I am a retired Army officer, most General and Flag Officer reliefs of which I am aware involve personal misconduct (adultery, financial irregularities, etc...). This is a firing for an operational failure, something that has been very rare over the recent past.
After 9/11 when two aircraft carriers could not get underway due to readiness issues {equipment failures} their Captains were relieved of duty but not a Star fell. The cause of the carriers unable to get underway were likely funding issue related to parts as well as some task require a shipyard to accomplish.
The Navy or rather The Pentagon and more specifically Congress has been playing a very dangerous game since the early 1990's and beginning under Poppy Bush and continuing for every administration and congressional session since of sending ships unfit for getting underway to sea. Then IIRC under Obama many ships sat idle in port for a long time which will greatly diminish training and overall readiness.
To figure it out in that respect the ships involved underway {at sea} schedule for the past 4 years {not the same thing as their deployment schedule but includes deployments}, their shipyard rotations as well as looking at their 2 Kilo {work request} for shipyard repairs, vs what actually got funded would need to be known.
It sounds like many things combined have likely cause a breakdown in equipment and skills needed. Causes that may be out of the hands of the ships Captains if the Navy doesn't pay for training or funding is held up by Congress. As I understand it some ratings in Navigation related duties require land based refresher classes. I'm thinking Quatermasters.
Just to make clear for those that may not know, the “Pentagon” trains and equips, and the Theater CINCs do the warfighting.
When I see a Navy ship she usually has great streaks of rust running down her sides. This is not something I remember from times past. Environmentally friendly paint or poor maintenance or both? Ive been on ships for years, there is a constant battle against rust but when you see it coming through the scuppers the battle is being lost.
Could it be the Navy needs a lot less social crusading and high priced biofuel and a lot more paint, chipping, scraping, general maintenance and training?
“The Navy or rather The Pentagon and more specifically Congress has been playing a very dangerous game since the early 1990’s and beginning under Poppy Bush and continuing for every administration and congressional session since of sending ships unfit for getting underway to sea.”
To back up your position re Poppy Bush and how he ran our Navy into the ground. Our first “stoppage” happened during Bush I’s term. He and his CIA literally ran our Navy ships and men into this stoppage situation.
48-HOUR STOPPAGE PLANNED BY NAVY
By STEPHEN ENGELBERG, Special to The New York Times
Published: November 15, 1989
WASHINGTON, Nov. 14— After a succession of accidents around the world, the Navy announced today that it was suspending routine operations for 48 hours to review safety procedures with each sailor and aviator.
It was the first time the Navy has taken such a step, officials said, and it reflected the mounting concern over the deaths and injuries sustained by both Navy personnel and civilians in the accidents in the past three weeks.
Navy officials said that the suspension would only affect routine operations and training exercises and that essential military functions, like ship movements in the Persian Gulf and drug interdiction efforts, would not be stopped. All deployed ships, submarines and aircraft would still be available for emergency operations, the officials said. Two More Accidents.
The safety review was ordered early this morning before word was received about a fire today aboard the Inchon, an amphibious assault ship undergoing maintenance in Norfolk, Va. The blaze injured 31 sailors and 8 civilians. The Navy said one sailor was in guarded condition and another was in serious condition.
http://www.nytimes.com/1989/11/15/us/48-hour-stoppage-planned-by-navy.html?mcubz=0