Before celebrating lets assess the level they've had to perform at. What, exactly, are our ships shooting at? Are the 'ballistic missiles' actually unguided artillery rockets with almost no chance of hitting anything? Are the 'drones' cheap foam aeroshapes with Harbor Freight quality engines? Or, are we defeating Harpoon or Sizzler caliber threats?
The arc of "empires" tends to historically repeat thru history, not in the details but in the rise and decline their influence in the world. Many lessons to be learned from the arc of the UK. Pointed out to my boss 15 years ago that they had (at that time) eighteen (18!!) surface combatants, and were in the process of becoming an irrelevant land force due to budget cuts. Trend continued for the UK and here we are today examining our own situation. Recruiting? Force acquisition? Logistics supportability? Force projection ability? Military support to diplomacy? Perhaps the question to ask is what would we do differently if we were deliberately trying to reduce our influence on the world stage? Casual glance says we wouldn't do much differently at all...Happy Monday...)-:
The dilution of the truly British population by unchecked immigration has sapped the spirit of the prior generations. No wonder they can’t find the manpower necessary to man their ships. Probably not going to see a huge group of recruits among that rabble.
You have to ask yourself why a Navy that once dominated the globe cannot find enough sailors to man its few remaining ships.
The answer is obvious.
The Marxist claptrap has infected the British soul. Children are told that their entire history is nothing but exploitation, oppression and slavery. And if you say otherwise you can be arrested.
Would you fight for king and country if believing in non-woke concepts could land you in jail?
Worse, we are only a little ways behind the UK on the way to Niagara.
"Navy chiefs posted the advertisement for the £150,000-a-year rear-admiral position on LinkedIn in December as it struggled to fill the role internally.
It comes as former defence secretary Ben Wallace warned Britain’s armed forces were facing a recruitment crisis because Generation Z was not signing up."
I have a serious question for the back porch community.
Is this advertisement a hoax?
I sincerely cannot understand why this advertisement was published.
In my experience, this billet would be filled by the most senior man in the community pipeline. If he is unable/unwilling/not-confirmable, it goes to the number 2 or 3 man, and the most senior man retires.
If there is no confidence in the top 3 men in the pipeline, a discrete telephone call to the last man who held the job before retirement, or even the man before him, will fill the billet.
The reason we have a chain of command is "one-up, one-down." Every one of us must be fully qualified and capable of performing the duties of the man we report to, and also the duties of the men who report to us.
Full disclosure - I retired when I no longer had the physical capability to perform the job of the men who reported to me. I could not do their job under sleep deprivation. My mind was still good, but my body was tired.
I could still do the job of the man above me, but not the jobs of the men below me in the chain of command. My men deserved better leadership, and I put in my letter.
"No serving sailors are suitable to replace Rear-Admiral Simon Asquith, the current Director of Submarines, and the Navy has turned to the professional networking site to find his successor."
"Defence sources claim Navy bosses hope to attract or a retired officer who commanded submarines during their career. They hope they would then be able to take over the £150,000-a-year role.
The advertisement said candidates must be a member of the reserves or have previously served in the Armed Forces. If chose then would be responsible for "highly classified stealth, elite operations and Trident, our nuclear deterrent”."
"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year announced plans to make it easier to "zigzag" between the Armed Forces and Civil Service to retain top staff. It comes as the Armed Forces are experiencing a recruitment crisis, with the Navy hit hardest."
Sorry Flight ER Doc, it looks like they intend drag some chum out of retirement.
Actually, Dale, I am getting a heavy whiff of attempt to destroy western civilization. Civilian jobs get advertised, military jobs are chosen internally. The only way that we in the chain of command can trust our leaders to make life or death decisions is to have them pass through our system internally. Kind of like a biological system, with cells and antibodies. Advertising a high level military job on Linked-in is an attempt to poison the organism.
It’s worse than that. It also means they are not producing or are incapable of producing a pipeline of successor officers to promote to command. It’s spiral development… down.
The technical term for this right here is 🐂💩 on stilts …
"The cuts, coming as the Coast Guard has, according to Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan, “never been in greater demand around the world,” will hurt, but leaders were quick to assure the realignment will not cause a decay in existing Search and Rescue capabilities."
If you want to give an accurate depiction of English history you have to deal with the fact that most of it is exploitation, oppression and slavery.
I'm not really interested why Great Britain is failing, I'm just glad to see it go. I'm looking forward to visiting the EU's next member nation, independent Cornwall.
Then you wont be too upset when the mobs toss copies of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Macaulay, Locke, Hume, Dickens, Conan Doyle, Tolkien, etc. in the bonfires.
You can have great artists and still have a society based on exploitation, oppression and slavery. You can also declare independence from a King without burning books. We fought a revolution, while still reading the Bard.
Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can peacefully cast off the chains of oppression and become citizens instead of subjects.
"We fought a revolution, while still reading the Bard." You won't after the next revolution because it will be marxist. Mao will replace that pasty white racist tool of colonial oppression. Empires aren't committees, granted, but weigh the lasting effects against their sins. We are speaking in plain English, after all.
I think that make Britain worse, not better. After they got rich from selling slaves to the US, they decide slavery is wrong. There is nothing worse than taking the moral high ground when you created the problem. It's easy to sit in London or Boston, and condemn some poor southern slob trying to stay alive by using the product you sold him.
You do realize that slavery was a global phenomenon at the time don't you? The UK was leading the world in changing from an institution that was with us from the dawn of history ... or are you ill-read?
Just finished David McCullagh’s De Valera, Volume 1: Rise, 1882-1932.
