Russia’s Powerful Northern Fleet Squadron to Sail South

Military Expert: “Serbia Heroically Did Its Part; Now It’s Time for Bigger
Guns”

MOSCOW, Apr. 29 - Russia’s Northern Fleet is ready to sail south and be
deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, a Russian military expert who occasionally
advises TiM on military affairs has just reported in his latest missive to TiM.

Vice-Admiral Mikheev, the Chief of Department of Combat Readiness of the
Russian Navy, announced Thursday (Apr. 28) a complete readiness of the Squadron
of the Russian Red Banner Northern Fleet for departure to Mediterranean Sea
shortly, according to the latest (Apr. 28) issue of Nezavisimoe Voennoe
Obozrenie (Independent Military Review - www.ng.nvo.ru).  Here some excerpts
from our correspondent’s message:

“Furthermore, the admiral gave a full list of the ships complement of a
squadron leaving on patrol, as we all may understand, mostly for Yugoslavia’s
causes. Here it is:

1. Heavy Aircraft Carrying Cruiser (TAVKR) "Admiral Kuznetsov";

2. Heavy Nuclear Missile Cruiser (RKR) "PeterThe Great";

3. Heavy Missile Cruiser "Marshal Ustinov";

4. Large Anti-Submarine Ship (BPK) "Admiral Chabanenko";

5. Large Anti-Submarine Ship "Admiral Kharlamov"

6. 5 (FIVE) !!!!! multipurpose nuclear submarines

7. Host of other ships of support and intelligence nature.

By Mikheev’s own words, the firepower of this squadron is several orders of
magnitude superior to that of the 5th Operational Squadron which was marking
its presence in the Med. during 1970s and 1980s.  

In addition, for the first time in her history, Russia places in the
Mediterranean a naval might of unprecedented scale and power. Geopolitcal
implications of that are enormous.  To be frank, Russia went for a "full monty"
in this game around Yugoslavia.  And here’s why:

1. This Squadron is not the only one thing which deployes into Med. Recently (a
month ago) completed massive exercises of Russian strategic air armies based on
Engels (Southern Volga region), as well as a completion of full upgrade of the
vast arsenal of Russian strategic airborne cruise missiles X-55 to the level of
SMART munitions (now those X-55 are at least equal, in some superior to latest
US Tomahawk updates), and placing them at disposal of newly formed units of
Russian Strategic Air arm, including 16 newest TU-160 Black Jack Strategic
Bombers, marks a dramatic reorientation of Russian geopolitical focus towards
Southern flank.  And all this is thanks to Serbia, of course.

Apart from the gigantic squadron operating now in Med. (read: in defense of
Yugoslavia), those strategic air armies are now completely capable of launching
of SMART strategic long-range munitions (with ranges exceeding 2000 nautical
miles) from Black Sea area into Med., with the objective of surgical
annihilation of NATO's naval assets there.

2. Complement of the Russian Squadron sent into Med. is stunning in all
respects. Now Russia will have around 35 strike aircraft (and mind you--these
are not wimpy F-18s, however numerable). The SU-33 Naval Flankers are
undeniably best strike and dog-fighting aircraft in the history of the world
air carriers.

This plane, apart from featuring flying characteristics unknown to US aircraft,
including its unrivaled range on the internal fuel, features also the array of
weaponry which varies from state-of-the-art AA missiles to the unprecedented
choice of long-range, standoff anti-ship missiles, including air version of
already known to us Moskit--all of them capable to break through US Navy's
Aegis umbrella.

Plus Russia gets on the order of 25 ASW helicopters also in the area. Apart
from that--air defense capabilities of this whole squadron are also
unprecedented since AD systems of "Peter The Great" as well as "Marshal
Ustinov" feature multilayered, long, medium, short range, low altitude
surveillance "pie" and firepower capable of dealing even with massive air
attack including multiple launches from NATO's ships and aircraft of their
standoff weapons (as it is clear--any attempt to even close on such group to a
distance of about 400 nautical miles is suicidal), which, as we know, come down
to the same Tomahawks--slow and easily tracked over sea surface targets.

