The Navy sounds like the Army. That is not a compliment. Army could never agree with itself on a number for force structure and end strength. Not VADM Connelly but rather a new John Lehman. It needs a vocal proponent, especially an adult in the nursery, who takes a number - any defensible number of hulls - and runs with it. That number becomes THE number and damn the torpedoes to anything that disputes that number.
I have personally seen the power of such thinking during the first QDR effort. After USAF and USA presented whiz bang Powerpoint Ranger presentations defending their forces and resources, a USN CAPT (cant recall his name) gets up, goes to the Whiteboard at the front of the room and writes the number, 11. "That's what we need" says he. And sits down. Everyone in the room, including the PAE folks running the meeting, knew exactly what he meant. Damned most effective presentation. And it showed in the final QDR where the Navy came out pretty darned well.
In a semi-creative attempt to make out year numbers palatable, it seems Hicks (et al) are trying to keep the amphibious mission alive with (unproven) unmanned resources and a supposedly lower price tag. The risk is high that her plan would jeopardize both the mission and the money.
If we are going to grow the fleet then more less expensive smaller Surface Combatants will be required. Finally got our Aegis Frigate, but we will lose our Cruisers getting them. The DDG-51 Flt IIIs will do fine replacing them with their greater sensor capacity and Aegis Baseline 10 capability. Weapons and sensors are getting smaller and lighter in many areas, and getting much smarter. A new smaller Small Surface Combatant platform is required that will cost about 1/2 or less of the Frigate in HM&E, and be populated with as many common systems as possible. That new construct should be built prolifically and be a problem solver wherever is shows up.
Baseline Destroyer Escort capabilities should include:
Steam 4,000 nm unrefueled.
Have a maximum speed of at least 30 knots for high-speed sprints, and combat operations.
A Hybrid-Electric Drive (HED) propulsion system with Electric motors, Diesel engines, and a gas turbine engine for propulsion. The electric motors are the most efficient and quietest propulsion system for station keeping, ASW operations, and slow transits. The Diesel propulsion is its primary long endurance steaming capability. The gas turbine is for sprints and high speed operations for short periods of time.
Have a two layered Missile Engagement Zone (MEZ), and the last inner layer can be a point defense missile system like RAM/SeaRAM. This is the minimum Anti-Air Warfare capability required just to survive in the modern maritime battlespace.
The vessel must have a non-rotating AESA primary sensor for air and surface tracking, fire control, and electronic attack.
Situation awareness in a passive sensor environment (EMCON steaming) requires the Shipboard Panoramic Electro-Optic Infrared (SPEIR) system. In the future some engagements will require a visual confirmation of targets, and the SPIER performs this function.
All platforms will participate in the FORCEnet feeding and maintaining situational awareness in the AOR. We should build a lot and soon.
After the LCS fiasco, add in “design and build your choices competently”. One of my kids is a NavArch—-had classmates working at the Wisconsin yard and four years ago were telling him those things were pieces of sh*t.
From a deckplates perspective, the acquisition process is broken and NAVSEA is broken. It's just obstacle after obstacle, jammed full to the brim with incompetence, rent-seeking, and overarching and incomprehensible regulations.
Who cares about the procurement levels of the military? They're only used for Global American Empire/Israel purposes and are being weaponized to be used against US.
They are never utilized for OUR purposes and actually protecting regular Americans.
I PREFER they're underfunded. I trust my armed neighborhood more than I trust the globohomo military
Our government has swiftly drifted from a “dog’s breakfast” to a dog’s vomit. Sorry for the repulsive reference, but it absolutely applies.
The Navy sounds like the Army. That is not a compliment. Army could never agree with itself on a number for force structure and end strength. Not VADM Connelly but rather a new John Lehman. It needs a vocal proponent, especially an adult in the nursery, who takes a number - any defensible number of hulls - and runs with it. That number becomes THE number and damn the torpedoes to anything that disputes that number.
I have personally seen the power of such thinking during the first QDR effort. After USAF and USA presented whiz bang Powerpoint Ranger presentations defending their forces and resources, a USN CAPT (cant recall his name) gets up, goes to the Whiteboard at the front of the room and writes the number, 11. "That's what we need" says he. And sits down. Everyone in the room, including the PAE folks running the meeting, knew exactly what he meant. Damned most effective presentation. And it showed in the final QDR where the Navy came out pretty darned well.
Excellent. Hicks has been overrated for a long time…
In a semi-creative attempt to make out year numbers palatable, it seems Hicks (et al) are trying to keep the amphibious mission alive with (unproven) unmanned resources and a supposedly lower price tag. The risk is high that her plan would jeopardize both the mission and the money.
If we are going to grow the fleet then more less expensive smaller Surface Combatants will be required. Finally got our Aegis Frigate, but we will lose our Cruisers getting them. The DDG-51 Flt IIIs will do fine replacing them with their greater sensor capacity and Aegis Baseline 10 capability. Weapons and sensors are getting smaller and lighter in many areas, and getting much smarter. A new smaller Small Surface Combatant platform is required that will cost about 1/2 or less of the Frigate in HM&E, and be populated with as many common systems as possible. That new construct should be built prolifically and be a problem solver wherever is shows up.
Baseline Destroyer Escort capabilities should include:
Steam 4,000 nm unrefueled.
Have a maximum speed of at least 30 knots for high-speed sprints, and combat operations.
A Hybrid-Electric Drive (HED) propulsion system with Electric motors, Diesel engines, and a gas turbine engine for propulsion. The electric motors are the most efficient and quietest propulsion system for station keeping, ASW operations, and slow transits. The Diesel propulsion is its primary long endurance steaming capability. The gas turbine is for sprints and high speed operations for short periods of time.
Have a two layered Missile Engagement Zone (MEZ), and the last inner layer can be a point defense missile system like RAM/SeaRAM. This is the minimum Anti-Air Warfare capability required just to survive in the modern maritime battlespace.
The vessel must have a non-rotating AESA primary sensor for air and surface tracking, fire control, and electronic attack.
Situation awareness in a passive sensor environment (EMCON steaming) requires the Shipboard Panoramic Electro-Optic Infrared (SPEIR) system. In the future some engagements will require a visual confirmation of targets, and the SPIER performs this function.
All platforms will participate in the FORCEnet feeding and maintaining situational awareness in the AOR. We should build a lot and soon.
After the LCS fiasco, add in “design and build your choices competently”. One of my kids is a NavArch—-had classmates working at the Wisconsin yard and four years ago were telling him those things were pieces of sh*t.
From a deckplates perspective, the acquisition process is broken and NAVSEA is broken. It's just obstacle after obstacle, jammed full to the brim with incompetence, rent-seeking, and overarching and incomprehensible regulations.
Who cares about the procurement levels of the military? They're only used for Global American Empire/Israel purposes and are being weaponized to be used against US.
They are never utilized for OUR purposes and actually protecting regular Americans.
I PREFER they're underfunded. I trust my armed neighborhood more than I trust the globohomo military