You don’t erase the history of being slave trader to the world by making a quick turn, after filling your coffers with the profits of 800 years of selling slaves to the Americas.
Some folks like the English, others have family in Ireland.
John Lok is the first recorded Englishman to have taken enslaved people from Africa. In 1555 he brought five enslaved people from Guinea to England. William Towerson, a London trader, also captured people to be enslaved during his voyages from Plymouth to Africa between 1556 and 1557.
Despite the earlier involvement of Lok and Towerson, John Hawkins (from 1532 to 1595) of Plymouth is acknowledged as the pioneer of the English slave trade.
From 1562 onwards he made three voyages to Sierra Leone from where he transported 1,200 inhabitants to Hispaniola and St Domingue - present day Dominican Republic and Haiti. Hawkins' voyages were the beginnings of the triangular slave trade between England, Africa and the New World of the Caribbean and Americas.
And it was the Portuguese who were the worst offenders (Don't forget the Dutch...And for that matter, predating the Europeans, the Arab slavers...)
The British Commonwealth became slave free in 1833, but that was only for chattel slavery....the plight of the colonials (Indians, Jamaicans, Africans, etc) was technically not chattel slavery - but that was a distinction without a difference.
Further the Brits were quite happy with that, and even the RN was of indifferent assiduousness in stopping slavers - some ship captains did, some didn't, but either way the outcome was VERY bad for the slaves - they were usually forced overboard while still chained before the warship got close.
“In 1833, Britain used 40% of its national budget to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire. Britain borrowed such a large sum of money for the Slavery Abolition Act that it wasn’t paid off until 2015,”
A much needed and deserved recognition. The DDG crews have been busy destroying all the flying junk of those Houthi thugs, all the time Washington was waiting to teach them the fear of God and the fear of the US Navy. BZ to them and shame to the establishment, as usual.
Concur; but wish they were able to expend more gunpowder and less missile fuel, so to speak. To the uneducated (me), it seems the five-inch gun would make a terrific shotgun when loaded with drone-shot.
Yeah! amen to that! These defensive operations are economically ruinous, but I think the Navy wants to ensure the destruction of the targets without margin for error. Perhaps the doctrine for the use of the Mk45 gun in drones is not mature enough to be used in real operations. In any case, they should think of something to save missiles. Maybe a really serious airstrike in the Houthis' backyard. I mean something really hard, not what was done last week. In the long run it would be cheaper than shooting down $20,000 drones with missiles and with the benefit of a nice message to Iran: "remember Gothic Serpent!"
Short of nuclear it is almost impossible to destroy a country from the air. Gaza is the exception because it is a crowded city. And we can't make the bombs or missiles or cruise missiles fast enough.
There are not enough machinists or tool and die men to even start. And nobody with blue hair or a man bun are going to even try.
Speaking of shallow magazines it’s estimated we only have 3500 ish Block IV and V tomahawks left. The US Navy fired close to 80 this past couple of weeks. We don’t have stockpiles to fit every USN tube and we don’t plan to replenish at sea as a matter of operational doctrine. Basically our leadership has decided that when a ship goes into the yards her mags will be transferred to a ship on her way to work ups and deployment. Same thing the carriers do with the off deployment carrier and the on deck carrier. This is irresponsible and is demonstrative that the navy has its priorities totally fucked up. Can’t fight a war with China if our magazines are empty and no way to refill them. Having a single source provider is also retarded.
The MIC folks knew what they were doing in the massive mergers over the past decade or so. One of the results of the M&A frenzy was eliminating the competition, aka Single Source Provider. What could go wrong?
I doubt that a "Revolt of the Admirals" is in the cards. Starting back at least to the Clinton years the scythe started swinging to weed out the non-believers and made way for the Milleys and Vindmans to rise toward the top. The "Seven Days in May" event occurred during the last administration - " Hey General Wong. This is Milley. I'll give you a heads-up if that crazy man in charge says anything you and I don't like.".
The frenzy of defense industry mergers can be traced to 1993, when then-Deputy Defense Secretary William Perry invited executives to dinner. At an event now referred to as "the last supper," Perry urged them to combine into a few, larger companies because Pentagon budget cuts would endanger at least half the combat jet firms, missile makers, satellite builders and other contractors represented at the dinner that night.
Perry's warnings helped set off one of the fastest transformations of any modern U.S. industry, as about a dozen leading American military contractors folded into only four. And soon it's likely only three will remain, with Lockheed Martin Corp.'s announcement yesterday that it plans to buy Northrop Grumman Corp. for $11.6 billion.
So, as a minor counterpoint, over the entire history of the Tomahawk program we've expended about 3,000 missiles between tests and combat usage (from Desert Storm onward). So, in that sense, our TLAM inventory is about as healthy as it's ever been. I'm somewhat heartened by the fact that we've kept the new-build production line open; about 5-6 years ago, the plan had been to stop producing new missiles and covert the production line into the Blk IV recertification line. It seems that we were able to find the money to do both, which is a preferable solution obviously. Expanding our stock of TLAM is a bit problematic in a number of areas. For example, what is never talked about is that we simply don't have the shoreside magazine space to store a whole lot more than the few thousand all-up rounds (AURs) that we have now; turns out that magazines built for WWII-era bombs are not well suited to the efficient storage of TLAM AURs and other VLS-capable weapons. Another thing to consider; out of all the ways we could spend additional WPN funding, there are probably more pressing needs. Unless we assume an across the board boost, which I think is unlikely short of a hot war with China, then tradeoffs will have to be made and I think that the stocks of things like SM-6, RAM, and ESSM are probably in much worse health than TLAM's inventory numbers.
