WEBVTT 1 00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:39.920 Welcome to mid Rats with Sal from Commander Salamander and 2 00:00:40.079 --> 00:00:43.359 Eagle One from Eagle Speak at seer Shure your home 3 00:00:43.399 --> 00:00:46.719 for a discussion of national security issues and all things maritime. 4 00:00:47.479 --> 00:00:51.280 And Welcome board everybody. This is the aforementioned Sal and 5 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:55.000 with my evergenial co host Eagle One of Eagle Speak. 6 00:00:55.399 --> 00:00:58.399 Welcome to our July Free for All. That's where we 7 00:00:58.399 --> 00:01:00.960 don't have any guests. It's just Mark and I and 8 00:01:01.039 --> 00:01:04.799 the opinions of the day. Like to invite everybody. If 9 00:01:04.799 --> 00:01:07.879 you are with us live, then you can go over 10 00:01:07.920 --> 00:01:11.319 to the chat room. We'll wannitor that during the course 11 00:01:11.439 --> 00:01:14.799 of the show. And if there are some questions that 12 00:01:14.840 --> 00:01:19.079 you would like for us to inquire about, ponder about, 13 00:01:19.120 --> 00:01:21.519 and maybe pontificate, that's a perfect place to put it 14 00:01:21.560 --> 00:01:23.959 because we will monitor any good inputs you have in 15 00:01:24.000 --> 00:01:26.400 there and maybe a little bit of the not so good. 16 00:01:26.840 --> 00:01:29.280 And also if you just have some commentary about some 17 00:01:29.319 --> 00:01:32.120 of the things that we say, that's a perfect place 18 00:01:32.159 --> 00:01:34.359 to do that. So hey, we're just going to dive 19 00:01:34.439 --> 00:01:36.959 right into it. Good afternoon. 20 00:01:39.959 --> 00:01:41.760 Pontification is my specialty. 21 00:01:43.239 --> 00:01:45.439 Well, I mean, here we are during the middle of 22 00:01:45.519 --> 00:01:48.719 July and the holiday season. I don't know about you, 23 00:01:48.760 --> 00:01:53.560 but at least both inside and outside the lifelines of 24 00:01:54.640 --> 00:01:58.959 the National security arena. This month, this last couple of weeks, 25 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:02.319 it seems like a few months, there is a lot 26 00:02:02.480 --> 00:02:05.680 going on there. And kind of the start things off 27 00:02:05.959 --> 00:02:10.719 is the Eisenhower and her strike Group and airwing came 28 00:02:11.560 --> 00:02:15.560 after nine months, and there was a few articles talking 29 00:02:15.599 --> 00:02:19.639 about how many Tomahawks and flight hours are expended during 30 00:02:19.639 --> 00:02:24.360 that nine month cruise, mostly but not exclusively focused on 31 00:02:24.400 --> 00:02:29.919 what was going on in the Red Sea. It did 32 00:02:30.039 --> 00:02:35.360 kind of beg the question about what exactly are we 33 00:02:35.520 --> 00:02:39.000 doing there? What is the in stake we are trying 34 00:02:39.080 --> 00:02:43.800 to reach because when you look at ordnance time and 35 00:02:43.879 --> 00:02:48.680 manpower expended forward versus is the Red Sea shipping that 36 00:02:48.879 --> 00:02:52.479 significantly more safe. I don't know whether you can really 37 00:02:52.520 --> 00:02:53.319 make that argument. 38 00:02:54.840 --> 00:02:57.639 Yeah, I think somewhere in the Jim Dark Pass I 39 00:02:57.680 --> 00:03:00.840 pointed out that the Suez Canela was for a number 40 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:04.879 of years back back within my memory, which goes back 41 00:03:04.919 --> 00:03:07.199 pretty far. You know, it was they had been mined 42 00:03:07.240 --> 00:03:09.280 and all that stuff, and it stayed shut I think 43 00:03:09.319 --> 00:03:11.039 for five or six years. A lot have to go 44 00:03:11.120 --> 00:03:13.800 look up the exact numbers, but you know, if we 45 00:03:13.800 --> 00:03:16.400 don't need it, and it's just you know, it adds 46 00:03:17.240 --> 00:03:19.319 dollars to the expensive shipping stuff. 