[Cross-posted at The Left Coaster]
One of the most amazing military evolutions I have ever seen is soon to close, Defense Secretary Esper will decide any day now whether to follow the Navy’s recommendation and re-instate Captain Crozier of USS Theodore Roosevelt, so thuggishly fired after he tried to protect his sailors from the covid-19 virus.
This is hardly a Navy personnel story, many facets reflect hugely important and vital issues that must be resolved to stop regression of our democracy.
Institutionally the Navy is reeling from two rather important elements for that military service, an inability to drive and build ships. It was only three years ago the Navy fired a bushel of officers and a few admirals after releasing a report on why three Navy ships were in collisions in 18 months.
Since then all has been quiet around this navigation disgrace, but it will take many years of patient watching for observers to conclude the Navy truly learned and reformed. The scrutiny is warranted, that was a deep institutional failure that could only happen in a profoundly broken system.
Right along side this disaster looms another, for the Navy has become hopelessly entangled in a hot nuclear mess building new George Washington class carriers.
Former Navy Nimitz class carriers cost 4.5$ billion, but for whatever reason the Navy became infatuated with electromagnetic plane catapults, they really made the decision to build a new George Washington class for 12 billion dollars more just so they could have new catapults. Yes.
[rolls eyes] The Navy said $12 billion, in military parlance construction of new ships is merely an ephemeral fancy of whatever, dudes, George Washington eventually ran up a $17 billion bill and she’s still not operational, they tried electromagnetic munitions elevators and blew it.1
Observers have noted the new F-35 jet Navy variants have arrived in the fleet, along with the interesting fact these jets can vertically take off, they don’t need catapults. So the Navy spent an extra 12 billion dollars for catapults the new Navy fighters don’t need to use. Hmmmmm.2
Not only that, the Navy blindly forged ahead for two new George Washington class carriers now in construction, John F. Kennedy and Enterprise. The Navy says they’ll cost $12.5 billion. Right.
The Navy should have been told instantly No! for their ridiculous $7 billion catapults, but the United States is a hopelessly militaristic society addicted to throwing its treasure away for investments in violence.
The Navy has demonstrated again highly regressive behavior, they’ve created $20 billion targets in a super hot missile environment that’s ripped the budget for other ships. Congressional committees are concerned.
Into this funhouse of functionality came the covid-19 crisis, but criticism of Navy leadership should be held off here, this was an extraordinary event that put the Admiralty into an impossible position.
Dealing with serious virus contagion on a Navy ship is a new thing, the Navy had to try and figure out how not to lose an operational carrier and maintain a deterrence posture. In the delay the USS Theodore Roosevelt captain, Brett Crozier, wrote a 4 page memo to the Admiralty frantically calling for a real solution immediately to protect his sailors which somehow—no one knows who did it—got leaked to the San Francisco Chronicle.
President Bone Spurs, ever the model of criminal ineptness, can’t appoint a Secretary of the Navy, so the acting Secretary acted like a good little mob boss thug and fired Crozier.
Take special note of the story twist here, for that action absolutely crossed the Republican base reverence for the US military, it’s the only branch of government they have faith in and believe works.
Firing a Captain protecting his sailors prompted a hurricane of abuse and rage at the acting Secretary from the Republican base, who quit 2 days later. Then in an act of institutional defiance I can still hardly believe the Navy actually recommended Captain Crozier be reinstated to his job at USS Theodore Roosevelt.
Now that decision rests with the Secretary of Defense, who somehow must weigh the indignation and defiance of the Navy against the petulant rage of his criminal mob boss President, who was irate a person in his direct command let a complex problem get public. Esper is taking his time.3
Reinstating Crozier would mean the Navy was fearless in defense of its people and wouldn’t let itself by pushed around by an impeached draft dodger. This would frantically upset President Bone spurs, when fear and punishment don’t work for a bully they usually explode to keep that fear and intimidation in place.
We’re watching and waiting, Secretary Esper. Are you going to coddle and enable that Putin criminal, or act like an American and give the Navy some adult dignity? We’ll see.
[1] The new catapults require two new super-nuclear-reactors, for a nation basically abandoning nuclear power this blithe acceptance of Navy nuclear propulsion always quietly surprises me.
When the Navy says anything about it they’ll only say their reactors are more “robust,” meaning they made expensive engineering choices to make their reactors more safe. In 60 years they’ve only had one submarine accident, buried at sea and public consciousness.
[2] The Navy would still need catapults for other necessary aircraft, and going to the smaller “jeep” carrier model of vertical fighters would mean serious capability degradation choices.
The F-35 is a notoriously expensive, problem-ridden aircraft crippled in capability by demanding it do too many things. By making it vertical, stealthy, a fighter and somehow still a bomber it does nothing well, much less expensive specialty aircraft could have been developed but, in the American Way billions more the for the military are always forthcoming.
The Navy insists it needs 11 super-carriers with F-35’s. No other Navy in the world has even one.
[3] One would think that President Putin, Commander in Chief, would naturally make this decision but even Trump is cautious of crossing the Republican base here, so that churlish criminal idiot we have for a President is hiding behind the tie clip of Esper. All bullies are cowards, this behavior is completely in line with a lying childish bully, yes, not a real President.