WHat a pathetic excuse "not enough space". If this were given by Russia or PLA for not having sufficient reloads, you'd be laughing at them (rightly so)
In many hundreds of ammo bunkers I've worked in, almost none were climate controlled. Other than that there are probably thousands of empty bunkers in the country that could be used. Great for dumb, iron bombs, not so much for anything with electronics or any climate sensitive parts- certainly not long term.
All the ammo at Sierra went to Hawthorne a decade or two ago due to BRAC. So all the bunkers there are empty unless someone is storing something else there, and I'm not sure what that would be. Or even what you can store there. Though since Hawthorne has bunkers full of mercury flasks I guess there are things you can put in bunkers other then stuff that goes boom.
Sierra is like the airplane boneyard at Davis-Monthan but instead for vehicles, particularly tanks and other armored vehicles. Also handles inventorying of Army's Prepositioned Stocks, and according to wikipedia...has all the tooling and jigs for the F-22.
Nota bene, this isn’t new with the Houthis. Remember when USS Nitze took out a couple of radar sites in Yemen in 2016? Pepperidge Farms remembers. We haven’t really got too far down that road have we.
The USN is missing a fantastic opportunity to recruit SWO’s and enlisted surface Sailors. Why not tell the story of what our navy is doing and why and tie in the Decatur legends to the purpose of what we are doing today; keeping sea lanes open, and fighting pirates. This is one of our sworn and primary missions. This sells itself. It’s adventurous, it’s meaningful, it’s validating. Where is Franchetti? The world wonders…
Attendees (Active Duty/Reservist in Uniform): Khakis or SDBs are appropriate for all events EXCEPT the Banquet on Thursday evening. Banquet is Service Dress Blues with ribbons. https://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium/
Was speaking to the SWO leather jacket ( a manifestation of the "everybody gets a trophy" syndrome)...Again, emblematic of the balkanized Communities that make up the current US "Naval Enterprise".
The SWO Leather Jacket, what a joke. Perhaps the SWO community and those that supported the leather jacket "get a trophy" group can push for an accompanying maroon beret. Go woke or go broke.
Wasn't going to comment until I read your link, Sid. Feel absolutely compelled to now...Gr-r-r-r! OPNAVINST 10126.5 was non-inclusive AF, made no provision for brother Line CWO's and LDO's who had been welcomed with open arms into the SWO community after passing their board and getting pinned as I had been as a 7121 & 6121. Was never into leather...realize now that I never had a fetish for it like Vito Spatafore did. Always made do in any weather with a blue or khaki working jacket but understanding your rhetorical question: A SWO OOD who'd go to the bridgewing to clear a turn, to get a look-see at what the lookout might or might not report and to check for bearing drift. Cold rain down the back of my neck combined with caffeine kept me alert. Happiest years of my life.
The SWO leather jacket is emblematic of a decision-maker that's not been out to sea in a VERY long-time. We're in an era of advanced textiles and assembly methods, where sailors are regularly making round-the-world trips, and living in the extremes of the weather spectrum wearing modern apparel designs YET, a LEATHER jacket, is what gets trotted-out as a badge of identification(?) for SWO's.
The Coast Guard (!) not only do they have a more appropriate working uniform, but their outerwear is more appropriate.
My only point is leather has no place onboard ship unless it's upholstery or on an attache case, that leather bomber/flight looking jacket for ship drivers just doesn't fit the job, the position or, the look.
Missing my point. The actions in the Red Sea comport with her “guidance”. She is missing the opportunity to tell the US Navy story to an unknowing and ignorant congress and citizenry.
I'm often guilty of doing so, absolutely obtuse at times I'm afraid. Agree that we are missing an excellent PR opportunity. CVN-69, its CO & XO (both savvy & active in social media) provide her with a solid lead-in on our Leaders and the troops.
I'd like for us to be much more aggressive against the Houthis (and Iran) though I'm sure that the White House has limited what our military can do. Her actions against the woke Marxist BS (CRT, DEI, BLM, etc.) will tell the tale of her commitment to making our Navy strong again.
Jesus.... I hafta think that instead of a "networking breakfast", all these folks couldve been out on the range...from the pistol range to the missile range. Learning how to be a better warfighter, shiphandler, firefighter...whatever. We waste waaay to much damn time on everything BUT being a better USN sailor. Its beyond stupid.
Follow the USMC example. The Marine's are the only service to meet their recruiting target. I was thinking of the Marines on my way back from the Vet this morning. If a Marine allows his rifle to get rusty, what is the reaction of his Chain of Command? Pretty damned sharp and to the point and the lesson is learned. We should be that aggressive on Captains that let their ship get rusty. Same quick response and serious consequence from their CoC. If their CoC doesn't keep a sharp eye on the ships, fire the first Flag in the CoC.
Perhaps if a few senior officers would put their rank on the table in public protest? Or, instead they, like most in the civilian Federal bureaucracy they choose to go along to get along.
A powerful navy isn't very useful to the crypto-communists running DC. Their aim is to destroy America, and along with it to crush people like us. A weak navy will ensure global chaos and economic destruction here, which the commies regard as desirable.
What they want is a woke, weak military that's useful for domestic suppression of normal people. A navy is irrelevant to that strategic goal.
Or perhaps more relevant if they can dump all the money into a fleet instead of an army garrison. But I see your point. Look south to the other banana republics for proof.