47 00:03:20.039 --> 00:03:20.159 Uh. 48 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:24.199 And of course the shipping companies are now making good profits, 49 00:03:24.199 --> 00:03:27.680 which is nice for them. You know, I think you're right. Well, 50 00:03:27.719 --> 00:03:31.599 you know, I just keep remembering they called the Powell douction, 51 00:03:31.680 --> 00:03:34.759 which was really based on somebody else. But but you know, 52 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:36.639 why are you doing what you're doing, and what do 53 00:03:36.639 --> 00:03:39.560 you expect like when you get done? And if we're 54 00:03:39.560 --> 00:03:42.520 not going to go take out the Hoofi's with sending 55 00:03:42.520 --> 00:03:45.000 an eighty second and the one on one airborne in 56 00:03:45.039 --> 00:03:49.319 there and Marines, and why are we doing this? And 57 00:03:49.479 --> 00:03:52.960 how much of what goes through there comes to the US? 58 00:03:53.080 --> 00:03:55.520 How much it assurrance problem? And if they don't care, 59 00:03:55.599 --> 00:03:56.199 why do we care? 60 00:03:57.919 --> 00:04:00.280 Like a lot of things we've seen recently, it had 61 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:03.159 me thinking a bit about the decision brief when this 62 00:04:03.280 --> 00:04:07.960 was done. It's what was at the pole mill i e. 63 00:04:08.560 --> 00:04:12.159 The President, the Secretary of Defense, What is their guidance, 64 00:04:12.560 --> 00:04:16.519 what is their intent? And once you have your guidance 65 00:04:16.519 --> 00:04:19.920 and your intent in theory, unless you're just throwing a shwag, 66 00:04:19.959 --> 00:04:21.800 which we've seen a couple of those in the day. 67 00:04:21.920 --> 00:04:25.920 Then you have your whole type of operating. Okay, this 68 00:04:26.000 --> 00:04:27.839 is what you want to accomplish. Here are difference of 69 00:04:27.959 --> 00:04:31.920 courses of actions we could take. What are the expectations 70 00:04:32.279 --> 00:04:35.920 in theory. You've wor gained them both before, during, and 71 00:04:35.959 --> 00:04:41.399 after execution, and you have certain decision points if certain 72 00:04:41.439 --> 00:04:47.439 things aren't being accomplished, that you do other things. It's 73 00:04:47.480 --> 00:04:56.000 another one of those occasions that are we to the 74 00:04:56.120 --> 00:04:59.040 brief ye here telling them what they want to tell 75 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:05.879 to hear. Are we being told that's nice, that what 76 00:05:05.920 --> 00:05:07.199 you want to do, but you're not going to do this. 77 00:05:07.240 --> 00:05:09.759 You're going to do this instead, and you just need 78 00:05:09.800 --> 00:05:12.079 to do it anyway because we don't want to do 79 00:05:12.120 --> 00:05:14.319 what you said needs to be done. So you go 80 00:05:14.399 --> 00:05:16.279 forward and you do. I think I've mentioned a couple 81 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:19.040 of times do a little less than the bare minimum, 82 00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:21.680 and those are the results that you get. It doesn't 83 00:05:21.680 --> 00:05:26.519 take anything away from what the folks on the ships 84 00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.120 and the air wings and the carrier and the staff's 85 00:05:29.160 --> 00:05:32.360 working it. You do the best you can given the 86 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.879 resources and the direction and guidance you've been given. But 87 00:05:36.000 --> 00:05:40.079 it's got to back up to again, the United States 88 00:05:40.240 --> 00:05:44.120 Navy and the Nation it serves. It's putting its and 89 00:05:44.199 --> 00:05:47.800 it's allies because we've talked some of our friends to 90 00:05:47.839 --> 00:05:52.160 come join us. It's putting their reputation on the line. 91 00:05:52.199 --> 00:05:54.560 And reputation isn't an ego things. A lot of times 92 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:57.839 you don't have to go to war because your nation 93 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:02.240 and its military has a certain reputation that would make 94 00:06:03.600 --> 00:06:05.959 pulling that card out of the deck not an attractive option. 