We already spoke about what "Admiral Kuznetsov" (and of course US naval
"specialists" will talk how inferior this ship will be to any US naval carrier
task group) and "Peter The Great" are in the whole order of things--such
"couple" alone can deal with any asset US navy will put against it.

But that is beyond the point--let Tom Clancy’s of the NWO media write their
fantasies. Take a look at "Admiral Chabanenko". All ships in this grouping are
NEW (less than 10 years old). Admiral Chabanenko is brand-new, commissioned in
January 1999. By the words of Admiral Kuroedov, it is "the ship of the 21st
century". This is true. "Admiral Chabanenko" IS the world's most powerfully
armed and equipped ship (although does not carry Tomahawk-type ammo as US
Arleigh Burke-class destroyers) which boasts best in the world anti-ship and
ASW capabilities for its class--ships with a displacement up to 9000 tons.

She also features advanced, with elements of artificial intellect combat
control systems, which are in some respects even superior to anyway awesome
data-processing capabilities of other warships in this group, but these are
some technical details.

3. But the main stunner is yet to come. I was, honestly, awestruck despite all
my Russian naval considerable experience, that Mikheev openly announced the
deployment of multipurpose nuclear submarines. Most stunning, Mikheev
underscored that there will be five of those and that they will be newest ones.

This is more than just an announcement.  This is a warning. For the last three
decades, the US naval undersea force was clinging to a single alleged advantage
they had in their sub - a lower levels of noise, the parameter which can not
and must not be viewed separately, but only within the framework of the overall
tactical-technical parameters of a weapon's system.

But as we know conventional military academic wisdoms do not apply in Pentagon
and Tom Clancy's realm. As a result, not only did by mid-1980s the Russian
nuclear subs close the gap in noise levels with the best of US undersea assets,
but apart from doing this, they armed their nuclear subs with array of weaponry
which surpasses anything in US arsenal about by 15-20 years.

To name a single example (recently, a US "businessman" was detained in Russia
by FSB exactly on this subject - TiM Ed.: See the next story), each Russian
nuclear sub (and now diesels too) is armed with the thing known as Shkval. The
first modification of this rocket-torpedo was delivered to the Soviet navy
already in early 1980s. This is a unique weapon, whose rocket travels UNDER
WATER with the speed of about 200 Knots (!!!!) over a distance of 12+ nautical
miles.  

This makes any "fairy tales" about torpedo shootouts with Russian subs merely
"fairy tales". There is no protection against Shkval.  It is completely immune
from any jamming, its precision is awesome; overall, it is a super weapon.

But there are many of those on Russian subs. Now five of them go to Med. Why?
To do the same as they always did--to look out for US aircraft carrier task
groups and their escorts and if necessary to apply some of those weapons,
including cruise missiles of an Oscar-class subs whose single salvo of 12-16
missiles in conventional mode is capable to obliterate whole carrier task group
of any size. There will be, obviously 2-3 of those Oscars, and 2-3 Akula-class
subs, which also armed with Strategic Cruise Missile Sampson with underwater
start. Sampson is better and longer-range peer of US Tomahawk.

Now that we are finished with all this light “ techno” intro, let’s look
at strategic implications.

Russia moves into Med at least 10 ships of the First Rank, at least six of them
nuclear powered. Five of them are nuclear submarines. All of those 10 ships are
capable of carrying tactical and strategic nuclear weapons. Tonnage of the
whole thing is around 250 000 tons. That’s a naval missile power
unprecedented for this area, even during worst times of Cold War.

Apart from that, around 16 newest TU-160 Black Jacks and around 60 updated
TU-95 Bears will stay on alert with long and medium range SMART munitions
hidden in their bellies, ready to work "on call" for this squadron.

