Gulf of Oman

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Joe Mama
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Re: Gulf of Oman

Postby Joe Mama » Sat Jun 15, 2019 4:03 am

I wont exactly jump on the bandwagon and call it a false flag as I have done MIO in the GOO (albeit close to over a decade ago) but I still stand by the job that I did (right/wrong/or indifferent)

Shit there is rather strange because of the peninsula, and well - the countries that make it up. The USS Cole bombing - was that false flag?
Believe it or not, that was *supposed* to be my ship (during the time I was deployed) to take that berth spot. We were given the option to pull into Yemen to refuel or do a RAS. My CO chose the RAS as it would provide us valuable training. The Cole took that spot.

I distinctly recall sitting on the mess decks in shock hearing about the incident that took the lives of those 17 shipmates. Its something that shakes you to your core, especially as we had dodged a bullet or two beforehand... (The stories Im going to tell my grandkids LOL)



Please don't get me wrong - I am very cognizant of the fact that we as a nation do some sideways shit, but as someone who has actually served in some of those tense ass situations and cajoled with some of the crew members of the said merchant vessels, I have a bit of a 'different' perspective.
Yes, what they may be doing is 'wrong' but someone doing something even more 'wrong' to make a point is more fucked than what we (USA) are doing to protect or prevent.

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Postby Masato » Sat Jun 15, 2019 9:59 pm

Joe Mama wrote:I wont exactly jump on the bandwagon and call it a false flag as I have done MIO in the GOO (albeit close to over a decade ago) but I still stand by the job that I did (right/wrong/or indifferent)

Shit there is rather strange because of the peninsula, and well - the countries that make it up. The USS Cole bombing - was that false flag?
Believe it or not, that was *supposed* to be my ship (during the time I was deployed) to take that berth spot. We were given the option to pull into Yemen to refuel or do a RAS. My CO chose the RAS as it would provide us valuable training. The Cole took that spot.

I distinctly recall sitting on the mess decks in shock hearing about the incident that took the lives of those 17 shipmates. Its something that shakes you to your core, especially as we had dodged a bullet or two beforehand... (The stories Im going to tell my grandkids LOL)



Please don't get me wrong - I am very cognizant of the fact that we as a nation do some sideways shit, but as someone who has actually served in some of those tense ass situations and cajoled with some of the crew members of the said merchant vessels, I have a bit of a 'different' perspective.
Yes, what they may be doing is 'wrong' but someone doing something even more 'wrong' to make a point is more fucked than what we (USA) are doing to protect or prevent.


Badass

I did not know you served. What is MIO?

I appreciate you being friendly with me, in spite of me being so often critical of US military :oops:

You are totally right not to just call out false flag right away; this could be so many things of course. I left other political/CT forums because so many often do this, they immediately call out false flag or crisis actors on cue. Thanks for the check, Joe Mama I shouldn't be so hasty.

I will however continue great skepticism with whatever story the MSM goes with.

Would love to hear some stories of your travels and experiences. For instance what was your objective or mission while you were in that area? What was the purpose for US presence? Are you still enlisted or however you call it?

Super interesting man, thanks for sharing

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Postby Joe Mama » Mon Jun 17, 2019 12:39 am

Masato wrote:
Joe Mama wrote:I wont exactly jump on the bandwagon and call it a false flag as I have done MIO in the GOO (albeit close to over a decade ago) but I still stand by the job that I did (right/wrong/or indifferent)

Shit there is rather strange because of the peninsula, and well - the countries that make it up. The USS Cole bombing - was that false flag?
Believe it or not, that was *supposed* to be my ship (during the time I was deployed) to take that berth spot. We were given the option to pull into Yemen to refuel or do a RAS. My CO chose the RAS as it would provide us valuable training. The Cole took that spot.

I distinctly recall sitting on the mess decks in shock hearing about the incident that took the lives of those 17 shipmates. Its something that shakes you to your core, especially as we had dodged a bullet or two beforehand... (The stories Im going to tell my grandkids LOL)



Please don't get me wrong - I am very cognizant of the fact that we as a nation do some sideways shit, but as someone who has actually served in some of those tense ass situations and cajoled with some of the crew members of the said merchant vessels, I have a bit of a 'different' perspective.
Yes, what they may be doing is 'wrong' but someone doing something even more 'wrong' to make a point is more fucked than what we (USA) are doing to protect or prevent.


