WEBVTT 1 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:32.719 Welcome to mid Rats with sal from Commander Salamander an 2 00:00:32.759 --> 00:00:36.039 Eagle one from Eagle Speak at Seer Shore your home 3 00:00:36.079 --> 00:00:39.399 for a discussion of national security issues and all things maritime, 4 00:00:39.920 --> 00:00:43.719 and welcome board everybody for another episode of mid Rats. 5 00:00:43.840 --> 00:00:46.600 On today's show, we're going to look at a common 6 00:00:46.640 --> 00:00:49.759 desire of those, mostly speaking for myself and others, who 7 00:00:49.840 --> 00:00:51.719 have been frustrated what they see as a lack of 8 00:00:51.840 --> 00:00:55.560 understanding and focus on the requirement today for our nation's 9 00:00:55.600 --> 00:00:59.560 maritime inheritance to see new people with new ideas, open 10 00:00:59.640 --> 00:01:03.799 to posse disabilities, not hindered by legacy entanglements that they've 11 00:01:03.840 --> 00:01:07.079 accrued over years in politics, and they've wanted to see 12 00:01:07.359 --> 00:01:09.920 in order to achieve those things, a younger cohort in 13 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:13.239 the House of Representatives in the Senate, with military experience, 14 00:01:13.400 --> 00:01:17.359 preferably naval, matched with an understanding of business and industry. 15 00:01:17.640 --> 00:01:20.959 And today's guest is straight out of Central Casting looking 16 00:01:21.000 --> 00:01:23.200 for that. And that's the new Senator from the Great 17 00:01:23.239 --> 00:01:26.680 State of mynd Tenator Senator Tim Sheehey, who after has 18 00:01:26.760 --> 00:01:29.040 graduated from the Naval Academy in two thousand and eight, 19 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:31.920 served as a seal officer for the next eleven years 20 00:01:31.959 --> 00:01:35.200 active reserve duty before building two companies in the civilian 21 00:01:35.239 --> 00:01:37.879 sector prior to defeating in a cumvent in the two 22 00:01:37.879 --> 00:01:40.879 thousand and four election. Senator She Welcome to Miterrets. 23 00:01:41.000 --> 00:01:43.599 Thanks for having me on. I've been a longtime reader 24 00:01:43.640 --> 00:01:46.680 of your newsletters out there since I was in uniform, 25 00:01:46.799 --> 00:01:49.719 and you know, it's always interesting as life makes full circle, 26 00:01:49.760 --> 00:01:52.000 you start to run into people later on, so it's 27 00:01:52.040 --> 00:01:53.560 really fun to be able to talk to you guys. 28 00:01:53.840 --> 00:01:56.079 You know, your writings, especially you know when I was 29 00:01:56.120 --> 00:01:58.599 in uniform, although they didn't really apply a whole lot 30 00:01:58.640 --> 00:02:01.400 to the soft community any necessarily, but just as a 31 00:02:01.480 --> 00:02:04.599 naval officer, it's great to see that they just the 32 00:02:04.640 --> 00:02:07.519 conversations that you guys open up amongst the naval community. 33 00:02:07.519 --> 00:02:10.199 And you know, the publication Proceedings is one I've read 34 00:02:10.199 --> 00:02:12.560 since high school, actually performed at the Academy and still 35 00:02:12.599 --> 00:02:14.599 read to this day. And obviously that's a bit more 36 00:02:14.639 --> 00:02:17.520 of a formal, uh you know, conduit for that. But 37 00:02:17.840 --> 00:02:20.240 thanks for what you guys have been doing to increase 38 00:02:20.280 --> 00:02:22.800 the discourse around naval strategy and make sure that that 39 00:02:22.919 --> 00:02:24.319 fresh ideas are brought to the fore. 40 00:02:24.960 --> 00:02:28.840 I really appreciate that senator for your group. Two thousand 41 00:02:28.840 --> 00:02:33.199 and eight officer senator is a pretty good billet. Oh yeah, 42 00:02:33.840 --> 00:02:35.560 not bad. You pretty good for an O eight guy. 43 00:02:35.680 --> 00:02:38.879 But for listeners who may not be real familiar with 44 00:02:39.000 --> 00:02:43.560 your background going from the academy, through the Navy, the 45 00:02:43.639 --> 00:02:46.280 private sector, and then coming into the Senate, you know, 46 00:02:46.360 --> 00:02:50.080 outline for a little bit about those those decisive points 47 00:02:50.120 --> 00:02:52.800 in that path that got you to where you are today, 48 00:02:53.120 --> 00:02:55.719 the second youngest senator in the US Senate. 