The military is a reflection of the society it represents. So, in a culture where deflection, public shaming and cancellation are the new rules, it’s no surprise the armed forces would fall in line. Besides, if we’re talking about Tucker Carlson’s comments, no one will pay attention to the real, pressing issues impacting our national security, to include:
- China’s rapid military expansion
- Growing vulnerability of US forces and bases in the Far East
- Declining readiness of our air, naval and even ground forces, as equipment ages and becomes more difficult to maintain, while OPSTEMPO remains high
- Expectation for stagnant (read: declining) military budgets under China Joe and his team
- Greater difficulty in recruiting; armed forces have long relied on sons and daughters of those serving, or who previously served. Increasingly, those parents and grandparents are telling young Americans—primarily from the Mid-West and south—to stay out of a PC-driven military where one faux pas can destroy your career
- Grossly misplaced priorities. Two of Beijing Biden’s top taskers for DoD are climate change and transgender issues.
- Budget and acquisition mess. US needs to update much of its nuclear arsenal, with the Columbia-class SSBN, the new B-21 bomber and an updated ICBM to replace the 50+ year old Minuteman system. As it now stands, there won’t be enough for all three, and many expect the nuclear triad to become a dyad (with elimination of land-based ICBMs) under Biden’s watch
- Shipbuilding is another mess. Wasted billion$ on the Littoral Combat Ship (aka “Little Crappy Ships”) program, only to discover what everyone already knew: small, lightly-armed and undermanned surface combatants are not a suitable replacement for frigates. Meanwhile, our DDGs and CGs are overworked, suffering from poor maintenance and nearing the end of their service lives, with inadequate replacements for those ships.
- TACAIR is a problem for the Navy and Air Force. USN has a down-sized carrier air wing built around the F/A-18, with insufficient range and tanking capability to be effective in places like the Far East. USAF still trying to work the kinks out of the F-35, but even as unit costs drop, the Dims are looking for ways to kill the program and build more legacy fighters that can’t survive against state-of-the-art SAMs. And these programs are competing against the B-21 and other initiatives; won’t be enough money for them all.
- And did I mention we have insufficient strategic airlift and our tanker fleet modernization has been delayed due to excessive problems with the KC-46?
These are but a few of the issues that must be resolved in the next 24 months. Does Beijing Biden have a plan, beyond Matlock re-runs and a nap? Of course not. But his handlers are determined to gut the armed forces and finish its transformation into a citadel of wokeness. We’ll be the most politically correct military ever to get its ass handed to it on the battlefield.
But let’s keep glossing over these problems and keep talking about pregnant pilots in flight suits. BTW, Mr. Carlson has a point, even if he made it badly. At some point, a pregnant service member has to go on limited duty and she will remain on restricted status after delivery and during her maternity leave.
Last time I checked, women who fly aircraft with ejection seats (trainers, fighters and bombers) are removed from flying status when their pregnancy is confirmed and will remain grounded until maternity leave ends. So, a highly trained aviator will be unavailable for nine months (or longer). Does that impact readiness? Of course it does.
And it’s not just an aviation issue. Talk to any Navy CPO, SCPO or MCPO; ask them about the number of women in sea billets who suddenly get pregnant before a deployment and can’t go with the ship. So, another sailor (male or female) gets pulled, from another vessel or a shore position, to fill the manning gap. And ask the Chief if he or she believes that some women get pregnant to avoid deployments.
And on top of all this, a top Chinese analyst just announced that the PRC has a favorable five-year window (through 2025) to “reunify” Taiwan with the mainland. Are we ready for that kind of peer conflict? Hardly. So, let’s keep attacking a cable news host and hope no one notices the real problems...
Carlson didn’t make the point badly. He was concise and eloquent. He merely said something they don’t like. There was NO method to deliver that message that they would accept.
On my fourth and final ship we averaged one pregnancy every month from a contingent of 60 females. Those billets were gapped for months.
We waited for a FC1 for over a year while she finished school for a 1 of 1 NEC. It held up our CMTQ (cruise missile tactical qual). She reported on a Monday and was gone on Wednesday - pregnant. She’d pulled the same stunt on a previous ship and there were no repercussions for her.
Strange how most shore commands are at or above full manning, but the ships rarely get above 90 pct.
Ping to 24.
- Greater difficulty in recruiting; armed forces have long relied on sons and daughters of those serving, or who previously served. Increasingly, those parents and grandparents are telling young Americans—primarily from the Mid-West and south—to stay out of a PC-driven military where one faux pas can destroy your career
and THAT, is a big hole that won’t be filled sans emergency...