Posted on 07/13/2021 11:17:51 AM PDT by bitt
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
This review was conducted at the direction of Senator Tom Cotton and Congressmen Mike Gallagher, Jim Banks, and Dan Crenshaw as a strictly nonpartisan exercise in Congressional oversight. The authors of this review conducted long-form interviews with numerous active-duty and recently retired or detached officers and enlisted personnel about their insights into the culture of the United States Navy following a series of high-profile and damaging operational failures in the Navy’s Surface Warfare community. The discussion below is intended to inform Congress of the findings of these interviews, with an emphasis on subjects including funding, maintenance planning, administrative management, and operational employment.
The review did not focus on any single failure, each of which has been thoroughly investigated by the appropriate authorities, but rather examined the broader question of whether the episodes taken as a whole indicate any underlying systemic problems affecting the performance of the surface Navy. The incidents that formed the impetus for this review included the catastrophic fire on the USS Bonhomme Richard pier-side in San Diego, the collision of the USS McCain in the South China Sea, the collision of the USS Fitzgerald off the coast of Japan, and the surrender of two small U.S. Navy craft to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy in the Arabian Gulf. The direction from members of Congress was to establish if these incidents were part of a series of isolated, unit-level breakdowns, or if they instead indicate larger institutional issues that are degrading the performance of the entire naval surface force.
Interviews were conducted both by Congressional staff and outside experts. Interviewers were directed to apply an iterative long-form interview process to a wide variety of individuals and to present members of Congress with a compendium detailing their findings. The review team was directed to employ a high-touch, iterative approach that proceeded without reliance on an interview subject's chain of command in order to encourage nuance and candor on the part of interviewees--as opposed to wider-reach, lower-touch survey methods that are typically used in military climate assessments. 77 unique and formal interviews were conducted with Navy personnel via an extensive hour-long process to establish a common controlled approach to the questions at hand. The interviewees represented a cross-section of Navy personnel at varying ranks and in varying occupational specialties across a broad period of time —though interviewers did exercise a moderate prejudice for speaking to personnel with service in the surface Navy, to officers, and to those with significant time at sea.
By conducting lengthy conversations with knowledgeable subject matter experts and subjects with direct experience in or with the surface Navy, including with ship captains in command, deep and substantive common insights were captured that escape mathematical surveys. Moreover, by conducting the interviews from outside the chain of command via the exercise of the Congress’s Title I oversight authority, and by pledging anonymity to participants, interviewers enjoyed a significant level of candor in these conversations. Ultimately the process was able to identify trends that, by the admission of those interviewed, would not normally be shared with their own chain of command.
The results of this project are unambiguous. There was a broad consensus across interviewees on numerous cultural and structural issues that impact the morale and readiness of the Navy’s surface force. These include: an insufficient focus on warfighting skills, the perception of a zerodefect mentality accompanied by a culture of micromanagement, and over-sensitivity and responsiveness to modern media culture. Structural issues identified include lack of resources and consistency in surface warfare training programs, and the Navy’s underwhelming commitment to surface ship maintenance—a problem that spans decades.
Concern within the Navy runs so high that, when asked whether incidents such as the two destroyer collisions in the Pacific, the surrender of a small craft to the IRGC in the Arabian Gulf, the burning of the Bonhomme Richard and other incidents were part of a broader cultural or leadership problem in the Navy, 94% of interviewees responded “yes,” 3% said “no,” and 3% said “unsure.” And when asked if the incidents were directly connected, 55% said “yes,” 16% said “no,” and 29% said “unsure.” This sentiment, that the Navy is dangerously off course, was overwhelming.
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Second report today confirming libtards have screwed up the military.
The PRCs and Ruskies are laughing all the way to our next stolen election.
The military MUST have unity, not diversity. At least all of us who served in time of war were taught that. When you get in combat, you better not worry about the feelings of your shipmates or fellow soldiers, airmen. Trump needs to get elected to fire all of the brass and bring in real sailors and soldiers to replace them.
Is the American media running with this story??
If so, they will make Trump’s doing.
This is a clear indicator of failed leadership.
And it spans multiple administrations.
ALL of these problems start at the top. All of them.
I’m guessing that we will see Navy ships running into things again.
The complete degredation of our US military began with the Clinton Administration and the Tailhook scandal.
Page 7 -- This Lt finally comes out and says it: "Sailors increasingly see administrative and non-combat related training as the mission, rather than the mission itself. 'Sometimes I think we care more about whether we have enough diversity officers than if we’ll survive a fight with the Chinese navy,' lamented one lieutenant currently on active duty. 'It’s criminal. They think my only value is as a black woman. But you cut our ship open with a missile and we’ll all bleed the same color.'"
Any military in peace time tends to focus on things that would be irrelevant in war time. Unfortunately, you go to war with your peace time military. The two Navy captains I knew, both academy grads, we’re extraordinary a-holes. I would have hated going to war under their command.
Worked for the DoD for 30 years (retired 12/31/2019) at a facility that among other things reworked and overhauled F-18 Hornets and power plants and other USN aircraft.
Saw my share promotions and advancement in the name of racial equality.
2 things I’m surprised never happened because of that:
1. That our facility was as productive as it was.
2. I’m shocked we never had a fatal incident in regards to aircrew.
The Navy only fight transphobic bogeymen.
No Conservative would allow their child to join the military today. It’s like sending them for Cannon Fodder. Let the Left defend this nation with their blood now.
Think they will?
There IS NO FIGHTING CULTURE in todays “modern military”, all the WARRIORS are either booted out or took early retirement.
What’s left are only those interested in which is the best medical facility to have their bastard babies or have their pecker chopped off, because they FEEEEELLLL like a woman.
Ya think?
Oh, so just like RINOs the Navy leadership are losers.
The good news is that if the citizens revolt against the commies, the military will be unable to stop it.
Tonight on FNC Special Report, Bill Bennett commented Chinese Navy vs U.S. Navy is deadly serious issue. Bret Baier’s closing remark to Bennett was ‘don’t know what ‘newspapers’ you’re reading’.
Sent tweet to Baier to read National Defense Magazine article on Eagle vs Dragon and pointed out that Sen Cotton was on FNC America Reports in June to talk about our Navy’s preparedness. Told Baier his comment to Bennett was disrespectful and ignorant and suggested he apologize to Bennett.
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