NIMBY NATO?
Waltz: US allies starting to ‘come around’ to reopening Strait of Hormuz
by Max Rego
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz said Sunday that American allies are beginning to “come around” on providing support to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which President Trump has urged them to do.
“We are seeing our allies come around as they should, but at the same time, the president is not going to stand for this regime, as it has threatened and tried for five decades to hold the world’s energy supplies hostage under its genocidal intent,” Waltz told host Margaret Brennan on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”
Initially, NATO allies and other countries around the world expressed uncertainty about providing military support for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, which Iran has effectively closed amid U.S.-Israeli strikes. That has resulted in energy prices spiking globally, with an impact at the pump in the U.S.
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“We express our readiness to contribute to appropriate efforts to ensure safe passage through the Strait,” the leaders wrote in a letter. “We welcome the commitment of nations who are engaging in preparatory planning.”
Marvelous, NATO has almost nearly started to contribute to the Iran conflict. Britain has even just allowed us to use their bases to strike Iranian targets threatening the Straights of Hormuz. Thanks Nigel, not like you were using them anyway.
What happened to “Not our war!” our purported allies were chanting in unison just a day ago? “This is not our war, we have not started it,” German defense Minister Boris Pistorius opined. The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kalla Kajas, echoed a similar refrain, saying, “This is not Europe’s war.”
This has enraged Trump, leading him to ponder the usefulness of NATO. It is rich of European leaders touting how the four years of Russo-Ukrainian War is America’s War, then suddenly adopt a “Not my circus, not my monkeys” attitude over Iran. “Not our war” will absolutely be thrown back in the face of the Euros the next time they ask the United States for any military aid package.
Sending minesweepers would be an easy way to earn some good will with the administration. It’s not as if the Iran War is one which they heavily disagree with; all major Western capitals essentially cheer the war. But the EU with its population replacement, a weakened Russia, slowing and already broken rearmament promises, NATO needs every reason it can get to keep itself relevant to the United States. At least NATO General Secretary Mark Rutte seems to understand this.
Category: NATO
Same with Ukraine. “Please take care of this for us America!”
Sending mine sweepers is easy? Why doesn’t the US just do it if it is easy? Oh, they don’t have mine sweeping capacity for some reason? That is odd.
But easy you say? Who will protect the miner sweepers from air drone and missile attacks? Who will resource, maintain and fuel them and where? How many European powers have base and port sharing agreements with local and regional powers? If a ship gets hit who is going to get the sailors out of the water or tow it in for repairs? No civilian contractor is going to assume liability for and then risk a quarter billion dollar recovery vessel to pull a navy ship out of hostile waters.
Most European navies are not true blue water navies. They don’t have the population or strategic mission to support one. Therefore they lack all the support infrastructure. They can’t power project nor do they need to bother because they aren’t interested in going to other countries and conducting military operations.
Japan has offered to send mine sweepers because they do have a blue water navy, being a huge islander nation and all. But only if there is a cease fire because they can’t protect their ships from “laundry room fires” and drone strikes either.
The Avenger class MCMs were launched in the 1980s, skippy. They are worn out, obsolete and marginally seaworthy. That’s why.
Some were built in the 1990s but there are only four left in operation in any case. You might wonder when the ones in the Middle East were decommissioned? How about right before the war?
Which given the fact that there was a decision made to jump into a war with a country whose doctrine relies on mining operations seems a little short sighted.
So now we are using the ship that nobody knows what to do with, the LCS as mine sweepers. Which is a pitiful response.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2026/03/12/the-us-navy-decommissioned-middle-east-minesweepers-last-year-heres-what-they-did/
This report last year suggested that the Navy really had no plan at all to deal with mines in combat. It goes into great detail about capability, or lack thereof, and how; “the Navy’s approach to mine warfare extend beyond immediate operational concerns. By neglecting this critical capability while adversaries expand theirs, the United States is creating a strategic vulnerability that could fundamentally limit its ability to project power in contested environments.”
