Sunday Night WTF: Tankers with a Tantrum
[NB: check the byline, thanks. /~Rayne]
Journalists need to validate this information and ask Whiskey Pete Hegseth WTAF is going on that so many tanker aircraft were deployed flying due east of the U.S. on a Sunday night.
Note the timing of each post with newer at the top and older at the bottom; the top two were obtained via Threadreader (time not available but assumed to be later than 21:02 ET), the others via Xitter. There may have been newer posts on Xitter but the platform wouldn’t let me dig any deeper without logging in and that’s not an option for me.
The number of tankers dispatched in the same direction on a Sunday night is quite odd given 40,000 active duty personnel deployed at multiple bases in the Middle East and at least two naval destroyers in the vicinity. The vessels are part of an increasing naval presence in the region over the last several months.
Now note the tantrum Trump had this evening on Truth Social – or a tantrum-like statement mimicking Trump’s habits – in which Trump appears to order stepped up ICE raids in blue cities and states, using DHS as a political weapon. (Stephen “Baby Goebbels” Miller, is this your work?)
Note especially the timing of the tantrum.
What a coincidence that one hour after this tantrum on Trump’s blog there are more than 20 military tanker aircraft in the air. It’s almost as if somebody wants their opposition to be too preoccupied to notice there has been no Authorization for Use Military Force or Declaration of War approved by Congress let alone an attack on the US meriting such authorization/declaration.
You might want to contact your members of Congress about this and ask them WTF.
You might also ask them whether they would consider impeachment and conviction for abuse of office in the form of politicization of an entire cabinet-level function.
May not be surprising given the expertise of Rayne and others here, but B-52s had joined B-2s at Diego Garcia since 7 May 2025.
And of course either aircraft can do a round trip from the USA so eyes open.
https://www.airandspaceforces.com/b-52-bombers-diego-garcia/
They probably rotate in-out regularly, but still…someone other than Whiskey Pete (hopefully) has their finger on the pulse. Not that – that – is any reason for comfort.
A very close friend of my middle son – and his Israeli and stateside based entire family who is Jewish – is and has been outside of Tel Aviv. It is an annual planned family visit to their ailing/eldery locals – not a vacation. The IDF routinely puts residents in bomb shelters. He has sent video of incoming and the localized result of outside impacts – too close for comfort.
The 23 year old daughter is near freak out and wants to come home NOW (to the USA), but getting out is near impossible.
Trump, Bibi, and the Ayatollah is not a group I am comfortable with negotiating a (relatively) sane ending to this.
Way way over Whiskey Pete’s ability to manage.
It’s interesting that Hegseth is a member of a Christian sect, CREC, whose main expositor is Doug Wilson in Moscow, ID. That sect is post-millennial (an offshoot of Orthodox Presbyterians), meaning they think Christians will rule the world for 1,000 years prior to the Rapture, and that such a paradigm will come about *after* Armageddon.
https://crechurches.org/
US Ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, otoh, is a pre-millennial Baptist, meaning he believes (like his buddy, “Left Behind” author Tim Lahaye) that God will snatch all believers up in the Rapture *prior* to Armageddon.
Either way, Armageddon (the Greek name of an actual location, Megiddo, just North of the West Bank in Israel, where there’s a notorious prison for Palestinians), is an emmanently desirable event.
If China is ready for it, now would be an opportune time to invade Taiwan.
Also, is this the Wag the Dog scheme we’d expect now that Trump’s mojo is in the shitter and his domestic agenda is deep-sixing itself? The Ayatollah is a reliable fallback-foil for the GOP.
And finally, is Mike Huckabee creaming his jeans right now, as Armageddon looks increasingly doable, making the Rapture (in his sect’s fevered mindset) increasingly imminent? Might he have actually goaded both Trump and Bibi to “go ahead, push that button,” just so he can levitate to Jesus and assume his position in the Heavenly Hosts?
https://www.salon.com/2007/12/12/huckabee_lahaye/
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/real-mike-huckabee/
I am a product of a Southern Baptist rearing and one of “scariest” books I ever read in my youth was Hal Lindsey’s Late Great Planet Earth. It took me a while to realize the embellished oral history of the Jewish People is not a religious text, but I have not thrown the book out completely as it is still relevant. Based on the Lindsey interpretation, that seems we are careening toward, makes me sometimes consider that the writer of Revelation may be the Jules Verne of our “end times”.
Oh there will be no rapture, messiah or Jesus but the location and description seems on point. Just for fun I claim that the false religion is belief in capitalism and that the Beast represents that monster. While I call the writer Jules Verne, it must be considered that the architect of Revelation was plying their trade on the island of Patmos, which has a very large number of hallucinogenic mushrooms.
