CDR Sal, you are like the concerned doctor telling the patient (the U.S) "I have really bad news". You see that guy over there (the UK)? He is on the same arc of history that you are. He had an empire and a great navy. Not anymore. He now is losing his homeland, culture and demographics to poorly managed uncontrolled immigration (redundant, sorry) AND a failure to take responsibility for the required investment in the common defense. You are heading down the same trajectory unless you change your bad habits."
We're mothballing ships because we can't get anyone to work on them. To (mis) quote Dean Wormer "Fat, stoned, and virtue signaling is no way to go thru life son." We are reaping the "benefits" of telling our younger generations that their country is not worth defending. Correlation is not causality BUT it can be, and sometimes it is. You invest in what you value. Our educational system has taught our young folk to NOT value their nation. We are now reaping the "fruits" of that labor. Keep pointing it out, you are on target.
Britain is also the land of Magna Carta yet Labour under Sir Keir Starmer was able to arrest, try and sentence protesters in less time than it takes me to get a hold of my lawyer.
He acted more like Sir Oswald Mosley than Sir Thomas More.
The more inept a government is the more intolerant and oppressive it becomes. Why would anyone want to fight for King and Country?
Lots of young folks value the nation. Lots of kids enlist. The problem is, we abuse them. We run them as hard as the ships, and they break down as often. Sea duty is punishing. Modern sea duty is worse. We put kids are on carriers where they get no liberty, they are never in port. Small boys are worse, they steam past liberty ports. The lack of liberty calls for the current navy is a disgrace.
The Navy needs to focus on retention. We have to give sailors meaningful, and lengthy tours ashore. We should look at the family housing on bases; decent accommodations for the families of sailors is as essential to the nation’s defense as bombs and guns. Whatever BuPers is today should be designing career paths where sailors don’t have to move; assigned to bases where their families live in good safe neighborhoods, at our expense.
It’s not DEI that drives folks away from re-enlisting as much as a crushing workload, and the inability to have a family. Kids at the end of an enlistment look at he situation, with no relief in sight, and as Lenin said, “vote with their feet.” The need for new sailors would be much less acute were we not driving the ones we have out.
Lack of quality liberty ports is a big deal (Souda Bay or Djibouti don't count) for sailor retention. We hit a dozen quality liberty ports each deployment. Not so much any more.
When only 1% of a nation of some 330 million chose to pick up arms and serve their nation selflessly and little concern for their own comfort and pleasure, coupled with a state and federal governance officaldom, which is fleckless and selfish, one can expect to see the downward spiral continue. Where the flat spin ends is anyone’s guess but unless you train an aviator to get into a spin and then out of one, it’s likely the outcomes will be negative.
Only 1% choose to enlist, but the pool of people qualified for military service has shrunken more than we like to admit.
In 2016 less than one in three 17-24 year olds were qualified for military service. In 2020 that number was down to 23%, less than one in four is eligible.
So, 77% are ineligible due to obesity or other physical failures, drug use, criminal history, education drop outs, etc. We have already lowered standards so that "dumb as a rock" can qualify, but experience has shown that those folks are more trouble, less trainable than they are worth.
Wokeism is also turning off recruits and those who used to recommend military service.
In addition to the overwork, underpaid, underappreciated lifestyle and lack of liberty ports to compensate for any of that.
Tough to recruit under those conditions, on top of family life issues, etc, when we are being told our country is evil oppressors, etc.
The decline of the UK in all respects - not just the Royal Navy - should serve as a warning to the US.
If you want to know what the US will look like after it continues policies of endless wars, open borders, de industrialization, and Marxist wokeism then look no further than the pitiful UK.
The Brit Empire no longer exists for many reason, but two of them can be found in the idiots that took the Brits into WW1, then WW2. They crushed themselves.
$36Trillion in debt, adding $3Billion to it every day. It is no longer a matter of should we be a maritime empire enforcer of freedom on the high seas; it is now a matter of can we afford to be?
“In total, net interest payments will total $12.9 trillion over the next decade. Relative to the size of the economy, interest will rise from 3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal year 2025 to 4.1 percent in 2034. The previous high for interest relative to GDP in the post-World War II era was 3.2 percent in 1991 — that ratio would now be exceeded in 2025.”
This suggests that the interest payments on the national debt over the next decade may exceed the DoD budget over the same period, depending on the outcome of each year’s budget or, more likely, CR process.
Then the ships can return to the USS and RN designators.
The issue at hand for both the RFA and the MSC is the overall poor pay and crap policies that they've had to work with. Prof Sal Mercogliano and Gcaptain have covered this extensively.
Anyone remember the late 60s around the time of the proposed Lester E. Hubbell Pay Plan? As I recall, it was around the late 60s, just before a big hike in military pay in 1970. There was a murmur of dissatisfaction amongst sailors, more than a few of which were the "FTN" types who were serving only after receiving their draft notices and opting for a not boots-on-the-ground job. Lord, I remember being a 19 year old boy LPO playing cat herder to college men who'd partied too hard and ended up with invitations to join the Army. There was talk at the deck plate level of forming a union. It was, in my judgment, a noxious notion. Congress thought so too, so that idea went nowhere. Unions have no place in national defense but the contrarian nature of Americans and the necessity of desperate measures to sometimes keep a sinking ship afloat can make you hold your nose when you have to plug a hole with your finger. Without a sense of self-preservation and a will to do service involving sacrifice, we are screwed. That is so because it seems that even throwing a little token money on top of DEI incentives at our recruiting problem isn't working.
