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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| France moving commando support ship |
| 2005-03-02 |
| March 1, 2005: Without much publicity, France has moved the replenishment ship Var to the eastern Mediterranean. The Var contains facilities for running commando operations, as well as facilities for about 200 commandoes and their equipment. France apparently believes that the situation in Lebanon is going to get out of control. Since World War II, France has been something of a big brother for Lebanon, especially the Lebanese Christians. This particular relationship goes back some 800 years, to the time of the Crusades. Currently, the Lebanese are out in the streets protesting the continued presence of Syrian troops in the country. If France is going to get involved, it won't be with a lot of troops. But you can do a lot with a hundred or so commandoes. The Var has previously supported French commandoes operating in Afghanistan. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #35 trailing wife - do a google search on JLFcatalog - The arsenic water is the mild stuff there. Use a library computer and another name.... |
| Posted by: 3dc 2005-03-02 11:58:42 PM |
| #34 you want to tell me what I need to be careful about, Frank? |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-02 11:01:45 PM |
| #33 careful SPAWAR boy |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-02 10:31:50 PM |
| #32 I like sarcasm in a gal... |
| Posted by: Classical_Liberal 2005-03-02 10:15:12 PM |
| #31 Ref. French commandoes: if it's the Legion, they aren't bad. |
| Posted by: Whiskey Mike 2005-03-02 9:51:08 PM |
| #30 "the original Murat of Turkey" EEGAD!! THERE'S MORE THAN ONE?!!! |
| Posted by: Atomic Conspiracy 2005-03-02 9:19:14 PM |
| #29 You're definitely the expert. |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-02 9:00:23 PM |
| #28 Slander's spoken, libel's written. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-02 8:31:12 PM |
| #27 One woman's sarcasm is another man's slander |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-02 8:19:50 PM |
| #26 Thank you TW. I had to attend a Cub Scout meeting, so I appreciate your copmments. Shellback, it's sarcasm. When in doubt, that's the safe assumption; it's my default mode. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-02 8:09:11 PM |
| #25 just say no to drugs trailing wife |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-02 8:06:49 PM |
| #24 "we all know better than to allow Mr. D. to fall into the hands of the Rantburg womenfolk" I guess that would include "trailing daughter of trailing wife". |
| Posted by: Poison Reverse 2005-03-02 7:18:51 PM |
| #23 Ask Mr.Davis to slap Mrs.Davis for calling Bush a "stupid cowboy". Shellback, there's a loooong line of people waiting to talk to Mr. Davis, so move to the back. He disappeared over a year ago, apparently due to his involvement in some sort of menage involving the original Murat of Turkey and Miss Gentle, a university student in one of the Gulf countries. Mr. Wife has been keeping an eye out for him during business trips, but as yet no sign. Should you find him first, please drop a note to Mrs. D. care of Rantburg, as she has a great deal to say to what's left of him after our lovely Rantburg gentlemen get through with him (we all know better than to allow Mr. D. to fall into the hands of the Rantburg womenfolk). Thank you. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-02 5:59:43 PM |
| #22 As much as I dislike the French I hope that they will serve a useful purpose while Lebanon gets on its feet. If this shows a united front between the US and Europe it will be good for us and bad for the Muslim terrorist. |
| Posted by: CanaveralDan 2005-03-02 5:57:20 PM |
| #21 "I have no reason to think that man for man the French army is much inferior to our own." I gotta disagree. I do think they are inferior man for man to the US military, as are all other military organizations. Not in the sense that they will disgegard orders or lack bravery, or anything like that. I'm sure that they will willingly die to the last man, or fight until told to retreat. But they would be combat ineffective in comparison with the US. Weaponry deficiant, support deficient, transport and logistics deficient. Heavy equipment immobile due to lack of heavy lift. Air force and Navy laughable compared to the US, even in a boat for boat comparison, and notwithstanding weight of forces. General lack of initiative in NCOs and junior officers. Certainly you don't think that a similar and equivalent operation/ambush in a country like, say, Somalia, involving French troops instead of US troops would have resulted in anything less than a complete massacre? |
| Posted by: Mark E. 2005-03-02 5:20:20 PM |