49 00:02:55.840 --> 00:03:00.400 Well, it's as you probably know as well as you know, 50 00:03:00.560 --> 00:03:03.039 we all set out as young adults with our plan 51 00:03:03.159 --> 00:03:07.080 for our life and mind, and usually God has other 52 00:03:07.159 --> 00:03:09.199 things in mind for us and for me. You know, 53 00:03:09.240 --> 00:03:11.719 if you'd asked me when I was sixteen, twenty four, 54 00:03:11.840 --> 00:03:14.240 twenty eight, thirty two, thirty four where I was going 55 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:15.759 to be in five years, I would have been wrong 56 00:03:15.800 --> 00:03:20.400 every single time. And as someone who's reasonably intelligent and capable, 57 00:03:20.479 --> 00:03:23.800 you know, even I couldn't come close to predicting the 58 00:03:23.800 --> 00:03:25.680 path of my life. Award, you know. So yeah, I 59 00:03:25.680 --> 00:03:27.400 went to the Naval canon read out of high school. 60 00:03:27.400 --> 00:03:29.199 I wanted to be a Navy pilot, grew up flying 61 00:03:29.240 --> 00:03:32.039 my neighbor as a child was a Korean War Navy pilot, 62 00:03:32.080 --> 00:03:33.599 so he started teaching me how to fly when I 63 00:03:33.599 --> 00:03:35.639 was about eight years old, and I sold a plane 64 00:03:35.680 --> 00:03:37.560 for I drove a car and my pilots license in 65 00:03:37.639 --> 00:03:40.439 high school and got accepted to Annapolis and went there 66 00:03:40.680 --> 00:03:43.479 with the mission, like most children of the eighties, to 67 00:03:43.520 --> 00:03:45.599 be Maverick, you know, we all wanted to fly tom Kats. 68 00:03:45.599 --> 00:03:49.240 And of course I got to the academy, and you know, 69 00:03:49.280 --> 00:03:51.400 once you're immersed in something, as you know, the view 70 00:03:51.439 --> 00:03:53.199 from inside a ship is very different than the you 71 00:03:53.280 --> 00:03:55.400 outside of ship, and Naval academy is no different. I 72 00:03:55.439 --> 00:03:57.879 get there and realize pretty quickly that, you know, the 73 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:02.000 perception I had of being a Navy pilot was very 74 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:04.840 different than what the reality of a nation at war 75 00:04:05.039 --> 00:04:08.599 was in a nation at war two, massive ground wars 76 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:11.400 to insurgencies, and you know, being there, getting there in 77 00:04:11.400 --> 00:04:14.719 fall of four, pretty quickly realized that, you know, as 78 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:17.040 you all probably remember better than I, you know that 79 00:04:17.079 --> 00:04:20.000 they were even service warfare officers were being pulled off ships, 80 00:04:20.040 --> 00:04:22.560 given desert cammis and rifles and sent to Iraq and 81 00:04:22.600 --> 00:04:25.199 Afghanistan to say, hey, you're going to man a operations 82 00:04:25.199 --> 00:04:27.639 center you're going to be a provincial reconstruction team or 83 00:04:28.000 --> 00:04:29.839 you name it. It was really an all hands on 84 00:04:29.959 --> 00:04:33.279 deck effort to where warfare officers of any service, of 85 00:04:33.319 --> 00:04:36.199 any specially were being sent over there because frankly, that's 86 00:04:36.199 --> 00:04:38.560 where the need was. We didn't really need fighter pilots. 87 00:04:38.680 --> 00:04:41.720 We needed guys on the ground fighting an insurgency. So, 88 00:04:42.120 --> 00:04:44.360 you know, once I got to the Academy, it pretty 89 00:04:44.399 --> 00:04:47.560 quickly dawned on me that flying jets was a selfish 90 00:04:47.680 --> 00:04:52.240 desire I had, but the country really needed was was 91 00:04:52.399 --> 00:04:54.560 fighters on the ground. So, you know, coming up at 92 00:04:54.560 --> 00:04:56.079 the end of my first semester there at the Academy, 93 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:58.319 I made the wise decision that I was going to quit. 94 00:04:58.360 --> 00:04:59.519 I was gonna lead the academy. I was going to 95 00:04:59.560 --> 00:05:02.000 resign from the Academy and go be a marine and 96 00:05:02.000 --> 00:05:04.399 fight on the ground because I felt, like most nineteen 97 00:05:04.439 --> 00:05:06.199 year old kids, the war is going to be over 98 00:05:06.240 --> 00:05:08.959 before I have a chance to do my part. You know, 99 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:10.800 I'm better get out there and fight the war while 100 00:05:10.839 --> 00:05:12.959 I still can. Otherwise, you know, I'm going to miss 101 00:05:13.000 --> 00:05:15.079 my chance to do what we all want to do 102 00:05:15.120 --> 00:05:17.680 when we're you know, teenage young men, and you know, 103 00:05:17.759 --> 00:05:20.600 submitted my letter resignation to my company officer and commander, 104 00:05:20.639 --> 00:05:23.040 