A few years ago I would have called you a conspiracy nut. But seeing that the DOJ is still pursuing 1/6 people even if they were just wandering aimlessly in the Rotunda taking selfies and labeling them as violent terrorists, but giving BLM ANTIFA a pass....
You said what I want "also aligns with what would make CPC/Xi happy." What exactly do you think I want? Lay it all out for me in simple declarative sentences like I'm a sixth grader.
Marine as well, this little dust up has advanced the remodeling of the Avenger systems, using 30 mm auto cannon and missiles on a Humvee.
Back when the military was sold on air superiority all the time prior to down sizing everything they disbanded the Avengers, My Brother was in an Avenger/LAAD desert Storm, they told them to not shoot anything, we had air superiority, then placed his unit on a hill overlooking a tank battle.
I have great respect for what is left of the Royal Navy. Among the most professional and well informed officers I ever worked with. The ones I knew had infinitely greater resolve than their senior leadership. I'd go to war with those guys any day.
Nothing that cannot be solved with more maternity flight suits, although modular, multi-mission, backward-compatible diaper changing stations would be a useful addition to the fleet (did I get the terminology right?)
Commercials are OK, but they could have been better.
They should show what the RN does - defeating pirates, smugglers, terrorists, evil doers etc. defending This Royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, etc. and shown the Union Jack waving in wind.
Another ad could feature all those who went before - Drake, Nelson, Fisher, Jellicoe, Beatty, Mountbatten, etc. Nothing like being part of something greater.
Before celebrating lets assess the level they've had to perform at. What, exactly, are our ships shooting at? Are the 'ballistic missiles' actually unguided artillery rockets with almost no chance of hitting anything? Are the 'drones' cheap foam aeroshapes with Harbor Freight quality engines? Or, are we defeating Harpoon or Sizzler caliber threats?
Iran knows the answer.
So does your USN but wonder why they won't tell us lol
I'd say if it flies it dies scenario.
Likely what they are doing by establishing a MEZ, FEZ, JEZ. “Whisky” has their hands full.
Shhhh! Too many questions, peasant. Just sit back, pay your taxes, and do as you are told.
Exchange RCN for RN. It’s even worse up here.
Thank the Trudeaus for emasculating the RCN.
RCN kept England afloat in 1940. Now, it couldn't defend PEI.
Man for man the Canadian Forces are among the finest in the world, but there are just not enough of them.
Doing the most with the least - and has since at least before WWI
A shame the government wont give them the tools
The arc of "empires" tends to historically repeat thru history, not in the details but in the rise and decline their influence in the world. Many lessons to be learned from the arc of the UK. Pointed out to my boss 15 years ago that they had (at that time) eighteen (18!!) surface combatants, and were in the process of becoming an irrelevant land force due to budget cuts. Trend continued for the UK and here we are today examining our own situation. Recruiting? Force acquisition? Logistics supportability? Force projection ability? Military support to diplomacy? Perhaps the question to ask is what would we do differently if we were deliberately trying to reduce our influence on the world stage? Casual glance says we wouldn't do much differently at all...Happy Monday...)-:
Roger that. Decline is, indeed, a choice.
The dilution of the truly British population by unchecked immigration has sapped the spirit of the prior generations. No wonder they can’t find the manpower necessary to man their ships. Probably not going to see a huge group of recruits among that rabble.
You have to ask yourself why a Navy that once dominated the globe cannot find enough sailors to man its few remaining ships.
The answer is obvious.
The Marxist claptrap has infected the British soul. Children are told that their entire history is nothing but exploitation, oppression and slavery. And if you say otherwise you can be arrested.
Would you fight for king and country if believing in non-woke concepts could land you in jail?
Worse, we are only a little ways behind the UK on the way to Niagara.
LinkedIn to the rescue!
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/royal-navy-job-linkedin-b2473868.html
"Navy chiefs posted the advertisement for the £150,000-a-year rear-admiral position on LinkedIn in December as it struggled to fill the role internally.
It comes as former defence secretary Ben Wallace warned Britain’s armed forces were facing a recruitment crisis because Generation Z was not signing up."
Why should they if they believe England is no better than Yemen and the Magna Carta is no better than the HAMAS Charter?
£ $150k?
Can I do it remotely?
^ Probably so, but you'll still need the jab and the booster.
"I would like you to join me in a little game of looking sideways at what I see as not chickens coming home to roost, but vultures."
- CDR Salamander, 10 February 2010
Royal Navy forced to recruit for tob (sic) job on social media
Alexander Butler
Friday 05 January 2024
:(
I have a serious question for the back porch community.
Is this advertisement a hoax?
I sincerely cannot understand why this advertisement was published.
In my experience, this billet would be filled by the most senior man in the community pipeline. If he is unable/unwilling/not-confirmable, it goes to the number 2 or 3 man, and the most senior man retires.
If there is no confidence in the top 3 men in the pipeline, a discrete telephone call to the last man who held the job before retirement, or even the man before him, will fill the billet.
The reason we have a chain of command is "one-up, one-down." Every one of us must be fully qualified and capable of performing the duties of the man we report to, and also the duties of the men who report to us.
Full disclosure - I retired when I no longer had the physical capability to perform the job of the men who reported to me. I could not do their job under sleep deprivation. My mind was still good, but my body was tired.
I could still do the job of the man above me, but not the jobs of the men below me in the chain of command. My men deserved better leadership, and I put in my letter.
According to the Express it is real.
https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1852614/Navy-using-linkedin-to-recruit
"No serving sailors are suitable to replace Rear-Admiral Simon Asquith, the current Director of Submarines, and the Navy has turned to the professional networking site to find his successor."
