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Here’s a sample of the comments on this post.
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…When Admiral Nimitz was a junior officer, he ran his ship aground. Of course in those days the charts in the Philippines tended to be guesswork and no fancy electronic equipment. Also news traveled a lot slower then. The Navy gave him another chance. Not in today’s Navy…
https://www.stripes.com/news/how-would-admiral-nimitz-have-been-dealt-with-in-today-s-navy-1.102689#.WZ8L61SGPcs
…Couple years ago one observer commented, “The Navy has more command level officers than ships… so one mistake and zap… you’re toast…”
…Not all incidents deserve equal wrath. A captain who runs a super carrier into a dock at 20 knots is one thing… A destroyer skipper who winds up on a sand spit and only requires a tug is something else. Circumstances should dictate… reasonable precautions and all that.
…The Army understands (or at least used to) that 2nd Lts. make mistakes. If they don’t make mistakes as Lts. they later make them as battalion commanders… so a certain amount of flex built in to the system (or at least used to be…)
…I think that you’re right… much of this is CYA. At least they didn’t bring in an enemy officer to testify against the guy getting the ax this time around…
-YP-
One way to look at this problem I see to view the harsh reality of Naval command. The traditions that go back to ‘Rocks and shoals’ allow a great deal of latitude for those who command. But they hold a harsh and unbending standard. Officers of the line have been through a good bit of seasoning prior to an at sea command. I mentioned in other comments, I worry about the Surface Warfare badge OJT and signoffs. Back when I was in the fleet you couldn’t earn that badge until you reached E-5 or better, I understand that has changed. Loss of confidence has turned into a new code phrase for CYA. I do wonder about how secure our weapons and navigation systems are though…
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…Four years ago I showed up at SOFREP. In the time that I’ve been with this lash-up I have read no end of stories of the Navy relieving officers because of a “lack of confidence in their ability to command…” The stories have begun to take on a surreal edge… sort of like reading that the “Entire College of Cardinals died in its sleep last night…”
…Will the Navy have any officers left above the rank of Lt. Commander to be relieved (and do the relieving?) Will they be forced to induct Sea Scouts to fill the vacancies?
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/e7985404da9dfe65f6b9d1e41ea5a304632345e4781d0c21321d11cc92039959.jpg
-YP-
I don’t know about what happened before, but this sure does seem like too many accidents in too little time to all be the Navy’s fault. I’m sure the authorities are looking into this, who knows what will be made public. I read a comment from another member here earlier today about this being what happened when the Iranians boarded and took our sailors prisoner for a few days a while back. I hadn’t even thought of it being hacking interference back then, but it sure does make sense now! Thanks, Joy
There’s another article cycling around that someone (can’t recall the name) in the 7th Fleet command is asking for hacking and the computer systems to be investigated because there have been too many incidents in a relatively short period. That doesn’t bring back the men lost or make this any less tragic, but it does make you wonder. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but hasn’t the 7th Fleet had a big internet hacking issue about 5 years ago that led to the Navy shutting down internet access and .mil email accounts for every Sailor and Marine?