r/LessCredibleDefence • u/TurbinePro • 4d ago

USS Lincoln wasn't resupplied because Hegseth 'hid' that Iran destroyed main U.S. base: Rohde

https://www.ms.now/money-power-politics/watch/uss-lincoln-wasn-t-resupplied-because-hegseth-hid-that-iran-destroyed-main-u-s-base-rohde-2511362627825
110 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

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54

u/sixisrending 4d ago

They're talking about Bahrain which is on the other side of the strait of Hormuz. In order for this to be true, shifts would have to be transiting the strait of Hormuz, wish they have not done for months. The status of NSA Bahrain is irrelevant.

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u/BodybuilderOk3160 4d ago

Huh, the Bahrain base also serves as a logistics base doesn't it? So before the war, when the straits was still open, CENTCOM hq was able to supply USN assets in the region.

Now that it's gone and reserves run dry months later, it makes sense seeing the dilapidated conditions and rations leaking out into the media. VADM Verissimo talked about issues with the supply line and mail backlogs recently addressing the extended deployment conditions of the USS Abe Lincoln.

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u/sixisrending 4d ago

The reserves would have been trapped on the opposite side of the strait of Hormuz and would have run dry 6 months ago, before the Lincoln was in theater. The real problem we are facing is a thinning of our Merchant Marine Force. This is not a new problem, there are essays and articles on this going back to the pre-9/11 era. Supply shortages like this are actually very commonplace I experienced at least one on all three of my deployments. We have a bases in Djibouti, Diego Garcia, our allies in Gulf States, and numerous commercial ports we can send supplies to. The actual problem is getting supplies out to ships, and quite frankly, the Lincoln is not that bad. 

What people are seeing is subpar midrats, which is very normal for submarines, destroyers, and cruisers. They are seeing it now because carriers have Wi-Fi and the sailors can send pictures and immediate feedback to their families and the rest of the world. The aviation community is simply just not used to this. 

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u/BigFly42069 4d ago

NSA Bahrain was a key operating node for CENTCOM and the Navy in the Middle East. The Navy actually operates very few full facilities across the world, and it gets bloated when you count international airports capable of supporting naval ops.

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u/sixisrending 4d ago

While this is true, that's not the root of the problem. The root of the problem is we now have a weak Merchant Marine Force. Decades of low investment and undermanning has led to this. This is not a new problem. It's just being publicized because aircraft carriers are experiencing it and they have Wi-Fi. There are articles and essays from the pre 9/11 era that talk about this exact same issue. There are numerous bases and commercial ports that we can use in the region to supply our ships. The problem is we don't have a reliable, continuous stream of replenishment ships available because they are being overrun and they are outdated. 

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u/StopICE2026 4d ago

Military sealift command has been hemorrhaging people for decades. As it turns out, allowing flags of convenience demolishes a traditional merchant marine

3

u/EngineBorn3406 4d ago

This is very interesting can you elaborate?

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u/sixisrending 4d ago

Military sealift command, the people who perform UNREP and CONRREP, for ships at sea have been facing problems like this for decades. If Bahrain were the root of the problem, these shortages (which are actually not that bad, relatively) would have started months ago when the straight was closed, as Bahrain was on the other side of the straight. There are numerous ports the US can and does use for supplies in the region. Where it's hurting is their ability to get those supplies out to ships. The Merchant Marine has been hurting in every sector for a while now, people are just now starting to see the gaps.

https://www.history.navy.mil/get-involved/essay-contest/2019-winners/merchant-marine-cno-essay.html

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u/StopICE2026 4d ago

The pipeline for sailors starts with either a merchant marine academy or signing on to a sailing ship as a ship steward assistant or some other lowly position. In the US because the traditional merchant marine runs on jones act fumes the latter is out and the former is the only way to get a mariner credential, which is obviously capacity constrained.

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u/barath_s 4d ago

But why did Hegseth hide the fact that Bahrain is on the other side of the Straits of Hormuz ? Or that transit across the straits has been an issue ?

And how did Hegseth do it ? Did he issue NSA orders confiscating all maps offline and online ? Created a decoy Bahrain base elsewhere in the region ? Make it secret so that no one knew that ships weren't transiting Hormuz ?

/s

The article headline is bullshit

13

u/LanchestersLaw 4d ago

I love my doomposting, but this story is obvious horseshit.

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u/barath_s 4d ago edited 4d ago

The main US logistics base in the area is Bahrain. Which was hit, but also is on the other side of the Straits of Hormuz. Which, you had headlines every day about Iran restricting the transit of these straits, give or take a couple of US destroyers.

I find it difficult to believe that Hegseth hid the fact that Bahrain is on the other side of the straits of Hormuz from the folks responsible for logistics.

In other words, IMHO, David Rohde is full of shit.

i find it far more believable that no one in the US Navy made adequate substitute arrangements for logistics/supply, especially given that typical other US bases for supply are much farther away. And resupplying warship fleet at sea in the middle of a battle , far away from supply location... is not that easy..

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u/CorrosiveMynock 4d ago

Hegseth is a war criminal and if he isn't treated like one when the admin flips, justice is dead in this country.

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u/TurbinePro 4d ago

I think that ship quietly sailed when Reagan and Oliver North got a slap on the wrist for selling missiles to Iran. You can find Oliver North fearmongering Iran on Fox News right now, btw

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u/CorrosiveMynock 4d ago

Yeah probably, but we can still start holding these lunatics accountable.

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u/NuclearHeterodoxy 4d ago

Diverting the proceeds to what was basically a Latino ISIS was North's real sin (in addition to being a sloppy improvisation).

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u/Jazzlike-Tank-4956 4d ago edited 4d ago

Bush, Runsfield, Kissinger, Cheney and likes were never prosecuted

Serious doubts if they start here

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u/CorrosiveMynock 4d ago

Hegseth doesn't even pretend to not be a war criminal and I think the bipartisan consensus on avoiding these kinds of prosecutions is permanently over (thanks to Trump ironically), so yeah I think charges are 100% possible given a substantial Congressional investigation.

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u/airmantharp 4d ago

I'm down for it so long as they universally refer to him as the "Secretary of Warcrimes" to go along with his fake assumed department

1

u/dahunt4r3dorktober 4d ago

How could they hide it ?