In other words, a remaking of the world’s geopolitical map is beginning.
Remarkably, NOT A SINGLE person in Russia hides the fact that all this because
of Yugoslavia.  

I am starting to believ, that even Serbs themselves, let alone all western
politicians or the media, deeply underestimated the strength of the Russian
pro-Serb sentiment, as well as the changing political dynamics in Russia after
NATO's aggression.  But this is very much within the framework of the Russian
national character: Slowly, covertly, accumulating steadily and naggingly,
visceral anger begins to manifest itself only when the patience runs out. It
usually takes a lot of time, but it is also usually very deadly. Genghis-Khan,
Napoleon and Hitler experienced that first-hand. […]

The fact is also that India and China, one, the largest democracy in the world,
the other the most populous country in the world, not only ask, but demand from
Russia immediate leadership in global affairs.  If in doubt, just review
India's or China's press.

Dean

--
I speak only for myself.......

(EXCERPT) WASHINGTON, May 1, 2000 -- Former boxer and trainer Odell
Williams was a realistic young man. “Kid Odell” knew he would never
win many bouts, much less be a contender for the welterweight title.

Other than the fight game, "Kid Odell" said he was like a lot of young
people in Depression-era 1936, "just out there not knowing what to do
with themselves." He made his amateur boxing debut at 14 and had won
only nine professional fights when he quit at age 23.

"I tried hard, but I wasn’t good enough," said Williams, an
87-year-old resident of the Naval Home in Gulfport, Miss. "I joined
the Navy after I discovered I’d just be an average fighter, maybe end
up being punch drunk." He opted for another living -- in the U.S.
Navy.

Williams became interested in becoming a sailor at an exposition in
San Diego when he saw three petty officers, two African Americans and
one white, decked out in crisp Navy uniforms with gold chevrons, "hash
marks" and buttons. He was mesmerized by their appearance and wanted
to be just like them.

"I asked them about the Navy, and they said, 'You can't get into the
Navy now; you can't be like us,” Williams said. But he was so
intrigued by them that he ignored their discouraging comments and
started searching for ways to get into the Navy. The young pugilist
didn't understand racism -- he'd grown up in a Los Angeles
neighborhood where his was one of only two African American families,
but everybody got along well and looked out for each other.

"Everybody went to school and played together -- Italian, Jewish,
whites and blacks," he noted. "If you were out on the streets after
nine o’clock, an adult would want to know why you were out there that
time of night."

Williams was told the Navy only accepted African Americans for its
steward service. That didn’t deter him. He joined the Navy on May_7,
1936, as one of 12 African Americans from the Los Angeles area
selected for an integrated boot camp training program.

“It was an experiment, trying to get blacks back into Navy jobs other
than servitude positions -- cooks, stewards and shining officers'
shoes and brass,” he said. “A lot of people were not aware of this
because the Navy was very secretive about it. It was too explosive to
go public at the time.”

Williams’ bout with integration in the Navy was short- lived. After
boot camp, he and the other African Americans went aboard the
battleship USS Texas and headed for Unit K- West U.S. Naval Training
Station, Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Va. -- for training as cooks
and stewards.

"That’s when we were introduced to segregation," Williams said.

Before retiring with more than 20 years' service, Williams served with
Fighting Squadron Six aboard the carrier USS Enterprise; the oiler USS
Salamonie; general stores issue ship USS Acubens; the former ocean
liner President Jefferson, renamed the attack transport USS Henry T.
Allen; attack transport USS Noble; cruiser USS Des Moines; and at
Naval Operating Base Argentia, Newfoundland, Canada.

A world war and a manpower shortage during World War II forced the
Navy to change it ways and accept African Americans in general
service, the Marine Corps and Coast Guard on April 7, 1942. Williams
credits President and Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt and educator Mary
McLeod Bethune with spearheading the changes.