Badass

I did not know you served. What is MIO?

I appreciate you being friendly with me, in spite of me being so often critical of US military :oops:

You are totally right not to just call out false flag right away; this could be so many things of course. I left other political/CT forums because so many often do this, they immediately call out false flag or crisis actors on cue. Thanks for the check, Joe Mama I shouldn't be so hasty.

I will however continue great skepticism with whatever story the MSM goes with.

Would love to hear some stories of your travels and experiences. For instance what was your objective or mission while you were in that area? What was the purpose for US presence? Are you still enlisted or however you call it?

Super interesting man, thanks for sharing



Indeed brother! We have known each other and interacted long enough to be able to respect each others POVs. And well, we are both open minded individuals who try to understand different perspectives. (Its one of the things I value about this place)

Now, on with the post. And yes, I served in the US Navy a little over 8 years. I have been out for over 15 years now. While in, our main mission was 'gather, process, evaluate, disseminate, display' information. Secondary mission was navigation at restricted visibility. We were the 'scope dopes' that you see in movies with the eerie blue lighting that are tracking surface, air and subsurface contacts.

MIO is 'Maritime Interdiction Operations' in the GOO (Gulf of Oman) we were tasked with identifying and tracking assets that were (or were not) allowed to operate in the area based on NATO guidelines. (Yes, keep in mind as the US we did not operate independently - these guidelines were established/mandated by NATO - at least during our operating times) During my time, it was post Iraq invasion of Kuwait and Iraq had sanctions against them to NOT export things like oil, dates and other things. Of course, this was still a HUGE money maker for them so they would then 'smuggle' things from the GOO.
Here was the catch... Coming out of the GOO, they had one of two options. Travel in their 'territorial waters' which was an imaginary line several miles around the gulf (where we had no jurisdiction) but they ran the risk of being stopped and boarded by the Iraqi coast guard and fined for travelling in the territorial waters. OR they could come out into 'international waters' but ran the risk of being boarded by the US Navy/Coast Guard or any of the other 'allied forces' operating in the area. (Hint - it was almost ALWAYS the US Navy...)
Here's the 'other' catch... If we identified them (illegally) operating in int. waters - we *must* catch them, board them and have their vessel under our control BEFORE they were back in territorial waters. Often times, they would weld outer metal doors over their access doors (locking the crew inside) to afford them more time to get back into territorial waters before the SEAL teams could board and access the ship. Sometimes, they would try to sabotage their engine rooms or nav equipment. The follow up team was called the VBSS (Visit Board Search and Seizure) team I was a part of the VBSS navigation team that would then take the 'seized' assets back to the UAE to turn over to the Kuwaiti Navy or other 'friendly' asset that would process the goods/people - usually the people were sent back to their home countries with no reprecussions for 'being bad'
Ironically, many times these 'pirate sailors' were happy to have us come on board and take control of their vessel as once under our care we had to provide food, water and medical care for all on board. Even as a member of the nav team, I still had to don the flak jacket and 9MM in condition one (locked and loaded) with 2 extra clips in my holster. Never ONCE did I (or any of *my* team) during our ops encounter anyone who was a 'hostile'. They knew why we were there, and we knew why we were there too. We treated them with respect and vise versa. Heck, a couple of times we even sat and enjoyed tea with the captain and crew (still armed), but never felt 'threatened'
Brits, Iraqis, Iranians, Indians etc - we came across most every native from the ME and most every one of them was just like us. (They just prayed a lot more LOL) Yes, there are minority pockets of those who are trying to do us harm (hence the USS Cole comment) but collectively, the lot of them were just like you and I trying to make a living for themselves and their families.

So, while the MSM narrative tends to skew the truth to purport their agenda I don't think it spells the *whole* narrative. I think the incidents we are seeing in the media nowdays are some of the isolated incidents that don't necessarily go as expected. And a small percentage of the day to day operations that go off without a hitch.

Yes, bad shit happens. Yes, questionable shit happens. But collectively business as usual is the status quo.