and they kind of said, all right, kid, you want 105 00:05:23.040 --> 00:05:24.560 to quit, fine, we're not going to stop you, but 106 00:05:25.199 --> 00:05:27.000 go talk to this guy. I think we think you 107 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:29.600 should talk to him. And so I went down to 108 00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:31.560 Dahlgren Hall that night and then there was a guy 109 00:05:31.600 --> 00:05:33.519 waiting there, and you know, I'm a plead walking around, 110 00:05:33.800 --> 00:05:35.720 pleading my cover, and they say, you're going to be 111 00:05:35.759 --> 00:05:37.839 a guy named McDonald have a conversation with him. And 112 00:05:38.000 --> 00:05:39.560 I get there, I'm looking at name tags and I 113 00:05:39.560 --> 00:05:42.360 see that McDonald is a full Bird Army Special Forces 114 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:44.680 colonel who's on the Naval Academy campus. And I'm like, well, 115 00:05:44.680 --> 00:05:46.319 what the hell is this guy doing here? And why 116 00:05:46.360 --> 00:05:49.720 am I talking to him? I said, sir, you must 117 00:05:49.759 --> 00:05:51.439 be Tim. I said, yeah, yes, sir, I am. We'll 118 00:05:51.480 --> 00:05:54.240 have a seat. And turns out he was the officer 119 00:05:54.279 --> 00:05:57.120 rep for the hockey team and was currently attending National 120 00:05:57.120 --> 00:05:59.800 Defense University in DC, which is why an Army six 121 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:02.240 was sitting on the Navy yard and Dalgren Hall, which 122 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:04.160 is you guys probably remember, used to be the skating rink. 123 00:06:04.199 --> 00:06:06.560 I'm not sure if it still is. And you know, 124 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:08.439 proceeded to kind of say, hey, I hear you're quitting 125 00:06:08.480 --> 00:06:10.319 the academy. You're you know, at the time, I was 126 00:06:10.560 --> 00:06:13.439 number one ranked in my company and pretty high up 127 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:15.759 in my class. So it was like, your company officer 128 00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:18.439 is pretty surprised you've decided to quit and go to 129 00:06:18.480 --> 00:06:20.560 the fleet and the list. I said, well, sir, you know, 130 00:06:20.720 --> 00:06:22.560 I'm here to fight the war and do my part, 131 00:06:22.639 --> 00:06:24.040 and I just don't feel like three more years of 132 00:06:24.040 --> 00:06:27.800 calculus and thermodynamics are what I need, uh more more 133 00:06:27.959 --> 00:06:30.240 directly what the country needs. H He said, well, listen, 134 00:06:30.759 --> 00:06:32.839 I've just done my third deployment in the War on Terror. 135 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:34.399 And he's the guy who fought the first golf for War 136 00:06:34.439 --> 00:06:36.560 Panama and you know all these and he's like, this 137 00:06:36.639 --> 00:06:38.480 war is not going to be over in you know, 138 00:06:38.560 --> 00:06:40.279 anytime soon. We're going to be fighting this war for 139 00:06:40.319 --> 00:06:42.720 the next generation. Obviously, Boy was he right. And this 140 00:06:42.800 --> 00:06:45.160 is fall of before December of before he's telling me this. 141 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:47.759 He says, but you know, one thing we're working on 142 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:50.800 is inner service operability, especially in the special ops world, 143 00:06:50.839 --> 00:06:53.000 and a lot of people don't really realize is you know, 144 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:55.920 prior to the War on Terror, our special operations units 145 00:06:55.920 --> 00:07:00.000 were very segregated. You know, rangers, Grain, berets, seals, air Force, 146 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:03.120 special ops, marine recom They all existed, but they didn't 147 00:07:03.160 --> 00:07:06.920 really combine and work together very much. And for the 148 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:09.639 first time ever, we were seeing these combined special joint 149 00:07:09.639 --> 00:07:12.920 special operation task forces where all different elements Army and 150 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:17.000 Navy special missione units you know, rangers, SF, seals, nice talkers, 151 00:07:17.120 --> 00:07:20.480 everyone was getting mashed together with even you know, agencies, 152 00:07:20.680 --> 