“Stick close to your desk and never go to sea
And you may all be rulers of the Queen’s Na-vy”
It used to be that at one time, in my beloved Corps, that no one could rise to the rank of Colonel without having been in combat. Now there are birds that have never even had command. I had more command time than a CoS in one of the last commands I served, and yet he made it to Colonel and I topped out at Major. Gotta know the right people who sit on the boards.
***How the heck can you rise to the rank of Admiral in the United States Navy and never command so much as a tin can?***
H.M.S. Pinafore comes to mind.
“I polished that handle so carefully that now I am the ruler of the Queen’s Nave-e!”
“Now landsmen all, whoever you may be,
If you want to rise to the top of the tree,
If your soul isn’t fettered to an office stool,
Be careful to be guided by this golden rule—
Stick close to your desks and never go to sea,
And you all may be rulers of the Queen’s Navee! “
There are non-line admirals in the service. EDO, Supply, JAG, Medical, etc etc None of these ever command ships.
Kirby is a public relations specialist. He is a mouth piece for the Department of Defense. You can think of his as the Pentagon version of Bagdad Bob. He is the script reader. There are lot of admirals in the navy that have never commanded ships. All staff corps such as supply, civil engineering medical are headed by admirals that are not qualified to command at sea. While Kirby is a unrestricted line officer, his career as a PR man took him away from the waterfront and into the 5 sided puzzle palace.