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Provocative Questions

A brave USMC Captain is calling to shrink the Chaplaincy Corps.  He isn’t alone. Back in 2010, I suggested shrinking the military Chaplaincy Corps. To me, the bureaucracy in the Chaplaincy Corps had–for no discernible reason–ballooned, and far too little effort was being made to utilize existing non-military religious services. I caught hell for my […]

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The USN And Long-Term Strategy Part II:

by admin on October 3, 2013

Please indulge me as I continue the strategy discussion from earlier this week…where I tally a few concerns about the Navy’s lack of a defined strategy beyond an anodyne rehash of “uh, we just do stuff…from the sea!”.  To sum up my position so far–my hope is that the U.S. Navy starts to fix upon […]

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The USN and Long-Term Strategy

by admin on September 30, 2013

Failure to tether the U.S. Navy to a clear, large-scale and long-term strategy has reduced overall naval effectiveness as a strategic asset, raising a risk of the fleet being frittered away in activities that do not directly support strong strategic (longer-term)  national objectives. (For background go here, here, and here) In years past, the Navy fought […]

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What happens when U.S. Navy priorities, Department of Defense priorities and and the Obama Administration’s National Interests are misaligned?  And what are the implications when the differing priorities each suggest a very, very different future for the Navy? There is a dilemma afoot here.  Think back to why the Navy lost the fight to keep […]

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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 […]

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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 […]

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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, […]

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With a budget squeeze looming, CNO Admiral Roughead says it’s time to ask provocative questions…Well, here’s one:  Is it time to shrink the Navy Chaplain Corps? My answer?  Yes.  Here’s why: Too many stars for too few souls: The Chaplain Corps is top-heavy.  Throughout the course of World War II, the Navy Chief of Chaplains […]

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