| #20 cote d'iovire was a mess before they went in - a civil war. Lebanon is a situation where everybody seems united in wanting the Syrians out, and wanting to preserve the progress Lebanon has made. They just need somebody there to avoid the dangerso of a power vacummn, till it becomes clear that everyone trusts the Lebanese Army. A different mission. I have no reason to think that man for man the French army is much inferior to our own. The problem is political determiniation of grand strategy, and here they have an interest in stability, as does everyone else. |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2005-03-02 4:51:19 PM |
| #19 Has Greenpeace deployed in Lebanon? |
| Posted by: Robert Crawford 2005-03-02 4:50:49 PM |
| #18 Psycho, France created this mess in 1920 by forming Greater Lebanon. As a result the Christian population in Lebanon dropped from 85 per cent to 54 per cent once the new areas were added to the new region of Lebanon's Mountain. The creation of Greater Lebanon would contribute to their fall 70 years later, with the addition of those Muslim populated areas, and the subsequent higher moslem birthrates and higher christian emigration rates. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-03-02 4:49:33 PM |
| #17 Well we all know the Chirac family has lots of investments in Lebanon - so the Frogian navy is just protecting the interests of Le Presidente |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-03-02 3:55:20 PM |
| #16 France moving commando support ship When I first saw the headline, i thought, FROM where...dry dock? And, I didn't know Phrance had "commandos." Learn somin' new every day! |
| Posted by: BA 2005-03-02 3:35:28 PM |
| #15 Overruled! "I'll have you understand I am running this court, and the law hasn't got a damn thing to do with it!" -- Sam Ervin http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/sam_ervin.html |
| Posted by: Senator Sam 2005-03-02 3:10:11 PM |
| #14 "The Var contains facilities for running commando operations, as well as facilities for about 200 commandoes and their equipment." All the cheese, overpriced wine, and white flags that you can carry! Don't worry....won't need any ammo. |
| Posted by: Mark E. 2005-03-02 3:08:38 PM |
| #13 objection your honor, irrelevant |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-02 2:46:33 PM |
| #12 Now ahm jest an ole country law-yer, but ah thought the "cowboy" part was okay. |
| Posted by: Senator Sam 2005-03-02 2:41:05 PM |
| #11 Note to self: Ask Mr.Davis to slap Mrs.Davis for calling Bush a "stupid cowboy". |
| Posted by: shellback 2005-03-02 2:35:30 PM |
| #10 Psycho Hillbilly, Good Sam Ervin impression. I think this amounts to that stupid cowboy George Bush letting France get the headlines while we do the heavy lifitng. OK with me if it fixes the problem. Even better if the frogs f^*& it up. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-02 2:29:00 PM |
| #9 they sure helped in Cote D'Ivorie |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-02 2:16:03 PM |
| #8 a french presence to keep order while the Syrians depart wouldnt necessarily be a bad thing. Glad to see us working with our allies ;) |
| Posted by: liberalhawk 2005-03-02 2:13:46 PM |
| #7 Perhaps someone on Rantburg with more schoolin’ than I have will correct me, but IIRC France created this whole mess by making vague and duplicitous deals with the ruling tribes/factions in Lebanon and Syria while they both were under France’s ‘mandate’. I seemed to recall that France set up some tenuous 3-way power sharing deal in Lebanon (playing all sides against the other) and gave several ambiguous assurances to Syria that the Syrians would have ‘influence’ in Lebanon. I would say, let France sort out their own post-colonial mess. Except, everything France touches turns to sh*t and everyone else has it flung on them by the wind moving machine. |
| Posted by: Psycho Hillbilly 2005-03-02 1:22:46 PM |
| #6 The frogs plan to occupy Lebannon before we do. That's perfectly okay. The Phrench will probably end up pissing off the natives anyway, much like the Ivory Coast. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-03-02 11:52:29 AM |
| #5 Grrrr. beat me to it, badanov. |
| Posted by: Brett 2005-03-02 11:35:21 AM |
| #4 The frogs plan to occupy Lebannon before we do. Sort of like when their historic allies the Ruskies took Pristina airport under Weasly Clarks eyes. Fortuantely Gen. Mattis is in theater instead of the political General. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-02 11:32:19 AM |
| #3 If they can help, let 'em help. Let's stay militarily clear of that mess. Unless we can kill a large number Hiz of course. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-03-02 11:30:18 AM |
| #2 They need a large ship to carry the white flags they will need for upcoming military operations. |
| Posted by: badanov 2005-03-02 11:24:57 AM |
| #1 Someone ought to grab onto the Crusades angle on this French deployment and they would probably withdraw. France apparently believes that the situation in Lebanon is going to get out of control. Where have the French been for the past 30 years? Lebanon has been under the Syrian boot, which is out of control for over a generation. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2005-03-02 11:20:52 AM |