Despite all the blowback from folks in certain circles and the continued whining of the surgeaholics, I remain firm in my conviction that getting the hell out of Afghanistan was the right thing to do. Most of the objections to the policy decision have no factual basis anyways – and very much continue to ignore… Continue reading Will the Navy learn the lessons it needs to?
Category: Navy
Be careful what you wish for….
For you may surely get it. This morning, on my way into work, I heard a story on NPR about the Congressional effort by Kirsten Gillibrand to pass legislation to take the power of prosecuting sexual assault cases in the military out of the hands of Court Martial Convening authorities and place them in the… Continue reading Be careful what you wish for….
Follow up
A follow up to my post from yesterday on the Navy’s incredibly hellish OPTEMPO. An article appeared on the US Naval Institute Web site by a LTJG who is currently “living the dream” that is the Navy’s nightmare deployment schedule. I know a person who knows him and describes him as “an absolute wizard” while… Continue reading Follow up
Nothing short of a crime.
Amidst all of the recent political news in the United States, a few Navy related headlines from defense trade papers may have escaped your attention. However, you really should pay attention to them. Your Navy, MY Navy, for which I gave decades of service, is being ground into the dirt. For me, the recognition of… Continue reading Nothing short of a crime.
Stop the presses!
Work has been a bit of a nuisance this week. It’s kept me from getting to a lengthy post I am working on about our boy, the orange monster. But in the meantime, you can take some time to read about the train wreck that is happening to the Navy. About 17 years ago –… Continue reading Stop the presses!
Supervisory error
Ok, it has been a few days between the events surrounding USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). There has been a lot posted about the decision made to fire the CO, CAPT Crozier. To be blunt, a lot of those thoughts are utter bullshit. Posted below are some reasons why. Generally, the lines of thought about the… Continue reading Supervisory error
Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?
Some days you just have to shake your head and cry. “So, what’s it going to take to contain this problem, guys?“ “Go talk to the crew and insult them and tell them that looking good in DC is more important than their lives – that oughta do it!“ I’ll have a post with more… Continue reading Think you used enough dynamite there, Butch?
I’m a trendsetter!
Eight years ago, I wrote a series of posts regarding the Navy’s imbalance in its flag officer community. The problem then, as it is now, is that the Navy has too many flag officers. It has more flag officers than it has ships. I pointed out then that the issue was a reflection of the… Continue reading I’m a trendsetter!
40 years come and gone.
Today is May the 12th, a double anniversary for me. First, it is Mother’s Day and thus a poignant reminder to me that my mother has been gone for almost 11 years now. When she was with us, I was not near the son I could have or should have been to her. The life… Continue reading 40 years come and gone.
It would seem I am not the only that thinks so.
Who has strong feelings about the Navy’s declining emphasis on operational proficiency and training to do important things. Some better men than me are saying much the same thing. The obsession with “relevancy” and “transformation”-coupled with the “zero defects” mentality of the current Navy; namely that everyone should get fired over everything-has led to bad consequences. In the wake… Continue reading It would seem I am not the only that thinks so.