Which is exactly where we are now. Funny that.
https://centerformaritimestrategy.org/publications/dont-sweep-minesweepers-under-the-rug-americas-critical-naval-vulnerability/
I mentioned a week or to ago that when we used to Med moor at Gitmo, I used to see a number of sweeps along with tin cans tied up at the piers as we passed by in the utility boat for some shore time liberty on the base.
And what of the mighty LCS mine warfare variants we were assured, repeatedly, would be even better?
About twenty years ago, by the way.
I wonder whatever became of Magic Lantern, a LASER system that was excellent for detecting mines and subs operating in shallow waters from airborne platforms.
It was updated and acquired 2001-2017 and renamed ALMDS (Airborne Laser Mine Detection System). But as per the above CMS article:
That was the point of sending the Independence Class LCS. With their helo landing decks that can launch MH-60S Knighthawks with 30mm chain guns to clear surface and shallow mines.
The ALMDS is only effective on surface and shallow mines. There is a sonar buoy that the helo can tow but it is less than 30% effective at detection and the mines are much more difficult to destroy from the air.
A helicopter is handy and fast but not nearly as effective as a specialized vessel at clearing mines.
We need to ridicule NATO mercilessly. Ungrateful children that they are.
“Your mother was a hamster, and your father smelt of elderberries. Now go a-way, or I shall taunt you a sec-ond time.”
Trump does that daily. It has been completely ineffective so far.
I’m not sure “completely ineffective” is proper.
They are at least being discomfited frequently, and now having to pay more of their defense costs.
I think he’s playing a longer game.
Candyass europe didn’t mind a hundred-year long string of US commitments to help them in European business: WWI, WWII, the Cold War, Bosnia, Yugoslavia, Kosovo, and incessant whining about Ukraine. Yet at every opportunity, they whine and refuse to assist elsewhere. I note they did support Iraq and Afghanistan, but under ludicrous self-imposed ROE. But to actually support the US in something that will unambiguously benefit them? Oh no!
I’ve always been a realist and supporter of NATO and forward deployed US forces but right now I would have no problems with scaling back US support to NATO to a level commensurate with the smallest commitment by any other country and let the chips fall where they may. Refocus on China.
I think the only reason that any nato nations are starting to step up is because iran just demonstrated they have icbm’s with the range to cover almost all of nato in Europe. Because there is a valid threat NOW they are worried that should the regime not go away that threat will never go away either.
NATO…
“ponder the usefulness of NATO”
They have their own headstamp in 7.62 which is nice but
.308 Win can fit the breech as needed.
It’s interesting how NATO suddenly cares about Iran. Discovering you’re in missile range can really make you rethink things.
That and the price of gasoline.
Heh, Just paid $4.87/gal at the pump for the good stuff.
Had to fill her up myself. Back in the good old days I used to pump gas at .17 cents a gallon and wash windshields for tips. Nobody working the pumps nowadays. They are
too busy selling lottery tickets at the register.
I wish kids today had the chance to be gas pump monkeys.
I never knew that the US didn’t have refineries to bring the oil visicosity to a certain grade to make gasolene so it’s shipped out of the country… Heard this on the Eric Ericson or the Lars Larson radio program on WFTL 850AM radio in Florida. Can’t remember which. I wonder if the names they use are legit.. any of you Gals/Guys verify this that I got the right skinny…
There is an old saying that pig “processing” uses “everything but the squeal”. Petroleum refining is much the same. Crude oil contains components of varying viscosities from asphalt to acetone. Petroleum from different sources produce varying percentages of each. Refineries separate the components. Some crudes are more desirable than others because they contain higher proportions of more desirable “fractions” such as gasoline. Refineries can be “tuned” to some degree to handle different crudes and extract more or less of a given component. For example, they emphasize production of more heating oil in winter and more gasoline in summer. If US oil is shipped out of country it is more a matter of profitability than capability.
The Europussies have largely been useless in protecting the West from the ‘Slamonazis determined efforts to destroy Western civilization and our 3000 years of our values and history. But hey, our Demi-Progs could care less if they get to rule over the debris and ashes.
Happy Heavenly 73rd Birthday, KoB.
We Miss You.
Rest In Peace, Soldier.
23 March 1953-29 August 2025.
He left a huge hole here. Rest easy, big brother. Your north wall is covered.