TWO US Mil Aircraft CRASH Near China

Military Readiness and Recent Crashes [00:00]

• Two separate crashes involving a US Navy helicopter and a US fighter jet occurred in the South China Sea on October 26th.
• The helicopter, assigned to a maritime strike squadron from the USS Nimitz, crashed while conducting routine operations; all three crew members were rescued.
• An FA18 Super Hornet, assigned to a strike fighter squadron, also crashed; both crew members ejected and were recovered safely.
• The president suggested "bad fuel" as a potential cause for the incidents, which is described as highly unusual.

"So, the president said there it could be bad fuel. And there's a lot of questions here uh after this incident."

Systemic Inefficiencies and Defense Industry Monopolies [01:56]

• The transcript argues that despite pouring trillions of dollars into the defense budget, the military is falling apart at the seams at a fundamental, functional level.
• It points to a lack of competition in the defense sector, with monopolies held by companies like Rathon and Loheed Martin, leading to high costs and inefficiencies.
• The cost to keep advanced aircraft operational is estimated at hundreds of thousands of dollars per flight hour.
• The infrastructure to support advanced technology, such as refueling bombers, is described as lacking.

"The reason I'm sticking with this is that there have been a number of incidents that I always try to highlight whenever we're trying to pour trillions of dollars more into our defense budget is at at the basic level, like the actual functional level, we're falling apart at the seams."

Asymmetric Threats and Shifting Military Effectiveness [03:07]

• The effectiveness of small, less organized forces like the Houthis is highlighted, who were able to conduct operations despite significant missile fire.
• The war in Ukraine is presented as an example where a supposedly technologically advanced Russian military struggled against Ukrainian forces utilizing drones.
• This suggests that advanced technology is not always the decisive factor, and basic operational capabilities and adaptability can be more critical.

"The asymmetric threat that we have witnessed now from China, from Russia, from Ukraine and others just shows you how I mean Ukraine is a perfect example is you have this massive Russian military supposedly all technologically advanced and the Ukrainians just come in with these drones and are able to screw them up."

Patterns of Military Aviation Incidents and Cost [04:03]

• A journalist tracking military readiness has documented numerous incidents, including 17 army helicopter crashes in 2024, a midair collision, and fighter jets falling into the Red Sea.
• The transcript highlights two FA18 Super Hornets falling into the Red Sea within an 8-day span, with each aircraft costing between $60 to $70 million.
• The overall cost of these lost aircraft amounts to approximately $140 million.

"He said 17 army helicopter crashes in 2024. The midair collision over the battoomeic this January. Three fighter jets that simply fell into the Red Sea in April and May. That was with regard to the Houthies. Another whole helicopter crew la lost last month and now this unmititigated chaos and incompetence in US military aviation."

Focus on Fundamentals vs. Flashy Technology [05:38]

• The core issue identified is a focus on flashy technology rather than on fundamental operational capabilities like "guns and bullets" and the ability to function at a basic level.
• Success on the battlefield, as seen with Russia in Ukraine, is attributed to operating more like a World War I military, emphasizing manpower, ammunition, and domestic production capabilities.
• The transcript suggests that advanced elements like AI and data centers are nice to have but not the ultimate determinants of long-term success in conflict.

"It's on the higherups and it's on the design. It's on the structural design of all of these monopolies, of focusing on the wrong thing, of being excited by flashy technology and not on the guns and the bullets and the ability to just function at a very basic level."

Unaccountability and Failed Audits in Defense [06:32]

• The military-industrial complex is described as being outsourced to a group of monopolies that are largely unaccountable to the government.
• Employees on the government side reportedly have difficulty getting major defense contractors like Lockheed or Boeing on the phone, indicating a perceived arrogance and disconnect.
• This lack of accountability contributes to insane cost overruns and is cited as a major reason why the Pentagon consistently fails its audits.

"I mean, we've outsourced all of our capacity, military-industrial complex, it's a bunch of monopolies. I mean knowing people who work in the the space um you know on the um government side."