Milbloggies Nomination

I'm not really big on awards or contests, it's just not my thing. I'm actually very lazy about those kind of logistical aspects of running this site to be honest, a good example being how last night I finally added the banner fort the Defense IQ top 10 blog award awarded to Information Dissemination earlier this year.

But it has come to my attention that it is the community that is out nominating the blog for awards, so I need to be a bit more responsive to these things in respect to the community. Fair point.

Last year I went to the milblogger conference, but full disclosure, I went because I wanted to see the excellent Navy PAOs who ran the social media shop who were in attendance, and because I was asked to write about it for USNI. It was also the same weekend last year as the USNI annual meeting, and there was no chance I was missing last years meeting.

As you may or may not be aware, the annual Milbloggie awards are for active and retired members of the military - and I am neither. Still, the other day I got an email from someone involved asking to confirm that active and/or retired members write for Information Dissemination. Now I know why.

CDR Bryan McGrath (ret) and CDR Chris Rawley are why Information Dissemination has been nominated as 2012 Milbloggies Finalists for the 2012 US Navy category. Other finalists for the 2012 Navy category include Feminine Fatigues (JO aviator), Navy Operational Stress Control, USNI Blog, and Military Dad (JO SWO).

Congratulations to Bryan and Chris, the nominations for this apparently came from the ID community in recognition of the excellence both of you contribute regularly.

Voting is expected to begin on Tuesday.

P.S. As I have said many times, I will support any JO who writes, because it is my sincere hope that JOs who write about life as JOs will begin writing about more professional topics in the future as the Navy becomes their profession rather than simply their job. I think it is great to see 2 JOs on that short list, and I highly recommend any senior officers (active or retired) who may read this post swing by and congratulate both JOs. Foster the future, pay it forward.

This is Obscene

I find this incredible. It leaves me speechless. Hat tip to Paul Vebber. From page 12 of this report (PDF).

The Joint Strike Fighter is driving much of DOD’s poor portfolio performance and it will continue to drive outcomes for the foreseeable future. Among the 96 programs in DOD’s 2011 portfolio, the Joint Strike Fighter is the costliest, the poorest performer in terms of cost growth, and the program with the largest remaining funding needs. The Joint Strike Fighter accounts for 21 percent, or nearly $327 billion, of the planned total acquisition cost of the portfolio. It is also responsible for the most significant research and development, procurement, and total acquisition cost growth in the past year, as shown in figure 1. This growth took place without any change in procurement quantities by the program.

Most of the remaining funding for the 2011 portfolio is for procurement. Over 91 percent of the almost $705 billion needed to complete the programs in the 2011 portfolio consists of procurement funding; therefore, any future funding cuts to these programs will likely result in quantity reductions. The Joint Strike Fighter program alone is expected to account for 38 percent—or almost $246 billion—of the future procurement funding needed. This amount is enough to fund the remaining procurement costs of the next 15 largest programs.

The graphic is on page 14 of the same report (click for larger). You are reading that correctly, the Joint Strike Fighter is 38% of all DoD procurement for all current defense programs.

Joint Strike Fighter is not too big to fail, it's way too big to ever possibly succeed.

Visual Aid

This is USS Firebolt (PC 10).

This is the USNS Mercy (T-AH 19)

What do these two ships have in common? These ships are in classes of ship that are now battle force ships according to the Navy's new approximately 300 ship plan. These ship types were never considered battle force ships under the 313-ship plan.

Why are they now battle force ships? Because there were 283 battle force ships when the Obama administration took office. There are 282 ships today. When you subtract 13 PCs and 2 hospital ships from the Navy's new plan, the new Obama administrations plan came out to only a 285 ship fleet, and anything short of 300 was politically unacceptable. In other words, they made shit up. Welcome to the shell game.

The Obama administration has moved BMD to the Navy, but added no ships with that policy change. Now the Obama administration is claiming a pivot to Asia with a maritime focus, and yet the Navy is losing ships and has to fudge finger add in 200 ton PCs and call them battle force ships to hit the political goal of 300 ships. I've said it before, I'll say it again...

The worst kept secret in the DoD: there is no plan.

P.S. If you want to know where the split is between SECNAV and OPNAV, you are looking at it. If the Navy is ready to start counting PCs as battle force ships, does that mean the Navy is ready to build an influence squadron? Yeah right.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson

Because I know how much some of you really, really care...

Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced today the next Zumwalt-class destroyer will be named the USS Lyndon B. Johnson.

The selection of Lyndon B. Johnson, designated DDG 1002, continues the Navy tradition of naming ships after presidents and honors the nation’s 36th president.

The USS Lyndon B. Johnson is the 34th ship named by the Navy after a U.S. president.

“I am pleased to honor President Johnson with the naming of this ship,” Mabus said. “His dedication to a life of public service included bravely stepping forward to fight for his country during our entry into World War II.”

A Texas congressman, Johnson was the first member of Congress to enlist in the military following the start of World War II. After his naval service, Johnson was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1948, where he served as both minority and majority leader before being elected vice president Nov. 8, 1960.

Following President Kennedy’s assassination Nov. 22 1963, Johnson succeeded to the presidency, finished the remaining term, and was reelected for a full term as president, by the greatest percentage of total popular vote (61 percent) ever attained by a presidential candidate.

Johnson’s time as president was marked by the passage of programs that greatly influenced and impacted education, healthcare and civil rights for generations to come. He signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964 into law, enacting comprehensive provisions protecting the right to vote and guarding against racial discrimination. His work on civil rights continued with the passage of the Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed voting rights for all people, regardless of race.