00:07:23.000 intel agencies mixed in I kind of create these joint 153 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:25.240 task forces where everyone was just working together and kind 154 00:07:25.279 --> 00:07:28.079 of the the old school lines were really being blurred 155 00:07:28.120 --> 00:07:29.680 in a way that had never been done before. And 156 00:07:29.720 --> 00:07:32.040 one of the issues that was emerging was seals were 157 00:07:32.079 --> 00:07:35.279 the smallest and most unique of soft the soft principal elements, 158 00:07:35.480 --> 00:07:37.600 and they just weren't meshing well with the Army because 159 00:07:37.680 --> 00:07:39.560 everything we did was different, you know, I mean, our 160 00:07:39.680 --> 00:07:41.920 radios are different, our fregency are different, our guns were different. 161 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.240 Even the words we'd use our ranks for these weird 162 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:46.120 ass ranks, you know, like what a sergeant, what's a 163 00:07:46.120 --> 00:07:48.959 petty officer, what's a sonarman? Second class? You know, you 164 00:07:49.120 --> 00:07:51.360 sergeant or corporal, you know, and just simple things like 165 00:07:51.439 --> 00:07:54.720 that was making it hard for Army Soft and Navy 166 00:07:54.759 --> 00:07:57.759 Soft to intermix and work seamlessly together. And unfortunately, were 167 00:07:57.800 --> 00:07:59.879 a couple of disasters relatively early in the war that 168 00:08:00.120 --> 00:08:02.439 kind of increased that resentments. It was a roberts Ridge 169 00:08:02.439 --> 00:08:04.959 Battle and there was Red Wing's Operation Red Wing as well. 170 00:08:05.079 --> 00:08:08.360 So anyways, the intent was, Hey, that there's a program 171 00:08:08.399 --> 00:08:10.600 that we're looking at standing up, where're take midshipmen who 172 00:08:10.600 --> 00:08:13.199 are going to go into the NSW community and send 173 00:08:13.240 --> 00:08:15.600 them through some cross training with the Army, go to 174 00:08:15.600 --> 00:08:19.160 Airborne School, range of school, recon school, and get some 175 00:08:19.240 --> 00:08:22.319 exposure there so when they go become seals, they understand 176 00:08:22.480 --> 00:08:24.879 Army Soft speak the language and so on and so forth. 177 00:08:24.920 --> 00:08:27.199 And he said, you know, based on your scores, you're 178 00:08:27.319 --> 00:08:29.360 like you'd be the perfect candidate. Do you want to 179 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:31.399 do it? And of course, as a nine year old kid, 180 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:33.320 is it hard? Is it dangerous? Yes, I'll go. So 181 00:08:33.519 --> 00:08:35.159 I went ahead and did that. And the deal was 182 00:08:35.200 --> 00:08:36.799 they had to graduate though, and that man had to 183 00:08:36.799 --> 00:08:38.720 miss a lot of school and over the next three 184 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:41.519 years and initiative, going through the Naval Academy, became an 185 00:08:41.600 --> 00:08:43.799 Army ranger, firstman shipment over the Range of School, went 186 00:08:43.840 --> 00:08:46.559 to the seventh the Ranger Regiment, Airborne School, fifth Special 187 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:49.039 Forces Group Exchange, and a couple of other couple of 188 00:08:49.120 --> 00:08:52.600 other specialized courses, and it was a great experience. Graduated 189 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:56.480 the academy, drove across country, started buds five days later, graduated, 190 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:58.360 you know, seal training, but might tried it a week later. 191 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:00.000 I'm on the ground in Iraq on my first mission 192 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:03.759 and had a very high op tempo career, as all 193 00:09:03.759 --> 00:09:06.600 of us did those years, and that Army Exchange training 194 00:09:06.639 --> 00:09:08.320 I did, it could have been more valued in my 195 00:09:08.320 --> 00:09:10.519 first deployment. I walked in the door first day in 196 00:09:10.559 --> 00:09:12.600 Baghdad in two thousand and nine and boom, you know, 197 00:09:12.879 --> 00:09:14.919 there's two guys that went to Range School with on 198 00:09:14.960 --> 00:09:17.879 the Army Special Operations Unit there that I was working with. 199 00:09:17.960 --> 00:09:20.000 And then every deployment after that, I mean, not a 200 00:09:20.039 --> 00:09:23.159 single deployment. I