Posted on 09/02/2017 6:21:23 AM PDT by Presbyterian Reporter
On Wednesday, the U.S. Navy's top officer said that post-accident investigations have turned up no evidence of a cyberattack in the collisions involving the USS John S. McCain and USS Fitzgerald.
The two collisions each involved an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer and a merchant vessel, and the similarity of the circumstances led many to speculate that the casualties might have been caused by hacking. In an address to Navy staff, chief of naval operations Adm. John S. Richardson moved to dispel these rumors. He said that the accident investigators have given cyber factors "an amazing amount of attention," but so far they have found no evidence of any form of cyber intrusion.
In an initial investigative report on the Fitzgerald casualty, the Navy's Seventh Fleet suggested that the incident was due in large part to human factors. "The collision was avoidable and [the mariners involved] demonstrated poor seamanship. Within Fitzgerald, flawed watch stander teamwork and inadequate leadership contributed to the collision," Seventh Fleet said.
Seventh Fleet held several servicemembers accountable for the incident. Fitzgerald's commanding officer, Cmdr. Bryce Benson, executive officer Cmdr. Sean Babbitt and Master Chief Petty Officer Brice Baldwin have been relieved of their duties. The junior officers on watch the night of the collision were also relieved due to "poor seamanship and flawed teamwork as bridge and combat information center watch standers."
On August 22, just a few days after the McCain collision, Seventh Fleet commander Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin was relieved of duty "due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command." He was due to retire in September.
On Wednesday, Adm. Richardson said that to prevent future accidents, the Navy has to fight back against a "do more with less" mentality and must maintain its high standards. "We have to make sure that we're properly resourced, whether that be fuel, whether that be parts, whether that be people," he said. Otherwise, he warned, a decline in readiness "sneaks up on you.”
The Navy faces new scrutiny over training and readiness after the deadly collisions, and House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Tx) has scheduled an oversight hearing on the accidents for next week. He called for a thorough internal review, but he also echoed the Navy’s long-running call for more resources. "We ask a lot of our men and women in the Navy. The time they spend at sea is increasing, while their ships age and their funding gets cut. These are just the conditions that can lead to an increase in the kinds of accidents we are witnessing," Thornberry said in a statement. "Congress has a duty to provide our Sailors with the additional resources they so clearly need, and to do so immediately.”
Navy announces independent fleetwide review
On Friday, Secretary of the Navy Richard Spencer announced the formation of an independent team to conduct a Strategic Readiness Review in response to the recent series of surface vessel accidents. "These incidents are unacceptable and demand a thorough and comprehensive review, which is why I have formed an independent subject matter expert team to conduct a Strategic Readiness Review,” he said. “As we mourn the loss of our Sailors, we must improve upon the way we operate." The independent review will complement the Navy’s own examination of the factors behind Pacific Fleet’s recent casualties.
hacking?
I think people under a general impression that the cause is navy wasting resources and failing due to social engineering efforts
In 2003, SWOSDOC was shuttered, largely for financial reasons,,,,,,,,
officers went directly from commissioning sources to their ships with only a packet of computer disks........
Now it was incumbent on the ship’s CO to replace a year’s worth of intensive dawn-to-dusk training, in addition to his or her other considerable responsibilities
Bringing back the SWOSDOC would be a good start
No matter how much noise you make.
*****************
In today’s military, there is a lot of SOCIAL noise that is detracting from readiness, professionalism and performance.
I’m still waiting for my $2,500 health care reduction. Oh, I’m also trying to get my old doctor back.
Fool me once...
a general impression that the cause is navy wasting resources and failing due to social engineering efforts
************
Not just in the Navy, but true in other branches of the military and in the federal government as well. Obama’s social engineering initiatives ran amok at the expense of performance and efficiency.
I’m SHOCKED!, SHOCKED I say. I was certain that the Navy would admit that because of hacking, our Trillion dollar navy is WORTHLESS!!! /s
No COVER UP going on here /s
What’s next? Sparks in the center fuel tank distracted us from seeing those GIGANTIC ships coming right at us?
“Sir, is starboard left or right?”
“Sir, which lever makes the ship go Zoom Zoom?”
“General Quarters!” “Sir, aren’t generals in the navy called admirals?” “And where would their quarters on this ship be?”
*****************CRASH***************
“”Not just in the Navy, but true in other branches of the military and in the federal government as well. Obama’s social engineering initiatives ran amok at the expense of performance and efficiency.””
Social engineering initiatives began in the early 1990’s. I remember when the word ‘diversity’ was all the craze throughout corporate America.
Obama simply put social engineering initiatives on steroids and took them to a much, much higher level.
Kind of like how Obama doubled the national debt during his 8 year term. Going from basically $10 trillion to $20 trillion.
“... errors of shiphandling and seamanship ...”
Like errors that were caused by affirmative action.
USS McCain was hit mid ship on the port side. McCain obviously was attempting a crossing maneuver in the shipping lane and misjudged the distance to the tanker. Poor seamanship skills by however was in charge.
Now how the USS Fitzgerald got hit is still a mystery to me. My best guess is that both vessels were on auto pilot and all the watches were asleep. I know the navy does not have auto pilot but if the helms man is just holding a steady course and speed it is the same thing.
I do not know. I was not on board any of those four ships.
“”The deputy head of Naval Personnel has been quietly tapped to lead an investigation into the collision between guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG-56) and a chemical tanker near Singapore, Navy officials told USNI News on Thursday.
Rear Adm. Richard Brown, commander of Naval Personnel Command and Deputy Chief of Naval Personnel,””
A question we all want an answer to, and have yet to get.
A question I have is.... How many NON MILITARY VESSELS have been hit by cargo ships in the past year, in that area ?
Where ?
You mean the fourth time ?
Look, all this social engineering and sensitivity training is not good for our military BUT, it wasn’t responsible for these deadly collisions.
If that were (it ISN’T!) the cause, it would be worse than a cyber attack.
It would mean that our $ BILLION (+) warships can be taken out by THOUSANDS of container ships at will, no special hacking equipment needed.
I agree. Social engineering and its hallmark definition ‘diversity’ began to gather steam well before Obama came onto the scene. But he gave it a big boost and institutionalized it to an unprecedented extent.
Unfortunately, the services have been downsized during the Obama reign of terror. When there simply are not enough people to do the job, things get omitted. If 500 personnel are needed for a ship, training can be skimped even though this means that sailors do not have a good grasp of their duties when they arrive on the ship.
The Admiral is correct. The "Do more with less" mentality can only be pushed so far.
An Arleigh Burke class destroyer cost almost 2 billion, and we are replacing seamanship training with a CBT and OJT? Really? Wonder who made that decision?
“”A question I have is.... How many NON MILITARY VESSELS have been hit by cargo ships in the past year, in that area ?””
It seems that I read somewhere that Singapore was quite proud of the fact there had been a dearth of accidents in very crowded waters until the USS McCain collision.
Here is a link to a somewhat related article:
Collision Safety in the Malacca Straits and Singapore Waters
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