Before "Discard" one must look at ramification as to the affects to the Military or Civil well being for the citizens of Bulgaria.

The waterways surrounding Bulgaria have pirates, contraband and traffiking.

We must define National Security with a mix of Civil and Military!

Submarine "force"? Submarine graveyard more like. These are museum pieces, I'm frankly amazed they were not gracefully retired 20 years ago!

This 'submarine force' consists of one pre-1945 vessel that has a radius of about 100 meters from the shore (anything else would be too risky for the marines). So, scrap it finally, it's pathetic.

To combat crime, has no costs but the security of the population.

Contraband can be moved underwater or above water, look closely at the narcotic trade entering the USA in Miami by Latin American Submarines.

Security must be looked at the future with future planning.






Security

Jerry:

If that rusty-looking thing in the picture is what's being talked about, it SHOULD be retired. I would seriously doubt its seaworthiness, especially under pressure.

Bill,

Does that mean we put our head in the sand and forget that contraband exist and drug trafficking does not exist in the Balkans.

We need action that includes a Civil and Military operation.

We have flex a little muscle to combat parisites of society.

Jerry:

No, it means that that rusty submarine in the picture needs at least a scaling and a paint job before it's ready for sea, unless, of course, you're willing to sacrifice both the boat and its crew.

Bill,

I think we should put a little fire under the butt of the Admiralty of Bulgaria and seek some free submarines from the USA - European anti-Drug Task Force.

Why paint let us go for new and high tech subs.

Jerry:

I have no idea whether Bulgaria has any shipbuilding industry, or if so, whether it's up to today's technical standards.

However and wherever they get them, they should get seaworthy vessels.

I agree with you on the point of needing to combat underwater crime, but it has to be done with vessels up to the task. The one in the article's picture gives no such indications.

The quantity of money robbed through corruption one can buy many submarines.

I think it is much simpler to train porpoises to combat drugs.

Maybe we can train the porpises to speak Bulgarian and communicate with the Bulgarian political machine.

Jerry:

That's not so absurd as it looks. The US Navy uses trained porpoises for a long time.

Bill

What was your rank in the navy? Petty officer third class?

Mellie:

No, 1st Class. At that time, we weren't 20 years away from Pearl Harbor yet, so the upper ranks were filled, and promotion was hard to come by. I never failed a promotion examination, but I got what we call "quotaed", i.e. passed but no place open, NINE times before I made 1st. In fact, when the Chier Personnelman told me I had made 1st, I thought he was kidding, because I wasn't expecting to make it in the next three years!

Bill

So you made it all the way up to petty officer first class? Not surprising considering how long you spent in the navy. I bet you looked really sexy in your white uniform and cap. lol

I was recomnmended for Chief, and one Executive Officer offered me the Officer's Candidate School, but I didn't want to be an officer.

When I said promotion was hard to come by, I left out the reason why. A normal career is four enlistments, 4-6-6-4. So by not being 20 years past Pearl Harbor, the senior Chiefs hadn't retired yet.

It took me a while to convince anyone I really wanted to go to the Justice School, known and feared as the toughest school in the entire military education system, but after graduation from there, I spent the rest of my career in legal assistance and court-martial work.

If you want to see some really morbid law, look at the California Penal Code, and see what it says about executing pregnant women!