent from a Burke. But area air defense against a threat which includes ballistic capability really does call for DDGs. Not clear the Constitutions would be much help even if the USN already had some.
@@cragnamorra Well stated.
@cragnamorra You can't deal with this kind of threat by only defending. For example imagine a tough guy and a normal guy. The normal guy can throw as many punches as he wants for days and the tough guy will only defend. Even if the tough guy is stronger, if he only defends eventually he's going to get worn down and punched in the face.
@@cragnamorra No disagreement with that, so far as it goes, but what we've left out is capacity to flood an enemy coastal area (and a good distance inland) with overwhelming numbers of modest cost drones.
@@jgw9990 Fully agree. But the defensive component is still be necessary, and right now. That includes the need for ASBM defense. As far as the offensive piece that is obviously called for to deal with this problem, yeah, that's a different conversation. We'll just have to see if, when, and how that pans out.
Excellent presentation. The Disorder as Peter Zeihan calls it is gathering momentum.
Kudos to the French for filling in the power vacuum left by the US. No can wrest naval dominance from the US, but we can certainly cede it.
Sal, you’re the best !!!, the political situation is pretty bad.
I laughed out loud when you threw out your French impersonation 😂👍👍 Thank goodness I wasn't taking a drink!
Is this our fight and how hard is it to pinpoint launch sites from space?
Thermal launch signature via satellite, GPS info to submarine. Tomahawk cruise missile on the way. 5 minutes on a bad day.
Where, or what is the Egyptian navy doing ? After all these merchant ships which transit the canal are their customers. They must be loosing canal passage fees.
... are you referring to the mighty and famous Egyptian navy of legend and story, loved and feared by all?
@@Paul-talk I can't say what we used to call it, 🛶 the PC brigade is listening.
Maybe the Egyptians are making fees with the russian oil tankers
Where's the Ukrainians see drones to stop russian oil tankers...
@@crasher303let me put it another way: ... is there an Egyptian navy?
btw: I notice half a dozen or so islands in the middle of that southern passage ... I think that is from where houthi are spotting.
What an absolutely horrible, wildly inappropriate violation of our established dress code!
Prayers to Prague.
Your information value is not degraded by the dress.
@@ralphebrandt Are you saying it’s just not possible to degrade it any further 🤣
Dr. Mercogloano, Please consider maintaining course when doing the gigs associated with the RUclips channel by retaining your signature uniform. If you will choose to dress up, please let it be for a more worthy organization than the woke BBC.
Also, thank you for your honest opinions.
Just my opinion for entertainment purposes only.
@@nrowland4103 It was a clever dig at the Brits, I think...
Haha I thought mentioning Tom Hanks would be the drinking game, you couldnt resist mentioning him talking to Ward! Love it! Happy Xmas!
Offense is easier than defense when you have guided missiles. So, if you are unwilling to go on offense, you are playing a losing game. Only offense will reduce hoothi missile & drone attacks.
Sal it was great seeing you with Ward.
One possible answer may be 'sustained ops tempo'. How long can we intercept $100k targets with $1M missiles? The alterative is to strike the launchers and stores of missiles and drones. As you noted, this has been going on for years. That we don't have target sets ready for tasking is a problem. If our Navy is tasked with operating in a theater, it is only logical to evaluate threats and work out contingencies.
You can't assume that the reason we don't do something is because we can't.
Mobile launchers, no fixed sites. However, it should be possible to use spotter drones at high altitude to pinpoint a launch from a mobile launcher, guiding counterbattery. Need to protect the spotters. Would have been nice to keep the SR-71's around, but there may be an undisclosed replacement.
I see one problem with this: elections. The presidential elections are coming and the support to Ukraine has been widely criticised, the same is starring with the support to Israel. Opening yet another front where hundreds of millions would be spent in an at least year long conflict would be the dumbest thing to do for the president and his presidential opponents who would inherit the situation if they win the presidential.
Gotta wait for Jake Sullivan to wake up and have his coffee before he operates the puppet
Thanks so much!
