Good god I read his guidance. So much word salad and platitudes. I think the only big take away is he has stated on the record that China is has arrived. I didn’t see anything informing congress about Chinese efforts in infiltration of foreign nations including ours. Nothing about “total war” or elite capture.
“Mongolia’s third neighbor” struck me as not only hyperbolic but projection.
Guams defenses will be “late to come”. Meaning it’s wishful thinking but the defense of Guam is lacking and won’t be implemented before expected hostilities break out with PRC.
He applauds congressional efforts when he should really be saying, you fucks need to fund the Navy and fund it now.
If he truly cared about supporting his successor as he implored congress, he would toss his stars on the table and tell them in plain 3rd grade English, what Admiral Paparo needs:
- Ships
- Missiles
- Repair capacity
- Manpower
- Ordnance
This seems like his bullets in his FITREP and his write up for his retirement Legion of Merit.
With respect to "Aquilina already has 4-stars. He does not have to do this," he almost certainly would never have gotten that first star unless he actually believed it.
With respect to "a few junior staff weenies who for reasons best explained by them," are we talking 0-4 and O-5 commissioned when 8 of their formative years were under President Obama's fellow travelers?
We are reaching the point where we'll have to stop giving these people the benefit of any doubt when it comes to their motivations and core beliefs.
Since words matter, let's take a look at "unprecedented". From the Cambridge dictionary: unprecedented (adj.) - never having happened or existed in the past.
Posture statement.
"Each of our three major state threats in the USINDOPACOM area of responsibility (AOR) – the People's Republic of China (PRC), Russia, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) – are taking unprecedented actions that challenge international norms and advance authoritarianism."
Will someone on his staff please take a look at the 2003 Center for Naval Analyses report written by William O'Neil titled "Interwar U.S. and Japanese National Product and Defense Expenditure"? There is nothing unprecendented in the Western Pacific about authoritarian actors engaging in mulit-year massive naval buildups, intimidating their neighbor states, and disrupting the "international norms." A slowing economy does not necessarily promise a reduction in military expenditures or adopting a less agressive posture. The IJN largely maintained its capabilities during the worldwide depression and ultimately grew its capacity coming out of it.
"...my successor will need your support to continue making progress across all of these efforts with a sense of urgency." What is this progress and sense of urgency you speak of, Admiral? Couldn't possibly be the dearth of apolitical combat experience contributing to this inertia, could it? The Congress has an expected lame excuse, they are politicians not immune to the prevailing winds. What about the GOFOs and their politically adjunct staff weenies; what sort of wind fills their sails other than hot and uninspired?
"Nothing about religion is mentioned anywhere, even though it is a significant aspect of conflict in The Philippines, Burma (I refuse to call it Myanmar), and to a smaller extent elsewhere…wait…I’m wrong. “Climate” is mentioned six times, so that religion was mentioned."
Any person in a position of authority who refers to an "international order," or a "rules-based order," without smirking and/or rolling his or her eyes deserves ridicule and contempt. Same goes for anyone making reference to any kind of "extremist."
This Admiral gets it.
This would be quite funny if it wouldn't have real world repercussions…
He doesn't have any board seats yet. or options
I didn't have to go further than - "PRC is the only country that has the capability, capacity, and intent to upend the international order. "
We sware to defend our constitution. We understand we may die defending our country and Americans.
Time to lose the dreams of empire and flags looking to defend the 'international order' - whatever that is.
Good god I read his guidance. So much word salad and platitudes. I think the only big take away is he has stated on the record that China is has arrived. I didn’t see anything informing congress about Chinese efforts in infiltration of foreign nations including ours. Nothing about “total war” or elite capture.
“Mongolia’s third neighbor” struck me as not only hyperbolic but projection.
Guams defenses will be “late to come”. Meaning it’s wishful thinking but the defense of Guam is lacking and won’t be implemented before expected hostilities break out with PRC.
He applauds congressional efforts when he should really be saying, you fucks need to fund the Navy and fund it now.
If he truly cared about supporting his successor as he implored congress, he would toss his stars on the table and tell them in plain 3rd grade English, what Admiral Paparo needs:
- Ships
- Missiles
- Repair capacity
- Manpower
- Ordnance
This seems like his bullets in his FITREP and his write up for his retirement Legion of Merit.