did five total, several different trips around 201 00:09:23.200 --> 00:09:24.879 the world, but really, you know, five deployments that I 202 00:09:24.919 --> 00:09:28.000 would call directly, and every single one I'd run into 203 00:09:28.039 --> 00:09:29.960 a guy that that you know, I had met and 204 00:09:30.000 --> 00:09:33.360 worked with during my Army Special Operations Exchange and made great, 205 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:35.559 great friends in that world. And actually, you know Colonel 206 00:09:36.120 --> 00:09:38.399 General Career, I said, Colonel General Corilla, now I run 207 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:40.440 said coom. You know, he was my task force commander 208 00:09:40.440 --> 00:09:43.039 in Afghanistan back when he was running range regiment. And 209 00:09:43.080 --> 00:09:44.720 now of course I see him regularly on the hill 210 00:09:44.720 --> 00:09:46.679 as he brisas on saidcom issues. So it's fun to 211 00:09:46.720 --> 00:09:49.320 see everything come full circle. But love the teams was 212 00:09:49.399 --> 00:09:51.399 great exposure there my wife. I met my wife at 213 00:09:51.440 --> 00:09:53.399 the academy. She was a Marine Corps officer, so we 214 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:55.519 both commissioned in we were some of those mashipment who 215 00:09:55.559 --> 00:09:58.320 broke the rules and David in company, but we both graduated. 216 00:09:58.320 --> 00:10:00.519 She went into the Marine Corps also after in war VET. 217 00:10:01.360 --> 00:10:05.960 And then yeah, eventually I got wounded in Afghanistan, got 218 00:10:06.000 --> 00:10:08.720 injured on dive action as well during a sub mini 219 00:10:08.759 --> 00:10:13.200 submarine operations, got put on the medical hold list, and 220 00:10:13.240 --> 00:10:15.960 you know, with the future uncertain, I kind of decided, well, 221 00:10:16.279 --> 00:10:18.519 you know, if I can't be on the teams anymore, 222 00:10:18.519 --> 00:10:20.279 I think I'll go find a new path in life. 223 00:10:20.360 --> 00:10:24.519 So that's when I started my company, and all that 224 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:27.240 started with another Naval officer. Whole leadership team early on 225 00:10:27.360 --> 00:10:29.639 was all Academy grads West Point and Navy, and yeah, 226 00:10:30.039 --> 00:10:33.120 all veteran founding team. We grew to you know, created 227 00:10:33.120 --> 00:10:35.240 about five hundred jobs over the course of ten years, 228 00:10:35.399 --> 00:10:37.639 all veteran management team all over the world. It was 229 00:10:37.679 --> 00:10:41.639 a great, great time and loved those companies and it 230 00:10:41.679 --> 00:10:44.200 was a great camaraderie had that really came from the military, 231 00:10:44.200 --> 00:10:46.200 with the culture of excellence that came from the academies. 232 00:10:46.440 --> 00:10:48.240 And then I got into poll this completely by acident 233 00:10:48.240 --> 00:10:50.240 iby Aram for Student Council before. This is my first 234 00:10:50.240 --> 00:10:52.480 time ever. But it was Afghanistan. It was a collapse 235 00:10:52.519 --> 00:10:54.720 in cobble. You know. As I saw that happen, I 236 00:10:54.759 --> 00:10:57.159 was getting refugees out, spending around money trying to get 237 00:10:57.200 --> 00:10:59.240 people out, as our own government basically was sitting there 238 00:10:59.399 --> 00:11:01.639 watching this lapse. And you guys know, I mean for 239 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:03.399 so many of us, that defined our life. I mean 240 00:11:03.399 --> 00:11:05.320 we all spent our twenties there. I lost friends there, 241 00:11:05.360 --> 00:11:07.159 my wife lost friends there. So to see us just 242 00:11:07.200 --> 00:11:10.200 walk away from that in such a disgusting manner and 243 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:13.480 abandoned over eight harded American citizens and project weakness to 244 00:11:13.519 --> 00:11:16.080 the entire world, which we're now still feeling the effects 245 00:11:16.120 --> 00:11:18.240 of that kind of jolted me out of my political 246 00:11:18.279 --> 00:11:20.440 apathy and got me involved in politics for the first 247 00:11:20.440 --> 00:11:22.120 time in my life. It originally I got involved more 248 00:11:22.120 --> 00:11:24.799 as a speaker and a donor, and then eventually a 249 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:26.240 couple of guys corner me said, hey, we've got a 250 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:28.320 really important