Folks here were down on the skipper of the McCain, but, this is a very troubling article. Allegedly, we now depend on non-Navy tecs for repair, and the Navy would not pay to have them go to sea and fix the rudders.
Well, you comment the US and Brits are friends. I say let the brits float off like the map of NE USA in that Goldwater election ad. If their head non-king person threatens to extradite US private citizens and prosecute same for criticism of Brit actions, I am all for serving the Brits divorce papers on that "long term special relationship" we have been instructed to have for them. I dont plan to ever go there again.....their food is terrible for openers.
Art 1 Sec 8 of the US Constitution say "provide and maintain a Navy". In 1795 after our founding, the Congress authorized 6 frigates, all whose exploits most of us we are familiar with. Population was 3.9 million roughly. Today we have 345 million citizens. Extrapolation of budget and needs says Our Navy should be roughly 528 frigates or bettter. Just a thought.....
ADM Hyman Rickover, USN: "The art of war is the art of the logistically feasible."
The US Navy is trending downward in what is logistically feasible. Too late we will discover that wars are won with substance —not style.
Naval Reactors has long ago exhausted Rickover’s fumes and is no longer immune to the DEI virus.
One of the reasons I retired when I did.
Times are sad for the RN indeed.
P.S. typo - UK population is approx 69 mil
yes, as written they were only slightly worse on a pop/ship basis rather than twice as bad
CDR Sal, you are like the concerned doctor telling the patient (the U.S) "I have really bad news". You see that guy over there (the UK)? He is on the same arc of history that you are. He had an empire and a great navy. Not anymore. He now is losing his homeland, culture and demographics to poorly managed uncontrolled immigration (redundant, sorry) AND a failure to take responsibility for the required investment in the common defense. You are heading down the same trajectory unless you change your bad habits."
We're mothballing ships because we can't get anyone to work on them. To (mis) quote Dean Wormer "Fat, stoned, and virtue signaling is no way to go thru life son." We are reaping the "benefits" of telling our younger generations that their country is not worth defending. Correlation is not causality BUT it can be, and sometimes it is. You invest in what you value. Our educational system has taught our young folk to NOT value their nation. We are now reaping the "fruits" of that labor. Keep pointing it out, you are on target.
Well stated. Thank you.
Britain is also the land of Magna Carta yet Labour under Sir Keir Starmer was able to arrest, try and sentence protesters in less time than it takes me to get a hold of my lawyer.
He acted more like Sir Oswald Mosley than Sir Thomas More.
The more inept a government is the more intolerant and oppressive it becomes. Why would anyone want to fight for King and Country?
And released gobs of actual criminals to make room for the protestors.
Lots of young folks value the nation. Lots of kids enlist. The problem is, we abuse them. We run them as hard as the ships, and they break down as often. Sea duty is punishing. Modern sea duty is worse. We put kids are on carriers where they get no liberty, they are never in port. Small boys are worse, they steam past liberty ports. The lack of liberty calls for the current navy is a disgrace.
The Navy needs to focus on retention. We have to give sailors meaningful, and lengthy tours ashore. We should look at the family housing on bases; decent accommodations for the families of sailors is as essential to the nation’s defense as bombs and guns. Whatever BuPers is today should be designing career paths where sailors don’t have to move; assigned to bases where their families live in good safe neighborhoods, at our expense.
It’s not DEI that drives folks away from re-enlisting as much as a crushing workload, and the inability to have a family. Kids at the end of an enlistment look at he situation, with no relief in sight, and as Lenin said, “vote with their feet.” The need for new sailors would be much less acute were we not driving the ones we have out.
There are also little things that drive sailors out - like a CO who won’t give out any medals despite having a chest full of his own.
This is where I'd put the picture of Ike.
Medals, even going to someone else raises everyone's morale.
Lack of quality liberty ports is a big deal (Souda Bay or Djibouti don't count) for sailor retention. We hit a dozen quality liberty ports each deployment. Not so much any more.
Even when liberty ports are included in the deployment, the FOGOs worry about adverse publicity if our sailors do something stupid.
"Rule Britannia, rule the waves, Britons never will be slaves" has died, been buried, and its memory tossed in the rubbish bin of history.
We may well be in this coming fight alone.
They may not be slaves, but they certainly will sell them.
We are witnessing the last gasping breaths of what little remains of the British Empire.
Hope the Chinese don't want to extend their empire past the 2nd island chain?
When only 1% of a nation of some 330 million chose to pick up arms and serve their nation selflessly and little concern for their own comfort and pleasure, coupled with a state and federal governance officaldom, which is fleckless and selfish, one can expect to see the downward spiral continue. Where the flat spin ends is anyone’s guess but unless you train an aviator to get into a spin and then out of one, it’s likely the outcomes will be negative.
