CDR Sal, the facts speak for themselves. These types of people are still there, just slightly less brazen and open with their actions. I'd offer this as a major reason why. Talented people, when presented with a bad working environment, have the ability to move on to a different environment, because they have actual...talent. A lot of these people have zero talent, or ability to succeed on their own. So, like the Stasi, no talent commissars, butt kissing party line apparatchiks, they dig in and double down, because they literally have nowhere else to apply their "talents. That means we will be "blessed" with their presence for a long, long time. The number of senior officers currently serving marinated in this system makes that a 100% certainty (although they have the DoD revolving door to the "Primes" to cushion their fall from favor).
Excellent post which helps me understand why John Phelan had to go.
No matter how much experience you have in private industry or on Wall Street you will not be able to understand much less deal with the entrenched bureaucracy in the Pentagon, Crystal City, USNA, NWC, etc. unless you have actually served in uniform.
I will give you one small example of what I mean.
I heard Mr. Phelan speak at the NWC last year. It was a good speech about rebuilding the fleet.
I noticed that many of the women who were awarded degrees wore the traditional bucket cover. Why? It's flattering.
Why was it discarded? To eliminate the differences between men and women all in the name of equality,
So, Robespierre-like.
The example I gave would be unimportant in and of itself, but these symbolic issues are never in and of themselves. They send a loud and powerful message.
Being a civilian landlubber, I had to look up "bucket cover." I found this 2013 quote about the retirement of the bucket cover:
“These changes ensure greater uniformity in our service and ceremonial dress, but more importantly, they send a clear signal that we are one in dress, one in standard and one in team. As you look out across a group of sailors, you ought to see, not female and male sailors, but sailors,” Ray Mabus, former Secretary of the Navy,"
Nothing against the aesthetics sensibilities of the former Vietnam-era SWO turned SECNAV but I prefer the approach of the former WW1 Army Intelligence officer. Of course I recognize that the current rising generation cares little about what they wear. Perhaps the promise of a dozen piercings and a pair of full sleeve tattoos would serve the modern recruiting efforts.
Wokeness/diversity has been around under different names for a long time. I remember it throughout my career. Overhead slides, video presentations, video tapes sent to the command and going to auditoriums to hear experts speak. Later PowerPoint death marches, on line training and so on. At least from 1979-2022. I was on two carriers that integrated women into ship’s company. Lots of training. I always used that type of training as an opportunity to nap. Unless I was tricked into giving the presentation. Then I made it as quick as possible.
I disagree. When I go to fight evil and the devil, I pray for a well crafted PowerPoint brief to tell me what is and is not evil! Imagine all the troops that thought today would be a good day to rape a battle buddy or shipmate, but in the nick of time, got the PowerPoint brief to tell them how evil that was!
BT BT
Speaking of training, I got my "How to be a coward training" So I could run, hide, fight, not jump on an assailant, stab them w/ my pocket knife and beat them to death training. SECWAR Pete still has some more warrior ethos to instill yet!
Newsflash: you basically build your own nation on the ideas that were considered "woke" and "diverse" for XVIII century. And you fought a bloody civil war to remedy the one true lack of diversity - the slavery - that your Founding Fathers didn't munster courage to eliminate.
During the 2016 USNA Graduation/Commissioning, all the female mids were required to wear pants vice skirts with their full dress whites. This was also around the time they began switching to choker whites and male combo covers, with USNA being an early adopter. The uniforms were totally congruent with the men.
Many of the women changed into skirts after the ceremony for photos with friends/family. They were livid. The backlash was so bad that it was never mandated again to my knowledge.
I find that I have less than an issue with that than the nonsense uniforms they have out there now.
Camo is just silly unless you're in the NECC and maybe even then. (To be fair, back in the day, I'd probably have been ecstatic to wear it and ignored the silliness.)
And what's with the navy service uniform? First time I saw that I thought I was looking at a marine. But the rank insignia looked navy. I get it that between dress and working uniforms the enlisted uniforms sucked for a long time. But surely looking like a marine wasn't the answer.
