Cuba rejects the presence of a US nuclear submarine in Guantanamo Bay

“We strongly reject the presence of a nuclear submarine in Guantanamo naval base from July 5 to 8. It’s a provocative escalation of US which makes it imperative to question what strategic purpose it pursues in our region, which was declared a Zone of Peace.” | Cubaminrex 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs categorically rejected the entry into Guantánamo Bay, on July 5, 2023, of a nuclear-powered submarine that remained until July 8 at the US military base located there, which constitutes a provocative escalation of the United States, whose political or strategic motives are unknown.

Yet another case of China placing country dangerously close to US and Canadian warships

The US military and the Canadian navy/Global News have simultaneously released video footage of a Chinese navy ship cutting across the path of an American destroyer in the Taiwan Strait on June 3, reportedly forcing the US vessel to slow down to avoid a collision.

A statement on the incident from US Indo-Pacific Command says the Chinese ship “executed maneuvers in an unsafe manner” in the presence of US and Canadian warships during a “routine south to north Taiwan Strait transit” by the naval forces of those nations, coming as close as 150 yards from the American vessel.

Mysterious stealth boat in Mississippi boatyard linked to US special forces

U.S. Southern Command is the main organizer of riverine exercises in which such craft are deployed – in South America.

ZeroHedge reports: A picture of a mysterious stealth boat has surfaced on social media. The catamaran was spotted in a boatyard in Gulfport, Mississippi, known for the high-tech manufacturing of vessels for US special forces.

Battle of the Atlantic: Citing Nazi Germany as model, US military chief hails new NATO command

Get Canada out of the U.S. war machine!! Canada needs an anti-war government, not as an aspiration, but for real, NOW.

RCN frigate HMCS Halifax (FFH 330), aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75) and guided-missile destroyer USS Forest Sherman (DDG-98) participate in a formation exercise off coast of Halifax on September 11, 2018 | USN photo

By RICK ROZOFF

General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was in Norfolk, Virginia on July 15 to mark the second NATO command in America achieving full operational capability. NATO’s Joint Force Command – Norfolk (JFC-Norfolk ) joined NATO’s Allied Command Transformation (ACT) in the same city as the only NATO commands outside Europe.

Lebanon: The Hezbollah-France twist

France and other powers, including Canada, are exploiting the Beirut port disaster. Their recipe is “white man’s burden.” Macron of France is in the forefront. He presupposes that the people of Lebanon are not capable of exercising their sovereignty, that they cannot exercise control over their lives themselves and that there is a need for a power standing above them, usurping all that belongs to them and giving nothing to them in return. This is the notion of a “benevolent dictator” or of the “divine right of kings”, notions needed by the plutocracy, those who claim that they are destined to be the “trustees” of the people, because they alone consider themselves capable of ruling over the people.

By GHASSAN KADI 

The intriguing twists and turns following the catastrophic explosion at Beirut’s Sea Port have thus far had international repercussions, beginning with the visit of French President Marcon to Beirut just three days after the disaster; a visit that could hardly be classified as a visit of a foreign head of state to another country.

Marcon did not go to Lebanon just to meet with Lebanese President Aoun, even though the two did meet.

Hiroshima and Halifax

Painting of the Halifax Explosion

By Tony Seed

The 75th Anniversary of the dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima on the Sixth of August 1945 is a historic universal event with profound immediate significance to present international relations, the danger of war and even nuclear war. For Haligonians, the nuclear devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki has a special meaning ,which is even more poignant in the wake of the hugely destructive explosion in  Beirut, Lebanon on August 4.

This Day. The downing of Iran Air Flight 655

By TONY SEED*

(July 3) – On this day in 1988, the American warship USS Vincennes deliberately fired missiles at an Iranian civilian aircraft, Iran Air Flight 655. Two hundred and ninety innocent passengers died. Vice President George W. Bush honoured the warship, saying: “I don’t care what the facts say: I will never apologize for the United States … Life goes on!”

A300B2-203 Iran Air EP-IBT at Mehrabad International Airport, Tehran | Khashayar Talebzadeh

Dangerous war exercise of Northern Command

On May 28, U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) launched a four-day war exercise over the northeast coast of the U.S. and Canada. It was unprecedented in that it also involves U.S. Space, Transportation and Strategic commands.