During World War II, Williams was a steward aboard the USS Enterprise,
which he calls one of the greatest ships in the Navy at that time.
When fighting erupted, he said, his battle station was “pyrotechnic
engineer" -- "fuzing bombs and making smoke."

"The only other thing I did was work as a storekeeper," he said. "They
forgot about you being a steward in those days." The only thing that
mattered, he said, was whether you could do the job -- whatever was
needed at the time.

Williams still treasures his service aboard the Enterprise as his best
career memories. “I’ll never forget how the guys cooperated -- no
color line or any of that stuff,” he said. “You went to your battle
station, no matter what your special duties were. Discipline was
hard.”

He said he’ll also never forget what happened when he went aboard the
heavy cruiser USS Des Moines in 1950 as a young chief petty officer.
That’s a bad memory.

When he reported aboard, his belongings were supposed to be taken to
the chief’s quarters, but he found them in a passageway. Williams
rushed back to the quarterdeck and asked the messenger, “Sailor, where
did you put my gear?”

“In the chief’s quarters,” the messenger answered.

Bypassing the officer of the deck, Williams complained to the
executive officer, who told him, “We’re not having any trouble on this
ship, so we’re going to give you a billet in officer’s country.”

“I told him, 'I’m not an officer,' and asked to see the commanding
officer,” Williams said. "The captain called all the chiefs together
and asked, 'Who set Chief Williams’ gear out in the passageway?'

"A chief bosun's mate from South Carolina yelled, 'I did, cap'n. I
haven’t slept with them all these years and I’m not going to sleep
with them now.'

“No one else said anything,” Williams recalled. “The captain told the
chief, ‘You take your gear and go down to the first class quarters.’"

Later, the chief made the mistake of picking a fight with the former
pugilist.

“I did a pretty good job on him,” Williams said. “He told everybody he
fell down a hatch. About a month later, he came to talk to me and
turned out to be my best friend. He said he thought all black people
didn’t do a damn thing in South Carolina but get drunk on Saturdays.
That was the impression he had of me.

“Not all of the white people were bad. There were a lot of good people
in the Navy, but a lot of them wanted to hold that tradition they had
years ago -- whites only,” he said.

"My father-in-law was Caucasian and his grandfather owned slaves in
Georgia,” said Williams, who hasn't seen his wife for nearly 20 years
and doesn’t have any children. "He treated me better than my own
father. Sometimes you meet good people, no matter what their
background."

Williams said he was involved in many battles, including the Battle of
Midway aboard the Enterprise, but the only time he was wounded was
when enemy rounds slammed into the USS Salamonie. He suffered shrapnel
wounds, but refused treatment because “there were people laying on the
deck.”

“I didn’t get a Purple Heart because I didn’t ask for one - - the
medal didn’t matter to me,” he noted.

Williams is incensed about the way World War II veterans were treated.
He doesn’t think they've ever received the credit they deserve.

"It bothers me to hear people going ape about the Korean War, Vietnam
War and Desert Storm," he said. "If it hadn’t been for the guys in
World War II, they wouldn’t have been around for Korea, Vietnam or
Desert Storm. We made it possible for them.

"Why are they just beginning to recognize the guys who fought in World
War II?" he asked. "Hell, most of them are dead. I’m 87 years old. I
don’t need their help anymore."

In nearly the same breath, Williams said, "This country has its
drawbacks, but it’s the greatest country in the world."

After retiring from the Navy in January 1956, Williams spent about
five years in special security for the Los Angeles Water and Power
Department before getting into the entertainment business as a master
of ceremonies, singer and piano player.

Years later, he got into trouble with the Internal Revenue Service and
decided to seek shelter at the Naval Home. One of the first questions
he asked when he inquired about his eligibility was: “Is the home
segregated?”

“No, it isn’t,” the woman on the telephone answered.

“How many nonwhites do you have living there?” Williams asked.

“Four,” the woman said.

Williams could hardly believe that. He accepted the woman's invitation
to visit and assess the home in person. He liked what he saw and
became a resident in August 1993. Even today, only five of the more
than 440 residents of the home are African American.