Thank you Sal. Amazing the French are stepping into the breech of this topic. Separately maybe France can start protecting and defending their own land and maritime borders. In any event this should be helpful stopping the attacks. Interesting news !
for their marine size, they have to protect already their maritime borders which are bigger than the US ones........with a fraction of the US fleet.
@@vaudou74 French military doctrine: They pretend to protect because they know they can beg for help from the US if necessary.
The French are one of the few European countries with an actual military. They are always going to protect their own interests in every case. (And they should) Most of the rest of Europe are free riders and we should drop them as allies. (US perspective here)
Bab El-Mandeb 🍺 Merry Christmas to my favorite channel. 🎄 Happy subscriber.
Glad to see other nations stepping up and not expecting the US to do all the heavy lift.
France hardly ever expects anything from the US to begin with, when it comes to military matters 😅
@@Ganiscol They only expect help when they neglected to ask for it and it bit them in the ass.
Huh, most nations are doing it, just US asked for help as part of there own operation.
I wonder if there is some backroom stuff going on. Like lets say the US wants to charge Maersk for example, for every missile fired in defense during an escort.
@@zobius9191 whatever... 🙄
i play a smoking game much the same Sal, every time you mention J Booty the smoking lamp is lit, some episodes are tough on the ole lungs
attire wise, the Hawaiian casual look is bestest but understand.
Merry Christmas Sal!
If this goes on for long enough I wonder if you'll start seeing weapons systems fitted to merchant ships eg. point defence systems to provide defence against missiles and drones - a bit like going back to the 15th -17th centures when merchant ships reallly did need to be able to defend themselves.
I think most ports will not accept armed ships. Sal would be able to clarify that.
He spoke about this in a previous video, no one would welcome a ship with arms on board.
I doubt it. CIWS like Phalanx is, from what I've read from people more knowledgeable than I, isn't regarded as particularly effective anymore. Systems like the Oerlikon Millennium Gun, Bofors MK4 and Mk110 etc need external radar and FCS which moves beyond simple plug and play. Then there's issues with armourers and technicians needed, requiring a magazine for the ammunition, handling procedures, fire hazard mitigation etc etc. No company would go to that extent. Far easier to demand naval protection.
@@ryanbrewis6990 I agree, though they could embark short shoulder fired missiles like stingers and Mistrals.
@@brunol-p_g8800 Fine against drones to some extent. Does nothing about anti-ship missiles.
Best thing I can think of would be stationing destroyers with long range armament, like the Burkes and Type 45, at intervals on patrol in a box of sorts then frigates with shorter range missiles running escort between those. We'll just have to wait and see.
Always very interesting and informative stuff!
If only there was a college that taught real SeaPower is not just warships but commerce and protection of lines of communication !
Al T. Mahan ‘ class of 59….
1859!
Thank you for the "sane" and thorough review.
i guess that is an operational things so the french aren't directly tied in with us rules of engagement and can handle individual situations their own way.
Sir, till now Cosco Shipping had not announced anything. As the are Chinese flagged, did they get convoys? Will they have a advance in freight rates? All carriers announced overnight up to $600 extra charges per TEU for traveling via Africa. Rgds.
COSCO diverted their ships and turned Galaxy around in the Red Sea so you should expect surcharges..
People need to understand that this will reignite inflation for the US economy.
It's a real problem and needs to be addressed.
Great video, as always.
Hell yeah
"will reignite inflation for the U.S. economy" (sigh).... There is no such thing as just the U.S. economy because if that were the case, you would be alone against the whole world. My arms fall off when I read such superficial comments, like not only the earth but the whole fucking solar system revolves around you. Good thing they are not all like you, who think allies only have to obey when the US snaps its fingers.
Please do not apologise for your attire, it is definitely better and more appropriate than usual. Keep it up my dear.
It's bad enough that our own merchant fleet has dwindled down to almost nothing, and the largest navy in the world (also our own) can't spare a few ships for convoys.
The USA hasn’t been the largest navy in the world for a few years now, it’s only the largest in terms of tonnage/heaviness.
You still looks ownsome without the tie and story today is attractive! Merry Christmas and Happy new year!
