Midway

It had been designed as a trap. It worked the other way. Oooops. It began on June 4, 1942. More on “no unusual American Fleet Activity.”

I’m not going to replay the Battle of Midway here on the blog because most of this blog’s readers have read the same books I have and tabletop-gamed the battle as I have. The big Pacific Battles earlier in World War 2, at the Coral Sea and in the engagements around Guadalcanal and later around the Philippines, are just as engaging as the Battle of Midway. Army Aviation was proved (once again) to be near worthless against ships in that era.

Reading CDRSAL’s missives on the internet about the need to be prepared for war, particularly for a Navy war, harken back to the lack of preparation the US Navy had for a Pacific War against Japan. Times have changed, as have timelines. The introduction of nuclear weapons is possibly the biggest change because even though we don’t use them, the great nations can play that card. The new high ground is Space.

The question of which aircraft were most useful to the outcome of the Battle (see caption) is historic, but if the torpedo bombers hadn’t brought the Japanese fighter cover down, the Dauntless might not have done as well as it did. Fortunes of war. Fog of war. Timing is everything.

Battle Damage

(Rand) The Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer, commonly known as a DDG-51, is the primary surface combatant vessel of the U.S. Navy. These ships—designed to operate in contested environments—are likely to sustain widespread battle damage from a range of attacks should a conflict develop in the Indo-Pacific region. The prevalence of this damage would give rise to the greatest demand for ship repair the Navy has experienced since World War II.

To evaluate the requirements and potential issues associated with the significant demand to salvage and repair battle-damaged destroyers, the authors conducted a tabletop exercise on August 13–14, 2025, with participants from the United States and allied nations in the Indo-Pacific. The participants were split into four groups, each representing U.S. and allied stakeholders involved in the repairs. (more at the link above)

Bullet Points:

** Training isn’t always about developing new skills. Sometimes it is, but not always.

** I’m not saying that I’m old, but I can recall when hashtags were called pound signs.

** Building up Mecca – The Saudi government may be paring back spending on some megaprojects like The Line, but the ambitious expansion of Mecca is continuing, with the kingdom’s Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites awarding contracts worth 13.3 billion riyals ($3.5 billion). The six sites, covering more than 2.7 million square meters in total, will include homes, hotels, shops, and offices in the holy city. The largest single award, worth around 6 billion riyals, went to a consortium of three local developers — Umm Al Qura, Makkah Construction and Development, and Al Rajhi United Real Estate — and covers two sites adjacent to the Masar mixed-use project, which is also underway. The contracts are part of Saudi Arabia’s push to triple Hajj and Umrah visitor numbers to more than 30 million annually by 2030. Despite the war, the number of Hajj pilgrims was up this year. The kingdom opened its property market to foreign ownership in January, though Mecca remains subject to additional restrictions: non-Muslims are unable to own property in the holy city.

** Faith and Knives – Some of us worship at the knife shows, but not everyone has that sort of religious experience when it comes to knives. They’re banned in many places such as the UK, unless you are required by your faith to carry one. My faith (I may be the only member of the Knife Carriers faith, but it’s still my faith) demands it (God wills it!). I won’t go to heaven unless I have one with me at all times. There are other precedents. It is a strict requirement of the Sikh faith to have a knife, called a kirpan, at all times. Generally, this will be a small knife, hidden from view, often on a length of cord and worn around the neck. Some carry a second large dagger in a sheath. If you are a member of an order of Sikhs called the Nihang, who have a tradition of having a second knife, or kirpan, and that is often fully visible, believing that the guru will look favorably on that. They observe that tradition in their everyday life, at work and in public, and I demand parity. In my case, I’m also a faithful Gun Carrier, but I’ll save that rant for another day.