95 00:06:06.560 --> 00:06:10.399 And if you degrade that to a certain point, it invites, 96 00:06:10.600 --> 00:06:15.120 it invites aggression, It encourages aggression, it rewards it. And 97 00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:16.800 you have to look at what I ran in, our 98 00:06:16.839 --> 00:06:20.959 proxies are trying to do and are they succeeding or 99 00:06:21.240 --> 00:06:24.839 are we succeeding in our reactionary role and that of 100 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:28.639 our allies. It's just not an attractive look, especially when 101 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:31.639 you look at the track record of the last few years. 102 00:06:33.480 --> 00:06:40.120 The larger effects of this, I think is dangerous. Now. 103 00:06:40.279 --> 00:06:42.000 You know you mentioned the when the Red Sea was 104 00:06:42.040 --> 00:06:45.399 closed when I was a little kid. My briefing of that, 105 00:06:45.480 --> 00:06:48.040 I don't know. Sometime in the nineteen seventies, the National 106 00:06:48.079 --> 00:06:52.759 Geographic had a nice article on it that had the 107 00:06:52.759 --> 00:06:55.720 pictures of all the ships that have been sunk after 108 00:06:55.800 --> 00:06:58.759 the I think it was a seventy three war and 109 00:06:58.839 --> 00:07:02.199 it was. It was for years the Suez Canal was blocked. 110 00:07:02.240 --> 00:07:08.920 So can the world economy survive without the Suez? Yeah, sure, 111 00:07:08.959 --> 00:07:12.120 It's just everything is going to be slower and more expensive, 112 00:07:12.839 --> 00:07:18.000 and it's it's the decision people have to make. And 113 00:07:18.160 --> 00:07:20.519 somewhere along the line, people are making the decision that 114 00:07:21.560 --> 00:07:25.920 we're not going to go past a certain level of 115 00:07:25.920 --> 00:07:29.160 feet dry in Yemen and we're not going to do 116 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.279 what needs to be done to stop equipment coming from 117 00:07:32.319 --> 00:07:36.480 Iran to Yemen. So it's going to be in a 118 00:07:36.519 --> 00:07:41.439 way at the the Egypt Shop is going to have 119 00:07:41.560 --> 00:07:43.920 a lot of unscheduled range time that they can improve 120 00:07:43.959 --> 00:07:44.600 their censors on. 121 00:07:46.519 --> 00:07:49.240 Yeah. I mean the Seui's canow was closed after the 122 00:07:49.399 --> 00:07:55.120 nineteen sixty seven more between Egypt and Israel, and it 123 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:58.120 stayed closed until nineteen seventy five, so there is an 124 00:07:58.160 --> 00:08:02.199 eight year period was shut. But you know this is 125 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:06.319 of a piece with the Gaza j Lot's effort, where 126 00:08:06.360 --> 00:08:11.360 you've got on one hand, uh, the the chief of 127 00:08:11.439 --> 00:08:15.839 our commander chief says, I want to show the the 128 00:08:15.839 --> 00:08:20.199 Palestinian Palestinians that I'm supportive of those Palestinians, many of 129 00:08:20.240 --> 00:08:24.319 them now live in Dearborn and other places, will take 130 00:08:24.360 --> 00:08:27.399 note that I'm trying to get aid to them. And 131 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:29.639 on the other hand, I want to support Israel because 132 00:08:29.720 --> 00:08:34.480 amas is the Hoothies are supporting AMAS by sending missiles 133 00:08:34.480 --> 00:08:38.759 into and rockets and stuff into into Israel. So we're 134 00:08:38.759 --> 00:08:42.320 gonna We're gonna do bare minimum stuff in in the 135 00:08:42.360 --> 00:08:46.159 Red Sea. We're going to pretend that we're going to 136 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:50.639 get stuff over the shore and in in Gaza, and 137 00:08:50.840 --> 00:08:52.639 the world will be a better place and I won't 138 00:08:52.679 --> 00:08:55.480 lose any votes. I mean, I hate to be that cynical, 139 00:08:56.000 --> 00:08:59.519 but I'm that cynical. And you know, at least we 140 00:08:59.559 --> 00:09:03.159 have a couple both senior officers Sentcom and I think 141 00:09:03.200 --> 00:09:06.840 some others who have said, uh, why are we not 142 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:10.200 stopping the stuff coming from Iran? What? What kind of 143 00:09:10.200 --> 00:09:11.639 what are we trying to do here? I think