Though retirees from all services are eligible to live at the home,
the residents are mostly sailors and Marines, Williams noted. For that
reason, he surmises that most of the residents are from World War II
and the Korean War, and there weren't many blacks in the Navy in those
days.

He also said speculated that many African Americans might not want to
live in Mississippi, but he said major changes in race relations have
occurred there in past years. For example, Williams takes pride in
being invited to schools to talk to students about his military and
life experiences. He's particularly proud because the majority of the
students he speaks to are white, and he treasures the many letters of
thanks they write to him.

He said he's proud because, "Back then, it was unheard of for a black
man to go into a school and talk to white kids.

"When I’m invited to talk to kids, I stress discipline and ask them to
define it for me to get them involved," Williams said. "I talk about
self-esteem and tell them if you don’t think something of yourself,
who is going to think anything of you? I talk about objectives,
cooperation and how to get along with people and be responsible. And I
tell them they should respect others as you respect yourself and
forget racism. And forget peer pressure; if you have an idea, speak up
about it."

He tells the kids and anybody else who will listen: “The Navy and I
grew up together and learned to respect each other.”

His impression of living at the retirement home is: "This is like
heaven for me," Williams said.

(EXCERPT) Push for more submarines raises questions about cost - and
the military's role in a post-cold-war era.

Justin Brown Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor

Few weapons better illustrate the challenges now facing the US
military than the Navy's attack submarines.

Stealthy, heavily armed, and expensive, they once patrolled the seas
searching for Soviet ballistic-missile launchers, ready to strike in
the event of a nuclear showdown.

Today, 100 years after the Navy purchased its first underwater craft,
submarines face a reversal of fortune: They ar...

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William Donzelli

(The point you raise above is one I made explicitly.)

One thing I'll point out is that practice generally is ahead of theory. The
steam engine preceded thermodynamics, we had antibiotics before we knew how
or why they worked. (Not always true - pasteurization)

A) intelligence is at least partly physical

B) physical characteristics depend, to some extent on heredity

C) it is possible to construct breeding programs to improve inherited
characteristics (I haven't commented on diminishing returns, but there
obviously is some sort of limit. Man will not run the ten second mile.)

D) a breeding program to improve intelligence is therefore possible

E) we haven't any idea how to go about making such a program (I tossed in
some shots about possible negative consequences.)

Now the connection to this debate is the series of steps needed to claim that you
could breed for intelligence.
now to breed for "intelligence" there must be a heritable genetic marker for
intelligence.  Until we identify such a marker, we have know way of knowing
whether it exists. All differences in intelligence may be environmental.  It does
no good at all to simply claim that a marker for intelligence must  exist, but
has not yet been discovered.  If it doesn't exist, it doesn't exist.

Second, to breed for it it is not enough that a marker for intelligence exists.
There have to be differentiable markers for a range of  intelligence.

Third, we have to be able to figure out which people have which markers.

now all successful animal breeding has followed these requirements.  A marker has
existed, we can tell which animals have it and it exists in a useful range.  I
agree that you don't have to know the details of how the gene works, but if you
don't have these beginnings you cant go anywhere.

running example "speaking french"

Speaking French is at least partly physical

B) the ability to speak French depends to some extent on heredity

you cant conclude this unless the preconditions i've noted are satisfied.

Seriously Vince, your idea that the genetics need to be understood
completely before anything can be done flies in the face of most human
progress - practice usually leads theory (or at least proven theory).

I just gave a presentation in Berlin on the

If we find that the potential for intelligence is partly inherited, it will
be the first physical characteristic we know of that is not.

<I snipped a bit about French here that I shouldn't have.>

We beat this to death on the first cycle.

In other words, the Britanica is taking the position I have on the nature
of intelligence.

(Everything inherited thing we know about varries. If we found out tomorrow
that intelligence doesn't, it will be a very new thing.)