They smell weakness - today's edition

The contempt with which our partners in patty-cake treat us on the open seas:

The Navy has counted at least 31 interactions with Iranian naval forces deemed “unsafe,” “unprofessional,” or both, according to a defense official.

That's about as many such interactions that occurred all of last year, according to statistics provided to Fox News.  

And those are also only counting interactions that have met the criteria of “unsafe” or “unprofessional.” 

Overall, there were more than 300 interactions between U.S. and Iranian forces last year. 

That figure includes incidents in which Iranian vessels waited for and followed U.S. ships transiting in the Persian Gulf, or sailed by with their weapons uncovered, in addition to other incidents of muscle flexing considered routine. 

Military officials say there is no question that the behavior is getting worse. 

“We've seen an uptick in confrontations by Iranian vessels in the Arabian Gulf,” Army Gen. Joseph Votel, the top U.S. commander in the region, said on Aug. 30. U.S. military officials refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf.

Votel also issued a rare warning to Iranian forces: “Ultimately if they continue to test us we're going to respond and we're going to protect ourselves and our partners.”

The last confrontation occurred just last Sunday, when seven Iranian fast attack boats confronted a U.S. Navy coastal patrol boat in international waters in the Persian Gulf. 

When one of the Iranian vessels stopped directly in the path and within about 100 yards of the USS Firebolt, the U.S. vessel had to swerve to avoid a collision, defense officials said.

Madame BleachBit's reset buddies:

With jets zooming across the sky and dropping bombs that burst into balls of flame - this was a fireworks display with a deadly serious purpose.The display of military might took place in Crimea on Friday as Russia showcased its ground, marine and air forces in the biggest exercises held on the strategic peninsula since its 2014 annexation from Ukraine.The drills involved 12,500 troops, fighter jets and anti-aircraft missiles, and happened at the Opuk training range on the Black Sea coast.

The drills involved warships, aircraft and tanks, with Moscow firing its S-300 missile systems. The more advanced S-400 systems were used earlier in the Caucasus-2016 exercises that began on September 5.Inland, on a dusty steppe, paratroopers made a mass landing while ground forces ignited a wall of fire with napalm.'On such a scale and with the deployment of different force groupings, such drills are being held for the first time,' defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told journalists.Watching the drills were Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and the head of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov as well as Crimean leader Sergei Aksyonov.'This training range is the biggest on the Crimean peninsula, which allows for such exercises to be held,' said Konashenkov, adding that it had been used by Russia before the peninsula's annexation.

You really have to see the photos at the Daily Mail link for the full effect. This is a huge drill.