that 144 00:09:11.720 --> 00:09:14.279 question has been raised at at the four star level anyway, 145 00:09:14.759 --> 00:09:17.080 And so that makes me feel better as a as 146 00:09:17.120 --> 00:09:21.600 a as a civilian whose tax money is paying for 147 00:09:21.639 --> 00:09:24.960 some of this stuff that that you know, at least 148 00:09:25.039 --> 00:09:28.360 the least voices have expressed concern over what the in 149 00:09:28.519 --> 00:09:31.320 state desired instate is and and why we're not doing 150 00:09:31.320 --> 00:09:33.519 to take the steps depending what that instate is, We're 151 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:35.759 not taking steps to make sure we get one that 152 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:40.200 we can live with. So I mean, I'm kind of 153 00:09:40.200 --> 00:09:43.759 with that right now. It's just I'm incredibly cynical about 154 00:09:43.799 --> 00:09:45.919 the approach we take to some of these things. 155 00:09:46.039 --> 00:09:49.080 And I think it's it's well earned cynicism in it. 156 00:09:51.000 --> 00:09:52.399 We're not going to get the answers out of the 157 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:56.799 executive branch. I think that's abundantly clear. The we have 158 00:09:56.840 --> 00:10:00.840 the same senior leadership that and I'm speaking on the 159 00:10:00.879 --> 00:10:05.639 civilian side that brought about the debacle in Kabul, and 160 00:10:05.759 --> 00:10:10.679 nobody is held accountable. They feel rightfully fairly titanium and teflon. 161 00:10:11.679 --> 00:10:14.559 Nobody can touch them. They can do or not do 162 00:10:14.639 --> 00:10:18.120 whatever they want to. The only check on that in 163 00:10:18.159 --> 00:10:21.960 our republic is Congress and congressional oversight. However, this is 164 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:26.200 an election year, and it's midsummer of an election year 165 00:10:26.960 --> 00:10:30.919 where we're just a few short months of the November elections, 166 00:10:31.799 --> 00:10:35.759 so everybody's distracted. Everybody has to run for office, and 167 00:10:35.879 --> 00:10:40.320 there is so much going on that congressional oversight I 168 00:10:40.320 --> 00:10:42.759 think is kind of tapped out, But it would seem 169 00:10:43.360 --> 00:10:46.960 what we've done in the Red Sea, and I think 170 00:10:47.120 --> 00:10:53.960 especially the quote godz appear unquote are ripe for congressional oversight, 171 00:10:54.519 --> 00:10:58.559 especially with the attempted assassination of former President Trump in 172 00:10:58.679 --> 00:11:01.919 the investigations they're going to be going there. There's just 173 00:11:02.039 --> 00:11:07.480 probably enough, not enough bandwidth up it in Congress to 174 00:11:07.600 --> 00:11:10.200 really look at this. And then you look at Okay, well, 175 00:11:10.200 --> 00:11:13.240 what about the military press and reporters that are focused 176 00:11:13.279 --> 00:11:16.639 on the military press. And again these are owned by 177 00:11:16.720 --> 00:11:19.399 large companies that they have p and ls to meet metrics. 178 00:11:19.480 --> 00:11:26.519 But the civilian press that was pretty well focused on 179 00:11:26.960 --> 00:11:32.440 things military, you know, the Military Times, Navy Times, Marine 180 00:11:32.480 --> 00:11:38.399 Corps Times, that all those people in those networks, they 181 00:11:38.559 --> 00:11:40.799 just had a whole bunch of layoffs some of their 182 00:11:41.279 --> 00:11:44.919 experienced reporters and there are other ones that are beginning 183 00:11:44.919 --> 00:11:48.799 in marching orders someplace else. I guess I don't think 184 00:11:48.840 --> 00:11:51.879 we have the national security people that we used to 185 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:57.320 have at the major institutions. And one of the best 186 00:11:57.320 --> 00:12:06.320 investigative reporters out there who does know security, well, well, oh, 187 00:12:06.360 --> 00:12:08.440 what's her name? She was just laid off from CBS. 188 00:12:08.759 --> 00:12:14.799 Catherine Heritage she's now unemployed, focused on other things. You know, 189 00:12:14.879 --> 00:12:18.879 Jennifer Griffin at Fox, she's she's really good, but she's 190 00:12:18.960 --> 00:12:21.360 kind of tapped out. I don't know who's going to 191 00:12:21.440 --> 00:12:25.840 dig into and hold people to account for what is 192 00:12:26.440 --> 00:12:29.679 again to data points, same part of the world responding 193 00:12:29.720 --> 00:12:37.120 to the same events as seventh of October, poor, poorly executed, 194 00:12:37.279 --> 00:12:40.039 and the results kind of speak for themselves. 