"Defence sources claim Navy bosses hope to attract or a retired officer who commanded submarines during their career. They hope they would then be able to take over the £150,000-a-year role.
The advertisement said candidates must be a member of the reserves or have previously served in the Armed Forces. If chose then would be responsible for "highly classified stealth, elite operations and Trident, our nuclear deterrent”."
"Prime Minister Rishi Sunak last year announced plans to make it easier to "zigzag" between the Armed Forces and Civil Service to retain top staff. It comes as the Armed Forces are experiencing a recruitment crisis, with the Navy hit hardest."
Sorry Flight ER Doc, it looks like they intend drag some chum out of retirement.
I still cannot understand why or how this position was advertised publicly.
Submariners are a relatively small community.
Everyone knows everyone else, and no one from outside the community will ever gain the trust or respect needed to perform the job.
They could easily "drag some chum out of retirement," with a discrete telephone call.
Something is just not right here.
Are you getting a heavy whiff of HR involvement in the background like I am?
Actually, Dale, I am getting a heavy whiff of attempt to destroy western civilization. Civilian jobs get advertised, military jobs are chosen internally. The only way that we in the chain of command can trust our leaders to make life or death decisions is to have them pass through our system internally. Kind of like a biological system, with cells and antibodies. Advertising a high level military job on Linked-in is an attempt to poison the organism.
It’s worse than that. It also means they are not producing or are incapable of producing a pipeline of successor officers to promote to command. It’s spiral development… down.
Twenty years. We seem to trend about 20 years behind.
Personnel Shortage At U.S. Coast Guard Sinks 10 Cutters, 29 Stations
https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2023/11/02/personnel-shortage-at-us-coast-guard-sinks-10-cutters-29-stations/
The Coasties must be tracking in real time.
The technical term for this right here is 🐂💩 on stilts …
"The cuts, coming as the Coast Guard has, according to Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Linda Fagan, “never been in greater demand around the world,” will hurt, but leaders were quick to assure the realignment will not cause a decay in existing Search and Rescue capabilities."
Platitudes and lies.
Perhaps the USCG should not be deployed to the ME, or on drug suppression patrols along the S. America coast?
See here, you whippersnapper. That's crazy talk. Harrumph.
Really, never greater demand?This women knows nothing about history
If we are lucky.
If you want to give an accurate depiction of English history you have to deal with the fact that most of it is exploitation, oppression and slavery.
I'm not really interested why Great Britain is failing, I'm just glad to see it go. I'm looking forward to visiting the EU's next member nation, independent Cornwall.
Then you wont be too upset when the mobs toss copies of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton, Macaulay, Locke, Hume, Dickens, Conan Doyle, Tolkien, etc. in the bonfires.
“To be ignorant of history is to remain child forever.”
You can have great artists and still have a society based on exploitation, oppression and slavery. You can also declare independence from a King without burning books. We fought a revolution, while still reading the Bard.
Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can peacefully cast off the chains of oppression and become citizens instead of subjects.
Sigh.
"Cornwall, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland can peacefully cast off the chains of oppression and become citizens instead of subjects. "
Where do you get this stuff Tom?
You should check the refund policy.
"We fought a revolution, while still reading the Bard." You won't after the next revolution because it will be marxist. Mao will replace that pasty white racist tool of colonial oppression. Empires aren't committees, granted, but weigh the lasting effects against their sins. We are speaking in plain English, after all.
Dude. The UK is the nation that led the international effort to end slavery. Don’t be so clueless Tom.
I think that make Britain worse, not better. After they got rich from selling slaves to the US, they decide slavery is wrong. There is nothing worse than taking the moral high ground when you created the problem. It's easy to sit in London or Boston, and condemn some poor southern slob trying to stay alive by using the product you sold him.
You do realize that slavery was a global phenomenon at the time don't you? The UK was leading the world in changing from an institution that was with us from the dawn of history ... or are you ill-read?
Just finished David McCullagh’s De Valera, Volume 1: Rise, 1882-1932.
You don’t erase the history of being slave trader to the world by making a quick turn, after filling your coffers with the profits of 800 years of selling slaves to the Americas.
Some folks like the English, others have family in Ireland.
"800 years of selling slaves to the Americas. "
Jeebus Tom! 800 years!??
Again, where do you find this Orwellian BS?
https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/the-slave-trade-and-abolition/sites-of-memory/slave-traders-and-plantation-wealth/britain-and-the-slave-trade/
John Lok is the first recorded Englishman to have taken enslaved people from Africa. In 1555 he brought five enslaved people from Guinea to England. William Towerson, a London trader, also captured people to be enslaved during his voyages from Plymouth to Africa between 1556 and 1557.
Despite the earlier involvement of Lok and Towerson, John Hawkins (from 1532 to 1595) of Plymouth is acknowledged as the pioneer of the English slave trade.
From 1562 onwards he made three voyages to Sierra Leone from where he transported 1,200 inhabitants to Hispaniola and St Domingue - present day Dominican Republic and Haiti. Hawkins' voyages were the beginnings of the triangular slave trade between England, Africa and the New World of the Caribbean and Americas.
And it was the Portuguese who were the worst offenders (Don't forget the Dutch...And for that matter, predating the Europeans, the Arab slavers...)
https://ldhi.library.cofc.edu/exhibits/show/african_laborers_for_a_new_emp/launching_the_portuguese_slave
The British Commonwealth became slave free in 1833, but that was only for chattel slavery....the plight of the colonials (Indians, Jamaicans, Africans, etc) was technically not chattel slavery - but that was a distinction without a difference.