102nd Anniversary of the Halifax Explosion

Infamy of the massacre of the Canadian people in Halifax

Painting of the Halifax Explosion

By TONY SEED

December 6th is the 102nd anniversary of the horrific Halifax Explosion of 1917 – the largest explosion in history before the infamous devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by U.S. atomic bombs in 1945.[1] Some 1,963 innocent men, women and children were massacred, another 9,000 injured and 199 blinded, comprising more than one fifth of the total population, resulting from a massive explosion due to the collision in the inner harbour of the merchant ship Imo and the ammunition ship Mont Blanc loaded with 3,00 tons of chemical explosives. One square mile of the working class quarter of the North End facing the Halifax Narrows was totally destroyed. Six thousand people lost their homes altogether and between 20,000 and 25,000 Haligonians were left homeless and destitute, including ten thousand children. More than 1,600 buildings were destroyed, and 12,000 more were damaged.[2]

Warship Watch. Royal Navy, Southcom commander land in Curaçao and Brazil

The Royal Navy’s Mounts Bay docked in Curaçao, a small island just 50 miles away from Venezuela | Morning Star

By TONY SEED

(February 15, updated February 18, 22, 2019) – The Trump administration has stepped up threats of military aggression against Venezuela as part of its blackmail against the Venezuelan people and world opinion. The threat of military aggression is real, not merely an “option on the table.” In parallel, the U.S. is increasing its hostile military activities in the region, directed specifically against the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and its resistance to U.S. dictate. The newly-appointed commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), Admiral Craig Faller visited the Caribbean island of Curaçao in the Dutch Antilles, February 13-14, within 50 miles of the Venezuelan coast, following discussions with the Joint Military Staff of Brazil on February 11-12.

Warship Watch. ‘Fun in the sun’? Snowbirds? Venezuela? HMCS Charlottetown sails to Florida

 

By TONY SEED

(February 11, updated February 13) – About a week ago, the Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown departed from Halifax with none of the fanfare accorded two other warships, the HMCS Kingston and HMCS Shawnigan, which were ceremoniously deployed from Halifax to the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa on January 22nd.

The military threat against Venezuela is real, not an ‘option on the table’

Threats against the independence and sovereignty of Venezuela are real, not a mere policy “option.” Ongoing provocations and threats of military aggression by the US, Canada and others threaten to plunge the whole region into chaos and strike a serious blow against popular democracy around the world. The Lima Group is not welcome in Canada and it is important for Canadians to stand up and declare that the Government does not act in the name of Canadians and we demand that the Canadian government respect the independence and sovereignty of Venezuela.

Eduardo Correa Senior and James Patrick Jordan* examine the thread and military options that are on the table, and propose popular organization to defeat US interventionism in the Latin American nation.

Warship Watch. Canada joins largest-ever US-Japanese war exercise

Japanese people protest against US base in Naha, Okinawa in 2015 | AFP

The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan led Japanese destroyers and two Canadian warships in a combat readiness war game that began on October 29 and ended on November 8.

Japan and the United States reportedly mobilized some 57,000 sailors, marines and members of their air forces for “Keen Sword” – the biggest joint war game in Japanese history. Japan’s contingent in the Keen Sword exercise represented a fifth of the nation’s armed forces. In the 2016 simulated air combat and amphibious landings exercise, the joint military personnel was estimated to be some 11,000 less, Reuters reported.

Hurricane Juan and Depleted Uranium

Canadian navy and weapons of mass destruction

This Saturday, September 29, marks 15 years since Hurricane Juan ripped through Halifax in the middle of the night toppling trees, smashing boats and knocking out power for many days and even weeks in some neighbourhoods. Wind speeds of up to 178km an hour were recorded at McNabs Island in Halifax Harbour. Amunition shells from the 1940s and “other debris” were being washed ashore. | The late MITZI BOWMAN* with TONY SEED

BLUE ROCKS, NS (October 24, 2003) – THE Halifax Chronicle Herald reproduced on October 4, 2003 a capsule commentary from the Canadian Press that the Canadian Forces were cleaning up unexploded shells from the 1940s (WW2) “and other debris”.

Why isn’t the Chronicle Herald telling us what this “other debris” is or could be?

Warship Watch. RIMPAC war games heighten tensions in Asia Pacific

Three articles on the world’s largest naval war exercise and Canada’s participation, the opposition by the people of Hawai’i and the geopolitical context.

By YI NICHOLLS

The U.S.-led naval war games, Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), are underway from June 27 to August 2 around the Hawaiian Islands and southern California. The last RIMPAC exercise was held in 2016. A May 30 U.S. Navy press release informs, “Twenty-six nations, 47 surface ships, five submarines, 18 national land forces, and more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise […]”[1] Canada is one of the participating nations.

Warship Watch: US Navy reactivates Second Fleet to control the North Atlantic

Protest against warships in Halifax harbour and expansion of the Canadian navy, CFB Stadacona, May 29, 2012.

By TONY SEED

The U.S. Navy is reestablishing its Second Fleet to control the North Atlantic, navy sources report.[1] It will be operational by July 1 and headquartered in Norfolk, Virginia.

