tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579907756656776056.post8786102719864587354..comments2024-03-28T07:56:09.239-07:00Comments on Navy Matters: Training - Force MultiplierComNavOpshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09669644332369727431noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579907756656776056.post-53256351481057958342014-08-03T03:42:18.822-07:002014-08-03T03:42:18.822-07:00do you think the usual simulation in CIC should be...do you think the usual simulation in CIC should be enough training for the men defending the ship(s) from multiple attacks ? i assume the US navy in cold war days also trained/simulate massive antiship missile attack by the soviet backfires ? im not a military professional but i find the engagement depicted in Red Storm Rising (it's tom clancy's but i find it not to rah-rah compared to other novels) pretty harrowing with the US taskforce have to fend off backfire missile salvoes and end up losing many ships. <br /><br />can RAM defend the ship from the supersonic antiship missiles ?buntalanlucuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02058846205282464955noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579907756656776056.post-67513164375234096622012-06-14T13:10:44.724-07:002012-06-14T13:10:44.724-07:00One of the difficulties of posting on a blog is th...One of the difficulties of posting on a blog is that space and reader attention spans are limited. People want short blurbs on a topic (akin to politicians sound bites!). What this means is that statements often have to be simplified and generalized to make one's point in a limited number of words.<br /><br />Of course you're correct that training is not truly free. What I'm saying is that it costs nothing on a relative basis compared to, say, the cost of a single new destroyer at a few billion dollars. Spending $6M per year, or, heck, let's say $100M per year, is a vanishingly small amount to spend compared to the Navy budget and to the cost of a single ship not sunk by enemy action because of superior training.<br /><br />We think a new ship for several billion dollars is reasonable but we would balk at $6M (or $100M or whatever) to have a better chance at keeping that ship afloat in the event of war?<br /><br />You mention the opportunity cost and that's a great point that I should probably devote a post to. In my mind, the opportunity cost of using existing SSNs for more realistic training is worth it because both the SSN and surface ship benefit from better training.<br /><br />If you want to delve further into opportunity costs, not to mention real costs, consider the extensive humanitarin missions undertaken by the Navy. Talk about lost training time, expended airframe hours, lost ship maintenance, longer deployments, etc.! But that's a topic for another time.<br /><br />Did this reassure you that I'm aware of real world costs?<br /><br />Thanks for looking in!ComNavOpshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09669644332369727431noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579907756656776056.post-5838540121947548682012-06-14T11:57:52.502-07:002012-06-14T11:57:52.502-07:00"But, it could be drastically improved with n..."But, it could be drastically improved with no capital expenditure, whatsoever, by simply providing realistic training."<br /><br />Sadly, your prescription, while possibly achievable and probably good, is neither free of capital expenditures nor is it inexpensive. For instance, in order to "Send a swarm of 16 small craft drones at a ship" just once a training cycle for each ship, you would need to expend something on the order of 300 drones a year. That is not even figuring in more drones for multi-ship training (because we need to fight as a team!). Lets say the boats cost only $20k a piece (a ridicuously low total cost when all factors are added in), that works out to $6 million a year for targets alone. Add in the additional factor of ammunition (how much would 16 Hellfires or say an extra 200 rounds of the best 5in shells cost), additional range time and more range personnel for exercise coordination, etc and you have a huge expenditure above and beyond anything used today. And don't forget to add in more frequent equipment repair and greater repair parts as well.<br /><br />In that same vein, how much does an hour of air time cost because you will need a lot, or how about the cost of a sonobuoy (or 20). All of that ignores the opportunity cost of the assets like submarines that you will need. <br /><br />Better training is both required and would be valuable, but please don't pretend it would be either easy or cheap to implement. As Aesop observed in the fable of belling the cat, anyone can think of an impossible plan.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com