Johnson signed legislation establishing Medicare, which allowed millions of elderly Americans access to cheaper medical services. He also launched the Head Start Program, which provided preschool children from low-income families with classes, medical care, and other services.

As a naval officer, Johnson requested a combat assignment after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served in the Pacific theater during World War II. After returning from active duty service, Johnson reported back to Navy leaders and Congress on what he believed were deplorable conditions for the warfighters, and continued to fight for better standards for all military members.

USS Lyndon B. Johnson will be the third Zumwalt-class (DDG 1000) destroyer. Construction began on the ship at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works April 4 and is expected to deliver to the Navy in fiscal 2018. The multimission DDG 1000 class destroyers are designed for sustained operations in the littorals and land attack and will provide independent forward presence and deterrence, support special operations forces, and operate as an integral part of joint and combined expeditionary forces. This warship integrates numerous critical technologies, systems, and principles into a complete warfighting system. Zumwalt ships will be 600 feet in length, have a beam of 80.7 feet, displace approximately 15,000 tons, and capable of making 30 knots speed. Each ship will have a crew size of 148 officers and Sailors.

First, the Zumwalt class has had more good press in the last 3 weeks than it has in the last 3 years. As I have been saying for years, the Zumwalt class destroyers really is going to be the most incredible class of surface combatant ever built by man, and there are people very excited about what this ship is going to be able to do. These ships will have a wow factor that is legitimate, and I'll bet right now that at some point down the road they will be the 3 most capable surface combatants in the Navy by miles. I do not expect the Navy to build more Zumwalts (the hull form is the only mistake on the ship), but I do believe the class will serve as the foundation for the future surface combatant.

Second, I know people get all worked up about ship names, but in complete irony they often cite naval history as the reason they are all pissed off. Uhm, according to the naval history of the United States, the exception to the rules that govern ship names is as much the rule as the rule itself, so if you try claiming that Lyndon B. Johnson is an inappropriate ship name because of naval history, my reply will simply be that you appear to know absolutely nothing about Navy history as it relates to ship names.

I for one look forward to seeing what the SECNAV sends to the House now that he must deliver a report on ship names, because I imagine it will be a very interesting report that justifies - with historical clarity - why naming a ship after a politician is just as much Navy tradition as having themes guide naming conventions for Navy ships. I fully support the authority Congress has lent to the SECNAV to name US Navy ships, and I fully support the SECNAV in naming ships whatever the hell he wants.

BUT WITH ALL THAT SAID... that doesn't mean it's a good idea to ever name a Zumwalt destroyer the JOHNSON. Only Ray Mabus is apparently so tone deaf as to not see the irony that during April 2012 - also known as Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) in the Navy - that the 18-22 year old enlisted sailors are going to almost certainly come up with some highly creative (and crude) JOHNSON jokes. OK, so the silver lining is that at least we won't have a JOHNSON STRIKE GROUP in the Navy, but when a ship's most prominent feature is often described as 6" or 155mm, JOHNSON doesn't quite strike me as the appropriate name.

*sigh*

Who does the SECNAV listen to, and what kind of lame ass sense of humor and imagination do his advisers apparently have to miss where this is likely to go? I can already imagine a future conversation with my wife..."Honey, I'm going to Bath for a shakedown cruise on JOHNSON."

The jokes regarding the Navy's new JOHNSON may get old, eventually, but probably not this week. If you wish to channel your inner 14 year old to celebrate the Navy's new JOHNSON in the blog comments, I look forward to the laugh.

Meanwhile, Good Things

From here.

Navy Vice Adm. David H. Buss for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as commander, Naval Air Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, Calif. Buss is currently serving as deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va.

Navy Rear Adm. Michelle J. Howard for appointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Norfolk, Va. Howard is currently serving as chief of staff, J5, Joint Staff, Pentagon, Washington, D.C.

Navy Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as deputy chief of naval operations for Operations, plans, and strategy, N3/N5, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Fox is currently serving as commander, U.S. Naval Forces, Central Command and commander, Fifth Fleet, Manama, Bahrain.

Navy Vice Adm. Allen G. Myers for reappointment to the rank of vice admiral, and for assignment as deputy chief of naval operations for integration of capabilities and resources, N8, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Pentagon, Washington, D.C. Myers is currently serving as commander, Naval Air Forces/commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego, Calif.

From a career perspective, worth noting the ties these folks have to USS Sacramento (AOE 1), pirate fighting, and J5.

Three things here. First, Michelle J. Howard is remarkably well respected, and has been one of those folks quietly doing great things in the Navy the last few years. Well earned.

Second, Vice Adm. Mark I. Fox has been the point man at 5th Fleet pushing for the Navy to take a stronger, more active role in the region and good things have been happening under his leadership. The folks at the State Department privately think he's crazy, which is just one more reason why I think he's fantastic, because I think they're delusional over there.

Finally, note how much touch these folks have to the positive changes that have been taking place from the direction of Fleet Forces Command. These folks, behind the scenes, have quietly been doing the hard work necessary to turn the ship around on several of the very hard challenges the Navy has been facing the last few years - and it is credit to the CNO they are getting rewarded for it.

I love this list. Everyone on this list comes with high praise from the people who have worked with and for them. I absolutely love that Mark Fox going to N3/N5, very smart I think, indeed naval aviators are typically tactically brilliant, but this list has three aviators who are also genuine strategic thinkers on it. This list strikes me as a break from the promotion as usual pattern of the Roughead era - because while the good guys usually do finish first, the excellent folks have often got left behind.

Not this time.