On the 100th anniversary of the Halifax Explosion, a war crime: The organization of the city as a war port is the ‘business’ best adapted for profit

Painting of the Halifax Explosion

Infamy of the massacre of the Canadian people in Halifax

December 6th is the centenary of the horrific Halifax Explosion of 1917 – the largest explosion in history before the infamous devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by US atomic bombs in 1945. The tragedy is being marked by an intensive program of events and initiatives, including scores of books, exhibits, radio and TV programs, memorial meetings in Halifax and Boston, and a stamp issued by Canada Post.

The following article by Tony Seed reports on a paper presented by anti-war activists in Halifax in 1983 and expands on it for this publication. On this date, we pay our deepest respects to the families of all those who died as a result of this disaster.

US nuclear aircraft carrier strike group arrives in Halifax as part of Canada 150

Militarization of Canada’s ports – outrageous promotion of annexation with U.S., NATO, “interoperability” with U.S. war fleet and racist militias | TONY SEED

From top to bottom, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, the USS Winston S. Churchill and the HMCS Moncton conduct what the U.S. Navy terms a photo exercise, on the way into the harbour of Halifax, June 27, 2017.

“The U.S. nuclear aircraft carrier USS Dwight D Eisenhower and two support ships are arriving today,” the Halifax Examiner reported on June 28. “The Pilotage Authority says the aircraft carrier will be parked at Anchorage #1, which is just north of McNab’s Island, but I’ve also been told that the ship will be anchored south of the island, near [Canadian Forces Base] Shearwater, so we’ll see, I guess. The other ships will berth at the Dockyard,” the reporter wrote.

This is how the Trudeau Liberals outrageously celebrated the 150th anniversary of Confederation – with the militarization of Canada’s ports, the promotion of “interoperability” with the U.S. war fleet by the Canadian Forces, out-of-sight war exercises held offshore, an attack by thugs on a Mi’kmaq ceremony at the statue of the genocidaire Edward Cornwallis, and an invitation-only reception for the ruling elite of Nova Scotia hosted by the U.S. Consul held onboard the carrier in the harbour hailing the U.S. Fourth of July a week later.

US special black ops in 150 countries

US Special Black Ops missions already in 105 countries in 2015 – over 60 per cent of the nations on the planet. NICK TURSE*, TomDispatch

US Special Operations Forces around the world, 2012-2013.
Key to the Map of US Special Operations Forces around the world, 2012-2013
Red markers: US Special Operations Forces deployment in 2013.
Blue markers: US Special Operations Forces working with/training/advising/conducting operations with indigenous troops in the U.S. or a third country during 2013.
Purple markers: US Special Operations Forces deployment in 2012.
Yellow markers: US Special Operations Forces working with/training/advising/conducting operations with indigenous troops in the US or a third country during 2012.
Map courtesy of TomDispatch and Google
(Click to enlarge)

In the dead of night, they swept in aboard V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft.  Landing in a remote region of one of the most volatile countries on the planet, they raided a village and soon found themselves in a life-or-death firefight. It was the second time in two weeks that elite U.S. Navy SEALs had attempted to rescue American photojournalist Luke Somers. And it was the second time they failed.

USS Gerald Ford – $14 billion lethal creation

Obama – another aggressive act against the world

By TONY SEED, Revised on Nov. 18, 2013 and Dec. 20, 2013

AT A TIME of massive cuts in social spending, a record debt of $17 trillion USD, a decaying economy, and mass poverty in the USA and throughout the world, the Obama presidency has launched its lead ship in the U.S. Navy’s next class of nuclear-powered aircraft carriers at an estimated cost of some $14 billion USD.  With that money, the lives of millions of children could have been saved.

The McCain tour and the manifest destiny of the US Fourth Fleet

By FIDEL CASTRO

(June 30, 2008) – While I was preparing a reflection about McCain’s relationship with the anti-Cuban terrorist mafia in Miami and other related subjects of historical interest, fresh news was flowing about this character that is being projected by the empire’s hawks as Bush’s replacement: his visit to Colombia and Mexico which will begin tomorrow. It is not possible to avoid them since they confirm the opinions we have held.

Op Caribbe: Canada’s stealth warship and aircraft

Op Caribb: “Building maritime domain awareness” – euphemism for Canadian military-naval intervention in the Caribbean

By TONY SEED

Second in a series of seven articles on the occasion of Harper’s visit to Latin America and the Caribbean

HALIFAX (13 August 2007) – IN THE FIRST WEEK of April, anti-war activists in Halifax and Victoria combined to carry out an inventory of the whereabouts of Canadian warships out of concern that the Canadian government might have surreptitiously joined the American strike force in the Persian Gulf at the time, aimed at Iran.

US Southern Command and the phoney ‘War on Drugs’: Pretext for ceaseless militarization of the Americas

By TONY SEED

Fourth in a series of seven articles on the occasion of Harper’s visit to Latin America and the Caribbean

HALIFAX (13 August 2007) – THE CANADIAN WARSHIP HMCS Fredericton and an Aurora aircraft were deployed in the Caribbean Sea under the command of the US Joint Interagency Task Force during July. The American Force is based at Key West, Florida, which also serves as a base for the National Security Agency that, in April 2002, centralized communications support for the failed coup d’etat in Venezuela. The Task Force operates as a subordinate command to the US Southern Command (Southcom), Miami – one of the five US military commands that span the globe.

