Tuesday, August 11, 2026

Failure on a Grand Scale

The Navy has announced the retirement of VAdm. Jim Downey.  Consider this excerpt, reported by USNI News website.
 
The dual-hatted Naval Sea Systems Command [ed. 2023-present] and Portfolio Acquisition Executive Industrial Operations Vice Adm. Jim Downey retired last week, the Navy announced.
 
Downey commissioned into the Navy in 1987 after graduating from the State University of New York. He’s a career surface warfare officer and prior to Naval Sea Systems Command, he served as the PEO Aircraft Carriers [ed. 2019-2023] led the Navy Regional Maintenance Center [ed. 2016-2019] and was the program manager for the Zumwalt guided-missile destroyer program.[1][emphasis added]

Can you think of any bigger failures than the pathetic performance of NavSea, the Navy’s toxic relations with industry, the sad state of our carriers and the abortion that is the Ford class, the Navy’s horrific maintenance performance, or the abysmal failure that is the Zumwalt program?
 
Downey not only failed spectacularly but was spectacularly rewarded for doing so with one prominent position after another!
 
What’s wrong with the Navy?  Well, this man and his career would be the poster child for it.
 
 
 
_______________________________
 
[1]USNI News website, “NAVSEA Commander Downey Retires, 2 Admirals Take Over Roles in Interim”, Sam LaGrone, 10-Aug-2026,
https://news.usni.org/2026/08/10/navsea-commander-downey-retires-2-admirals-take-over-roles-in-interim
Posted by at
Labels:

14 comments:

  1. ExJuniorSailorAugust 11, 2026 at 11:11 AM

    I was just posting a comment in previous thread but it was doing its usual thing of "third try is a charm", and then this popped up so:


    Heres somthing that'll cause nausea:

    https://news.usni.org/2026/08/10/navsea-commander-downey-retires-2-admirals-take-over-roles-in-interim

    In the midst of all the Navys ongoing struggles, and string of shipbuilding failures, here's a face you can put to them. Adm Downey has headed NAVSEA for a relatively brief period, but previously headed the Carrier program, and the Zumwalts before that. This is one of the guys that had some of the responsibility for the huge waste of time and money. Rather than being investigated and probably charged with somthing, or at the very least being pushed out and forced into retirement, theres a ceremony, and he's retiring, off into the sunset. Any thoughts on which contractor he will appear at... which Board he will end up on?
    And here's the fun part. It seems the bureaucracy is growing- with new PEOs being created... more Admirals, and more staffs being created to "manage". This is exactly the opposite of I wanted to see under the new SecDef. We don't need more management, we need LESS. More accountability, less "management". I'm absolutely dissappointed in what I read here in this brief article... and to me, it doesn't make the future look any better.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Chinese GordonAugust 11, 2026 at 12:35 PM

    Adm. Downey's next post should be PEO Defiant class BB.
    Where his unique skill in program mismanagement can be of help to the Navy. /s

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. RobtzuAugust 12, 2026 at 11:20 AM

      Probably will get civilian side job selling BBG to navy. And with a raise!

      Delete
  3. AnonymousAugust 12, 2026 at 12:55 PM

    Premier Xi smiles....

    ReplyDelete
  4. AnonymousAugust 13, 2026 at 5:10 AM

    lol

    ReplyDelete
  5. AnonymousAugust 13, 2026 at 7:43 AM

    In an organisation as hierarchical as the Navy (or any armed forces), VA Downey can only be seen as a symptom not as the cause of the infection

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ComNavOpsAugust 13, 2026 at 9:18 AM

      I am so glad you made this comment because it perfectly illustrates why society and the Navy are in the sad state of affairs they are. Downey was given multiple positions of great power and authority but with power and authority MUST go ACCOUNTABILILTY. Our society and the Navy and you have absolved everyone of any degree of accountability. In your view, Downey didn't fail, he was a victim (yes, that's what a "symptom" denotes, as you use it).

      Downey was a symptom but, far more than that, he was a cause. He had multiple opportunities to effect positive changes and failed, utterly. Until we begin assigning accountability, nothing will improve.

      Thank you for illustrating the root cause of the Navy's problems: absence of accountability.

      Delete
    2. BA 1959August 13, 2026 at 9:23 AM

      So the system seems to then reward failure, not success. Is there no one in either the civilian leadership, nor the navy leadership that ever sets goals and standards to be met - and then holds those that are to meet them accountable? What changed in the last say 50 years in this institution and why can't a high-quality individual drive it back? (Presumes a high-quality individual is selected and we're not very good at that now are we.)

      Delete
    3. ComNavOpsAugust 13, 2026 at 10:32 AM

      You may recall the 2019 incident where then SecNav Richard Spencer guaranteed he would have Ford's elevators working or Pres. Trump could fire him?

      "“I asked him to stick his hand out; he stuck his hand out. I said, let’s do this like corporate America. I shook his hand and said, the elevators will be ready to go when she pulls out or you can fire me.”

      Well, Spencer failed and instead of accepting accountability, blamed everyone around him and did not get fired. Accountability starts at the top and when it doesn't happen, the organization collapses, as has happened to the Navy with failure after failure and zero accountability for anyone.

      Delete
  6. hokie_1997August 13, 2026 at 8:57 AM

    The Deputy PAE for Carriers was Program Manager and later PEO for the LCS. Talk about failing upward.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. hokie_1997August 13, 2026 at 8:58 AM

      https://www.secnav.navy.mil/rda/Pages/PEO_Carriers.aspx

      Delete
    2. ComNavOpsAugust 13, 2026 at 10:35 AM

      There doesn't seem to be any relevant information at the link. You might want to double check it.

      Delete
  7. AnonymousAugust 13, 2026 at 11:41 AM

    There are some positive signs that this culture of non-accountability may be changing under new SECNAV.

    The director of PAE Robotic and Autonmous System (RAS) was just dismissed after only eight months in the job. Likely due to performance issues and the mess she made out of MUSV contract.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ComNavOpsAugust 13, 2026 at 12:23 PM

      About a hundred more firings and we'll begin to make progress. One firing for unknown reasons is not yet a trend. We'll see.

      Delete

Comments will be moderated for posts older than 7 days in order to reduce spam.

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)