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Postby Masato » Wed Jun 19, 2019 6:46 pm

Joe Mama wrote:
Masato wrote:
Joe Mama wrote:I wont exactly jump on the bandwagon and call it a false flag as I have done MIO in the GOO (albeit close to over a decade ago) but I still stand by the job that I did (right/wrong/or indifferent)

Shit there is rather strange because of the peninsula, and well - the countries that make it up. The USS Cole bombing - was that false flag?
Believe it or not, that was *supposed* to be my ship (during the time I was deployed) to take that berth spot. We were given the option to pull into Yemen to refuel or do a RAS. My CO chose the RAS as it would provide us valuable training. The Cole took that spot.

I distinctly recall sitting on the mess decks in shock hearing about the incident that took the lives of those 17 shipmates. Its something that shakes you to your core, especially as we had dodged a bullet or two beforehand... (The stories Im going to tell my grandkids LOL)



Please don't get me wrong - I am very cognizant of the fact that we as a nation do some sideways shit, but as someone who has actually served in some of those tense ass situations and cajoled with some of the crew members of the said merchant vessels, I have a bit of a 'different' perspective.
Yes, what they may be doing is 'wrong' but someone doing something even more 'wrong' to make a point is more fucked than what we (USA) are doing to protect or prevent.


Badass

I did not know you served. What is MIO?

I appreciate you being friendly with me, in spite of me being so often critical of US military :oops:

You are totally right not to just call out false flag right away; this could be so many things of course. I left other political/CT forums because so many often do this, they immediately call out false flag or crisis actors on cue. Thanks for the check, Joe Mama I shouldn't be so hasty.

I will however continue great skepticism with whatever story the MSM goes with.

Would love to hear some stories of your travels and experiences. For instance what was your objective or mission while you were in that area? What was the purpose for US presence? Are you still enlisted or however you call it?

Super interesting man, thanks for sharing



Indeed brother! We have known each other and interacted long enough to be able to respect each others POVs. And well, we are both open minded individuals who try to understand different perspectives. (Its one of the things I value about this place)

Now, on with the post. And yes, I served in the US Navy a little over 8 years. I have been out for over 15 years now. While in, our main mission was 'gather, process, evaluate, disseminate, display' information. Secondary mission was navigation at restricted visibility. We were the 'scope dopes' that you see in movies with the eerie blue lighting that are tracking surface, air and subsurface contacts.

MIO is 'Maritime Interdiction Operations' in the GOO (Gulf of Oman) we were tasked with identifying and tracking assets that were (or were not) allowed to operate in the area based on NATO guidelines. (Yes, keep in mind as the US we did not operate independently - these guidelines were established/mandated by NATO - at least during our operating times) During my time, it was post Iraq invasion of Kuwait and Iraq had sanctions against them to NOT export things like oil, dates and other things. Of course, this was still a HUGE money maker for them so they would then 'smuggle' things from the GOO.
Here was the catch... Coming out of the GOO, they had one of two options. Travel in their 'territorial waters' which was an imaginary line several miles around the gulf (where we had no jurisdiction) but they ran the risk of being stopped and boarded by the Iraqi coast guard and fined for travelling in the territorial waters. OR they could come out into 'international waters' but ran the risk of being boarded by the US Navy/Coast Guard or any of the other 'allied forces' operating in the area. (Hint - it was almost ALWAYS the US Navy...)
Here's the 'other' catch... If we identified them (illegally) operating in int. waters - we *must* catch them, board them and have their vessel under our control BEFORE they were back in territorial waters. Often times, they would weld outer metal doors over their access doors (locking the crew inside) to afford them more time to get back into territorial waters before the SEAL teams could board and access the ship. Sometimes, they would try to sabotage their engine rooms or nav equipment. The follow up team was called the VBSS (Visit Board Search and Seizure) team I was a part of the VBSS navigation team that would then take the 'seized' assets back to the UAE to turn over to the Kuwaiti Navy or other 'friendly' asset that would process the goods/people - usually the people were sent back to their home countries with no reprecussions for 'being bad'
Ironically, many times these 'pirate sailors' were happy to have us come on board and take control of their vessel as once under our care we had to provide food, water and medical care for all on board. Even as a member of the nav team, I still had to don the flak jacket and 9MM in condition one (locked and loaded) with 2 extra clips in my holster. Never ONCE did I (or any of *my* team) during our ops encounter anyone who was a 'hostile'. They knew why we were there, and we knew why we were there too. We treated them with respect and vise versa. Heck, a couple of times we even sat and enjoyed tea with the captain and crew (still armed), but never felt 'threatened'
Brits, Iraqis, Iranians, Indians etc - we came across most every native from the ME and most every one of them was just like us. (They just prayed a lot more LOL) Yes, there are minority pockets of those who are trying to do us harm (hence the USS Cole comment) but collectively, the lot of them were just like you and I trying to make a living for themselves and their families.

