The CNO Stated Her Priorities
a one-pager
I have only two critiques; one pedantic, the other one serious.
Pedantic - we are well past overusing “warfighter” and all its variations.
It, at least for me, has too much of a connotation with the errors and spin of the last two decades; a misused and abused word used as a cudgel and a deflector.
In any event, we are Sailors and Marines. That should be enough.
Serious - we may be the “most powerful navy in the world” - but we are no longer the largest. With each passing year, the PRC grows in strength.
Numbers matter and we need to have a more open conversation and understanding about the implications of this simply fact over the course of the three to five decades the ships we are commissioning in 2024 will face on the high seas.
Strip away all that “warfighter” word play and the start-hype, and this is a good tone and focus from the CNO. I especially like that she “names names.” Though it is a bit breathless in places for my taste, I’ll take it.
BZ.
Something is wrong. No mention of Diversity or Climate. Memo will need to be recalled when the administration finds out.
Sal, I agree. Overall, this is far better than it could have been - for that matter, than we have any right to expect from a service chief in this administration.
I also would like to point out 3 words I did NOT see, anywhere in this missive.
Diversity, Inclusion, Equity
That may not seem like a big deal, but given how overbearing the DIE commissars are, the fac that this made it out without ANY reference to that nonsense suggests to me that Adm. Franchetti may actually be someone serious.
No doubt, there were voices in her staff that implored her to name-check those issues.
She didn't. She made clear a purpose focused on (in my words, not hers) "breaking shit and killing people on behalf of the US of A"
This was a breath of fresh air (tinged with the optimistic potential for the smell of napalm)