Aegis Performs as Advertised

Seems the Iranian-backed Yemenis are getting uppity. In the last week, they've fired at least three shore-based cruise missiles at the USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer in the Persian Gulf. The automated Aegis defense system swatted them out of the air with contemptuous ease, of course. The Burke-class was made to defend a carrier task group against Soviet saturation strikes; a few ragheads launching second-rate shore missiles directly at them is like a skinny 13 year-old girl trying to put a beatdown on an NFL linebacker.

Apparently someone in Washington found a pair of balls laying around and played with them, because yesterday the Mason and her sister ship the Nitze responded with multiple Tomahawk strikes against several shore-based radar installations suspected of controlling the missiles. Score: Yemen - 0, US Navy - A Bunch

The Saudis, concerned the flow of oil money from the United States might be interrupted and not being hamstrung by niceties like a press whining about "collateral damage," simply bombed the shit out of a funeral in the Yemen capital. It's actually pretty smart: kill one well-known terrorist, wait for the others to gather for the funeral and BOOM. Well played, Saudis. Whatever my opinion of their country, (it's not at all positive, in case you're in doubt), I do enjoy seeing a good attack plan well-executed.