Further the Brits were quite happy with that, and even the RN was of indifferent assiduousness in stopping slavers - some ship captains did, some didn't, but either way the outcome was VERY bad for the slaves - they were usually forced overboard while still chained before the warship got close.
“In 1833, Britain used 40% of its national budget to buy freedom for all slaves in the Empire. Britain borrowed such a large sum of money for the Slavery Abolition Act that it wasn’t paid off until 2015,”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/factcheck/2020/06/30/fact-check-u-k-paid-off-debts-slave-owning-families-2015/3283908001/
A much needed and deserved recognition. The DDG crews have been busy destroying all the flying junk of those Houthi thugs, all the time Washington was waiting to teach them the fear of God and the fear of the US Navy. BZ to them and shame to the establishment, as usual.
Concur; but wish they were able to expend more gunpowder and less missile fuel, so to speak. To the uneducated (me), it seems the five-inch gun would make a terrific shotgun when loaded with drone-shot.
Yeah! amen to that! These defensive operations are economically ruinous, but I think the Navy wants to ensure the destruction of the targets without margin for error. Perhaps the doctrine for the use of the Mk45 gun in drones is not mature enough to be used in real operations. In any case, they should think of something to save missiles. Maybe a really serious airstrike in the Houthis' backyard. I mean something really hard, not what was done last week. In the long run it would be cheaper than shooting down $20,000 drones with missiles and with the benefit of a nice message to Iran: "remember Gothic Serpent!"
Short of nuclear it is almost impossible to destroy a country from the air. Gaza is the exception because it is a crowded city. And we can't make the bombs or missiles or cruise missiles fast enough.
There are not enough machinists or tool and die men to even start. And nobody with blue hair or a man bun are going to even try.
We're inviting disaster.
No offense. But, most likely we've transitioned into awaiting the disaster.
Concur. The invitation has been accepted.
Perhaps one less Queen Elizabeth carrier to allow for a more capable surface force? Oh well, spilt milk.
John T Kuehn
CDR USN (retired)
Speaking of shallow magazines it’s estimated we only have 3500 ish Block IV and V tomahawks left. The US Navy fired close to 80 this past couple of weeks. We don’t have stockpiles to fit every USN tube and we don’t plan to replenish at sea as a matter of operational doctrine. Basically our leadership has decided that when a ship goes into the yards her mags will be transferred to a ship on her way to work ups and deployment. Same thing the carriers do with the off deployment carrier and the on deck carrier. This is irresponsible and is demonstrative that the navy has its priorities totally fucked up. Can’t fight a war with China if our magazines are empty and no way to refill them. Having a single source provider is also retarded.
The MIC folks knew what they were doing in the massive mergers over the past decade or so. One of the results of the M&A frenzy was eliminating the competition, aka Single Source Provider. What could go wrong?
Whistling past the graveyard.
I don't expect another Revolt of the Admirals, though perhaps something reminiscent of that event.
I doubt that a "Revolt of the Admirals" is in the cards. Starting back at least to the Clinton years the scythe started swinging to weed out the non-believers and made way for the Milleys and Vindmans to rise toward the top. The "Seven Days in May" event occurred during the last administration - " Hey General Wong. This is Milley. I'll give you a heads-up if that crazy man in charge says anything you and I don't like.".
Good thing Orange Man was ousted otherwise we would be bogged down in wars around the globe.
Well, given their only customer told them to merge...
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/business/1997/07/04/how-a-dinner-led-to-a-feeding-frenzy/13961ba2-5908-4992-8335-c3c087cdebc6/
The frenzy of defense industry mergers can be traced to 1993, when then-Deputy Defense Secretary William Perry invited executives to dinner. At an event now referred to as "the last supper," Perry urged them to combine into a few, larger companies because Pentagon budget cuts would endanger at least half the combat jet firms, missile makers, satellite builders and other contractors represented at the dinner that night.
Perry's warnings helped set off one of the fastest transformations of any modern U.S. industry, as about a dozen leading American military contractors folded into only four. And soon it's likely only three will remain, with Lockheed Martin Corp.'s announcement yesterday that it plans to buy Northrop Grumman Corp. for $11.6 billion.
So, as a minor counterpoint, over the entire history of the Tomahawk program we've expended about 3,000 missiles between tests and combat usage (from Desert Storm onward). So, in that sense, our TLAM inventory is about as healthy as it's ever been. I'm somewhat heartened by the fact that we've kept the new-build production line open; about 5-6 years ago, the plan had been to stop producing new missiles and covert the production line into the Blk IV recertification line. It seems that we were able to find the money to do both, which is a preferable solution obviously. Expanding our stock of TLAM is a bit problematic in a number of areas. For example, what is never talked about is that we simply don't have the shoreside magazine space to store a whole lot more than the few thousand all-up rounds (AURs) that we have now; turns out that magazines built for WWII-era bombs are not well suited to the efficient storage of TLAM AURs and other VLS-capable weapons. Another thing to consider; out of all the ways we could spend additional WPN funding, there are probably more pressing needs. Unless we assume an across the board boost, which I think is unlikely short of a hot war with China, then tradeoffs will have to be made and I think that the stocks of things like SM-6, RAM, and ESSM are probably in much worse health than TLAM's inventory numbers.
WHat a pathetic excuse "not enough space". If this were given by Russia or PLA for not having sufficient reloads, you'd be laughing at them (rightly so)
In many hundreds of ammo bunkers I've worked in, almost none were climate controlled. Other than that there are probably thousands of empty bunkers in the country that could be used. Great for dumb, iron bombs, not so much for anything with electronics or any climate sensitive parts- certainly not long term.
