Posted on 06/24/2010 2:54:53 PM PDT by ErnstStavroBlofeld
The chief of naval operations said last week that the U.S. Navy is the smallest it has been since 1916 despite being asked to do multiple missions and that further cuts in naval forces are likely. , the CNO, said in a speech to a strategy conference at the Naval War College that he continues to seek a strategy of “cooperation” despite the fact that China’s navy is a growing threat and Beijing has shown no willingness to cooperate with the U.S. Navy.
In fact, Chinese naval vessels have stepped up harassment of U.S. survey ships in recent years in actions the Pentagon has called provocative.
Roughead said that keeping and developing friends and allies required “credible military power.”
“And I say credible because if you don't think those other countries around the world are monitoring and tracking and studying what we are doing, I urge you to read many of the academic journals and the white papers that come from countries from around the world,” Roughead said, without mentioning China.
“They pay attention to what we do, what we say, and how we invest in our Navy and in our military.”
Credible naval forces require capabilities for six core missions outlined by Roughead as forward deployment of forces, credible naval power to deter aggressors and conflict; ocean patrolling; power projection; maritime security operations; and responses to natural disaster.
“And even as the global order changes and the nations and non-state entities change, these fundamentals will not change significantly,” he said.
Roughead said the challenge for the Navy to is to deal with shrinking defense budgets and a growing demand for naval power.
Past budget cuts were not as damaging as the current period, Roughead said. "But in this downturn, it is different.
(Excerpt) Read more at geostrategy-direct.com ...
I would post more but somehow no one would extend my posting limit
Ping
The shrinking Navy goes hand-in-hand with America’s incredible shrinking president.
That's because they know our Commander-in-Chimp treats the Navy like his personal bathtub flotilla.
Frankly, I'm surprised he hasn't order the entire fleet to drop anchor so that the ships spell "OBAMA" on Google Earth.
We are inviting a war ... one we will NOT be able to win with todays’ whimpified mind set
Uh Oh!! Is Roughhead ready to resign also?
He best keep his ideas to himself or else “the thinskinned man” in the WH will fire him too.
They need the money to bail out the states. Guns or welfare and civil servant pensions. Jobs in defense or handouts to layabouts.
In the early 90’s I was on a fast attack submarine. The cold war was ending and Bush 41, followed by Clinton, was cutting the Navy. Unfortunately, they were also cutting our intelligence capabilities and the number of countries we needed to watch had doubled. They were decomissioning subs at the peak of their reactor life. The op tempo kept increasing. Retention dropped. The year I met my wife I was out at sea over 200 days. Other boats were worse. When I got out they were offering a $30,000 bonus to extend two more years. Some specialties were getting up to $45,000.
This time it may be worse. This time people may be trying to stay in because the economy is so bad and the military will be handing out early retirements.
And with the new "Perform To Serve" expansions, the Navy is separating sailors left and right these days, showing the door to not just the troublemakers and the PT failures but to many otherwise "promotable" sailors as well, --sailors who used to think that if they stayed out of trouble and passed their fitness tests they'd have a guaranteed job until retirement.
Those days are gone. If you're an E-6 or below with 14 years service or less and you're not earning MP and preferably EP evals, you'd be wise to keep your résumé up to date.
Obama is turning us into sittin ducks
covered in oil.
The list, ping
Are they doing ~any~ new basic training classes at all?
Ack... I meant “this time ~last~ year...”
It is worse. SRBs have all but vanished. People are re-enlisting just to keep their jobs, --if the Navy will even let them. Others are being forced to cross-rate just to have a job. Chiefs are facing review boards and getting forcibly retired. And you'd better not get in trouble these days. The days of getting DUIs and bar brawls, then standing tall before the Skipper, spending a couple weeks on restriction and then rejoining your workcenter minus a chevron are over. It'll be all the above except you'll be heading to the separation barracks while BUPERS gets your paperwork in order.
Perhaps we have witnessed Gary’s “Major Nicholson moment”.
God help us!
Finally a man talking sense.
Fat lot of good it will do
falling on the deaf ears of liberals.
The Kenyan Clown intends to destroy our military.
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