With respect to "Aquilina already has 4-stars. He does not have to do this," he almost certainly would never have gotten that first star unless he actually believed it.
With respect to "a few junior staff weenies who for reasons best explained by them," are we talking 0-4 and O-5 commissioned when 8 of their formative years were under President Obama's fellow travelers?
We are reaching the point where we'll have to stop giving these people the benefit of any doubt when it comes to their motivations and core beliefs.
Since words matter, let's take a look at "unprecedented". From the Cambridge dictionary: unprecedented (adj.) - never having happened or existed in the past.
Posture statement.
"Each of our three major state threats in the USINDOPACOM area of responsibility (AOR) – the People's Republic of China (PRC), Russia, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) – are taking unprecedented actions that challenge international norms and advance authoritarianism."
Will someone on his staff please take a look at the 2003 Center for Naval Analyses report written by William O'Neil titled "Interwar U.S. and Japanese National Product and Defense Expenditure"? There is nothing unprecendented in the Western Pacific about authoritarian actors engaging in mulit-year massive naval buildups, intimidating their neighbor states, and disrupting the "international norms." A slowing economy does not necessarily promise a reduction in military expenditures or adopting a less agressive posture. The IJN largely maintained its capabilities during the worldwide depression and ultimately grew its capacity coming out of it.
America could use a good peacetime reality check, before we get a good hostilities reality check.
https://media.defense.gov/2016/Mar/09/2001475984/600/400/0/151014-D-AN790-022.JPG
"...my successor will need your support to continue making progress across all of these efforts with a sense of urgency." What is this progress and sense of urgency you speak of, Admiral? Couldn't possibly be the dearth of apolitical combat experience contributing to this inertia, could it? The Congress has an expected lame excuse, they are politicians not immune to the prevailing winds. What about the GOFOs and their politically adjunct staff weenies; what sort of wind fills their sails other than hot and uninspired?
If you're thinking you're going to use the Islamists against China, you won't mention any of their activities happening in "our" areas.
All 3★ & 4★'s are political appointees that invert the order of their oath (e.g., #1 President. #2 Constitution.) They can't read script, can they?
ESG/DEI killed Boeing, but it rotted navy planks as well.
"𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓒𝓸𝓷𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓽𝓾𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 ... 𝓲𝓼 𝓪 𝓶𝓮𝓻𝓮 𝓽𝓱𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓸𝓯 𝔀𝓪𝔁 𝓲𝓷 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼 𝓸𝓯 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓳𝓾𝓭𝓲𝓬𝓲𝓪𝓻𝔂 𝔀𝓱𝓲𝓬𝓱 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓶𝓪𝔂 𝓽𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓽 𝓪𝓷𝓭 𝓼𝓱𝓪𝓹𝓮 𝓲𝓷𝓽𝓸 𝓪𝓷𝔂 𝓯𝓸𝓻𝓶 𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔂 𝓹𝓵𝓮𝓪𝓼𝓮." —𝓣𝓱𝓸𝓶𝓪𝓼 𝓙𝓮𝓯𝓯𝓮𝓻𝓼𝓸𝓷 (1819)
"Nothing about religion is mentioned anywhere, even though it is a significant aspect of conflict in The Philippines, Burma (I refuse to call it Myanmar), and to a smaller extent elsewhere…wait…I’m wrong. “Climate” is mentioned six times, so that religion was mentioned."
I had to grin when I read this passage.
I wonder if this was "written" by ChatGPT... or at least most of it. Saves time and trouble and the need for actual thought and reflection. Oddly enough, US business is still bankrolling PRC's military expansion - https://foreignaffairs.house.gov/hearing/examining-the-flow-of-u-s-money-into-chinas-military-might/ - youtube content starts at 20 minutes in - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq9ZDdC21K4 This isn't the first time this has happened, it's what the US did with the Empire of Japan and its Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity Sphere in the 1930s.
Any person in a position of authority who refers to an "international order," or a "rules-based order," without smirking and/or rolling his or her eyes deserves ridicule and contempt. Same goes for anyone making reference to any kind of "extremist."
"Dog-poo stew"...stewardship of the Navy. A fizzing can of Ham & Lima Beans C-Rat's came to mind right away. ♅
“You cannot defeat something you [refuse to] define.” Corrected you, Sal.