So the USA lacks capabilty to build climate controlled warehouses!?? I am laughing at you if this is your dumb excuse.
Sure, we can build all we need. They do not currently exist. That was the thread.
Don't the missiles ship in sealed transport/launch containers rated for storage in ammo bunkers for years?
I do not know.
No space? There are weapons storage facilities across the US that are not full - and there are such that have been sold off in the last 30 years...
There is room - perhaps not alongside the pier, but there is room
There are apparently hundreds of empty bunkers at Sierra Army Depot.
...and Hawthorne
All the ammo at Sierra went to Hawthorne a decade or two ago due to BRAC. So all the bunkers there are empty unless someone is storing something else there, and I'm not sure what that would be. Or even what you can store there. Though since Hawthorne has bunkers full of mercury flasks I guess there are things you can put in bunkers other then stuff that goes boom.
Sierra is like the airplane boneyard at Davis-Monthan but instead for vehicles, particularly tanks and other armored vehicles. Also handles inventorying of Army's Prepositioned Stocks, and according to wikipedia...has all the tooling and jigs for the F-22.
Wrong.
So if I were the PLA, I wouldn't have much to worry about, would I?
Nota bene, this isn’t new with the Houthis. Remember when USS Nitze took out a couple of radar sites in Yemen in 2016? Pepperidge Farms remembers. We haven’t really got too far down that road have we.
The USN is missing a fantastic opportunity to recruit SWO’s and enlisted surface Sailors. Why not tell the story of what our navy is doing and why and tie in the Decatur legends to the purpose of what we are doing today; keeping sea lanes open, and fighting pirates. This is one of our sworn and primary missions. This sells itself. It’s adventurous, it’s meaningful, it’s validating. Where is Franchetti? The world wonders…
" Where is Franchetti? The world wonders… "
Honchoing the Ma'am-bun Conference, while sporting the latest Naval Enterprise clothing line...
https://www.dvidshub.net/image/8194695/cno-franchetti-speaks-women-navy-networking-breakfast-surface-navy-association-national-symposium
Priorities!
Dress Code
Attendees (Active Duty/Reservist in Uniform): Khakis or SDBs are appropriate for all events EXCEPT the Banquet on Thursday evening. Banquet is Service Dress Blues with ribbons. https://navysnaevents.org/national-symposium/
Was speaking to the SWO leather jacket ( a manifestation of the "everybody gets a trophy" syndrome)...Again, emblematic of the balkanized Communities that make up the current US "Naval Enterprise".
The SWO Leather Jacket, what a joke. Perhaps the SWO community and those that supported the leather jacket "get a trophy" group can push for an accompanying maroon beret. Go woke or go broke.
A beret!?! A true SWO wears a black watch cap; folded twice and over the ears.
The SWO jacket is the green foul weather jacket. Leather is for folks to soft to stand in the rain for four hours.
Well. No. Tom... Perhaps in your era, but not now.
On what ship would a SWO stand a 4 hour watch in the rain these days anyway?
https://news.usni.org/2020/01/09/navy-message-authorizing-swo-leather-jacket.
One that doesn't crash into other ships, or run aground?
Wasn't going to comment until I read your link, Sid. Feel absolutely compelled to now...Gr-r-r-r! OPNAVINST 10126.5 was non-inclusive AF, made no provision for brother Line CWO's and LDO's who had been welcomed with open arms into the SWO community after passing their board and getting pinned as I had been as a 7121 & 6121. Was never into leather...realize now that I never had a fetish for it like Vito Spatafore did. Always made do in any weather with a blue or khaki working jacket but understanding your rhetorical question: A SWO OOD who'd go to the bridgewing to clear a turn, to get a look-see at what the lookout might or might not report and to check for bearing drift. Cold rain down the back of my neck combined with caffeine kept me alert. Happiest years of my life.
The SWO leather jacket is emblematic of a decision-maker that's not been out to sea in a VERY long-time. We're in an era of advanced textiles and assembly methods, where sailors are regularly making round-the-world trips, and living in the extremes of the weather spectrum wearing modern apparel designs YET, a LEATHER jacket, is what gets trotted-out as a badge of identification(?) for SWO's.
The Coast Guard (!) not only do they have a more appropriate working uniform, but their outerwear is more appropriate.
"Sailor" and "USN" are not synonymous corsair.
The single most recognizable character the general tax paying citizen associates with the Navy says it most succinctly...
https://youtu.be/IXuszu8V1Xc?si=Nkit_G17j445IiS9&t=25
(note the color of the jacket Tom...)
Maverick is no different than the average USAF sunglassed green suiter... And he isn't interested in reforging the now lost distinction.
Fact follows Fiction (especially when its underwritten with $$$$ for the messaging).
How many O-4 and below 1310/20's know of Towers, Bellinger, and Rodgers, and how they spliced fast the realms of the Aero and Nautical?
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1987/april/voyage-nc-3
https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM10083
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2019/february/ten-days-lost-sea-first-flight-and-voyage-hawaii
https://www.rarenewspapers.com/view/647839
My only point is leather has no place onboard ship unless it's upholstery or on an attache case, that leather bomber/flight looking jacket for ship drivers just doesn't fit the job, the position or, the look.
Franchetti has said and written some good things. I will judge her by her actions. Awaiting "proof of concept" now, should not be long.
