I’m sorry but this just infuriates me. My family is military, I was in the military and I support the military but this is just another piece of evidence of incompetence in our institutions. Everywhere we look our institutions are breaking down and it seems like our whole country is falling apart at the seams while personnel and costs keep going up, up and beyond.
The entire command of that exercise should be relieved of command in my view. We can NOT accept mediocrity of our military. That so many missed this sub is unacceptable.
That's really not the answer. The problems are coming from bad policy which began under Poppy Bush?sec of Def Cheney, continued through the Clinton years, and went uncorrected under Bush/Rummy/Gates. None of them not a one was a Reagan or a Weinberger. In the early 1990's under Poppy even during Desert Storm the gutting and downturn began and it has yet to be slowed down. Not having needed resources is a Pentagon and Congressional as well as Sec of Defense issue.
Carriers used to use S-3 Vikings and helo's for anti-sub the S-3 were relieved of that duty if I understand right. Also except for one carrier which now lies 15,000 feet under the sea on the ocean floor no carrier has a sonar dome either. We can not continue cutting vital programs and blaming the poor results on mid level officers for issues beyond their means to control. The Pentagon did it to two carrier Captains immediately after 9/11 for issues caused by the Pentagon and congress. That is where the problems actually lie.