The bragging about SWO diversity in the second slide may not be the win PERS-41 thought it was. What is the officer diversity in the submarine, aviation, socom, and other communities?
SWOs are the most diverse because compared to other line communities they require you to jump through the least hoops/schools/selection processes and they do not have to demonstrate competency before reaching the fleet (albeit better now with the OOD courses, which are not difficult). A friend of mine in one of those other communities lamented the difficuly in filling racial quotas as a PERS community manager under the previous regime. Turns out different specialties are popular amongst different groups/backgrounds, which should be recognized, not flattened.
I agree. I think a lot of midshipmen view the other communities as cooler but the surface navy has so much to offer and is clearly the most salient community in the current conflict.
Good Morning CDR, you respond to almost everybody… except me…
The French Navy has helped us! Remember Lafayette! Around his neck, Lafayette wore a locket containing hair … Simone Bolivar was especially grateful!
Order of Battle, “OOB”, that little book every Pilot keeps near and dear… suggested to the F-18 pilot to use that forward pointing cannon and fire metal piercing rounds!
About your “Love of everything Japanese”… modern day…
Culture will rule the Day!
Japanese are “Centric” as in “Warrior Class”! And don’t forget that for a New York second!
Japan’s economy is bolstered by the American dollar!
Onto China… I’d love to be a Chinese speaking/understanding fly on the wall with this latest Artificial Intelligence agreement and the USA!
The Chinese are “Long Term Players” … Strategists … their ruling parties are groomed, evaluated and reorganized at the slight hint of “Discord with the Xi”.
CDR Salamander, you are correct about the politics in the UK… too many admirals are sinking their old but not forgotten valor! Same in the EU, if you read the positioning regarding Russian sanctions.
I enjoyed listening to Wednesday’s unclass read board.
One vote away from upheaval - just look at the “Apex Predators” - the Democrats and Republicans jabbing one anther!
That’s going on now through Election Day in November 2026!
Still, buckle in because the bumpy ride continues through January 22, 2029!
We are Naval and Marine Corp highly trained fighting machines!
Stand strong, spin those guns around! Or point them at good targets! God Bless America! Nurse Jane
CDR Sal, important perspective. As someone still learning the wider range of challenges facing the Navy, what continues to strike me is how institutional priorities—whatever they may be—always have downstream effects on readiness, trust, and effectiveness. -- Bill
But. For those of you on active duty? Speak softly. Into a pillow.
DEI? Is still a future problem for the DoD. It is Orwellian "Newspeak" that was neither diverse, nor equitable, nor inclusive.
It's a Big Problem because it's still there. Someone, somewhere is literally making a list, keeping emails, and taking notes like the East German Stasi. Team DEI is merely biding their time.
You have been warned.
Personally? I have no problem with diversity, because we did spend quite a while in our republic (ahem) without diversity. The 1922 attitude would have prevented several outstanding officers from filling important roles in my 1982-2005 navy. I was very happy to serve in that regime. It did start to get crazy at the squadron level in about 2005, it was starting to become the "LGBTQI-ABC-XYZ Diversity!!! Regime"(tm).
In 2005, someone (incorrectly) made fun of gays in my squadron. This was the era of "don't ask, don't tell" (1994-2011). Yes, I knew several of my fellow officers were homosexual. Quite frankly I didn't care. So, I (correctly) chastised the young man. I tried to tell them what was coming. Why was his joke wrong?
1) "Don't ask, don't tell" was a Rumsfeld known, known. Good or bad rule? Doesn't matter. Everyone in the room had decided to serve under that rule. So, when rules are known and easy to follow? Follow them. The rule acknowledged the homosexual presence in the military and that they contributed to our mission. So, the rule logically extended to "don't make fun of the homosexuals in your midst, who are contributing." Like it not.
2) But. More importantly. No one had been persecuted publicly for the 'breaking the rule' yet. That was coming.* I knew that someone, somewhere was going to be our "Don't Ask/Don't Tell - Tailhook example", and I didn't want my JOs to be that someone.