I am convinced that man’s invention of the Abrahamic religions was our worst idea.
Revelation was about the Roman empire. It waS, and is, not about ANYTHING else.
Jesus was talking about death, and the “rapture” is an American fundy idea..
I am no scholar of modern apocalyptic thinking, but I understood this comment thread to observe that (as you said) Revelation WAS about the Roman Empire, but it (and just pulling ideas out of the air ) are being used to repurpose Revelation, so that it IS about our world – not because of any supernatural voodoo, but because people who want to make it come true in modern times, are actively working to make it come true in modern times.
Do I understand the points being made?
to Spencer Dawkins:
That’s the upshot, although it must be noted that it’s as much about the dragging of people into their phantasmagoric mind space as it is about actually destroying the world. When their numbers were minuscule, the flagrant idiocy of both their thought processes and their eschatology were simpler to debunk because their mythology was relatively obscure and obviously concocted. Now the bulk of an entire American Executive Administration, especially those with the most power, thinks this insanity is reality — or they claim to think that.
That’s cataclysmically dangerous.
As a teenager Stephen Miller glommed onto the French dystopian novel Camp of the Saints. White supremacists worldwide relish its vision of an apocalypse: inherently superior whites get raptured over the “grasping arms” of disgusting, inferior masses who were created (by God) merely to serve their masters. I am sanitizing it here; it’s torture to get through a paragraph of its demented, mediocre prose (in the original French–I consider it unfair to judge writing in translation).
While Huckabee and other members of the administration likely did not imbibe this nastiness in its original format, they nonetheless work directly with Miller, who never repudiated the influence of Camp of the Saints, or any other similarly hateful sources for his ideas. And Miller is the intellectual hub of the Trump administration. He has been its most intelligible voice since the first inaugural address (“American Carnage”) and I can hear his (redundant, relentlessly recycled) phrases in the “Trump Truth.”
They are all playing a dangerous game of Apocalypse Now. If God won’t bring it to us, we will bring it on ourselves.
Or “Apocalypse Naught”, because at its core, its just another flavor of nihilism, cloaked in “We are the special people who God loves!” to put narcissistic lipstick on the actual longing-for-dystopia group-think fever-dream.
I think Rayne’s spidey sense is correct to be tingling. Something else is moving in the northeast US which we may not see until showtime. After putting on the tinfoil, it also makes me wonder if the whole parade and ICE alerts are cover for getting troops ‘ready’ for a Greenland op. The scare quotes are intentional, because it is clear from the last week that planning is something that Whiskey Pete sucks at doing. Any Greenland op has a pretty good chance to fail because the Arctic demands sound logistics (see Franklin Expedition).
Note also that Convict-1 / Krasnov / TACO will do such a thing with no friends (apparently Macron was in Greenland last week as well) but the only significant forces in the area are Canadian. I can’t see Canada going along with this either.
Rayne, I think I have my name correct. I apologize if it needs correction.
Are the ids able to be changed, spoofed? Tankers are somewhat safe, but could a tanker be ferrying somethings just marked tankers?
[FYI — you posted this as “BillB (Not Barr)” which isn’t quite right; I’ve fixed it this time. Note the correct spacing and check your browser’s cache and autofill before your next comment. /~Rayne]
I haven’t seen anything yet indicating they aren’t tankers. Even if they’re not tankers or only part tankers, that’s a rather large number of military aircraft taking off about the same time headed in roughly the same direction on a Sunday night.
Even if they’re part tankers, what the fuck is going on that DoD needs to be ready to fuel a number of planes in flight?
“Even if they’re part tankers, what the fuck is going on that DoD needs to be ready to fuel a number of planes in flight?”
They’ll probably be refueling Israeli jets to increase their loitering times over Iran. Not all the tankers at once but in waves so that there’s always a bunch of US tankers in the air near Iran while others are on the ground getting refilled.
It’s kind of obvious.
[Welcome back to emptywheel. THIRD REQUEST: Please use the SAME USERNAME and EMAIL ADDRESS each time you comment so that community members get to know you. You tried to publish this as “Jon Hendry” though your last comment was published as “Jonathan Hendry.” You also changed your email address again; this may also trigger auto-moderation. You Please check your browser’s cache and autofill to ensure you use the same username on future comments. I’ve corrected this comment this comment in order to clear moderation. WARNING: you only get four requests like this before being banned from commenting. /~Rayne]
That’s what it looks like to me but it’d be nice if journalists did the leg work and asked questions to confirm this possible preparation for US engagement in another Middle East war. Especially since:
— Signalgate revealed how gungho Hegseth’s DoD is to bomb Iranian proxies and assets;
— somebody knew in advance that Israel was going to attack Iran given DoD’s withdrawal of non-essential personnel in the Middle East *before* Israel launched its attack;
— there’s been a disparity between what Trump says he wants and what has actually happened wrt Iran.