195 00:12:41.879 --> 00:12:44.960 Yeah, but it also raises all these issues of you know, 196 00:12:45.120 --> 00:12:48.320 the lack of carriers and I mean you can feel it, 197 00:12:49.000 --> 00:12:51.600 and and those people who are serving on carricters and 198 00:12:51.679 --> 00:12:54.480 I know, I know at least one of them, uh 199 00:12:56.080 --> 00:12:59.200 you know, they know, they're they're they're what's the word. 200 00:12:59.240 --> 00:13:03.559 It's like when you you know, it's road hard and 201 00:13:03.679 --> 00:13:05.879 hung up wet. You know, you don't do that to horses, 202 00:13:05.919 --> 00:13:08.159 and we sure are doing that to our carriers. And 203 00:13:08.200 --> 00:13:11.639 it's a nightmare. Now. I say all this, but there 204 00:13:11.639 --> 00:13:14.440 are a couple of good things, and they're probably political too. 205 00:13:14.519 --> 00:13:20.000 But let's just give the Navy credit for finally recognizing 206 00:13:20.120 --> 00:13:26.519 that the that the Chicago fifty, the sailors who were 207 00:13:26.559 --> 00:13:30.039 working at the Naval Weapons Station and near conquered California 208 00:13:30.039 --> 00:13:34.279 Port Chicago blew up. I mean the explosion was the 209 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:36.799 left three hundred and twenty people dead to one hundred 210 00:13:36.799 --> 00:13:40.159 and two of whom were African American. You know, there 211 00:13:40.159 --> 00:13:44.159 were another four hundred people injured, and fifty of them 212 00:13:44.240 --> 00:13:48.080 had the gumption to say, this was not caused by us, 213 00:13:48.519 --> 00:13:51.440 not by the sailors, but by the unsafe working conditions. 214 00:13:51.840 --> 00:13:53.639 You know, we would like to have that fixed. And 215 00:13:53.639 --> 00:13:56.360 then they got charged with mutinies. So these fifty went down. 216 00:13:57.320 --> 00:14:01.120 Has had been found guilty. I think maybe one of 217 00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:03.240 them didn't. I think maybe it's forty forty nine were 218 00:14:03.240 --> 00:14:06.919 actually found guilty of it. But the Navy finally said, no, 219 00:14:07.480 --> 00:14:11.440 we were wrong. We're going to exonerate those men, and 220 00:14:12.519 --> 00:14:14.480 we'll try and make amends to the families because I 221 00:14:14.519 --> 00:14:16.799 think all of them, all of them are gone by now, 222 00:14:17.200 --> 00:14:20.399 but all those involved are gone by now. But it's 223 00:14:20.960 --> 00:14:22.960 sometimes it's not a little too late to do the 224 00:14:23.039 --> 00:14:26.120 right thing. And I think this is an instance where 225 00:14:26.360 --> 00:14:28.639 even if it was cynical to get another set of 226 00:14:28.720 --> 00:14:31.960 voters it was, it is still the right thing, and 227 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:34.399 I'm glad that they did it. And having served in 228 00:14:34.480 --> 00:14:37.399 the Port Chicago area at the Naval weapons station conquered. 229 00:14:37.759 --> 00:14:41.559 I can tell you that that is a not a 230 00:14:41.600 --> 00:14:43.759 great place to work. And if they were trying to 231 00:14:43.799 --> 00:14:45.639 really load ships in a hurry, you can see how 232 00:14:45.679 --> 00:14:47.679 an accident like this can happen, particularly with the kind 233 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:49.440 of munitions they had in World War Two. 234 00:14:50.519 --> 00:14:57.440 Yeah, munitionships, there's no room for error, you know, and 235 00:14:57.480 --> 00:14:58.879 some of them blow up and you just don't know 236 00:14:58.919 --> 00:15:03.600 why because there's nothing left, like the big Halifax