US Navy ships from the Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group, the America Expeditionary Strike Group, and the U.S. 7th Fleet command ship, USS Blue Ridge, transit the Philippine Sea in formation during a photo exercise March 24, 2020. U.S. Navy/Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Sarah Eaton/Handout via REUTERS

At the Battle of Jutland on May 31, 1916, as his cruiserswere exploding around him, then Royal Navy Vice Admiral David Beatty lamented somethingis wrong with our bloody ships today. Fortunately for the Royal Navy, thebattle kept the German High Seas Fleet at bay for the rest of the war.

Yet, Beatty who went on to be the Royal Navys First SeaLord, could have been talking about major problems confronting the US Navytoday. Something is wrong.And the problems are not only naval. Someextend throughout the Department of Defense.

As theUSS Theodore Roosevelt saga winds down, the incentive to get back tobusiness as usual basis builds. Were that to happen, it would be a colossalerror. The TR incident comes in the wake of too many seeming errors,mistakes, and scandals that have befallen the US Navy. These demand thatcrucial questions must now be addressed about the overall condition of the Navythat have led to what some including the president and the secretary of defensebelieve is aservice that is badly adrift.

Fortunately, the relatively new Chief of Naval Operations(CNO) Admiral Mike Gilday has not been tainted by any of the scandals orproblems and therefore is the right person at the right time to dig more deeplyinto resolving these symptoms ofnaval ill-health.

While this is not Admiral Gildays direct responsibility,how the Department of Defense is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic both inprotecting the force and ensuring that it is still ready to conduct itsmissions requires answers and sooner rather than later. So far, the Pentagonhas been sporadic in keeping the public, as well as those who wish us ill,informed.

A cyclical nature to crises leaves none of the servicesunscarred. The Navys current spate of problems dates back to someone calledFat Leonard nearly a decade ago. The purveyor of logistics for naval ships inthe Pacific, Fat Leonard won many of his high-priced contracts with bribes,fancy dinners, and women he supplied to naval officers. In the aftermath ofthis tawdry affair, not only were so many senior officers professionallydamaged that much of the Navys experienced leadership was depleted.Worse, the moral and ethical naval compasses were called into question.

The USSMcCain, Fitzgerald,and other collisions and mishaps at sea raised profound questions about theNavys professional as well as enterprise competence. USS Gerald Ford and theF-35 and ballistic and attack nuclear submarine procurement programs have beencrippled with huge cost overruns, delays, and systems that have notworked.

The Navy was incapable of producing a credible plan as tohow it would achieve the legally-mandated 355 ships.

The CNO-designate, confirmed by the Senate last year, wasforced to resign. The president of the Naval War College, after being extendedfor a year because of superior performance, was relieved over allegationswithout due process.

A SEAL convicted of war crimes was exonerated by thepresident who then fired his secretary of the navy.And now the acting navysecretary, who believed that the naval chain of command was not supporting theTR, has resigned after a visit to the ship and a disastrous talk to the crew.

In terms of designing future naval forces, the secretary of defensehas taken that responsibility away from the Navy and put it under his personalsupervision. Whether or not that is a good idea, it is a stunning criticism ofthe Navy Department even though the Pentagon has not been able to define whatit takes to deter and if war comes, defeat China or Russia or anotheradversary, the center pieces of the National Defense Strategy.

Failures and incidents like these have plagued all theservices since George Washingtons day. What is new is the number and frequencyof occurrence.That alone requires examination.And the causesstretch across factors that are institutional; bureaucratic; cultural; ethicaland moral; and how the Navy operates at sea and ashore.

Until a new navy secretary is confirmed, no matter thecompetence of the acting replacement James McPherson, little will happen.McPhersonhas a strong background and excellent qualifications including serving as the navyjudge advocate general.However, this is probably an interim appointment.

Based on these many examples of sub-standard navalperformance, a stem to stern review of the Navy is needed now. It must bethorough and unrestricted and include a separate panel of outside experts. Andit needs to consider the post-COVID environment that is likely to have profoundgeostrategic and operational differences from today including the prospect ofsubstantially less defense spending given the huge increases in the nationsfinancial debt and deficits. Admiral Gilday is the person to make that happen.

After the ship collisions, the then navy secretary appointeda retired CNO and highly seasoned civilian to investigate and analyze whathappened. The striking conclusion of the report was a failure of the navalchain of command to ensure the service was prepared as required by the law toconduct sustained operations incident to combat as sea. But that critiqueextended beyond the Navy.

More than a century later, David Beattys lament is correct.Something is wrong with our Navy. But will we take this warning seriously anddetermine what is not right and then fix it? With Congress out of sessionbecause of the pandemic, it is uncertain when any investigation by the Hillwould start or finish.The first order of business is confirming the new secretaryof the navy probably in May. But no matter how able that person may be, it willtake time to learn the job.

These are Navy problems and the Navy can solve them. Admiral Gilday, I hope you are listening.And I hope you will act.

Dr. Harlan Ullman is a former naval person having served in the US and Royal Navies and in command, including over 150 missions and operations in Swift boats in Vietnam. He is senior advisor at the Atlantic Council and his last book was Anatomy of Failure: Why America Loses The Wars It Starts.

Wed, Apr 22, 2020

Military mobility is the logical and critical next step to enhancing the twenty-first-century conventional deterrence posture throughout Europe, an essential part of the formula for keeping the peace.

ReportbyTask Force Co-Chairs: General Curtis M. Scaparrotti, USA (Ret.) and Ambassador Colleen B. Bell

Tue, Apr 7, 2020

In the wake of economic calamity, now is the perfect time for European militaries to work together to maximize their resources and military readiness. No better opportunity exists than to use HMS Queen Elizabeth and HMS Prince of Wales as hubs for a European carrier strike group.

New AtlanticistbyMichael John Williams

Originally posted here:

Something is wrong with our bloody ships today - Atlantic Council