Sure enough. 2011. Rear Admiral Horton, Rear Admiral Rice, Capt. Honors (CVN CO) and Capt. Dixon (CVN XO) were "censured".
So, active duty, beware. "DEI !!!"(tm) is just waiting for 2028 (or 2032). They have long memories. Someone, perhaps an SES, at BUPERS is keeping a list...
(*I knew 5 men whose careers were destroyed by their mere presence at Tailhook 91. Note: Their actions at Las Vegas were never at issue. Their mere presence at Tailhook destroyed their careers. BUPERS had a "blacklist" of names that could never get promoted.)
Recruiting depends on capturing the imagination and adventuresomeness of, well, kids. The wrong message and you have no recruits. And subtleties make a difference.
When I was a lad back in the mid 70s considering my future the military seemed a good choice. But which branch? At the time the Army's recruiting slogan was "Today's Army wants to join you." That struck me as just weird, a little creepy actually. So they were out.
But compared to the full blown woke crap today, that was a trivial thing. I guess the issue is that the woke folk don't lead with "Come join the trannies and queers where we hate white folk, especially the men." But word gets out eventually.
I stopped giving any money to that USNA “politically (leftwing) correct” DIE cesspool several years ago. Hell, they need to be glad I’m not a senior U.S. Senator: I’d be looking to shut the place down and save the taxpayers some money.
As I’ve said, at my 45th reunion a year and a half ago when the DIE chick Supe bagged all about the “diversity” in the Brigade (read: NOT white-male), it cemented the fact that ANUS, uh, I mean, USNA, has long taken its eye off the ball of what the place Is supposed to be about.
As a fellow Midshipman in Reagan's second term...(87, Sir!) I have to say the current acting Undersecretary shows some promise as someone who can put another nail in the woke coffin.
As with my Eastern European family who also escaped communism (and is now on its second generation of US Military Officers and third generation serving) , his family's similar experience hopefully helps him understand the battle we are in and the forces we are fighting.
"“Unsuitable” and “Incompatible”: Ensign Vernon “Copy” Berg,
Bisexuality, and the Cold War U.S. Navy, by Heather M. Haley"
Well, Vernon Berg's fight against the prevailing Navy policies caused USN to stop giving homosexuals "dishonorable" discharge, which was quite a big achievment for 1970s.
While I enjoy the occasional rightwing boo-hooing every once in a while (apparently weekly), my only objection is the overuse of the word defenestration. You can say it in Prague, but tossing it in every now and again relegates it to defenestrationette.
Although I understand that DEI and critical theory must go and go now, the manner of discussion is frequently less than sparkling. Marxist critiques of late stage capitalism (crony capitalism) are useful as a "know your enemy" glimpse, but not taught as a plan of action.
"“Unsuitable” and “Incompatible”: Ensign Vernon “Copy” Berg,
Bisexuality, and the Cold War U.S. Navy, by Heather M. Haley
That was actually her PhD dissertation topic. To help her pursue this topic critical to national security, she got a grant from VMI via, “The John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute will award a $5,000 grant to a graduate student in history or a related field working on a doctoral dissertation in Cold War military history, broadly defined.“ Quite broadly, it appears. Congrats VMI alumni. Right after she completed her PhD at Auburn, Ms. Haley (who in her bio insists on putting everyone on notice that her pronouns are (she/her/hers) ), on the strength of her scholarship was hired on at the Naval History and Heritage Command. Of course."
Woke movement is like thermite a substence that can burn on its own even in space as it has its own oxygen to burn.
The idea of peak woke is delusional as wokeness is like a living breathing creature that reacts and adapts to its environment .
CDR Sal, the facts speak for themselves. These types of people are still there, just slightly less brazen and open with their actions. I'd offer this as a major reason why. Talented people, when presented with a bad working environment, have the ability to move on to a different environment, because they have actual...talent. A lot of these people have zero talent, or ability to succeed on their own. So, like the Stasi, no talent commissars, butt kissing party line apparatchiks, they dig in and double down, because they literally have nowhere else to apply their "talents. That means we will be "blessed" with their presence for a long, long time. The number of senior officers currently serving marinated in this system makes that a 100% certainty (although they have the DoD revolving door to the "Primes" to cushion their fall from favor).
