Road to 350: What Does the US Navy Do Anyway?

[Randy Daytona]

$40T in debt and counting... I'm thinking government business and bonds aren't great places to be for long-term planning.

The Brits overcame debt at 260% of their GDP after the Napoleonic wars, but it took a century and an industrial revolution, and they still never got back to where they were before.

Some good charts in here:

US debt hits $40 trillion: Who does Washington owe and why does it matter?

Heavy borrowing, increased spending and tax cuts by Democratic and Republican administrations have long raised concern.

www.aljazeera.com

Saw another report from the CATO Institute arguing to let Social Security go broke to force the government to cut benefits by 22%. Unbelievable.

 

[Gatordev]

Insurance discussion moved here.

 

[123412131]

https://news.usni.org/2026/08/24/uss-gerald-r-ford-sortie-test-exceeded-nimitz-class-performance-says-cno-caudle

 

[Brett327]

Good to get those facts out there… not that the EMALS decision will be fact based for the ultimate decision maker.

 

[WhiskeySierra6]

Good to get those facts out there… not that the EMALS decision will be fact based for the ultimate decision maker.

To add...its not just EMALS. It's multiple systems (AAG, weapons elevators, etc.) in conjunction with the layout of the ship (refueling point design, island location, etc.) that created those results.

 

[taxi1]

the ultimate decision maker.

Indeed

Trump Pushes To Rename Sexual Attraction To Children ‘Americaphilia'

theonion.com

 

[Randy Daytona]

Update on possible new frigate designs: looking at Japanese, South Korean and Turkish frigates in the 3,000 ton to 4,500 ton range.

The Three Foreign Frigates Being Studied For Possible U.S. Navy Service

Modern Japanese, South Korean, and Turkish frigate designs have emerged as possible contenders to meet increasingly urgent Navy demands.

www.twz.com

 

[Spekkio]

Update on possible new frigate designs: looking at Japanese, South Korean and Turkish frigates in the 3,000 ton to 4,500 ton range.

The Three Foreign Frigates Being Studied For Possible U.S. Navy Service

Modern Japanese, South Korean, and Turkish frigate designs have emerged as possible contenders to meet increasingly urgent Navy demands.

www.twz.com

Not particularly newsworthy. First step in vanilla cost analysis, which turns into fiction once the vultures arrive with their self-serving requirements.