Not How You Signal Power
our collective shame
So, we have this great new Australia-United Kingdom-United States alliance in the Pacific.
We are supposed to be the big power here - to instill confidence in the face of a growing China.
What signal does this ship send?
Context here:
There is no excuse here. This speaks for itself.
Welcome to our close friends from @USNavy to Brisbane for a routine logistics visit. The Men & Women of #USSFrankCable will also work alongside #YourADF to provide vital support to Australian communities as part of #OpFloodAssist. Thank you and Bravo Zulu !🇦🇺🇺🇸
I'm embarrassed for myself, my Navy, my nation, and for our friends for showing them so much disrespect by showing up as their guest like some late-Soviet trawler.
Yes, she looks rough. But she still gets the job done and if we are measuring the paint job as a measure of the whole ship I think we are missing the big picture. She is there for many reasons, mostly in support of AUKUS initiatives.
This is a vivid visual image of the priorities of the Navy. They care about something, but it’s not their ships. This is an image of moral rot. Ernest J. King, thou should’st be with us at this hour.