Whatever Floats Your Tank: the USN’s Improved Navy Lighterage System

Lighterage from USS Seay

Lighterage is about loading or unloading ships using lighters (barges) that can form a sort of ad-hoc ramp or shuttle from ships at anchor; they are often used when a port’s dockside is too shallow for the ship, or dockside berths are unavailable. These modules greatly expand landing options for well-equipped militaries, and may be versatile enough to be used in sea-based transfers as well. Even so, lighterage is one of those quiet enablers that rarely receives the attention it merits.

Rapid Fire Sept. 9, 2013: Opposition to Syrian Strikes Spans Across Parties

• National Journal notes how America has been taking a sharp turn inward. That isolationist streak was already apparent in the US House of Representatives during debates about Libya in 2011. This dynamic can lead to otherwise unlikely alliances across the aisle which make whip counts less reliable than usual. Members of Congress are coming back from summer recess and what they’ve heard from most of their constituents is that they oppose getting involved in Syria. In short, the Obama administration is facing an uphill battle this week as it tries to convince Congress and the public that strikes on Syria are in the United States’ national interest.