Complacency - the big killer. How many times and on how many facets of national and naval preparedness has that alarm been sounded in this blog? Magazine depth, logistics train, forward presence, leadership…. The list goes on and on. And Nero continues to play his lyre.
General Mattis on reading history books: 'Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn't give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.
There were "homemade Yankees" in every CSA state. My mother's side were from NW Alabama. After the war family members started mysteriously disappearing. They found it expedient to leave and headed to SW Colorado.
Even though they were evicted from Galveston, the Federals were still able to maintain the Naval Blockade of the Texas Coast. The Federals originally captured Galveston in October of 1862 and didn't have a full occupational garrison in the city until late December, 1862. So, it was really a short stay.
All the action took place 8 blocks from my summer residence and the "battlefield" today is Cruise Ship Terminals and Seafood Restaurants.
Harborside Drive today is where the piers of the Civil War Port were. There are some Historical Markers around the Downtown area. The Customs House on Post Office was a Union Command Post and still exists.
"All the equipment in the world will not help you if you don't have the right leadership." Which why a 355 ship Navy is meaningless if navy leadership is not improved. All the Navy's problems (and the other services) ultimately comes back to leadership- Ship building/ship yards, recruiting, Fat Leonard, the George Washington, Bonhomme Richard, DEI etc. etc. all are leadership failures. Not just those with gold stripes on their sleeve but the senior enlisted also. - all is not in the Chiefs' mess.
It is not just a Naval problem. That living conditions in Marine Barracks have degraded to such a point before anything being done is a leadership failure, that they need to establish a Single Marine Program to address the neglect they have suffered in the Quixote quest to be "family friendly " is a sign of leadership failure as with the Army's People First Task Force. If you have these types of programs you have conceded that leadership has failed. Good leadership means you don't need them.
So I have a scholarship winner who is now a LTJG that we have kept in touch and I have mentored. Several months ago he asked me for some suggestions on what to read for his next assignment. One of 20 books I sent him was the Six Days of War by Michael B Oren. Here is what he told me about the book:
Six Days of War is awesome though. It really brings to light how taking the initiative can really change the outcome of battle!
I mean the Navy is ALWAYS talking about gaining the advantage of the initiative but never put it into context for me haha.
This just blew me away because the US Navy is full of examples of taking the initiative. I really don’t know why the Navy isn’t using their history to teach young officers. Instead an Army SGT is providing one examples of leadership & initiative. So based on this conversation I sent him two more books:
Destroyer Captain: The Life of Ernest E. Evans (American War Heroes) Paperback – August 27, 2024 by James D. Hornfischer (Author), David J. Hornfischer
To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision Hardcover – May 24, 2022 by Admiral James Stavridis USN (Author)
And turned him onto CDRSalamander’s Substack which he told me he read three today. I hooked I with the LCS-14 article. This Substack is a great resource!
Complacency - the big killer. How many times and on how many facets of national and naval preparedness has that alarm been sounded in this blog? Magazine depth, logistics train, forward presence, leadership…. The list goes on and on. And Nero continues to play his lyre.
Aye. complacency, and hubris
🎯 arrogance gets one’s @ kicked faster than most anything. o7
they didn't read their history. Washington=Delaware=Christmas etc
General Mattis on reading history books: 'Thanks to my reading, I have never been caught flat-footed by any situation, never at a loss for how any problem has been addressed (successfully or unsuccessfully) before. It doesn't give me all the answers, but it lights what is often a dark path ahead.
Sal. You were just canceled. You are not allowed to praise the CSA.
🤣
He’s a Floridian, we played on both teams.
There were "homemade Yankees" in every CSA state. My mother's side were from NW Alabama. After the war family members started mysteriously disappearing. They found it expedient to leave and headed to SW Colorado.
Even though they were evicted from Galveston, the Federals were still able to maintain the Naval Blockade of the Texas Coast. The Federals originally captured Galveston in October of 1862 and didn't have a full occupational garrison in the city until late December, 1862. So, it was really a short stay.
All the action took place 8 blocks from my summer residence and the "battlefield" today is Cruise Ship Terminals and Seafood Restaurants.
The channel has been reshaped in by dredging fill that has expanded Pelican Island. Gulf Copper's Galveston Shipyard, among other locations.
Harborside Drive today is where the piers of the Civil War Port were. There are some Historical Markers around the Downtown area. The Customs House on Post Office was a Union Command Post and still exists.
Sounds like Charleston. Today’s harbor doesn’t resemble 1861 and it makes you wonder why Fort Sumter was even a big deal.
IIRC, Sumter was also used as a Customs collection station. The CSA was not going to tolerate such a thing on their soil.
So when I ate at Shark Shack a few weeks ago, I was really immersing myself in Civil War History.....
"All the equipment in the world will not help you if you don't have the right leadership." Which why a 355 ship Navy is meaningless if navy leadership is not improved. All the Navy's problems (and the other services) ultimately comes back to leadership- Ship building/ship yards, recruiting, Fat Leonard, the George Washington, Bonhomme Richard, DEI etc. etc. all are leadership failures. Not just those with gold stripes on their sleeve but the senior enlisted also. - all is not in the Chiefs' mess.
It is not just a Naval problem. That living conditions in Marine Barracks have degraded to such a point before anything being done is a leadership failure, that they need to establish a Single Marine Program to address the neglect they have suffered in the Quixote quest to be "family friendly " is a sign of leadership failure as with the Army's People First Task Force. If you have these types of programs you have conceded that leadership has failed. Good leadership means you don't need them.
Edit: All is not WELL in the Chiefs' Mess
All the equipment in the world will not help you if you don't have the right leadership.
Isn't that the truth.
So I have a scholarship winner who is now a LTJG that we have kept in touch and I have mentored. Several months ago he asked me for some suggestions on what to read for his next assignment. One of 20 books I sent him was the Six Days of War by Michael B Oren. Here is what he told me about the book:
Six Days of War is awesome though. It really brings to light how taking the initiative can really change the outcome of battle!
I mean the Navy is ALWAYS talking about gaining the advantage of the initiative but never put it into context for me haha.
This just blew me away because the US Navy is full of examples of taking the initiative. I really don’t know why the Navy isn’t using their history to teach young officers. Instead an Army SGT is providing one examples of leadership & initiative. So based on this conversation I sent him two more books:
Destroyer Captain: The Life of Ernest E. Evans (American War Heroes) Paperback – August 27, 2024 by James D. Hornfischer (Author), David J. Hornfischer
To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision Hardcover – May 24, 2022 by Admiral James Stavridis USN (Author)
And turned him onto CDRSalamander’s Substack which he told me he read three today. I hooked I with the LCS-14 article. This Substack is a great resource!