center race kinding up, and frankly, we think 251 00:11:28.360 --> 00:11:30.240 we need a fresh face, a young guy to go 252 00:11:30.279 --> 00:11:32.519 out there and do this. And here I am. So 253 00:11:32.919 --> 00:11:34.799 it's an honor to be here to represent Montana. I'm 254 00:11:34.840 --> 00:11:38.000 on Armed Services of course, Seatpower Committee, Emerging Threats as 255 00:11:38.000 --> 00:11:40.679 well for Special Operations, and just joined the board of 256 00:11:40.720 --> 00:11:44.159 the Naval Academy. So I'm interested in supporting the revitalization 257 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:46.639 of our navy and all forms undersea, on the sea, 258 00:11:46.960 --> 00:11:49.080 in the air. As we all know that the conventional 259 00:11:49.159 --> 00:11:51.279 Navy has really been in a state of decay for 260 00:11:51.320 --> 00:11:54.720 some time. Decades of focus on insurgency warfare have left 261 00:11:54.720 --> 00:11:57.440 the Navy in a position where we are not ready 262 00:11:57.440 --> 00:11:59.679 to fight a near pure conflict on the oceans. And 263 00:11:59.720 --> 00:12:03.080 I think it's as the only constitutionally mandated branch of 264 00:12:03.120 --> 00:12:05.759 the military to build and maintain a navy, it's time 265 00:12:06.000 --> 00:12:08.519 we get this thing rebooted and refocused. So that's where 266 00:12:08.519 --> 00:12:10.200 we're here. Thanks for having me, Well, it's great to 267 00:12:10.200 --> 00:12:10.399 have you. 268 00:12:10.440 --> 00:12:12.399 And I think since you've come into the Senate, you've 269 00:12:12.399 --> 00:12:14.440 planted on, as you've just pointed out, a couple of 270 00:12:14.480 --> 00:12:18.080 really key committees for the maritime, not just the Navy, 271 00:12:18.120 --> 00:12:20.679 but the Merchant Marine group too, because you're you're on 272 00:12:20.759 --> 00:12:24.480 the Armed Services Committee, which is obviously seapower and all that, 273 00:12:24.759 --> 00:12:27.919 but also on the Commerce Science whatever I can't remoin 274 00:12:27.960 --> 00:12:30.879 right and transportation. I mean, you're dealing with a coast Guard, 275 00:12:31.320 --> 00:12:35.360 maritime and fisheries. Has Has it happens you've fallen right 276 00:12:35.360 --> 00:12:39.120 in when the people are proposing this Ships Act? Can 277 00:12:39.120 --> 00:12:41.240 you kind of talk about what you know about that 278 00:12:41.360 --> 00:12:43.200 and what looks like to you if that is at 279 00:12:43.200 --> 00:12:46.600 a very positive step in your view of waiting to 280 00:12:46.600 --> 00:12:48.639 get our maritime supremacy back. 281 00:12:48.840 --> 00:12:52.600 Well, listen, I'm obviously my experience of the Navy was 282 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:55.519 even though I'm a Naval Academy grad. To be honest, 283 00:12:55.559 --> 00:12:57.320 I mean, the grand total amount of time I've spent 284 00:12:57.360 --> 00:12:59.799 on ships and submarines is probably less than most kids 285 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:01.960 eive summer camp. You know. My time was in the 286 00:13:01.960 --> 00:13:04.080 desert care and a gun but the truth is, you know, 287 00:13:04.120 --> 00:13:07.720 I'm a history I'm a history obsessed person and being 288 00:13:07.759 --> 00:13:10.399 a Naval Academy grad, and my favorite era of history 289 00:13:10.480 --> 00:13:12.960 is the Age of Sale, and the book Six Frigates 290 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:15.519 is one of my favorite books ever. And Ian told 291 00:13:15.559 --> 00:13:18.000 all of his work, I've read multiple times, and I 292 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:21.240 recommend Six Frigates every sending member of Congress. I see 293 00:13:21.440 --> 00:13:26.159 because the arguments that our very first Congress had around 294 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:28.840 having a navy are almost the same ones we're having today. 