I don’t know why so many US tankers are necessary since Israel has managed so far without them, ex.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/middle-east/caught-on-camera-israeli-jet-refuels-mid-air-over-syria-likely-on-way-back-after-iran-strike/articleshow/121831448.cms
Welp.
Why would it be different than any other night?
It’s the military, do they do things different on any day than any other day?
Also I’ve seen reports where Donnie claims he told Netan… not to kill the Ayatollah, what BS, in my opinion.
“Why would it be different than any other night?”
Point to another occasion when more than two dozen US aerial tankers took off within an hour’s time and headed in the same general direction.
If this had been more than two dozen F-35s taking off inside a one-hour window it would have looked like a scramble in response to a security threat. It wasn’t “any other night.”
“that’s a rather large number of military aircraft taking off about the same time headed in roughly the same direction on a Sunday night.”
My reference being to your mention of “a Sunday night”.
Is there something special about “a Sunday night” vs any other day of the week?
I may be digging myself deeper in the hole, but I don’t understand.
I wouldn’t know how many tankers in general or not do anything.
And now “Five additional tankers lifting and heading for the east routes.”
I noted this military activity happened on a Sunday night because for a majority of Americans in a period of peace, Sunday nights are quiet and uneventful.
And they usually don’t include two dozen-plus aerial tankers leaving within a narrow time frame for overseas.
But what do I know.
U.S. Forward Deploys Dozens of Aerial Tankers Amid Possible Entry Into Israel-Iran War
Military Watch Magazine Editorial Staff June-16th-2025
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/us-forward-deploys-dozens-aerial-tankers-iran
Armada Of USAF Tankers Just Deployed East Over Atlantic Spurring Speculation (Updated)
by Tyler Rogoway Updated Jun 16, 2025 4:01 PM EDT
https://www.twz.com/air/armada-of-usaf-tankers-just-deployed-east-over-atlantic-spurring-speculation
Military Moves Ships, Aircraft to Middle East as Senator Seeks to Stop US Action Against Iran
By Konstantin Toropin and Rebecca Kheel Published June 16, 2025 at 5:01pm ET
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2025/06/16/military-moves-ships-aircraft-middle-east-senator-seeks-stop-us-action-against-iran.html
About 90 minutes ago Evergreen Intel xittered.
“With the addition of 4 tankers out of New Jersey, there are now at least 32 tankers observed in the overnight group.
A considerable portion went to Morón Air Base in Spain, with others on to UK, Germany, Italy and 1 to Estonia. A few pressed on to CENTCOM AOR.”
This presents a situation for Spanish lefty PM Sánchez. He’s recently been vocal in his opposition to Trump’s agenda, labeling the Gaza genocide for what it is, and supportive of full Palestinian rights. If these tankers are there to support Israel against Iran (that ES airbase is near Seville, which is the closest EU joint-airbase latitude to Israel and Iran), I’m guessing we’ll hear from him shortly.
“A considerable portion went to Morón Air Base in Spain…”
Trump’s always wanted an airport named after him. Turns out it already exists.
Looking around the web, this certainly has attracted some attention. It is interesting that if there are 32 air tankers in this movement, that comes to around 7% of the Air Force (including AFR and ANG) tanker fleet. This could be an exercise, or it could be operations linked to the current global situation.
Per Ryan McBeth (former Army intel guy), these tankers are likely headed to the pre-planned Atlantic Trident 25 war games happening in Finland.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/m42Jelm0qok
Uh-huh. How odd the concentration of tankers looks more like an operation/exercise serving AFRICOM and CENTCOM, not EUCOM.
Which is more or less the observation Evergreen Intel made when they wrote, “Note the swing due east at the edge of the Atlantic. Wouldn’t likely do that if you were going to Finland.”
Finish Defense Forces have stated that about 40 aircraft will participate in Atlantic Trident 25, one of the exercise objectives being to integrate Gen 4 and Gen 5 NATO fighters. Unlikely that they would need 30+ air tankers for that — UK based tankers could probably handle the flight operations, or there could be a few tankers flown over for the exercise or for backfill in order to maintain overall readiness — or to practice operating from other European bases.
More likely, the bulk of those tankers seem to be pointed towards CENTCOM’s AOR, and possibly the southern parts of EUCOM’s AOR, including Turkey. Still wondering if any PACOM-based air tankers were moved to support the Indian Ocean.