explosion. Yeah, 237 00:15:03.600 --> 00:15:05.840 the action they took for the I think it was 238 00:15:05.919 --> 00:15:09.039 last week with the Chicago fifty. Yeah, I do not 239 00:15:09.159 --> 00:15:14.480 think any of those gentlemen are still alive, which is 240 00:15:14.519 --> 00:15:19.440 a shame because a few years later that they went 241 00:15:19.519 --> 00:15:23.759 back and they got rid of the dishonorable discharges and 242 00:15:23.799 --> 00:15:27.000 they commuted some of their sentences from fifteen years to 243 00:15:27.360 --> 00:15:30.080 what do I have here on this article from seventeen 244 00:15:30.120 --> 00:15:34.720 to twenty nine months, which you know that closed to you. 245 00:15:35.320 --> 00:15:39.200 That's quite the admission, But that wasn't willing to take 246 00:15:40.360 --> 00:15:44.480 the full step while people we were still alive, and 247 00:15:44.720 --> 00:15:50.399 that's a shame. But you're right, you better. It's a 248 00:15:50.399 --> 00:15:55.480 good reference point for people when incidents take place that 249 00:15:57.960 --> 00:16:02.440 whether it's military or civilian. The judicial system's not perfect. 250 00:16:03.440 --> 00:16:08.000 The law is not perfect. Tons Sometimes decisions were made 251 00:16:08.240 --> 00:16:14.080 and judgments were meted out with incomplete information, or we're 252 00:16:14.159 --> 00:16:17.399 done at the heat of the moment or the people 253 00:16:17.440 --> 00:16:22.519 who were there at the moment, and when the perspective 254 00:16:22.519 --> 00:16:27.480 that time gives you and evolution of thought that if 255 00:16:27.519 --> 00:16:29.480 you're going to move, you should go ahead and do 256 00:16:29.559 --> 00:16:33.000 the full move, as opposed to letting it take decades 257 00:16:33.039 --> 00:16:36.279 and decades and decades to get there. You could you 258 00:16:36.320 --> 00:16:40.159 could be pedantic and say what you want to about 259 00:16:40.279 --> 00:16:44.519 what the fifty did, but watching hundreds of people blow 260 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:48.279 up and then being expected to go again when you're 261 00:16:48.279 --> 00:16:51.120 not on the front lines. You're in Chicago, right in 262 00:16:51.120 --> 00:16:56.639 the middle of the US. But it's difficult to judge 263 00:16:56.639 --> 00:16:59.399 people because you weren't at their place and time. But 264 00:16:59.480 --> 00:17:01.919 in this situation, you're right. It was the right thing 265 00:17:01.960 --> 00:17:02.159 to do. 266 00:17:04.000 --> 00:17:06.039 Yeah, And we've got a couple of other good things 267 00:17:06.119 --> 00:17:08.599 we should point out before we started going back on 268 00:17:08.640 --> 00:17:11.200 the lit new of bad things. One of them is 269 00:17:11.240 --> 00:17:14.119 I've seen a recent trend among our senior naval officers 270 00:17:14.160 --> 00:17:17.599 to be wearing navy uniforms. Yes, so they don't look 271 00:17:17.640 --> 00:17:22.720 like tree suits anymore. You know, yay, congratulations, somebody's paying 272 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:26.759 attention to how the Navy should look, especially in formal occasions. 273 00:17:28.160 --> 00:17:31.000 And the other one is we got a well, I 274 00:17:31.000 --> 00:17:32.519 got a couple more. One is that that we have 275 00:17:32.559 --> 00:17:38.599 a new in maritime Industrial base program. Head it's a 276 00:17:38.640 --> 00:17:41.599 new program, but at least somebody's paying attention to in 277 00:17:41.680 --> 00:17:43.680 the Navy. That hey, one of the problems we don't 278 00:17:43.680 --> 00:17:47.039 have no shipyards and stuff like that. So that's those 279 00:17:47.079 --> 00:17:49.880 are good things. And the other last one I had 280 00:17:49.880 --> 00:17:52.359 for good things is the we've got an F eighteen 281 00:17:52.640 --> 00:17:58.960 that's been seen toting around at SM six, which would 282 00:17:59.079 --> 00:18:02.000 which is I mean, that really is good because they 283 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:03.559 can take it out to the limit of the F 284 00:18:03.599 --> 00:18:06.079 eighteen range. The F thirty five's can pick it up 285 00:18:06.119 --> 00:18:08.400 and direct them where they need to go, and that 286 00:18:08.759 --> 00:18:14.160 really adds to the legs of our sea going air 287 00:18:14.839 --> 00:18:17.519 aircraft and those units. 