295 00:13:29.000 --> 00:13:31.360 And it's fascinating to just getting the time machine and 296 00:13:31.399 --> 00:13:34.200 go back and listen to our founding fathers wrangle about 297 00:13:34.320 --> 00:13:37.000 cost of money and whether you know, having a navy's 298 00:13:37.000 --> 00:13:39.440 imperialist and et cetera, et cetera. But you know, really 299 00:13:39.720 --> 00:13:42.279 what the consensus ended up being was we had to 300 00:13:42.320 --> 00:13:44.320 have a navy. You know, we were a mercantile republic, 301 00:13:44.360 --> 00:13:46.080 but we weren't. We weren't an empire. We were in 302 00:13:46.519 --> 00:13:48.600 and we depended on global trade. We were the first 303 00:13:48.600 --> 00:13:51.360 country that was founded as a business, and our business 304 00:13:51.399 --> 00:13:54.919 needed trade, it needed access to global shipping routes. And 305 00:13:55.480 --> 00:13:58.600 very wisely, our framers understood that we have to have 306 00:13:59.120 --> 00:14:01.759 a viable native to exist as a nation, and I 307 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:07.320 think that awareness is now re emerging when quite frankly, 308 00:14:07.399 --> 00:14:09.080 just to be honest, you know, we all know the 309 00:14:09.080 --> 00:14:11.039 importance of the Navy. I mean we're preaching the choir 310 00:14:11.080 --> 00:14:12.919 here that you know, freedom of navigation of the world's 311 00:14:12.960 --> 00:14:16.279 oceans underpins our twenty first century economy and our ability 312 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:18.840 to project power all over the world. Yes, our army 313 00:14:18.840 --> 00:14:21.120 bases and air force are important, but it really comes 314 00:14:21.159 --> 00:14:24.759 because of our navy. But not everyone understands and appreciates that. 315 00:14:24.919 --> 00:14:26.919 And I think, you know, the Navy hasn't had a 316 00:14:27.000 --> 00:14:30.679 commanding role as far as the force of decision and 317 00:14:30.720 --> 00:14:32.879 a conflict since lay take golf. So I think most 318 00:14:32.879 --> 00:14:34.559 people have just kind of said, don't well, the Navy 319 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:36.240 will always be there, right, we don't have to focus 320 00:14:36.279 --> 00:14:37.840 on it. But now as we're coming to grips with 321 00:14:37.840 --> 00:14:40.080 the d industrialization of America and the shifting of these 322 00:14:40.080 --> 00:14:43.240 industries overseas, we're having to grapple with the fact that 323 00:14:43.320 --> 00:14:46.039 you know, this is a very in depth complex issues 324 00:14:46.360 --> 00:14:48.960 and to quote unquote fix the Navy. As I've said 325 00:14:49.000 --> 00:14:51.159 with all the service chiefs and everyone I've met and said, listen, 326 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:53.440 you know, every branch has its challenges and to fix 327 00:14:53.480 --> 00:14:55.080 the problems of the army. In my opinion is, you know, 328 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:56.960 it's a one year problem, all right. I mean, some 329 00:14:57.000 --> 00:14:59.320 could be already as larger, but really the key issues, 330 00:14:59.360 --> 00:15:01.080 you know, it's a year problem. Fix the Air Force, 331 00:15:01.240 --> 00:15:02.960 it's a five year problem. We can still build planes, 332 00:15:02.960 --> 00:15:05.039 we can build guns and bullets and bombs. To fix 333 00:15:05.039 --> 00:15:07.200 the Navy is a ten year plus problem. I mean, 334 00:15:07.360 --> 00:15:10.120 to build ships at scale, to engineer these systems, to 335 00:15:10.200 --> 00:15:13.559 acquire them. It's really I mean, it's a whole new paradigm. 336 00:15:13.600 --> 00:15:17.279 So I think the good news is bipartisan focus understands 337 00:15:17.320 --> 00:15:19.279 that in an era of hyper partisanship, when you've shut 338 00:15:19.320 --> 00:15:22.000 on Fox News, AROUNSSNBC, you feel hopeless for the future 339 00:15:22.039 --> 00:15:24.200 of America. When the cameras are off and you get 340 00:15:24.200 --> 00:15:27.200 behind closed doors, both parties really do treasure in the 341 00:15:27.240 --> 00:15:29.960 Navy and realize it's time to reinvest. So I feel 342 00:15:30.000 --> 00:15:31.759 good about it. I mean, of course, the devil's in 343 00:15:31.759 --> 00:15:34.000 the details with anything that goes through Congress, but I 344 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:37.039 think what we're going to see is the President's make 345 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:39.639 clear he wants a ship building off, he wants to 346 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:42.720 focus on this. The Senate Armed Service Committee and Seatpower 347 00:15:42.720 --> 00:15:44.840 Committee has been very clear and a lined across the 348 00:15:44.879 --> 00:15:48.759 aisle that this needs to happen. So I think I 349 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:51.480 think it's going to be. It's gonna be an unprecedented 350 00:15:51.519 --> 00:15:53.879 era of support for the Navy, probably likes which we 351 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:56.440 haven't seen as