Excellent post which helps me understand why John Phelan had to go.
No matter how much experience you have in private industry or on Wall Street you will not be able to understand much less deal with the entrenched bureaucracy in the Pentagon, Crystal City, USNA, NWC, etc. unless you have actually served in uniform.
I will give you one small example of what I mean.
I heard Mr. Phelan speak at the NWC last year. It was a good speech about rebuilding the fleet.
I noticed that many of the women who were awarded degrees wore the traditional bucket cover. Why? It's flattering.
Why was it discarded? To eliminate the differences between men and women all in the name of equality,
So, Robespierre-like.
The example I gave would be unimportant in and of itself, but these symbolic issues are never in and of themselves. They send a loud and powerful message.
I have gifted my daughter one of my bucket covers.
Pete:
Being a civilian landlubber, I had to look up "bucket cover." I found this 2013 quote about the retirement of the bucket cover:
“These changes ensure greater uniformity in our service and ceremonial dress, but more importantly, they send a clear signal that we are one in dress, one in standard and one in team. As you look out across a group of sailors, you ought to see, not female and male sailors, but sailors,” Ray Mabus, former Secretary of the Navy,"
That’s why only someone who has been in uniform can undo the damage that Mabus and others like him did.
Nothing against the aesthetics sensibilities of the former Vietnam-era SWO turned SECNAV but I prefer the approach of the former WW1 Army Intelligence officer. Of course I recognize that the current rising generation cares little about what they wear. Perhaps the promise of a dozen piercings and a pair of full sleeve tattoos would serve the modern recruiting efforts.
https://text-message.blogs.archives.gov/2022/07/26/mainbocher-designer-of-the-best-dressed-women-in-the-world/
Wokeness/diversity has been around under different names for a long time. I remember it throughout my career. Overhead slides, video presentations, video tapes sent to the command and going to auditoriums to hear experts speak. Later PowerPoint death marches, on line training and so on. At least from 1979-2022. I was on two carriers that integrated women into ship’s company. Lots of training. I always used that type of training as an opportunity to nap. Unless I was tricked into giving the presentation. Then I made it as quick as possible.
Ah the training.
As my son always commented, "You don't need to remind people that you don't rape your wingman."
I disagree. When I go to fight evil and the devil, I pray for a well crafted PowerPoint brief to tell me what is and is not evil! Imagine all the troops that thought today would be a good day to rape a battle buddy or shipmate, but in the nick of time, got the PowerPoint brief to tell them how evil that was!
BT BT
Speaking of training, I got my "How to be a coward training" So I could run, hide, fight, not jump on an assailant, stab them w/ my pocket knife and beat them to death training. SECWAR Pete still has some more warrior ethos to instill yet!
Newsflash: you basically build your own nation on the ideas that were considered "woke" and "diverse" for XVIII century. And you fought a bloody civil war to remedy the one true lack of diversity - the slavery - that your Founding Fathers didn't munster courage to eliminate.
Diversity is fine when it's merit based.
I didn’t do any of that. Nor did any of my ancestors.
During the 2016 USNA Graduation/Commissioning, all the female mids were required to wear pants vice skirts with their full dress whites. This was also around the time they began switching to choker whites and male combo covers, with USNA being an early adopter. The uniforms were totally congruent with the men.
Many of the women changed into skirts after the ceremony for photos with friends/family. They were livid. The backlash was so bad that it was never mandated again to my knowledge.
Why am I not surprised?
I find that I have less than an issue with that than the nonsense uniforms they have out there now.
Camo is just silly unless you're in the NECC and maybe even then. (To be fair, back in the day, I'd probably have been ecstatic to wear it and ignored the silliness.)
And what's with the navy service uniform? First time I saw that I thought I was looking at a marine. But the rank insignia looked navy. I get it that between dress and working uniforms the enlisted uniforms sucked for a long time. But surely looking like a marine wasn't the answer.
