Where is the one-stop shop for all things tactical in the United States Navy? That's
a good question being asked at CIMSEC today. Really interesting post, but as I am not in the Navy, what I really enjoyed was reading several of the links.
I've been waiting to read
David Axe's article discussing the CNAS paper by Captain Hendrix. David always takes a unique perspective on things, and that's one of the things I appreciate most about his writing. In his article he's offering up three big flattop alternatives: America class smaller carriers, MLP commercial style carriers, and a radical shift towards underwater long range strike. It did get me thinking about something, if the Navy took long range precision strike out of naval aviation, what kind of platform would you build to field naval aviation at sea that focuses on fleet support? This is a fictional "what if" not a "what I would do" question.
Ray Mabus is a complicated guy, and even after 4 years I can't decide if I like him or not. He is stubborn as hell though, and I admit I do admire that about him. I keep hearing that Ray Mabus was repeatedly told that if he backed away from biofuels, he was going to be offered more opportunities in the Obama administration. From what I hear, he basically told the President "thanks, but no thanks" and has stuck to his belief that alternative energy really is an important issue and something the Navy needs to continue working on as a function of long term reserve planning. Today it is somewhat hard to believe the investment is worth it, but in 20 years we may all look back through the sands of history and describe him as the guy in the room who was legitimately thinking ahead. Either way,
the Senate is allowing the Navy’s ‘green fleet’ to sail on. While this topic gets a lot of attention, even his Republican opponents know that the amount of money involved in the more riskier investments really isn't enough to get too worked up over. True, money is tight, but there is some evidence indicating that some of his alternative energy investments in things like solar and advanced batteries does become, at worst, cost neutral over time.
Freedom is having problems. The ship has already lost a Fincantieri Isotta-Fraschini ship service diesel generators (SSDG), and a seventeen degree roll (which really isn't a big roll in my opinion) to port knocked out power the other day.
According to Aviation Week the ship has now lost power three times since departing Pearl Harbor. I am standing by what I have always said, the Navy will not build more than 12 of each of either ship without significant design changes.
Today is
Bob Work's last day as Under Secretary.