So, while the MSM narrative tends to skew the truth to purport their agenda I don't think it spells the *whole* narrative. I think the incidents we are seeing in the media nowdays are some of the isolated incidents that don't necessarily go as expected. And a small percentage of the day to day operations that go off without a hitch.

Yes, bad shit happens. Yes, questionable shit happens. But collectively business as usual is the status quo.


Hey Joe Mama

This is amazing, thanks so much for sharing and apologies for the late reply

This has actually changed the way I think about some things... like you said Status Quo. I always assume like if armed foreign ships were hovering in 'International Waters' so close to US coastlines it would be unacceptable, and WTF are you guys doing there etc

But like you said, many international things are happening there all the time, if many people depend on business to run as usual and maintain status quo, you can't leave it all unchecked to have whatever the fuck happens happens.

Jesus, am I developing an appreciation for foreign military presence?? :shock:

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Postby Joe Mama » Thu Jun 20, 2019 11:48 am

Hey no worries, while I don't expect to change anyone's opinion or views I definitely want to give a different perspective from one that has been 'in the trenches'

And yes, I'm plenty sure that we have foreign ships hovering and spying on North America (again - in Intl. Waters) and even many that we are not aware of. Diesel based subsurface assets (i.e. submarines) are incredibly difficult to detect. Aircraft (flying in international airspace) can see and detect things from a loooooooooong way. Every country is gathering intel on each other (even IF we are 'allies') - its just a part of the game and a part of the 'rules'.

Think of it as a 'in your backyard' kind of thing if you would. Believe it or not, most of the 'fighting' is really 'infighting'. We are so scared of the 'big bad sand ni99ers' bombing our prized assets or chopping off our heads, but we need to me more wary of that asshole that you just cut off in traffic. Or that kid that was bullied and finally snapped. Your chances of having something bad/scary happening to you is more likely in your own backyard.
Often times, these countries have some pretty serious infighting going on that isn't always portrayed by the MSM. Take one of our 'allies' for example - Israel. They have been at 'war' for decades with Palestine and whichever side you part with the fact of the matter is bad shit is happening on a consistent basis but the MSM has gone to the next biggest scariest story. To the point of where its almost 'normal' for them now. I found this to be one of the sadder things I had learned when I friended a couple of people from overseas.

Yes, graphic shit happens. Yes bad shit happens.
But as a whole, it often times appears that we want to focus on what everyone else is doing.

But one thing we can both agree on - there most certainly *IS* a bigger agenda at play here. We may or may not be aware of it, and the MSM may or may not be feeding us the whole truth. But the global climate picture is a very complex one. Whether in peacetime or at war.

An appreciation for foreign military presence? Absolutely. It keeps us sharp and on our toes, but also holds us accountable in some ways too.
(Kind of like how we portray what *we* are doing right?)

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Postby Masato » Fri Jun 21, 2019 5:37 am

This is an interesting visual I came across...

Don't know how accurate it is, but if its at all accurate it looks like the differences between 'International' waters and territorial waters look pretty narrow and muddy. How could you ever start to divide up airspace for the drone that supposedly got shot down?

Multiple nations importing/exporting/policing the same skinny little channel of water - what a crazy geographical space!

So amazing you've been there to see it for yourself Joe Mama

Image

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Masato
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Postby Masato » Sat Jun 22, 2019 2:48 am


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Joe Mama
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Postby Joe Mama » Sun Jun 23, 2019 9:43 pm

The ME picture has been a scrambled 'mess' from our birds eye perspective as long as I can remember. Different factions, tribes, etc. All with a guiding set of principles (aka religion) that drives them... Sort of similar to us here in the 'States'.

We just have less sand :lol:


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