288 00:18:17.519 --> 00:18:20.359 So those are it is. It's a great thing, and 289 00:18:20.400 --> 00:18:22.559 it takes to one of the blocks that we've been 290 00:18:22.599 --> 00:18:24.720 talking about here on mid Rats for over a decade, 291 00:18:24.799 --> 00:18:26.839 especially with some of our guests like Jerry Hendrix. I 292 00:18:26.880 --> 00:18:28.759 know this is one of his bugebears that we share 293 00:18:28.759 --> 00:18:32.279 with them, especially when you're talking about the Pacific range 294 00:18:32.440 --> 00:18:36.319 range range, range, range, time distance, it's a bear out there, 295 00:18:36.400 --> 00:18:39.480 and no pun intended for you to ninety five fans. 296 00:18:39.960 --> 00:18:42.799 But when we got rid of the Tomcat and the phoenix, 297 00:18:43.160 --> 00:18:46.559 you know, the am rams no slouch. When you absolutely 298 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.599 positively got to get there real fast at far distance. 299 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:53.759 The phoenix was a nice little creature to have, and 300 00:18:53.920 --> 00:18:56.960 it's all behind the skiff where it belongs. But being 301 00:18:57.000 --> 00:19:00.640 able to strap an SM six on the wing. Also 302 00:19:00.680 --> 00:19:03.200 knowing the multi mission capability of the SM six, it 303 00:19:03.240 --> 00:19:05.400 would be interesting to know how many different modes they 304 00:19:05.440 --> 00:19:09.839 can use that at. That's a nice asset that makes 305 00:19:10.000 --> 00:19:13.960 your potential enemies worry a little bit more and gives 306 00:19:13.960 --> 00:19:17.680 a strike group commander a lot more flexibility on how 307 00:19:17.720 --> 00:19:20.240 and when he wants to approach things. And it's also 308 00:19:20.359 --> 00:19:22.480 kind of in the in the finer traditions in the 309 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:27.160 Naval service that in Vietnam back when you were a 310 00:19:27.200 --> 00:19:34.680 kitty kitty, we got into the anti radiation missile business 311 00:19:34.680 --> 00:19:38.680 by taking SM one standard missile, slapping that puppy underneath 312 00:19:38.680 --> 00:19:42.000 the or an A seven or an F four whatever 313 00:19:42.000 --> 00:19:44.200 we were using on it, and saying, go out there, 314 00:19:44.200 --> 00:19:47.480 and do great things and it did so. Yeah, that 315 00:19:47.480 --> 00:19:49.400 that was the great bass. One thing that I was 316 00:19:49.400 --> 00:19:51.079 thinking of when you're talking about the uniforms, and you 317 00:19:51.119 --> 00:19:54.319 have detected that still much more work to do, but 318 00:19:54.440 --> 00:19:57.720 that is a positive trend some people are doing. Also, 319 00:19:57.880 --> 00:20:00.480 credit where credit is due. Also, I want to tap 320 00:20:00.559 --> 00:20:04.119 my hat to Dave Lader and Chris Kavis because they, 321 00:20:04.119 --> 00:20:05.640 along with us, were some of the folks that were 322 00:20:05.640 --> 00:20:09.519 beating the drum really hard. Is there has been I 323 00:20:09.519 --> 00:20:11.920 started noticing about a year ago, so let's pack that 324 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.880 up six months. So let's say eighteen months ago that 325 00:20:16.039 --> 00:20:22.960 in general, the physical condition and corrosion efforts on board 326 00:20:22.960 --> 00:20:27.160 of our ships is getting better. They do not seem 327 00:20:27.240 --> 00:20:32.119 to have as many as bad ships out there. I 328 00:20:32.119 --> 00:20:35.119 don't know if we've got new equipment, new procedures, a 329 00:20:35.119 --> 00:20:37.599 few more sailors on board to be able to do it, 330 00:20:37.720 --> 00:20:40.960 some more money, but whatever change has come up in 331 00:20:40.960 --> 00:20:42.680 the last eighteen months. And I've asked a couple of 332 00:20:42.680 --> 00:20:44.839 people and people are like, I don't know, but that's 333 00:20:44.839 --> 00:20:47.920 a good news story. If we have got a way 