The Osprey has one of the safest flight records of any airframe. They had a rough patch when they were initially adopted, but that was mostly pilot error. Once they got better training programs it has not had issues.

The actual armor is classified.

It’s not like just taking out some computers or electronics or something. The armor on an Abrams is not one solid sheet of metal, it’s multiple layers of materials, including DU and ceramics. The composition of the armor package on the Abrams is classified and not something we share, not even with our closest Allies like the British, Canadians, or Australians. So they need to be re-built to remove the classified armor components and re-fitted with an unclass alternative.

It’s is a major overhaul.

> The new plan calls for refurbishing tank hulls already in the U.S. arsenal.

Read the article, it’s saying the US is going to send refurbished M1A1 hulls now.

I was replying to a comment saying we should send the existing M1A2 stock that is currently in Europe and am saying that is not an option because they would need to be overhauled anyway.

Also even “new build” tanks rarely if ever are built from scratch. They usually strip an existing hull and re-build it.

>so anything that is not classified and is already in Europe send it to Ukraine.

That’s the issue, the Abrams we have in Europe with active duty units and the APS fleet have highly classified armor packages on them. Anything we send will need to be overhauled to use an unclassified armor material.

Additionally we are currently in the process of upgrading our existing Abrams to a new variant. The sequestration years a decade ago hit our armored units very hard and we had to skip/delay upgrades and depot level maintenance. That means a lot of our fleet is very old and for lack of a better term “tired”. A lot of the A2s in service with line units need major maintenance overhauls.

Sending the Ukrainians tanks which will have prolonged maintenance issues will not do them any good. Upgrading the MA1A1SAs probably coming from the Marines old fleet or the ones the 3ID turned in for replacement a year or two ago will be much better for them in the long run.

Terrorism: the unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians, in the pursuit of political aims.

Trump called on his followers to protest and “take our nation back” in the event he is arrested. I don’t know about you guys, but that kind of sounds like threats of violence and intimidation in the pursuit of political aims to me.

The Article is from Stars and Stripes which is a US military news outlet. DODEA would be well known within their target audience.

>he is still in the Navy in another role, where hopefully he can excel

That’s not how the Military works. The US Military operates on an “up or out” model under Title 10 US IS code 1407 where you have to meet promotion requirements within a very tight window (usually within 2-3 years) or else you hit your retention control point and are separated from service. A single bad yearly evaluation can mean you do not promote, and are shown the door. A total loss of an airframe due to pilot error is not something you’ll bounce back from.

>you don’t sign up to be an F35 pilot, you just sign up for the Navy

While this is somewhat true, it’s not exactly accurate. You don’t go down to the recruiter and get a contract explicitly stating you’ll be an aviator; but most pilots join the navy with that being the goal. Once they pass through their assessments and qualify for aviation they get incredibly specialized training which does not transfer to other naval career paths. It’s not like an aviator can just slide over to a SWO job because they get grounded.

For a juvenile?

I feel like most people from outside of the US assume we are all drowning in medical debt and never get to use our healthcare because it’s cost prohibitive. Reality is most people with stable employment have easy access to medical care.

As most things in the US, there is little to no safety net. If you are successful you can thrive, but if you fall on hard times and loose coverage than there is nothing to help you out.

The worst is when a hospital or doctors office is in network, but individual doctors are in separate practices within those medical facilities that are out of network. It’s madness

And the vast majority of people in the US have insurance which covers the exorbitant fees that the hospitals charge. The problem with the system the US has is that benefits are tied to employment. Reddit tends to skew towards a demographic that work lower positions or entry level jobs which means we typically only hear the horror stories.

Most Europeans really don’t understand how the US system works or how much it actually costs the patient out of pocket for care. So I’ll just share my health plan costs to put things in perspective.

Enrollment Fees or Premiums $0 (This is not common, most people pay a few hundred dollars a month in premiums)

Deductible: $336 for my whole family. (I will pay the first $336 during the year before insurance starts to pay. This resets at the start of each year so I am guaranteed to pay at least $336)

Catastrophic Cap

$1,120 (This is the most I will have to pay out of pocket for my families care for covered care during the year.)

Health Plan Costs- primary doctor

Network: $16

Non-network: 20%

Outpatient Visit - Specialty

Network: $28

Non-network: 20%

Urgent Care

Network: $22

Non-network: 20%

Emergency Services

Network: $44

Non-network: 20%

Laboratory and X-Ray

Network: $0

Non-network: 20%

Ambulance

Outpatient:

Network: $16

Non-network: 20%

Inpatient: 20%

Ambulatory Surgery (Same Day)

Network: $28

Non-network: 20%

Mental Health (Inpatient)

Network: $67/admission

Non-network: 20%

Mental Health (Outpatient/Partial Hospitalization) - Primary Care

Network: $16

Non-network: 20%

Mental Health (Outpatient/Partial Hospitalization) - Specialty Care

Network: $28

Non-network: 20%

Mental Health (RTF)

Network: $28/day

Non-network: $56/day

Clinical Preventive Services $0

Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthetics, and Medical Supplies

Network: 10%

Non-network: 20%

Home Health Care $0

Hospice Care $0 (Medical equipment and pharmacy are billed separately)

Hospitalization (Inpatient Care)

Network: $67/admission

Non-network: 20%

Immunizations $0

Maternity (Delivery/Inpatient)

Network: $67/admission

Non-network: 20%

Maternity (Delivery/Birthing Center)

Network: $28

Non-network: 20%

Maternity (Home) - Primary

Network: $16

Non-network: 20%

Maternity (Home) - Specialty

Network: $28

Non-network: 20%

Newborn Care

Network: $0

Non-network: 20%

Skilled Nursing

Network: $28/day

Non-network: $56/day

Pharmacy

Generic (Tier 1) - Home Delivery $12

Generic (Tier 1) - Retail Network: $14

Non-network: $38 or 20% of total cost, whichever is more

Brand-name (Tier 2) - Home Delivery $34

Brand-name (Tier 2) - Retail Network: $38

Non-network: $38 or 20% of total cost whichever is more

So with my coverage I have the potential to pay a lot if I go out of network (20%) otherwise I’ll typically pay around $20-$30 for services. Luckily I have a major provider which has most doctors in network.

The vast majority of Airships already used helium. All of the US navy Air Ships stationed at Lakehurst Naval Air Station (where the crash happened) all used helium.

The Hindenburg (and other German airships) only used Hydrogen because of sanctions from WW1.

They knew it was dangerous, but they weren’t allowed access to the safer helium.

The Hindenburg crash only killed 35 people. But we all still remember it almost a hundred years later like it was some kind of massive historical event.

I feel like if that happened today it might get one segment and then the next day/week everyone would forget about it.