You have a wise friend. They have announced their intentions when they recover enough power.
The bragging about SWO diversity in the second slide may not be the win PERS-41 thought it was. What is the officer diversity in the submarine, aviation, socom, and other communities?
SWOs are the most diverse because compared to other line communities they require you to jump through the least hoops/schools/selection processes and they do not have to demonstrate competency before reaching the fleet (albeit better now with the OOD courses, which are not difficult). A friend of mine in one of those other communities lamented the difficuly in filling racial quotas as a PERS community manager under the previous regime. Turns out different specialties are popular amongst different groups/backgrounds, which should be recognized, not flattened.
Perhaps the SWO community should work harder to attract people who would otherwise gravitate towards the more prestigious communities.
I agree. I think a lot of midshipmen view the other communities as cooler but the surface navy has so much to offer and is clearly the most salient community in the current conflict.
Good Morning CDR, you respond to almost everybody… except me…
The French Navy has helped us! Remember Lafayette! Around his neck, Lafayette wore a locket containing hair … Simone Bolivar was especially grateful!
Order of Battle, “OOB”, that little book every Pilot keeps near and dear… suggested to the F-18 pilot to use that forward pointing cannon and fire metal piercing rounds!
About your “Love of everything Japanese”… modern day…
Culture will rule the Day!
Japanese are “Centric” as in “Warrior Class”! And don’t forget that for a New York second!
Japan’s economy is bolstered by the American dollar!
Onto China… I’d love to be a Chinese speaking/understanding fly on the wall with this latest Artificial Intelligence agreement and the USA!
The Chinese are “Long Term Players” … Strategists … their ruling parties are groomed, evaluated and reorganized at the slight hint of “Discord with the Xi”.
CDR Salamander, you are correct about the politics in the UK… too many admirals are sinking their old but not forgotten valor! Same in the EU, if you read the positioning regarding Russian sanctions.
I enjoyed listening to Wednesday’s unclass read board.
One vote away from upheaval - just look at the “Apex Predators” - the Democrats and Republicans jabbing one anther!
That’s going on now through Election Day in November 2026!
Still, buckle in because the bumpy ride continues through January 22, 2029!
We are Naval and Marine Corp highly trained fighting machines!
Stand strong, spin those guns around! Or point them at good targets! God Bless America! Nurse Jane
CDR Sal, important perspective. As someone still learning the wider range of challenges facing the Navy, what continues to strike me is how institutional priorities—whatever they may be—always have downstream effects on readiness, trust, and effectiveness. -- Bill
" The past was erased, the erasure was forgotten, the lie became the truth."
George Orwell
As I have posted in the past, he who convenes promotion boards has effects for decades.
True enough. That said, SECWAR seems to be trying to give the DEI boiler a bottom blow.
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.
But. For those of you on active duty? Speak softly. Into a pillow.
DEI? Is still a future problem for the DoD. It is Orwellian "Newspeak" that was neither diverse, nor equitable, nor inclusive.
It's a Big Problem because it's still there. Someone, somewhere is literally making a list, keeping emails, and taking notes like the East German Stasi. Team DEI is merely biding their time.
You have been warned.
Personally? I have no problem with diversity, because we did spend quite a while in our republic (ahem) without diversity. The 1922 attitude would have prevented several outstanding officers from filling important roles in my 1982-2005 navy. I was very happy to serve in that regime. It did start to get crazy at the squadron level in about 2005, it was starting to become the "LGBTQI-ABC-XYZ Diversity!!! Regime"(tm).
In 2005, someone (incorrectly) made fun of gays in my squadron. This was the era of "don't ask, don't tell" (1994-2011). Yes, I knew several of my fellow officers were homosexual. Quite frankly I didn't care. So, I (correctly) chastised the young man. I tried to tell them what was coming. Why was his joke wrong?
