The United Arab Emirates said it was no longer taking part in operations by a U.S.-led task force protecting Gulf shipping

 via Reuters

The United Arab Emirates said on Wednesday it was no longer taking part in operations by a U.S.-led task force protecting Gulf shipping, which has been subjected to renewed tanker seizures by Iranian naval forces in recent weeks.

The UAE was responding to a Wall Street Journal report on Tuesday which, citing U.S. and Gulf sources, said the Gulf state was frustrated by the lack of U.S. response to recent tanker seizures by Iran.

Here 

I SO SWEAR TO GOD!

The idiots running our defense establishment seem so unable to do a risk reward analysis.  They seem unable to anticipate enemy reactions to our activity.

They appear to be in the deep water and can't swim.

Make no mistake about it.

This whole issue revolves around the US seizing an Iranian tanker headed to CHINA!

The Iranians responded by seizing a couple of other tankers and the US was left in a position of not being able to respond for fear of escalating the issue into Tanker Wars Part Deux.

We tried to play hard and got called and backed down.

Now we have this.

Professional Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, or Airmen cannot act as diplomats.  

The State Dept must get out of its crouch and get back in the game.  Diplomacy is needed in a multi-polar/competitive world.

If all we can offer is a stick then that stick will get whittled down from over use.

We are rapidly reaching that point and we can't fight 75% of the planet that isn't the EU, Japan, Australia, S. Korea and New Zealand (left Singapore out cause they walk a fine line of being an enemy to none but ready to rip eyes out of everyone).