March Midrats Free for All
today LIVE at 5pm Eastern!
You can listen to the podcast here, or at the Spotify widget below.
Summary
Sal and Mark delve into the current state of the U.S. Navy, discussing the size and capabilities of the fleet, the challenges of operating as a two-ocean Navy, and the potential for utilizing alternative naval assets such as offshore supply vessels. They explore the ongoing debate between manned and unmanned aircraft. Discussed some of the lessons on how to turn around a military quickly using the transition from the 1970s malaise, to the Reagan Era victory in the Cold War. The discussion also touches on military leadership, morale, and the strategic importance of aircraft carriers in contemporary military operations.
Show Links
"Crash Fleet: An Emergency Shipbuilding Program”, by Lieutenant Commander Brian Adornato, USNR.
German army struggles to get Gen Z recruits ‘ready for war’, by Laura Pitel.
Takeaways
The U.S. Navy's fleet size is often overestimated.
The Navy operates as a two-ocean force, complicating logistics.
Alternative naval assets could enhance defense capabilities.
The future of naval warfare will involve a mix of manned and unmanned systems.
Aircraft carriers remain a cornerstone of naval power.
Chapters
00:00: Introduction and Overview of the Fleet Discussion
01:28: Analyzing the Current Size of the Navy
05:40: Challenges of a Two-Ocean Navy
07:48: Exploring Alternative Naval Platforms
11:58: Possible Role of Offshore Supply Vessels
14:47: Historical Context and Lessons Learned
18:20: Rethinking Naval Strategy and Resources
21:22: Utilizing Reserve Forces Effectively
25:02: Future of Aircraft Carriers and Naval Aviation
29:59: The Future of Manned vs. Unmanned Aircraft
34:38: Military Resource Allocation and Strategy
39:35: Generational Perspectives on Military Service in the post Vietnam recovery
44:39: Leadership and Military Morale
I would like to see a discussion on the USCG and their lack of combat capability. Even the police department has a SWAT team in most every department. The average Cutter has NO ASW Capability, and they are going up against an ever increasingly more complex and capable druggie submarine threat. the Drone threat increases by the day. In the even of mobilization what will the Cutters look like, and what jobs will they do? Are they equipped for what will be expected of them?
Really? Offshore sailors drink more than navy sailors? Let's deal in deception, not self deception.
Pay attention to who does and does not get arrested on these Tesla incidents. Quit assuming the graffiti points to the culprit.
Aside from using the existing offshore fleet, and small boat manufacturers. Consider Bollinger Lockport's ability to build 4-5 FRCs per year and what that might look like with a little more ship. The UK replaced their Damen 4207 with a 5009 FCS in the Falklands. With 4-5 of those 5009s coming out new each year we could be either manning them or using them as MUSV/OUSVs. We could build all aluminum ships like Vanguard at all aluminum yards with all Cummins prime movers and Steel/Aluminum hull 5009s with all Caterpillar prime movers at the yards working both Steel and aluminum. I would also push new build 6911s variants for slightly larger yards.