1) "Don't ask, don't tell" was a Rumsfeld known, known. Good or bad rule? Doesn't matter. Everyone in the room had decided to serve under that rule. So, when rules are known and easy to follow? Follow them. The rule acknowledged the homosexual presence in the military and that they contributed to our mission. So, the rule logically extended to "don't make fun of the homosexuals in your midst, who are contributing." Like it not.
2) But. More importantly. No one had been persecuted publicly for the 'breaking the rule' yet. That was coming.* I knew that someone, somewhere was going to be our "Don't Ask/Don't Tell - Tailhook example", and I didn't want my JOs to be that someone.
Sure enough. 2011. Rear Admiral Horton, Rear Admiral Rice, Capt. Honors (CVN CO) and Capt. Dixon (CVN XO) were "censured".
So, active duty, beware. "DEI !!!"(tm) is just waiting for 2028 (or 2032). They have long memories. Someone, perhaps an SES, at BUPERS is keeping a list...
(*I knew 5 men whose careers were destroyed by their mere presence at Tailhook 91. Note: Their actions at Las Vegas were never at issue. Their mere presence at Tailhook destroyed their careers. BUPERS had a "blacklist" of names that could never get promoted.)
Recruiting depends on capturing the imagination and adventuresomeness of, well, kids. The wrong message and you have no recruits. And subtleties make a difference.
When I was a lad back in the mid 70s considering my future the military seemed a good choice. But which branch? At the time the Army's recruiting slogan was "Today's Army wants to join you." That struck me as just weird, a little creepy actually. So they were out.
But compared to the full blown woke crap today, that was a trivial thing. I guess the issue is that the woke folk don't lead with "Come join the trannies and queers where we hate white folk, especially the men." But word gets out eventually.
I stopped giving any money to that USNA “politically (leftwing) correct” DIE cesspool several years ago. Hell, they need to be glad I’m not a senior U.S. Senator: I’d be looking to shut the place down and save the taxpayers some money.
As I’ve said, at my 45th reunion a year and a half ago when the DIE chick Supe bagged all about the “diversity” in the Brigade (read: NOT white-male), it cemented the fact that ANUS, uh, I mean, USNA, has long taken its eye off the ball of what the place Is supposed to be about.
Concur (we've discussed previously)
Yessir
As a fellow Midshipman in Reagan's second term...(87, Sir!) I have to say the current acting Undersecretary shows some promise as someone who can put another nail in the woke coffin.
As with my Eastern European family who also escaped communism (and is now on its second generation of US Military Officers and third generation serving) , his family's similar experience hopefully helps him understand the battle we are in and the forces we are fighting.
"“Unsuitable” and “Incompatible”: Ensign Vernon “Copy” Berg,
Bisexuality, and the Cold War U.S. Navy, by Heather M. Haley"
Well, Vernon Berg's fight against the prevailing Navy policies caused USN to stop giving homosexuals "dishonorable" discharge, which was quite a big achievment for 1970s.
While I enjoy the occasional rightwing boo-hooing every once in a while (apparently weekly), my only objection is the overuse of the word defenestration. You can say it in Prague, but tossing it in every now and again relegates it to defenestrationette.
Although I understand that DEI and critical theory must go and go now, the manner of discussion is frequently less than sparkling. Marxist critiques of late stage capitalism (crony capitalism) are useful as a "know your enemy" glimpse, but not taught as a plan of action.
"“Unsuitable” and “Incompatible”: Ensign Vernon “Copy” Berg,
Bisexuality, and the Cold War U.S. Navy, by Heather M. Haley
That was actually her PhD dissertation topic. To help her pursue this topic critical to national security, she got a grant from VMI via, “The John A. Adams ’71 Center for Military History & Strategic Analysis at the Virginia Military Institute will award a $5,000 grant to a graduate student in history or a related field working on a doctoral dissertation in Cold War military history, broadly defined.“ Quite broadly, it appears. Congrats VMI alumni. Right after she completed her PhD at Auburn, Ms. Haley (who in her bio insists on putting everyone on notice that her pronouns are (she/her/hers) ), on the strength of her scholarship was hired on at the Naval History and Heritage Command. Of course."
Jesus, and John Paul Jones, wept.