ComNavOps has expressed both hope in SecDef Hegseth and an
ominously growing sense of disappointment about the Secretary. Hegseth talked the talk but has, thus far,
failed to walk the walk.
He had the opportunity to come in and clean house throughout
the services and, with a couple of welcome exceptions, has failed to do
so. The same service leadership is still,
largely, in place. All the incompetent
and politically motivated flag officers are still there and still running
things.
Who has he fired over the disastrous Afghan pull out? No one.
Who has he fired over the Chinese spy balloons? No one.
Who has he fired for the military’s multi-year failure to
pass an audit? No one.
Who has he fired for allowing the Navy’s fleet to look like
a bunch of rusted out garbage scows? No
one.
Who has he fired over the lowering of physical fitness and
qualification standards? No one.
Who has he fired over the burning of the USS Bonhomme
Richard? No one.
Who has he fired over the decades long debacle of the USS
Boise (SSN)? No one.
I can pose these questions all night and the answer is the
same for all of them: no one! Hegseth is holding no one accountable.
But ComNavOps, you whine say, we can’t afford to fire
every flag officer. That would cause
insurmountable problems! Bad as they
might be, we need flag officer leadership.
Really? You’re saying that we’d
have problems if we fired all the people who have, over the last several years,
hollowed our military, driven readiness into the toilet, allowed maintenance to
become an afterthought, and wasted obscene amounts of money on failed programs?
It’s a shame. Based
on his pre-nomination public statements, I had high hopes for Mr. Hegseth. Unfortunately, his actions to date, or lack
thereof, suggest he’s yet another failed SecDef who lacks the courage to take
sweeping and decisive action. All talk,
no walk.
Unless his Grand Pow-wow starts with the words "You're fired; all of you." That would be invigorating. A little unlikely though.
ReplyDeleteI like it! Herd 'em all into one room and take of the problem all at once!
DeleteYes, the opening statement of the conference will be given by a RN Officer, telling the story of Admiral Byng.
DeleteThat will set the right tone.
In SECDEF Hegseth's defense, he did fire ADM Franchetti, who was probably the least qualified and most ineffective CNO in history.
ReplyDeleteI do give him credit for that. Least qualified? May well be true. Most ineffective? Well, there's a LOT of competition for that title! To be fair, she was ineffective but, unlike some/many of her predecessors, she didn't do anything overtly harmful ... she just didn't do anything except maintain the status quo.
Delete"My immediate litimus test"
ReplyDeleteNow, you know that comment couldn't stand.
Rumsfeld failed much more but many Republicans still hold high respect on him.
ReplyDeleteHis "feats":
1. Thought US would not face another superpower thus focus new weapon development on fighting regional powers --- cut F-22 production, insist common platform of F-35, LCS, DDG-1000, ....
2. Promote 2003 invasion Iraq. You know what happened since then
3. 2005, he said China built up a threat to Asia but he thought China would only be a regional power could be countered with F-35, DDG-1000, ..... now it has hypersonic weapons, high competent nuke, advanced drones in air, land, underwater, .....
2. Thought US w
Have to agree with you. My enthusiasm for him is waning. But... I will temper that with the fact that my son in the Army has seen a ton of changes over the last month. Barracks renovations ( that were, as far as anyone knows, unplanned, but needed), additional scheduled inspections, additional responsibilities, a deletion of the official work hours, and now longer days, and tougher physical standards.
ReplyDeleteBut business as usual though from my Navy daughter...
So...I'm certainly hoping Tuesday brings the handing out of a lot of pink slips.
Now... if we could just get him to kill the Connies, decomm all the LCS, Zumwalts, halt all the unmanned crap, get a few drydocks built, order a few thousand missiles, and put the last few cruisers through a proper overhaul, my faith will be restored...
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DeleteYa left a wee bit 'o space there in your comment!
DeleteI couldn't remove it for some reason.
DeleteMaybe copy the text, delete the comment, and repost?
DeleteHe's slashing the number of $30 million attack helos in the Army in favor of drones, something proven needed in the Ukraine war. Attack helos are too slow and thus to easy to down with a cheap drone or shoulder fired SAM.
DeleteMy biggest concern is the way we intend to fight: I am less concerned about weapons, and more concerned about plans, doctrine, and training. The Pentagon still seems to operate by protecting service budgets. And no disrespect to the U.S. Army and Marine Corps, but any future war will largely be determined in space, in the air, and under the seas. If our nation is planning to rush brigades, divisions, and corps overseas, that is a disaster in the making. We were on the winning side in WWII, largely because our strategy was to keep our allies in the fight: the Russians (who killed seven or eight out every ten German KIA), the Chinese (who tied down over one million of Japan's best soldiers), and to a lesser extent the British (who outproduced the Germans aircraft and who possessed the critical geography for invasion of continental Europe). But nobody asked me…
ReplyDeleteHere is what I think, what should be done
ReplyDelete1) Transparent Investigations & Reports
Make public the findings of reviews into disasters or failures (e.g. Afghan pullout, Bonhomme Richard fire, etc.), with honest self‑assessment.
Even if firings are hard or don’t happen immediately, showing that someone is investigating and holding people to account is important.
2) Targeted Removals / Demotions
Instead of wholesale purges, identify specific flag officers or senior leaders whose negligence or mismanagement is well documented, remove or reassign them, or not renew their positions.
3) Clear Standards & Metrics
Define what “readiness,” “maintenance,” “fitness,” “audit‑pass” mean, establish measurable metrics, publish progress. This helps avoid the vague rhetoric (Eg: “raising standards,” etc.) without substance.
4) Budget & Resource Reallocation
Some failures stem from underfunding, poor resource allocation, or misguided procurement decisions. Adjusting budgets, reallocating funds toward maintenance, readiness, audit compliance etc is part of walking the walk.
5) Cultural and Structural Reforms
Beyond firing individuals, changing how promotions, performance reviews, inspections, and oversight work. Empowering inspector generals, ensuring audits are taken seriously.
This will help a lot
6) Strategic Patience, but with Deadlines
Some changes will show up only in medium‑term (1‑2 years) or longer. But leaders can set short‑term deadlines: e.g. within 3‑6 months review all readiness metrics, fire/relieve any flag officers whose units fail X standard.
Learned from his term, Trump found that some his appointee had their own agenda than execute his. Unlike those resigned and opposed him publicly, these kept saying "yes sir" but did things which he didn't like. One example is Pompeo. Furthermore, these agenda sometimes are popular among his supporters thus he could not openly oppose.
ReplyDeleteHe needs someone not just listen to him full heartly but also willing to take blame for him. He would do things which Trump like but could not say openly. Something Trump wants actually counter his supporters' wish. If things go wrong, he takes blame without mentioning Trump's direction. Trump thinks that Hegseth is a right choice.
So, even if you dislike Hegseth, as long as Trump still trust his loyalty, your opinions are wishful thinking.
Likely, calling all general meeting is not Hegseth's idea but what Trump want.
DeleteThis is a pretty bad idea since all top commanders gathered together if something happens, you know impacts. For sensible nations,
Well, the big gathering of stars has ended, what is your analysis of it ?
ReplyDelete