by admin on September 11, 2013
There is nothing inherent in the Chinese Navy that makes their fleet more successful than anybody else’s in the world. By rights, the PLA(N) shouldn’t move the needle; the Chinese Navy is growing, but it is still small, relatively low-tech and untested. It’s just that the Chinese government has, for the past quarter-century, used their […]
by admin on September 10, 2013
While naval analysts love to compare raw naval power between navies (hull numbers, ship types, gun calibers, etc.), relative assessments of tactical naval performance or strategic effectiveness are harder to come by. Static, hull-based capability measurements are less controversial and far more comforting–I mean, policymakers have been comparing ships and fleet size since Athens first […]
by admin on September 4, 2013
A National Security Strategy is, by nature, a selfish document. If there is a place for timorous national security bureaucrats to embrace their inner Theodore Roosevelt, the National Security Strategy is it. We compose a national strategy because this is where we, as Americans, explain how we intend to secure the survival of the United States. But, […]
by admin on August 27, 2013
Want to know why Tesla is trading at over 160 dollars a share? It’s because Tesla’s boss, Elon Musk, fought for it. He took on critics. In public. Back in February 2013, when the New York Times came out with a negative “company-killing hit-piece” on Tesla’s new car, Musk went on a very, very high-profile offensive, forcing […]
by admin on August 23, 2013
This might be an unpopular thing to say, but crooks have helped the Navy win wars. That’s right. Take, for example, smugglers. The pressure of smuggling–the need to constantly innovate to avoid confrontation–has, over the years, done wonders in pushing new technology into the fleet. And the Navy should take some time to acknowledge the […]
by Craig Hooper on March 18, 2011
Bloomberg’s Tony Capaccio discovered something that is not supposed to happen to a new ship–particularly a new ship that has buoyancy issues: During a heavy-weather ocean trial on the USS Freedom in mid-February, he said, sailors discovered a six-inch horizontal hull crack below the waterline that leaked five gallons an hour. Inside the hull the […]
by Craig Hooper on February 28, 2011
Until last year, one of the most annoying things about being a long-standing LPD-17 critic was the constant push-back from pro-LPD-17 partisans (my criticism began here and, oh, here). There is no denying that the LPD-17, as planned, is a capable and exciting platform. The only problem, which the Virginian-Pilot’s Navy scribe Corinne Reilly details […]
by Craig Hooper on January 3, 2011
Admiral Nimitz may have loved his raunchy jokes, cussed a blue streak and been all manner of weird in his private life. I don’t care. Why? Because Nimitz, when dealing with the public and his subordinates, understood his rank and role in the Navy demanded professional comportment. Even as a low-ranking commander of the ROTC […]
by Craig Hooper on December 13, 2010
Last week’s breathless Washington Times “Inside the Ring” report on North Korea’s interest in nuclear anti-ship weaponry is unrealistic, but, as much as I hate to admit it, the underlying idea–using subs as a nuclear delivery platform–is plausible. But first, step away from Gertz and his China-based fear-mongering. Let’s drop the Chinese-threat lenses, and realize […]
by Craig Hooper on December 1, 2010
Today, this blogger–along with the Navy–won a big victory. For me, it’s a vindication of sorts: On November 14, 2007, I was the first to publicly call out the American Shipbuilding Association and it’s lobbyist-in-chief, Cindy Brown (that’s her on the right). I hammered the ASA’s record: If you’ve spent the last 20 years lobbying […]