The remarks about a new cruiser were interesting. Was he beating the drums for cruisers because he saw a need in the surface fleet, or did he want to get his power plants into more surface ships?
Sal, Great post. Message needs to get to current Congress...folks like Wicker and Cotton in the Senate and Waltz, Gallagher, Lamborn, Banks, and Steube in the House. Have written extensively on this exact subject for years.
Not much stopped the Japanese in building a huge, credible navy from the period of their defeat of the Russian Navy in 1905, through the restrictions placed on their navy by the Washington Naval Conference in 1922 which restricted warship tonnage to a 5:5:3 ratio (United States, Great Britain, Japan) and sending an armada to destroy the US Navy in Pearl Harbor in 1941. Most countries do what they must in whatever is perceived as is in their national interest. In the Guns-and-Butter debate, it seems like our elected officials are pursuing whatever serves their own best self-interest. Pānem et circēnsēs.
Unless/Until the Kleptic Empire knows as the 'Defense Industry' is completely reformed these year to year zigs and zags in spending will continue to be chaos...
Dollars to doughnuts, the big Defense Primes work the way these 2 gents reminisce about during the waning days of McDonnell Douglas ...
Masterful -- amazing how few changes you made to make Rickover's 1980 warning ring true 43 years later.
Apt!!! It sure would be nice if our Congresscritters did invite you to speak to them!!
gotta love that verisimilitude.
The remarks about a new cruiser were interesting. Was he beating the drums for cruisers because he saw a need in the surface fleet, or did he want to get his power plants into more surface ships?
Yes.
Sal, Great post. Message needs to get to current Congress...folks like Wicker and Cotton in the Senate and Waltz, Gallagher, Lamborn, Banks, and Steube in the House. Have written extensively on this exact subject for years.
Regards,
Brent
1. http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2017/03/09/spending_on_defensehow_much_is_enough_110937.html
2. What is the Appropriate Manpower Requirement of the U.S. Military? | RealClearDefense
3. China: Competitor or Adversary? | RealClearDefense
4. National Military Strategy Development—Time for a Revolutionary Approach | RealClearDefense
5. http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2018/5/31/time-is-now-to-advance-us-india-defense-cooperation
6. https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2018/07/12/increasing_economic_power_as_an_instrument_of_national_power_113598.html.
7. Ignorance of China Is Not Bliss | RealClearDefense
8. https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2020/06/11/the_middle_kingdom_rises_115372.html
9. https://www.realcleardefense.com/2020/08/05/cno_mandate__a_design_for_maintaining_maritime_superiority_314799.html
10. https://www.ausn.org/post/the-price-of-u-s-navy-combat-supremacy.
11. The Looming Taiwan Challenge For The US, Japan And The West - CD Media (creativedestructionmedia.com)
"Rewarding ineptitude while disregarding merit in the name of "diversity" will ensure a diverse collection of dead bodies when hostile forces strike."
https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2023/03/warriors_dont_want_to_fight_for_a_woke_antiamerican_military.html
Not much stopped the Japanese in building a huge, credible navy from the period of their defeat of the Russian Navy in 1905, through the restrictions placed on their navy by the Washington Naval Conference in 1922 which restricted warship tonnage to a 5:5:3 ratio (United States, Great Britain, Japan) and sending an armada to destroy the US Navy in Pearl Harbor in 1941. Most countries do what they must in whatever is perceived as is in their national interest. In the Guns-and-Butter debate, it seems like our elected officials are pursuing whatever serves their own best self-interest. Pānem et circēnsēs.
https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/28x7ibKFXopz_7j-jpuQ7RSBm6k=/750x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():format(webp)/Guns-and-ButterCurve-f52db04559864b0ebce64aec2db5fe09.png
https://library.osu.edu/site/40stories/files/2020/01/kelly-enemy-1024.png
But is 2024 going to get enough people elected who are willing to support a Maritime emphasis on strategy and spending?
Unless/Until the Kleptic Empire knows as the 'Defense Industry' is completely reformed these year to year zigs and zags in spending will continue to be chaos...
Dollars to doughnuts, the big Defense Primes work the way these 2 gents reminisce about during the waning days of McDonnell Douglas ...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0U9llcuaXA