hello sailor

Am at a meeting out west, with remarkably poor internet access given the location and sponsors.
But good meeting nevertheless.

But it keeps being interrupted by the Blue Angels, navy air show team, buzzing the hotel.

So the USS Nimitz is in town, which answers the question of where she's been.
USS Eisenhower is heading east to the Gulf to relieve the Enterprise which has been there four months, due to head back in december. So Ike is out a little early.
As is the Expeditionary Strike Group (5) relieving ESG3.
The USS Mercy is back in San Diego, but there are a lot of amphibious assault ships out there, looks like a Marine Division afloat.
And the Stennis is on exercises in the Pacific Ocean.

I still think that the US will want three carrier groups in place if they're going to do anything silly, so the Stennis is the one to watch since Ronnie seems to be staying in San Diego. If the Stennis comes into port mid-late Oct then nothing is likely to happen.

Did see the national guard/reserve callup table for right now last week.
Looks like 3/4 of the ANG and USAF Reserve air refueling wings have callups, but I infer they are partial callups, not everyone, and with Iraq and Afghanistan going on they need a lot of people all the time.
Anyway, those are another indicator of anything happening, the air refueling wing reserves have to move up and activate.

Interesting times.

Couple of interesting links: here and a more recent one
Broadly consistent. Stennis is the one to watch, and whether Enterprise prepares to leave or lingers and refuel and restocks.