With all the challenges the
Navy faces, what do you think Navy Secretary Mabus and CNO Greenert are
spending their time on? Ballistic
missile defense? Chronic maintenance and
readiness problems? The coming submarine
and fighter shortfalls?
Those are all good guesses
but not even remotely close.
Mabus and Greenert have just
created a new ship designation. The new
designation is “E” for Expeditionary. It
will be used to redesignate these ships:
JHSV, Joint High Speed Vessels will become EPF, for Expeditionary Fast Transport
MLP, Mobile Landing Platforms will become ESD, for Expeditionary Transfer
Docks
AFSB, Afloat Forward Staging Bases will become ESB, for Expeditionary Base
Mobile
I don’t really care what the
ships are designated but is this really the best use of the SecNav and CNO’s
time? Is this really the issue that
moves them?
Further, I doubt that this
is just an innocuous redesignation. I
assume this will be used as justification to count these ships as part of the
fleet rather than as the auxiliaries that they are.
Navy leadership is truly an embarrassment
to the fleet and the nation.
Well, maybe they'll reclassify the LCS as an EFQ or Expeditionary Fast Target!
ReplyDeleteSupposedly they are counting the next frigate, a somewhat larger LCS as a "frigate".
DeleteI don't really understand the point ?
ReplyDeleteIs this a 300 ship fleet thing ?
a precursor to inclusion of the JHSV maybe ?
Appearances over reality is what this is about.
DeleteMabus ran out of names for LCS, so he decided to name something else!
ReplyDeleteMabus and Greenert are reading too much Sue Grafton?
ReplyDeleteI do wonder how much of the lack of attention to things like this is going to cost the Navy.
ReplyDeleteAs submarines, fighters, and ships are increasingly not available due to lack of numbers or fatigue induced down time, we will either do without, or another service like maybe the air force will shoehorn itself in.
Then when future budget cycles come through they will have less justification for what they do.
Even the high end projects are being screwed up.
DeleteFord Class
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/tag/ford-class
USS America
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/navy-builds-ship-for-f-35-ship-needs-months-of-upgrade-1697523492
"Maybe the saddest part of all of this is that the Navy named the F-35B's tailor-made ship the USS America. Then again, considering how seemingly mismanaged our country has become, this may actually be a fairly accurate title."
And of course speaking of the F-35:
http://foxtrotalpha.jalopnik.com/f-35-pilot-seems-unimpressed-with-jets-x-ray-like-visio-1717500325
I wonder what will happen to the Ohio class replacement SSBN at this rate. Probably overbudget, delayed, and lots of problems if the past record is something to go by.
The Navy has 9 Expeditionary Strike Groups (ESG) consisting of L-Class ships. None of the newly named E-Class ships operate as part of an ESG. Does this mean the L-Class ships like the LHA's, LHD's, LPH's, LSD's now become EHA's, EHD's, EPH's, and ESD''s?
ReplyDeleteGood question!
Delete