There's an old saying in the U.S. Navy: “If you move, salute.” If not, paint it gray. ”
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated him as Secretary of the Navy. John Phelanannounced this week, will receive a lot of salute. As he assumes command of the world's second-largest navy, the shrewd investor and businessman will be ordering lots of haze gray paint.
Phelan will have one of the most difficult jobs in President Trump's second term, if not the most difficult.
The US Navy is in bad shape.
First, the United States long ago ceded its position as the largest navy to China. Although our country remains the heavyweight champion, with higher gross tonnage (and therefore larger ships), China far exceeds the United States in production of commercial and military ships. american battle fleet 285 ships Distributed around the world, from Djibouti to Guam and every port in between. Chinese vessels mainly sail in waters near their home country.
Second, many of the ships America owns are old and leaky. rust. Longtime naval officers know that when ships are deployed for long periods of time, they rust and often take on a rough appearance. However, the current poor state of the US fleet is a direct result of the Biden administration's foolish policy of declaring war on climate change.
Sailors cannot use toxic (but effective) paints. Shipyards, by virtue of their location on America's rugged coasts in California, Washington, Rhode Island and Hawaii, are hamstrung by regulations that prioritize climate change and workplace safety rules over national security. .
American taxpayers should be allowed to expect pristine, fully functional ships from the 87,000 people at Naval Sea Systems Command.
Meanwhile, allies like South Korea and Japan appear capable of building U.S.-designed destroyers. half the cost Among U.S. shipyards, the U.S. I'm having trouble with delivery Columbia-class and Virginia-class attack submarines are the cornerstone of our national security.
The US Navy needs a modern-day Chester Nimitz to come and order the shipyards to pull the ships out of dry dock. In 1942, Nimitz was informed that during the Battle of the Coral Sea, the USS Yorktown had been hit by a 551-pound armor-piercing bomb, which tore through the flight deck and destroyed six compartments and much of the ship's lighting, radar, and refrigeration systems. . . When the Navy told Nimitz that the Yorktown would require 90 days of repairs, he responded, “The ship must be back within three days.” To achieve this goal, Nimitz waived safety regulations and ordered 1,400 repairmen to work around the clock. The amount of power required for the repair work was so great that power outages occurred throughout Honolulu. However, Yorktown sailed from dry dock as ordered, and the tide ultimately turned at the Battle of Midway, the most decisive naval battle of the United States Navy. The modern U.S. Navy needs to follow the red tape example of its most famous admiral.
Third, America is overly dependent on aircraft carriers, a technology that is more than 100 years old. Everyone in the Navy loves aircraft carriers, and the U.S. fleet of 11 nuclear-powered supercarriers stands up to the rest of the world. At $13 billion apiece, so be it. A single aircraft carrier alone has more firepower than most countries' entire arsenals.
But unlike the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the country will no longer face an enemy without an air force. Because China counters the carrier threat with thousands of “ship-killer” missiles, the U.S. Navy is unlikely to be able to locate the USS Ronald Reagan or USS Gerald R. Ford within a thousand miles of Taiwan. Just as it took World War II for aircraft carrier advocates to finally win the battleship debate, it took another heated debate for the U.S. Navy and Congress to finally embrace unmanned aircraft technology such as Let's hope there is no need for war. sail drone in large numbers.
Finally, many of America's finest sailors are in sad condition. The Navy no longer requires twice-yearly physical exams. Sailors wear camouflage (yes, camouflage) when doing office work. Because it's more “comfortable”. President Trump's last Navy secretary, Kenneth J. Braithwaite, banned sailors and officers from coming to the Pentagon in camouflage — what were they going to do? Hide behind the potted palm on the E-ring? A prudent first step in restoring good order and military behavior would be to reinstate that policy across all land commands and return to former physical standards.
Let's hope that resolute leadership from the top will correct the course of the powerful U.S. Navy toward its desired fighting power.
Morgan Murphy is a military thought leader.Former Secretary of Defense Spokesperson, U.S. Senate National Security Advisor.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
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