Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (3865)	2/12/2003 10:51:17 PM
From: KonKilo	Respond to of 15987

No, Scheer said that the US gave the money to the Taliban. It didn't. Mea culpa.

To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (3865)	2/13/2003 5:40:53 AM
From: Bill Ulrich	Respond to of 15987

New deployment by US Navy in Bahrain: Boston Globe, boston.com Sea lions trained to protect US ships By Reuters, 2/13/2003 MANAMA, Bahrain -- Despite having cutting-edge technology and weaponry, the United States Navy has turned to two California sea lions named Alex and Zachary to help protect its ships in Gulf waters off the coast of Bahrain. Naval officials said Tuesday that the sea lions would be used to locate and mark divers or swimmers who could pose a threat to US warships off Bahrain, headquarters of the Navy's Fifth Fleet. The sea lions have been trained to carry a special clamp in their mouths that they can attach to a suspicious person, said Commander John Wood, Special Operations Officer Naval Forces Central Command. The clamp is attached by a line to a flotation device that marks the swimmer for security personnel to apprehend him. Wood did not explain in detail how the clamp worked or what would stop a swimmer from removing it. Naval officials said Tuesday that the sea lions would be used to locate and mark divers or swimmers who could pose a threat to US warships off Bahrain, headquarters of the Navy's Fifth Fleet. The sea lions have been trained to carry a special clamp in their mouths that they can attach to a suspicious person, said Commander John Wood, Special Operations Officer Naval Forces Central Command. The clamp is attached by a line to a flotation device that marks the swimmer for security personnel to apprehend him. Wood did not explain in detail how the clamp worked or what would stop a swimmer from removing it. "They [the sea lions] are very valuable in terms of capability, and they are saving lives," he said. "They can operate wherever we ask them to and are not limited to Bahrain." The United States is massing ships and troops in the Gulf ahead of a possible war against Iraq. Wood said the animals were trained to mark people but not to kill. The mammals can dive to 1,000 feet, swim at speeds up to 25 miles per hour, as well as see and hear better under water than any human or mechanical device the military has. "The advantage is that they are working in their natural environment and anything going against them isn't," Wood said outside the sea lion enclosure where Zachary and Alex were barking and being fed.