Flashy Toys vs Flashy Ideas

The Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard returned to Capital Hill yesterday to discuss the new Maritime Strategy with the House Armed Services Committee, and if reading statements and observing reports gives a first impression, that impression isn't one to be encouraged by. To say things are messy would be an understatement, but there really isn't blame here, unless we blame everyone. What we observe is a series of shortcomings across the board, and Roughead has a lot of work to do if he wants to get out from under the mountain the Navy finds itself under.

Aviation Week has a brief article up, and the content really highlights the issues at hand. It isn't what is said specifically, it is what is focused on.

The top four-star leaders of the U.S. Coast Guard, Marine Corps and Navy heard the first widespread congressional reaction Dec. 13 to their newly unveiled maritime strategy report -- and lawmakers were skeptical across the political aisle.

Members of the House Armed Services Committee (HASC), almost to a person, repeated calls for greater and better shipbuilding, but also noted historical acquisition problems there. And they remained apparently unclear -- despite a 16-page multicolor brochure titled "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" -- on how the services would better integrate.

"It's a nice, really slick brochure -- at the end of the day, it didn't do so much for our country," HASC seapower and expeditionary forces subcommittee chairman Gene Taylor (D-Miss.) told the chief of naval operations and the commandants of the Coast Guard and Marines.

The Navy walked into Congress hoping to discuss strategy, and Congress wants to talk about the flashy toys. If the Navy leadership didn't expect this, they are woefully blind to reality. The reaction of Congress seems very familiar, and it should be familiar to you as well... specifically Congress had virtually the same reaction of the blogosphere. Was nobody in the Navy observing the debates over at SJS's place? Did they not at least observe the reactions at the CDRs? Did anyone ever go back and observe feedback from concerned interested persons? If they did, they have done an extraordinarily poor job (with 1 exception) of outreach and education, discussion and debate.

Here is some advice for the Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard. Congress is focused on Flashy Toys, specifically the huge costs associated with developing systems the Navy and Marines currently have on their Christmas list, but the Navy has nothing flashy to counter this desire. The strategy doesn't represent a new idea to Congress, and expectations that Congress is going to admire strategic approaches is unrealistic. Everything in the strategy is something Congress has heard before, and they associate that with the systems plans of before. If the Navy wants to move Congress into its corner, they need flashy new ideas that demonstrate that things are changing.

Until the Navy brings new, never discussed flashy ideas that are specific in addressing the strategical guidance in the new Maritime Strategy to take the thunder out of Congressional focus on the flashy toys that get all the attention, the Navy is not going to get beyond the current status quo. The Navy is also going to find itself without the money it desires to execute the Maritime Strategy.