An observer warns the U.S. Navy’s submarine fleet is smaller than normal, due to maintenance and production delays, notes Grumpy Editor.
Seth Cropsey, former naval officer and deputy undersecretary of the Navy, points out in a Wall Street Journal piece that the fleet “is about three-fifths the size it should be” and it “comes amid stepped-up threats to Taiwan by China.”
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He says U.S. submarines “are the most effective tool to counter an assault on Taiwan.”
The U.S., he adds, “has a world leading attack submarine force of 49 nuclear-powered boats, along with four guided-missile submarines each packed with 154 cruise missiles."
IN CASE YOUR FAVORITE NEWS OUTLETS MISSED THESE...
370 WORDS ADDED TO DICTIONARY. Merriam-Webster adds 370 words and phrases to its dictionary this month. Two examples plucked from the myriad slang and informal coinages: yeet --- to throw something with force and without regard for the thing being thrown; the other --- janky, meaning of very poor quality.
TOW TRUCK CALLED TO LIFT ALLIGATOR. A tow truck had to be called to lift a massive alligator out of a neighborhood outside Houston, Texas. The alligator, trapped four hours later with assistance from licensed trappers with Texas Parks and Wildlife, is relocated to a sanctuary in El Campo.
MASKED MEN STEAL DOGS. In Northrige, Calif., a person left puppies with a friend when two masked men entered the residence and stole the dogs. Police say bulldogs, especially French bulldogs, have soared in popularity in recent years. The high demand for the dogs has made them more prone to theft --- and sale at a steep price on the black market.
PET KANGAROO KILLS OWNER. An Australian man dies after being attacked by his pet kangaroo. Police say they were forced to shoot the marsupial dead so paramedics could reach the 77-year-old man who later died at the scene. This is the first fatal attack by a kangaroo in Australia since 1936.
COAST GUARD BOOSTS ARCTIC OPERATIONS. The U.S. Coast Guard will step up operations in the increasingly contested Arctic region, crack down on illegal fishing and forced labor, and improve oil spill response under legislation approved by a Senate committee wary of competition from Russia and China.
MICHAEL JORDAN’S JERSEY SELLS FOR RECORD. Michael Jordan’s basketball jersey, worn during the 1998 NBA finals, sells for a record $10.1 million. It ranks as the most expensive piece of game-worn sports memorabilia ever sold.
“PHANTOM” TO CLOSE AFTER RECORD RUN. Broadway’s longest-running show --- The Phantom of the Opera --- is slated to close next Feb. 18. The musical, on Broadway since 1988, will conclude with 13,925 performances.
MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL PLAYERS FORM UNION. More than 5,500 minor League Baseball Players form a union in an effort to boost annual salaries as low as $10,400. That compares with major league players getting millions a season.