Missing my point. The actions in the Red Sea comport with her “guidance”. She is missing the opportunity to tell the US Navy story to an unknowing and ignorant congress and citizenry.
I'm often guilty of doing so, absolutely obtuse at times I'm afraid. Agree that we are missing an excellent PR opportunity. CVN-69, its CO & XO (both savvy & active in social media) provide her with a solid lead-in on our Leaders and the troops.
I'd like for us to be much more aggressive against the Houthis (and Iran) though I'm sure that the White House has limited what our military can do. Her actions against the woke Marxist BS (CRT, DEI, BLM, etc.) will tell the tale of her commitment to making our Navy strong again.
Tell John Kirby. He was a PAO.
I know he was. He also used to be honorable. The less I or America has to hear from Kirby the better off both of us are.
Jesus.... I hafta think that instead of a "networking breakfast", all these folks couldve been out on the range...from the pistol range to the missile range. Learning how to be a better warfighter, shiphandler, firefighter...whatever. We waste waaay to much damn time on everything BUT being a better USN sailor. Its beyond stupid.
Why not just go to the gym with your navy sword and work on getting some very cool duellierende Narben? This look but without the baggage. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/thumbs/otto-skorzeny-2.jpg
Follow the USMC example. The Marine's are the only service to meet their recruiting target. I was thinking of the Marines on my way back from the Vet this morning. If a Marine allows his rifle to get rusty, what is the reaction of his Chain of Command? Pretty damned sharp and to the point and the lesson is learned. We should be that aggressive on Captains that let their ship get rusty. Same quick response and serious consequence from their CoC. If their CoC doesn't keep a sharp eye on the ships, fire the first Flag in the CoC.
EPA has hamstrung many well intentioned commanders. Can’t even get white out in the supply chain.
The DEI Directorate has plenty of White Out.
Well played, and too true.
Lol
Perhaps if a few senior officers would put their rank on the table in public protest? Or, instead they, like most in the civilian Federal bureaucracy they choose to go along to get along.
A powerful navy isn't very useful to the crypto-communists running DC. Their aim is to destroy America, and along with it to crush people like us. A weak navy will ensure global chaos and economic destruction here, which the commies regard as desirable.
What they want is a woke, weak military that's useful for domestic suppression of normal people. A navy is irrelevant to that strategic goal.
Or perhaps more relevant if they can dump all the money into a fleet instead of an army garrison. But I see your point. Look south to the other banana republics for proof.
A few years ago I would have called you a conspiracy nut. But seeing that the DOJ is still pursuing 1/6 people even if they were just wandering aimlessly in the Rotunda taking selfies and labeling them as violent terrorists, but giving BLM ANTIFA a pass....
Lets not ignore the insurrection that happened yesterday when terrorist sympathizers (literally) stormed the WH fence and damaged it.
How many have been arrested?
Zero. Did you really have to ask? Burning Looting and Murder is OK if it’s in the name of social justice.
I agree with you. Interesting your views align with the PRC :P
I'm describing the DC swamp's worldview and goals. Not mine. I freakin' hate commies.
You say you hate communists, so how come what you want also aligns with what would make CPC/Xi happy?
You would say America shouldn't be involved in the ME and focus at home? CPC/Xi agrees with you :)
You said what I want "also aligns with what would make CPC/Xi happy." What exactly do you think I want? Lay it all out for me in simple declarative sentences like I'm a sixth grader.
This ought to be entertaining.
Speak up.
The CPC thanks you for your service. However it's best to not communicate further on this platform.
America against America.
Marine as well, this little dust up has advanced the remodeling of the Avenger systems, using 30 mm auto cannon and missiles on a Humvee.
Back when the military was sold on air superiority all the time prior to down sizing everything they disbanded the Avengers, My Brother was in an Avenger/LAAD desert Storm, they told them to not shoot anything, we had air superiority, then placed his unit on a hill overlooking a tank battle.
I have great respect for what is left of the Royal Navy. Among the most professional and well informed officers I ever worked with. The ones I knew had infinitely greater resolve than their senior leadership. I'd go to war with those guys any day.
Sort of like us. Great folks on the front lines (see CVN-69 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower esp. CO, XO and DDG-64 USS Carney).
Absolutely, without a doubt.
Nothing that cannot be solved with more maternity flight suits, although modular, multi-mission, backward-compatible diaper changing stations would be a useful addition to the fleet (did I get the terminology right?)
Nice, slick RN recruiting ads. At least someone is getting paid.
https://www.youtube.com/@RoyalNavyRecruitment/videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=27EZWUmsh9s
Commercials are OK, but they could have been better.
They should show what the RN does - defeating pirates, smugglers, terrorists, evil doers etc. defending This Royal throne of kings, this scepter'd isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, etc. and shown the Union Jack waving in wind.
Another ad could feature all those who went before - Drake, Nelson, Fisher, Jellicoe, Beatty, Mountbatten, etc. Nothing like being part of something greater.
It's not like the US Navy recruiting ads are better. In fact, many are even less impressive. https://www.youtube.com/@americasnavy/videos
Wonderful.
I do have to say that I like that the Polish Naval Academy recruiting video doesn't show ships with rust streaking down their sides.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpJh0vDpljE
At 01:27 in the video that looks like my old ship, FFG-9, that I served on 1982-1986. Big smile to see her still going strong.
I'm sure she is in good hands.
Lots of ships without rust in the RAN recruiting video too.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7ilSWqFIE8
Following the RNs logic, having only 2 ships would be best! One to float, and one to fix.
We are seeing the world change. And lest we forget.
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46780/recessional