US: News & Discussions

[The Juggernaut]

 

[Corvus Splendens]

 

[maximus777]

Rare Earths and America/China

Rare earths is the key here. It is not 245% tariff only but Chinese have put export restrictions on rare earths. That means sooner than later the Americans will run out of them. That is when America will beg or shut down industry. One or the other. The stupidity of single source supply chain becomes clear here. Let us see what happens. America had four incompetent presidents who never even once thought that single source supply chain is bad. It’s worst example is visible now.

Find alternate sources through Ukraine and Russia.

 

[Cheepek]

Harvard is cooked


View: https://x.com/isaacstonefish/status/1914686931872383146?t=wfYB8sfVPIyX-JVHyvFsCg&s=19

 

[Hari Sud]

Find alternate sources through Ukraine and Russia.

They have none…. Elsewhere the operation of mine will take 3-5 years.

 

[Cheepek]

7 Reaper drones shot down by Houthis

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pentagon-faces-200-million-loss-as-houthis-shoot-down-7-us-reaper-drones-101745550100484.html

 

[Hari Sud]

7 Reaper drones shot down by Houthis

https://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/pentagon-faces-200-million-loss-as-houthis-shoot-down-7-us-reaper-drones-101745550100484.html

Not likely to be true.

 

[Hari Sud]

Trump and tariffs & DOGE

Many are blaming Trump for the current mess with tariffs and the push for government efficiency. Perhaps it is his fault for giving Elon Musk too much influence over government departments. Musk, though brilliant, is often rude, combative, and prone to picking fights wherever he goes.

The same applies to Peter Navarro, the architect of Trump’s tariff policy. Tariffs were mismanaged across the board — with allies, partners, and adversaries alike. If China was the real target, Trump should have focused there first, without alienating everyone else. Manufacturing could have been brought back to America through incentives, and trade balanced by pressuring China to buy American goods — not by imposing blanket 245% tariffs.

Now it appears America is about to blink. There are no alternative sources for many critical goods, and the urgent need for these products may force Trump and America to back down first.

In short, the tariff strategy has failed, and it’s time for Peter Navarro to step aside.

The truth is, China needs access to the American market more than America needs Chinese market. If America had committed earlier to rebuilding its manufacturing base or diversifying suppliers, China would have received the message — without the need for extreme tariffs like 245%. Now, the Chinese sense that America has few alternatives, and they feel they hold the upper hand.

Think carefully, President Trump. Policy corrections are needed, and only you can make them.

 

[asl001]

Report from TOI
Yemen’s Armed Forces launched a fierce multi-pronged strike on the USS Harry S. Truman. Missiles, drones, and naval units forced the US aircraft carrier to retreat in the Red Sea. Yemen claims the Truman was possibly hit - prompting its reported withdrawal. The attack was in retaliation for deadly US airstrikes and continued support for Israel.

 

[sameer]

US ekanami declines 0.3%, all thanks to dolund bhai.

US economy contracts first time in three years by 0.3% in Q1; Trump's tariffs unleash flood of imports

The US economy faced a contraction in the first quarter. Businesses imported goods to avoid higher costs. This offset President Trump's tariff policy. The GDP decreased by 0.3%. Economists had predicted a 0.3% increase. A surge in the goods trade deficit contributed to this decline. Consumer...

m.economictimes.com

 

[Hari Sud]

Report from TOI
Yemen’s Armed Forces launched a fierce multi-pronged strike on the USS Harry S. Truman. Missiles, drones, and naval units forced the US aircraft carrier to retreat in the Red Sea. Yemen claims the Truman was possibly hit - prompting its reported withdrawal. The attack was in retaliation for deadly US airstrikes and continued support for Israel.

Tactical move by an aircraft carrier in the sea is not retreat. It is operational necessity when under enemy fire.

 

[asl001]

Tactical move by an aircraft carrier in the sea is not retreat. It is operational necessity when under enemy fire.

I just wanted to post the news in the thread. And I agree with you.
I just copy pasted.

 

[Ultraman]

country seems to be getting more and more retarded

some wamen posted a yemeni qurry as a military bunker and posted it on twitter.

US mil saw it and launched missile strike killing several civilians including children


View: https://x.com/VleckieHond/status/1916915276462870693

 

[Hari Sud]

Is Trump Losing Control of His Agenda?