a Secretary Layman in the Reagan years. Now. 352 00:15:56.720 --> 00:15:59.480 What I'll say to that, though, is what Secretary Layman 353 00:15:59.600 --> 00:16:03.200 and thegear the Reagan Navy build up did was essentially 354 00:16:03.200 --> 00:16:06.000 an extension of the you know, World War two era 355 00:16:06.200 --> 00:16:10.480 kind of shipbuilding paradigm that was very twentieth century industrial 356 00:16:10.559 --> 00:16:13.080 era focused. We can't do that again. And what I've 357 00:16:13.080 --> 00:16:15.399 been telling everyone is we can't just cut and paste 358 00:16:15.480 --> 00:16:17.679 Layman's plan from the eighties. We can't cut and paste 359 00:16:17.720 --> 00:16:19.480 Henry Kaiser's plan for World War Two. We are a 360 00:16:19.519 --> 00:16:23.559 fundamentally different nation today, and therefore we can't just tell 361 00:16:23.639 --> 00:16:26.720 the Navy, here's more money, go build ships, because quite honestly, 362 00:16:26.759 --> 00:16:28.480 the Navy doesn't know how to build ship the scale 363 00:16:28.519 --> 00:16:30.399 either anymore. So this is going to take a new 364 00:16:30.399 --> 00:16:34.039 shipbuilding paradigm that may involve certain classes of vessels are 365 00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:36.559 least you know, it may involve accepting that, you know, 366 00:16:36.600 --> 00:16:41.519 a baseline commercial level of vessel. You know, build is acceptable, 367 00:16:41.559 --> 00:16:43.879 and then you know certain upfitting can happen later with 368 00:16:43.919 --> 00:16:46.080 classified systems, you know, we may have to accept that 369 00:16:46.279 --> 00:16:49.000 we may not own the fleet out right. Navies throughout 370 00:16:49.039 --> 00:16:51.960 history at least fleets are borrowed fleets, you know, capturing 371 00:16:51.960 --> 00:16:54.000 other nations ships and using them as their own. Obviously 372 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:55.919 no one does that anymore. But I think we have 373 00:16:56.000 --> 00:16:58.360 to think more broadly and be more limber in our 374 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:00.840 in our kind of structure that we're willing to adopt 375 00:17:00.840 --> 00:17:03.720 because we need to revitalize in avy. It has to 376 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:06.599 happen fast. China's building ships two hundred and thirty times 377 00:17:06.640 --> 00:17:09.079 faster than we are, so we can't wait for American 378 00:17:09.119 --> 00:17:12.799 shipyards to magically reappear. We're going to find other ways 379 00:17:12.799 --> 00:17:14.200 to do this. And I think, you know, the ships 380 00:17:14.240 --> 00:17:17.480 ACKed and many others between executive ors and legislation, and 381 00:17:17.519 --> 00:17:18.240 we try to solve that. 382 00:17:18.319 --> 00:17:21.559 And I think kind of building all Mark's question, it 383 00:17:21.160 --> 00:17:25.400 is really a very opportune time for somebody with your 384 00:17:25.680 --> 00:17:28.319 background to show up, because you join depending on how 385 00:17:28.319 --> 00:17:31.759 you measure it. There's about a half dozen other senators 386 00:17:32.160 --> 00:17:35.880 who have combat deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. They have 387 00:17:36.119 --> 00:17:39.920 a younger, younger perspective, a more updated perspective. In the 388 00:17:39.960 --> 00:17:43.880 real world, seniority has its advantages and great knowledge. But 389 00:17:44.000 --> 00:17:46.000 you know, being in the real world, as you know, 390 00:17:46.119 --> 00:17:49.200 outside of a community d C, it's a very different 391 00:17:49.279 --> 00:17:54.039 place with different priorities and different perspectives. And you also have, 392 00:17:54.440 --> 00:17:57.319 you know, looking at the near game. Something that you 393 00:17:57.400 --> 00:18:01.759 share in common with the second of the Navy Fialan 394 00:18:02.519 --> 00:18:07.319 is y'all both come from successful business backgrounds, which is 395 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.079 in tune with you know, like you said out Eern 396 00:18:10.160 --> 00:18:14.359 twenty first century solutions to problems, and there's a lot 397 00:18:14.359 --> 00:18:18.000 of commonality you can't you know, not like McNamara who thinks, 398 00:18:18.079 --> 00:18:20.079 you know, building a navy is like building a ford, 399 00:18:20.160 --> 00:18:21.359 Not like that at all. A lot of it has 400 00:18:21.400 --> 00:18:25.079 to do with mindset in time frames, and I think 401 00:18:25.119 --> 00:18:27.000