OK, on to some serious stuff. I agree with many of the points made here, especially with @DanMa1156. Plotting a course to the future isn't easy and I'll add that the existing fleet is quite strong enough to buy us time and space in order to ultimately make war with any peer or near-peer competitor.
Surely it has been said before, but it is pretty damning when sailors say stuff like this...“Many sailors found their leadership distracted, captive to bureaucratic excess, and rewarded for the successful execution of administrative functions” rather than core competencies of war." Is this a reflection of contemporary officer training, or the contemporary officer career track? I know I am not an expert on the "golden path" or the inner workings of promotion boards, but I keep circling around to the idea that our next naval RMA needs to be a change in how a naval career works.
I have noted on other threads that I am big proponent of a very robust naval reserve capable of filling a combatant roles just as the National Guard does. If nothing else, the navy should be ashamed of how they let the reserves slide. As for a career, it should be more simple...basically "Do - Teach - Do - Procure/Plan - Command" in four year cycles. First tour "Do" your job at the apprentice level - second tour "Teach" others about the job - third tour "Do" you job at the journeyman level - fourth tour "Procure" the right gear for your mission or develop "Plans" to do it (master level) - fifth tour - "Command" the ultimate "Do" of a naval career. From this basis flag officer can be selected because in truth flags need to do one of two things...procure the right stuff or command at sea. The are a host of duties that could be shifted to a more robust naval reserve. Keep in mind, this is just a spit-ball idea.
Outside of that, realistic training to deployment cycles with maintenance scheduled both for short term and serious yard time. Shifting "older" (but not necessarily obsolete) ships to the USNR for lighter use would take a lot of pressure off the existing fleet structure and creating a a system similar to the "miltech" for the USNR would aid manning. I know @Brett327 disagrees that the same can be done with TACAIR but I believe it can (or so the Air Force Guard & Reserve seems too).
Of course the real issue we always readily miss - budgetary restraint. Keeping an old but still effective Tico Class CG in the reserves isn't actually a savings even if it is cheaper than building a new one especially when you want both. The ball really rests with Congress although I still think the flag officer set need to focus in on a comprehensive "one navy" plan. They might have one and if so they are doing a great job of keeping it under wraps.
Surely it has been said before, but it is pretty damning when sailors say stuff like this...“Many sailors found their leadership distracted, captive to bureaucratic excess, and rewarded for the successful execution of administrative functions” rather than core competencies of war." Is this a reflection of contemporary officer training, or the contemporary officer career track? I know I am not an expert on the "golden path" or the inner workings of promotion boards, but I keep circling around to the idea that our next naval RMA needs to be a change in how a naval career works.
I have noted on other threads that I am big proponent of a very robust naval reserve capable of filling a combatant roles just as the National Guard does. If nothing else, the navy should be ashamed of how they let the reserves slide. As for a career, it should be more simple...basically "Do - Teach - Do - Procure/Plan - Command" in four year cycles. First tour "Do" your job at the apprentice level - second tour "Teach" others about the job - third tour "Do" you job at the journeyman level - fourth tour "Procure" the right gear for your mission or develop "Plans" to do it (master level) - fifth tour - "Command" the ultimate "Do" of a naval career. From this basis flag officer can be selected because in truth flags need to do one of two things...procure the right stuff or command at sea. The are a host of duties that could be shifted to a more robust naval reserve. Keep in mind, this is just a spit-ball idea.
Outside of that, realistic training to deployment cycles with maintenance scheduled both for short term and serious yard time. Shifting "older" (but not necessarily obsolete) ships to the USNR for lighter use would take a lot of pressure off the existing fleet structure and creating a a system similar to the "miltech" for the USNR would aid manning. I know @Brett327 disagrees that the same can be done with TACAIR but I believe it can (or so the Air Force Guard & Reserve seems too).
Of course the real issue we always readily miss - budgetary restraint. Keeping an old but still effective Tico Class CG in the reserves isn't actually a savings even if it is cheaper than building a new one especially when you want both. The ball really rests with Congress although I still think the flag officer set need to focus in on a comprehensive "one navy" plan. They might have one and if so they are doing a great job of keeping it under wraps.
