Winding Down the Year

I'm going to slow down my posting as we approach the holiday season. The reason is actually two fold. First, my wife is due to have our third child at the end of December, and I still have many things to get done before then. Second, Christmas is approaching and I am absolutely committed to finish reading all the books I have purchased and not yet read this year so I can restock via a delivery from Santa.

With the budget basically being a 90 day hanging curve-ball, I figure now is as good a time as any to step back awhile.

But I also believe now is a good time because the Navy is also winding down for the year. The USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) is on her way home while the USS George Washington (CVN 73) has wrapped up her patrol, and not likely to sustain another patrol until closer to the new year.

The USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70) will soon deploy, but otherwise there are few US Navy deployments I have my eye on, although there is one in particular I think everyone should be following closely.

On Sunday, January 8th the USS Bataan (LHD 5) deployment will be 291 days (41 weeks and 4 days) old. On that day the USS Bataan (LHD 5) will pass the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as the longest big deck deployment since the Vietnam War (290 days in 2003).

Friday, January 20th the USS Bataan (LHD 5) deployment will be 303 days (43 weeks and 2 days) old. On that day the USS Bataan (MHD 5) will pass the USS Okinawa (LPH 3) as the longest amphibious ship deployment ever (302 days in 1990).

The Navy public affairs folks have informed me the USS Bataan (LHD 5) will come close but not break the record for longest deployment since WWII set by USS Midway (CV 41) at 327 days in 1973. My experience with Murphy's Law is that you never say never.

If for any reason the USS Bataan (LHD 5) finds itself in contingency mode and unable to return on schedule, the day the ship would potentially break the USS Midway (CV 41) record of 327 days in 1973 would be February 15th, 2012 - the day after Valentine's day 2012.

It is noteworthy, the USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) came as part of the support for Operation Iraqi Freedom, while USS Okinawa (LPH 3) happened as a result of the response to the first Gulf War. The USS Bataan (LPD 5) deployment went early in response to Libya, which we downplayed politically as only a minor military operation, and is staying late because of a legitimate lack of amphibious ships to cover rotation requirements for ARGs. If you recall, the extended deployment of Bataan ARG was announced early by the Navy who because of Libya, was forced to keep the USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) ARG late from August 27, 2024 through May 16, 2024 - a nearly 9 month deployment.

This is the Tipping Point. The Naval services - all three of them - are doing more with less for longer periods of time, and do not have the support necessary on Capitol Hill to sustain the requirements being driven by Presidential policy. Something has to change - either on the policy side or the resource side, but either way something has to change.

Something to think about.