OT but I am astonished that we still are flying B-52’s.
I am over 80 and can still remember when these planes were introduced – more than 60 years ago. In this age of drone warfare a $1500 drone could down any of these antiques.
The BUFF has been rigorously updated for decades. Once in the air, it’s vulnerable to modern rocketry, but it’s improbable that a drone would bring it down.
What I think we thought had changed was the need to drop a large number of bombs in one place. (It can also launch cruise missiles.) Unlike rockets and drones, though, it’s a big, obvious, emotionally-laden presence in a war zone. America dropping bombs from a B-52 anywhere in the Middle East would be a massive own goal that would dramatically escalate tension and reprisals.
Yup. The problem is the “once they’re in the air” part. I worked on Barksdale AFB briefly during the early 1990s, when they still had planes with bombs up and the engines running, and it wasn’t THAT far from the airstrip to relatively uncontrolled ground space (“within drone range”). Sure, things could have changed for wherever B-52s hang out now, but … post Operation Spiderweb, it’s worth keeping “once they’re in the air” in mind!
I used to go with a friend to Hemet, to visit his mother (who I miss). We went past March, and could see the squad of B52s that they parked near the end of the runway, right by the highway. And the little building where, we joked, they kept the pilots. (Sometimes there was a small 747 marked “United States of America, and then it was “oh, yeah, Reagan’s visiting his ranch”.)
The B-52 has high altitude loiter capability and can coordinate targeting with forces on the ground. That allows it to drop single or multiple smart-bombs based on ground observation and other sensors/observations. In Syria it was used in operations against ISIS — and perhaps Russian mercenaries.
I know, I should’t trust some sources but this is what Wikipedia has.
How old is the oldest B-52 still flying?
Brian Hager The design is 70+ years old. The oldest B-52H still in service was built no earlier than 1960, or 65 years old.Apr 15, 2025
Old aircraft? The USAF KC-135R currently flying racetrack circuits over Kananaskis (about 8:00 am PDT) is 62 years old, and looks like it will be relieved by another 62-year old KC-135R. Both missions originated at Fairchild AFB.
In the aftermath of this weekends news maga needs a new distraction. Some (un) necessary war would work. Or has tfg outlasted his shelf life? The GOP needs something dramatic to change the current optics. Something staged.
I’m not sure if the tanker OPTEMPO (Operational Tempo) is unusual or not. A look at AIRNAVRADAR https://www.airnavradar.com/data/aircraft/K35R for today shows, from what I see, traffic is going overseas to places that we have tanker staging areas and / or near where military aircraft are based. The flights could also be “multi-hops” moving to one hub, then moving to another in a few days, sometimes for the aircrew to get their minimum qualifying flight hours. Larger military aircraft, even tankers, often carry passengers also. I came back to the states on an empty cargo plan (C5, I think) that had an entire deck above the cargo area with maybe 50 passenger seats. That flight from Sicily took three days, including a day in Newfoundland.
As for the Orange Shit-Stain, I think that his post is the closest he (and Herr Miller) have come to telegraphing The Insurrection Act. To accomplish multi-city ICE raids he would need the military, simply because of the size of such an operation. A traveling ICE Blitzkrieg would be too slow and the glacial courts might intervene. He would need a true Blitzkrieg to get it started fast.
BTW, this morning I received an invitation from Whiskey Pete to be part of a “Christian” worship service tomorrow. It was sent to us through the email service that we use to get subsidized (free) subway service to / from the Pentagon. It was not sent through the SECDEF’s email, although you could RSVP to an email if you wanted to attend in person. The service will also be shown via the Pentagon CCTV. There was, of course, a statement that it was non-mandatory. I, as a former Catholic, so wanted to go with a big cup of wine — I mean the blood of Christ, and a loaf of bread. The hymn, from my altar boy days, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto me” would break forth from my tone deaf mouth.
Trump is reported to have told the Iranians to ‘evacuate Tehran immediately’. And that they should have signed the agreement that he ‘told’ them to, and that they only had 60 days. They’ve gone over the deadline and he won’t allow them to have a nuclear bomb. And, Karoline Leavitt announced he’s leaving the G7 a day early.
He’s too young to understand that he isn’t emperor of Earth.
And if he bombs Iran, he’ll go to the Hague, not Oslo.
In the last 3 hours @OSINTtechnical has xittered that tankers flying at refueling altitudes in Europe are headed towards the Middle East. With credit links are pictures of US fighters accompanying tankers. Not my job to say whether media, psyop, or what going on. Evergreen Intel has similar tweets.