An interesting move by the Navy, and not without its challenges to integrate the Aegis Weapon System and the PAC-3 MSE.

But is it a smart decision? Maybe…

A thread…

https://twitter.com/VirtualBayonet/status/1938629884475277506

2/The Aegis Weapon System operates in the S-band to detect, track, and engage a threat. The Aegis ships the SM-2 variant of surface to air missile to engage air threats (aircraft and incoming missiles). The SPY-1 radar establishes an uplink to the SM-2 to guide it to the threat.

So I woke up and saw the news and also saw the immediate reaction of “How can this happen?!?” How did a US Navy ship shoot down a US Navy fighter????

You have to be uninformed or naive or both to think this can’t happen. It can happen easily.

A short thread…

https://twitter.com/navytimes/status/1870679918280880574

First/most importantly, the fog of war is real. Adrenaline and confusion and terror reign over the battlefield. All warfighters experience it. And in a small contested area like the Red Sea, the Bab el Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden it is easy to see how people can get in trouble.

2/

The final weekend of my pie baking.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie.

The trick to making a sweet potato pie is making sure the sweet potatoes are soft enough to make pie.

Let’s begin, a thread… Pie Crust:
Again, you can make your own or you can use store bought. Making your own pie crust is a labor of love and takes time, but it can be richly rewarding.

I use Trader Joe’s pie crust for when time is hard to come by. 2/

My continue of November Pie Month with this week’s edition:
Apple Crumble

This is one of the least complicated recipes I learned from my paternal grandmother. So easy, I can do it!

A thread… Filling:
8 peeled apples, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 10 cups, or 1200g)
1/2 cup (100g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

2/

Hi 👋

Missile Defense expert here.

So let's discuss ballistic missiles, shall we?

A thread...

https://twitter.com/richimedhurst/status/1806071230484623564

A ballistic missile follows an elliptical orbit around the center of the Earth, defined strictly by the combination of velocity/flight angle at burnout and the Earth’s gravity.

During the majority phases of flight, ballistic missiles can do some pretty wild things.

2/

I saw this picture of a recent failure of the S-400 missile system and so I began to think…

The missile knows where it is at all times. It knows this because it knows where it isn't…

A thread 🧵… By subtracting where it is from where it isn't, or where it isn't from where it is (whichever is greater), it obtains a difference, or deviation.

2/

Weapons tester here. Let me try to explain what Tom and others are misinformed and not well versed in the world of DoD testing versus other weapons exercises.

A short thread...

https://twitter.com/tshugart3/status/1802565156972396916

A SINKEX - or sinking exercise - is not a test. It is an exercise to support very limited objectives: Practice TTPs (tactics, techniques, & procedures), build warfighter confidence in their weapon systems (who doesn't like seeing an explosion), and provide very limited info.

2/

While everyone is commemorating D-Day and the heroic efforts of US and Allied troops, I am thinking about the Battle of Midway. My reasons are personal, my grandfather was there and I am the only person in my family he told about his time there.

A thread... My grandfather was a hard man. Born in 1920 in Wyoming, he was 1 of 10 children of ranchers digging out existence in the small town of Chugwater. When the depression hit he left home to join the Navy in 1938. He was a Gunner's Mate. This is the only pic I have of him.

2/

So let's discuss the decommissioning of these two ships and why it makes sense from a warfare perspective.

A thread...

https://twitter.com/CavasShips/status/1784673592820568290

Cowpens was commissioned in 1991. Vicksburg in 1992. Both ships have seen a lot of things during their time in service. The sea, is a corrosive and harsh environment. And the Navy has made bad decisions along the way that made the decision to scrap them easier.

2/

This week’s pie is another simple recipe.

This is an easy cheesecake. There is no complicated water bath necessary. You can use a pie pan or spring form pan. And you can modify it to add all sorts of things to the cheesecake.

A thread… You will need:

Crust:
1 & 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
Filling:
16 oz. full-fat brick cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup full-fat sour cream, room temp
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs, room temp

Veterans Day Sea Story… the Russians stole the wardroom’s silverware.

It was 1996, I was a young Lieutenant (O3) and the Navigator on USS SAN JACINTO (CG 56). We were deployed en route to the Arabian Gulf via the Mediterranean Sea.

A thread 🧵 (1)





Commander, Sixth Fleet director us to divert from our voyage and rendezvous with the Russian aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov and conduct what was known as a passing exercise. There we would exchange officers for lunch and tour each other ships while in close formation.

(2)

Brown Butter Apple Tart! This is super easy.

You will need:
- Pie crust (store bought or homemade)
- 4 eggs
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 cup salted butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2-3 thinly sliced green apples

A 🧵 Take your pie crust out of the fridge and roll it out to fit a 9inch tart pan (or pie plate if you don’t have a tart pan). If using my homemade pie crust, have a cup of ice water out to fix the edges of the pie crust as you roll it out.

1/

Bread! Glorious bread.

https://twitter.com/OPTester_Chris/status/1705978741900362044

@tjfarina Remove dough from mixing bowl and place in a much larger bowl. Cover with a towel and let rise at room temp for 2 hours. Then refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours. You can keep the dough in the fridge longer and the dough will taste tangier. Up to 7 days.

Contrary to navalists opinions, I believe it is time for the Ticonderoga class cruisers and the Whidbey Island class landing ships to be decommissioned. They are no longer fit for service. But the sad part of the story is not told.

https://twitter.com/USNINews/status/1637962023161024513

During the “war” years of 2003-2023, the US Navy fielded only 3 new classes of warships. The Zumwalt Destroyers, the 1st of which reportedly met initial operational capability in 2015 & in commission since 2016, but lacks a combat system to provide combat capability to the force.

Veterans Day Sea Story… the time I was a part an international incident.

In January 2005, LCDR Chris was directed to report to USS SAIPAN (LHA 2) as the ship’s Navigator. I had missed the ship sailing from Norfolk to pick up a Seabees for a humanitarian mission in Haiti. (🧵) As the ship passed Key West, they sent a helo to pick me up. It was January 5th & I had 3 days to turnover with my predecessor. During that time, I discovered that SAIPAN was trying to schedule a port visit after our time in Haiti was completed somewhere nice in the Caribbean.(2)

Today, a Sailor I haven't spoken to in over a decade reached out to me - GM3 Myers. Today is a hard day for him & I, but more so for him. He needed to talk today because this is not pleasant.

14 years ago today, I was the XO of a warship moored at Naval Station Norfolk... Myers was scheduled to perform a maintenance spotcheck with me on this morning long ago. He was the Duty GM and he called GMSN Hann to relieve him in the armory. I met both of them at the ship's Armory and Myers and I went off to get the spotcheck done. Nothing complicated.