Only 1% choose to enlist, but the pool of people qualified for military service has shrunken more than we like to admit.
In 2016 less than one in three 17-24 year olds were qualified for military service. In 2020 that number was down to 23%, less than one in four is eligible.
So, 77% are ineligible due to obesity or other physical failures, drug use, criminal history, education drop outs, etc. We have already lowered standards so that "dumb as a rock" can qualify, but experience has shown that those folks are more trouble, less trainable than they are worth.
Wokeism is also turning off recruits and those who used to recommend military service.
In addition to the overwork, underpaid, underappreciated lifestyle and lack of liberty ports to compensate for any of that.
Tough to recruit under those conditions, on top of family life issues, etc, when we are being told our country is evil oppressors, etc.
https://www.navytimes.com/news/your-navy/2024/09/11/how-a-sailor-shortage-is-crippling-ship-maintenance-at-sea/
Insufficient pay can’t be the cause of the shortage. Sailors are driving $70k vehicles
Eh, given the level of judgement many people show toward their vehicle purchases, there may be an unhealthy debt level there.
The decline of the UK in all respects - not just the Royal Navy - should serve as a warning to the US.
If you want to know what the US will look like after it continues policies of endless wars, open borders, de industrialization, and Marxist wokeism then look no further than the pitiful UK.
The Brit Empire no longer exists for many reason, but two of them can be found in the idiots that took the Brits into WW1, then WW2. They crushed themselves.
The RFA status vice population is worse than you state: the population of Britain is actually 69 million.
Learn Chinese.
💯
$36Trillion in debt, adding $3Billion to it every day. It is no longer a matter of should we be a maritime empire enforcer of freedom on the high seas; it is now a matter of can we afford to be?
“In total, net interest payments will total $12.9 trillion over the next decade. Relative to the size of the economy, interest will rise from 3.4 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in fiscal year 2025 to 4.1 percent in 2034. The previous high for interest relative to GDP in the post-World War II era was 3.2 percent in 1991 — that ratio would now be exceeded in 2025.”
This suggests that the interest payments on the national debt over the next decade may exceed the DoD budget over the same period, depending on the outcome of each year’s budget or, more likely, CR process.
https://www.pgpf.org/blog/2024/08/what-is-the-national-debt-costing-us#:~:text=The%20Congressional%20Budget%20Office%20(CBO,to%20%241.7%20trillion%20in%202034.
Yet another example of why unions should have no place in national defense.
Then the ships can return to the USS and RN designators.
The issue at hand for both the RFA and the MSC is the overall poor pay and crap policies that they've had to work with. Prof Sal Mercogliano and Gcaptain have covered this extensively.
I have no issues with fair pay for CIVMARs. Like police, fire and the a rmed forces, however, they should not be able to strike.
Anyone remember the late 60s around the time of the proposed Lester E. Hubbell Pay Plan? As I recall, it was around the late 60s, just before a big hike in military pay in 1970. There was a murmur of dissatisfaction amongst sailors, more than a few of which were the "FTN" types who were serving only after receiving their draft notices and opting for a not boots-on-the-ground job. Lord, I remember being a 19 year old boy LPO playing cat herder to college men who'd partied too hard and ended up with invitations to join the Army. There was talk at the deck plate level of forming a union. It was, in my judgment, a noxious notion. Congress thought so too, so that idea went nowhere. Unions have no place in national defense but the contrarian nature of Americans and the necessity of desperate measures to sometimes keep a sinking ship afloat can make you hold your nose when you have to plug a hole with your finger. Without a sense of self-preservation and a will to do service involving sacrifice, we are screwed. That is so because it seems that even throwing a little token money on top of DEI incentives at our recruiting problem isn't working.
---------------------------------------------------------
A different view: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2001/04/01/the-myth-of-military-poverty/
Which way, western man? The easy way. The fun way. The office job way. Sadly.
Folks here were down on the skipper of the McCain, but, this is a very troubling article. Allegedly, we now depend on non-Navy tecs for repair, and the Navy would not pay to have them go to sea and fix the rudders.
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy-fired-captain-didnt-fix-steering-problem-near-miss-2024-9
Well, you comment the US and Brits are friends. I say let the brits float off like the map of NE USA in that Goldwater election ad. If their head non-king person threatens to extradite US private citizens and prosecute same for criticism of Brit actions, I am all for serving the Brits divorce papers on that "long term special relationship" we have been instructed to have for them. I dont plan to ever go there again.....their food is terrible for openers.
The more incompetent a government becomes the more oppressive it becomes.
Art 1 Sec 8 of the US Constitution say "provide and maintain a Navy". In 1795 after our founding, the Congress authorized 6 frigates, all whose exploits most of us we are familiar with. Population was 3.9 million roughly. Today we have 345 million citizens. Extrapolation of budget and needs says Our Navy should be roughly 528 frigates or bettter. Just a thought.....
Do we say dereliction of duty???
No, but we should.