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Saturday, September 07, 2024

The Sinkin' Project

Don't get too wrapped up in fixing narrow problems in our naval power. There might be a root cause.

But other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?

Even if Congress appropriated more funds the shipbuilding industry does not have the capacity to provide more ships, faster. Ships are late in delivery and beset with problems.  We have advanced weaponry that works well as proved by recent use in the middle east, but far too few to last in a sustained conflict. Our enemies overseas see weakness and become bolder. As good as our missiles are, ships carry limited numbers. Experts warn that we will run out of missiles far sooner than we will run out of targets. A third of our ships at any given time are not ready for sea due to maintenance issues.

But hey, those are big, complicated issues! At least the little, routine stuff is well within their--wait. What?

The Navy is dealing with what could be called a sartorial crisis: The sea service has run out of pants. And it may not get more for months.
Huh.

The wide-ranging problems plaguing the Navy obscure that the common thread is poor Navy leadership. Maybe I shouldn't get my hopes up over individual apparent successes.

NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.

NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.

NOTE: I'm now on Substack, with The Dignified Rant: Evolved.