** China is on pace to end this century with 786 million fewer people than it has now. (Rand)

** In Texas, Democrats nominated James Talarico, an incel (involuntarily celibate) and not homosexual. Tripp Whitbeck tweeted, “Talarico’s campaign staff have been begging him to grow a Buttigieg (Butt Guy) Beard™ to butch himself up.” He already has a beard. Her name is Brianna Menard, who was the chief of his Texas House staff. She’s a yoga enthusiast, cat mom, and involved in Austin community efforts. Talarico insists that she’s the vegan; he’s not. In 2022, he said, “It is now existential that we try to reduce our meat consumption. I am proud to say that our campaign has officially become a non-meat campaign, so we are only buying vegan products from our local vegan businesses.” In the four years since, someone must have told him Texas ranks No. 1 in beef production in the USA and 6th in the world. Whatever. Is that the best the dems (short for demons) could do?

** Stopping bad bugs with good bugs? Google’s parent company, Alphabet, has asked federal regulators for permission to release up to 32 million lab-reared male mosquitoes across California and Florida. The insects, developed by Alphabet’s life sciences arm, Verily, carry a naturally occurring bacterium called Wolbachia. When the males mate with wild females that don’t carry the same strain, the eggs never hatch, thinning the population over time. The targeted Culex mosquitoes spread West Nile virus, the leading mosquito-borne illness in the U.S. Because only females bite, Verily says the releases won’t add to the swarms residents swat each summer.

** From Ammo.com – Women are the fastest-growing demographic of gun owners in the U.S. Sadly, not all women feel comfortable owning and carrying a firearm. Ammo.com created a realistic guide to female gun ownership. You can read about it here.

** Why aren’t oil prices higher? Brent crude is hovering around $100 per barrel, 30% above prewar levels. This feels remarkably mild. A few factors have helped to keep prices in check. The UAE and Saudi Arabia were able to push crude through pipelines that bypass the strait. (The UAE is planning more links to circumvent Hormuz). China, which had been on a stockpiling spree, slashed its buying. The US and others tapped strategic reserves, US exports hit a record high, temporary waivers on some sanctioned Iranian and Russian crude unlocked more frozen barrels, and a handful of tankers have managed to slip through the strait. On top of all that, there’s demand destruction: people use less energy when it’s expensive.

** In LA – Spencer Pratt is projected to run off the vote for mayor against Karen Bass. This will be fun.

At the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

h/t Mike_C: Picture=1000 words

The all-you-can-eat supper is a hedge against an expensive date.

The restaurateur has a different take on your big night out.

I asked Google AI to: Tell me about the Virtual Mirage Blog

The website virtualmirage.org is the personal platform and blog of Larry B. Lambert, an author, book reviewer, and photographer.

Core Themes: The blog generally appeals to readers who enjoy deep-dive discussions on twentieth-century history, military or naval fiction, and analytical book critiques.

Key Features of the Blog:

This should be a “No Shit Sherlock” moment, but…

Rand Researched Doing Space Business with Red China – The authors present the risks of participating in space-sector research with institutions based in China. They describe China’s national interests in space; risks to researchers, institutions, and national governments participating in space research collaborations with China; and considerations for assessing international research collaboration opportunities.

The authors found that these arrangements can yield asymmetric outcomes: Financing is frequently conditional on the use of Chinese vendors and launch services; intellectual property (IP) rights, export rights, and data-access provisions often favor Chinese entities; and telemetry, tracking, and command or data processing may be routed through Chinese state-operated facilities. The risks also include espionage, technology theft, financial debt, and manipulation of space systems.

China advances its space research and development to the detriment of other countries’ space goals. China’s path to space power has left a trail of disappointed partner nations in its wake, producing lopsided outcomes in which partners assume financial and political risk while ceding control over infrastructure, data, and dual‑use technologies. Even institutions that choose not to collaborate can face espionage and cyber threats, underscoring the need for rigorous due diligence, legal review, and cybersecurity safeguards in all space-related activities involving China.

***

Identify the Aircraft

1

The failure of Tone’s aircraft to launch on time was critical to the outcome of the battle.

1418 built

2

755 built

3

260 built

4

30 built

5

167 built

Parting Shot

Obama hates this photo of himself.

End