‘Liberty visits’ (II): Who will pay the bill?

The “visiting” warships of the US Navy need not be armed with strategic nuclear warheads, be firing their weapons or be waging war in a country to kill, maim or hurt a country’s population or otherwise negatively impact the civil, political, social, economic and cultural lives of the peoples. Commentary by TONY SEED

God damn them all!

I was told we’d cruise the seas for American gold

We’d fire no guns – shed no tears

Now I’m a broken man on a Halifax pier

The last of Barrett’s Privateers.

Stan Rogers

HALIFAX (22 June 2007) – ONE of the biggest hurdles for the world’s lone superpower, amid its debacle in Iraq and Afghanistan, is overcoming distrust of the Bush administration. Militarily, the United States must forge “partnerships” and work with smaller navies such as Canada’s without raising protests about aggression or subverting national sovereignty. Amid the protests over Iraq and Afghanistan, the Americans and the willing and eager Canadian media are learning subtlety in providing aid.

‘Liberty visits’ (I): Return of the ‘Dial-a-sailor’ program?

 ‘It is a deplorable situation indeed when the Canadian government and major media make themselves immoral instruments of prostituting Canadian women and girls, repeating outright lies as if they were facts. The message is unmistakable. Canadian women and girls: head for the bars on the weekend to look for well-heeled American sailors.’

Warship Watch: Canadian navy deploys to threaten Iran

Three U.S. naval strike groups off the Iranian coastline are deployed, includes HMCS Ottawa under U.S. command

By TONY SEED

HALIFAX (29 October 2006) – “THERE is a massive concentration of U.S. naval power in the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea. Three U.S. naval strike groups off the Iranian coastline are deployed: USS Enterprise, USS Eisenhower and USS Iwo Jima Expeditionary Strike Group,” writes Michel Chossudovsky, in an article for GlobalResearch.ca.*

‘Mock disaster’ aboard visiting US nuclear sub, and the disinformation of the Chronically Horrid

By TONY SEED

ALTHOUGH the vast majority of Canadians want an independent and nuclear-free Canada, a Canada which is a factor for peace, not war, the Government of Canada continues to welcome the unceasing “visits” of U.S. and NATO nuclear-capable warships with open arms: no questions asked. Its total hypocrisy is to the extent that it also claims to be the greatest upholder of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty under the pretext of “security” when it comes time to attacking independent states who are not kowtowing to the dictate of the United States.

System would give Yanks ‘control of Canadian missiles’

“Co-operative engagement capability”; Praising the Lord and passing the ammunition

EDITOR’S NOTE:  THE Halifax Daily News has published an article by its military reporter that provides information on one of the mechanisms for seamlessly integrating the Canadian Forces into the U.S. Armed Forces under the pretext of “inter-operability” and “co-operative engagement capability.” Military analysts acknowledge that the Canadian Navy is, in fact, the branch of the Canadian Forces with the highest degree of military and operational integration.

The article prettifies the annexation of the armed forces by promoting that this is all a matter of superior technology, not politics, and solely “defensive” in nature. The fact that the Canadian warships operate under U.S. and NATO strategic command once they leave port and the imperialistic aim of the missions in which these warships and billion-dollar missile systems are deployed is carefully left in the shade.

The expropriation of Nanoose Bay by the Government of Canada for US weapons testing

Editor’s note: On 14 May 1999 the Minister of National Defence and Public Works announced they would expropriate 225 square kilometres of seabed from the government of British Columbia in order to maintain the Canadian Forces Maritime Experimental and Test Ranges (CMETR) off Nanoose Bay near Nanaimo on Georgia Strait. The BC government said they would not renew the lease unless they were guaranteed that the US submarines using the range were not armed with nuclear weapons. The US government refuses to say whether their ships carry or don’t carry nuclear arms. Since the range opened in 1965, there have been 246 visits by US surface ships, 162 by US submarines, six by Canadian submarines and 254 by Canadian ships (as of December, 1999). A Chilean submarine visited Nanoose in 1994.

Caribops: Support the demand for clean up and reparations for Vieques

By TONY SEED

Vieques Will Win, September 15, 2002

HALIFAX (November 1, 2002) – ON OCTOBER 9, the U.S. Department of Defence admitted to running chemical and biological weapons on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques which the U.S. Navy has used to conduct war games for more than 60 years.

According to Inter Press Service, the experiments “using biological and chemical weapons, were performed by the U.S. military in the 1960s and 1970s at various locations in the United States and beyond, including the Puerto Rico town of Vieques.”