As a Trump supporter, I’m concerned that he’s losing grip on the very platform that got him elected — the powerful promise of “Make America Great Again.” That slogan now feels weakened, and his approval ratings reflect it. At the 100-day mark, three key missteps stand out:
Unpopular Tariffs — Imposing tariffs on allies like Canada and Europe has hurt relationships and undermined free-market principles.
Poorly Executed DOGE Program — While reducing bureaucracy is necessary, the abrupt and heavy-handed implementation caused chaos rather than reform.
Immigration Missteps — Instead of targeting illegal immigrants effectively, the administration has harassed legal visa-holding students, creating fear and resentment.
If Trump focuses on trade with China — where the real economic threat lies — he may regain momentum. For decades, China has exploited unfair advantages: manipulating currency, benefiting from U.S. business offshoring, and building a trade surplus that now exceeds half a trillion dollars annually. American companies bear some blame for outsourcing in pursuit of cheap, subsidized Chinese goods.
Our dependency on China is dangerous. When the U.S. needed critical resources like germanium and rare earth elements, we turned to Chinese suppliers instead of investing in domestic or allied production. Ironically, it was U.S. technology that enabled China’s dominance, and now they’re weaponizing exports.
Internally, the U.S. has over 10 million undocumented workers — a problem too large for blunt solutions. Instead of focusing on real threats, the administration targets law-abiding foreign students, which sends the wrong message.
This poorly managed DOGE program is not doing well. Everybody agrees that the bloated bureaucracy has to be reduced but methodology used was most unpleasant.
Finally, the team around the president lacks real-world experience. Many advisors appear unqualified and out of touch with what works. It’s time for a reset — with skilled professionals who understand governance and policy

 

[Corvus Splendens]

Cuts To Aviation, Ground Vehicles​

>An Army official today confirmed that the service will stop producing Humvees and Joint Light Tactical Vehicles. And General Dynamics Land Systems will be told to stop producing its brand new light tank, the M10 Booker. (The Wall Street Journal first reported on those cuts.)

>“The Booker is a classic example of sunk cost fallacy, and the Army doing something wrong,” Driscoll said. “We wanted to develop a small tank that was agile and could be dropped into places our regular tanks can’t. We got a heavy tank.”

>Alex Miller, the Army Chief’s Chief Technology Officer, explained that the Army also plans to divest from its fleet of AH-64D aircraft, but it is not yet clear if the service will opt to replace them with the newer AH-64E models.

>“Those are the older Apaches, they’re very expensive to maintain,” George told reporters today. “I think this will actually increase our operational readiness rate in doing this.”

>Also on the chopping block, is the “obsolete” Gray Eagle drone, produced by General Atomics, according to George’s letter to the force.

C. Mark Brinkley, a spokesman for General Atomics, pushed back against the use of the word “obsolete” noting that the drone has been updated over the years.

>“We have developed the modernized Gray Eagle 25M, Gray Eagle STOL [short takeoff and landing], and EagleEye radar to bring these platforms to the absolute cutting edge,” Brinkley wrote in an emailed repose to Breaking Defense. “We’ve done that despite low funding priority and an unclear vision from the US Army that has forced Congress and others to make bold moves on behalf of America’s soldiers.”

“The Army’s RSTA mission is not going away in the future, and nor should its ability to conduct those operations without getting soldiers killed,” Brinkley added.

While these are initial cuts to program, George warned in his memo that more is coming: “This is a first step. We have already directed a second round of transformation efforts to be delivered in the coming months.”

What those future cuts look like isn’t clear, but Army leaders have been indicating for months that the service’s ground vehicle portfolio is facing even deeper cuts, which could see modernization programs like the Robotic Combat Vehicle and ongoing Bradley replacement competition be halted, or legacy programs like the Stryker be hit.

On the aviation side, just last year the Army unveiled a massive aviation overhaul that included cancelling development of its next-generation Future Attack Reconnaissance Aircraft (FARA) program in order to direct those dollars towards unmanned aerial reconnaissance systems, continuing manned helicopter programs like the UH-60M Blackhawk line and CH-47F Block II Chinook, and continuing to development of the Future Long-Range Assault Aircraft (FLRAA).

There had been speculation in industry that FLRAA could be in trouble long-term, but George in his memo doubled down on supporting the Bell-designed rotorcraft.

While Hegseth’s memo outlines a host of potential cuts for the ground service, he also details areas ripe for investment.


“The Army must prioritize investments in accordance with the administration’s strategy, ensuring existing resources are prioritized to improve long-range precision fires, air and missile defense including through the Golden Dome for America, cyber, electronic warfare, and counter-space capabilities,” he wrote.


He went on to detail a few additional focal areas and programs, including:

• A future Precision Strike Missile (PrSM) variant with a seeker to hit moving targets on land and at sea, ready by 2027. Miller subsequently told reporters that this is a new initiative to “double the range” of the weapon and it could potentially be produced by a new vendor.
• Achieve electromagnetic and air-littoral dominance by 2027.
• Fielding new launched effects in every division by the end of 2026 for soldiers to use from the ground or air.
• Improve counter-UAS mobility and affordability, while also integrating those capabilities into maneuver platoons by 2026 and maneuver companies by 2027.
• Extending advanced manufacturing, including 3D printing, to operational units by 2026.
• Enable AI-driven command and control at Theater, Corps, and Division headquarters by 2027.

Hegseth orders 'comprehensive transformation' of US Army, merging offices and cutting weapons - Breaking Defense

"All of these parochial interests and all of these lobbyists that crawl around this building and crawl around Congress, they have succeeded for far too long, and so the first thing is, we are going to start to cut the things we don't want or need," Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll told reporters.

breakingdefense.com