Sal, I see your frustration and feel the same way. The fact that a relatively small group of terrorists has had such a huge impact on the world is hard to believe, yet here we are. As you said, when politicians micro-manage military activities, things get bogged down.
Terrorists????
No they are not.
Which terrorists?
@@sarajones9532 @scottscouter1065
@scottscouter1065
0 seconds ago
The Houthis are a proxy force for Tehran. Iran provides weapons, training, and the Houthis (non-state, ipso facto "terrorists) do the dirty work. The Houthi problem will not be solved unless and until there is a smoking crater where the IRGC HQ in Tehran used to be. FACTS.
@@Suzi195 They are rebels, terrorists....
@@ralphebrandt
So are Luke Skywalker, Princess Lea, Han Solo, Obi Wan Kenobi terrorists or rebels? 😁
Sir. Thanks. Merry Christmas. For some reason my comments get evaporated but I don’t know why. While I admit to sarcasm and expressions of incredulity, I’ve NEVER used foul language.
Italian FREMM frigate Virginio Fasan is also heading to the Red Sea but, interestingly, under the parliament-authorised Atalanta mission rather than Prosperity Guardian. This appears to be a major US political failure.
The European Atalanta mission is different and has been going on for a long time.
@@brunol-p_g8800 This is precisely the point. The Fasan should have gone anyway in February. She is being sent now because of the Houthi emergency and she will probably be escorting Italian-flagged/owned vessels. However, the fact that she, the Languedoc and other EU ships will not be under US command seems very significant.
@@paoloradaelli7120Is it? Europe is dependent on Suez more than America is. Chinese trade to America goes the other direction round I imagine.
@@jgw9990 Well, to be discussed but it would seem hardly a difficult task to persuade allies into a coordinated escorting operation under US command. The fact that they all but positively refuse to accept this is not a good sign. The reasons seem clear - they don’t want to be dragged into an all-out attack on the Houthis and they don’t think it is necessary, as they have enough escort on their own to keep their ships safe.
Good thing US wants to leave NATO
We know how to crank out Burkes.
They seem to work pretty well in the real world, as is being demonstrated now.
How about we focus on producing a bunch of units of this known pretty good platform.
Quantity has a quality all its own.
You're kidding right? You've already got about 75 of them. That is literally the largest Destroyer fleet in the world by far. How many more do you intend to build?
@@death_parade No. The US is the only nation that has responsibilities throughout the world, and has a need for a larger fleet than any other country. As I said, we know how to turn out Burkes without a bunch of risk and new engineering, but instead we are wasting time and money Americanizing small Italian frigates, which aren't nearly as capable. It appears a LOT of money is being spent adapting the foreign designs. The current standard is "how many cells?". This is opposed to the time and money wasted building Little Cr@ppy Ships, and then scrapping them, and frigates/corvettes that don't have as much capability. We are currently dealing with multiple conflicts, with China vs Taiwan on the horizon. China is currently mass producing ships, with the intention of overwhelming the US.
The only rational alternative is building cruisers, expanded from the Burke design. One concern for a new development is adding more electrical generation capacity to support lasers, railguns etc.
@@SteamCrane Well, IMHO the current approach of US with DDG(X) with a 6 meter aperture AESA radar is the way to go forward. Even Flight III Burkes don't have the capacity to fit in a 6-meter aperture radar. And then there is USN's staffing constraints and automation benefits that won't be there on a Burke.
Everybody is moving to the 6-meter aperture radar: China, India, etc.
@@death_parade Newer better ships would be great, but at present the US can't seem to build good ships. Somehow it would turn into a fuster cluck. The 2 classes of LCS each have their own fatal flaws, Ford went so well with untested technology, and Zumwalt...?
Looking at the ambitious DDG(X) specs and 2032 delivery gives me a queasy feeling. Here we go again. Let's keep the yards busy for now with something we understand, like Burkes, maybe upgraded a bit, to avoid losing the yards knowledge base. Think what happened to the UK Navy with their pause.
France always being extra✨
Precisely! Great review of the situation.