334 00:20:47.960 --> 00:20:52.240 to do better maintenance on our ships, even when they've 335 00:20:52.279 --> 00:20:55.000 been on a long deployment. We should tell that story, 336 00:20:55.079 --> 00:20:58.680 because that was a black eye for over half a decade, 337 00:20:58.759 --> 00:21:02.000 how bad our ship forgets. But the last eighteen months 338 00:21:02.079 --> 00:21:05.880 it's been a noticeable change, you know, getting back to 339 00:21:05.920 --> 00:21:06.640 where they should be. 340 00:21:07.640 --> 00:21:10.920 Yeah, I think that's uh, that's that's I think I've 341 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.880 noticed the pictures too that things look a lot, a 342 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:16.559 lot better. And you know, he has a surface warfare guy. 343 00:21:16.880 --> 00:21:19.759 If your ship looks good, your crew feels better, you know, 344 00:21:19.880 --> 00:21:22.240 because that means that they're taking care of it, and 345 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.359 there's there is pride in the place you work, especially 346 00:21:25.359 --> 00:21:28.240 if you're a sailor and you're assigned to a tin 347 00:21:28.319 --> 00:21:30.640 can or a cruiser or whatever. You know that that 348 00:21:30.759 --> 00:21:35.519 does make a difference, even with today's modern mutes. But no, 349 00:21:35.559 --> 00:21:39.759 it's it's that's a good thing. The other good thing 350 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:42.519 is is Chowd to Hall, Chowd to Hill. Yeah, the 351 00:21:42.880 --> 00:21:50.559 CEO of the of theft lost the care and right, 352 00:21:50.960 --> 00:21:55.720 so he has done more to let people know about 353 00:21:55.799 --> 00:21:59.960 what our sailors are doing and how much the command 354 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:04.880 and his command appreciates what they're up to. And you know, 355 00:22:05.160 --> 00:22:08.759 so he's had uh, you know, the the nukes from 356 00:22:08.799 --> 00:22:13.200 his his engineering department up there. He's had. I can't 357 00:22:13.200 --> 00:22:17.400 remember radium and radio people, people who climb the mast 358 00:22:17.480 --> 00:22:20.440 to fix antennas. I think he's I hope he's had 359 00:22:20.480 --> 00:22:23.960 some haltechs up there, but I'm not sure. On a carrier, 360 00:22:24.240 --> 00:22:27.000 your hall techs are pretty they're the people for who 361 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:29.000 don't know. They're kind of like the plumbers of a ship, 362 00:22:29.519 --> 00:22:32.640 and they're the ones to keep all the stuff flowing, 363 00:22:32.759 --> 00:22:36.880 so to put it gently. And there are important people, 364 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:40.119 so you know, that's great, and I think more CEOs. 365 00:22:40.279 --> 00:22:43.079 I know this the CEO. There's another ce out there 366 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:48.359 who's doing a similar thing. He's he's on a DDG. 367 00:22:50.000 --> 00:22:52.400 But that's great. That's that's what we need more of 368 00:22:52.519 --> 00:22:56.559 and use social media for for good purposes like that. Also, 369 00:22:56.599 --> 00:22:58.920 it allowed him to respond when the who he say 370 00:22:59.000 --> 00:23:02.400 that paid added something on you know somehow, and were 371 00:23:02.400 --> 00:23:05.440 able to get a missile to hit the the deck 372 00:23:05.480 --> 00:23:09.039 of the of the I. His responses were, I don't 373 00:23:09.039 --> 00:23:11.279 think so, I mean, and it was immediate. You know, 374 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:16.079 there was no there was no buddy in the Pentagon 375 00:23:16.160 --> 00:23:18.359 went well, we we can either confirm or deny that's 376 00:23:18.359 --> 00:23:19.960 such a thing has happened. I mean, you don't need that, 377 00:23:20.000 --> 00:23:24.759 you need somebody out there on the ship scent didn't happen, 378 00:23:25.440 --> 00:23:29.640 won't happen and blow it out your your ear. So 379 00:23:30.000 --> 00:23:31.920 you know, I like that. I'm very happy with that. 380 00:23:32.200 --> 00:23:36.119 I think would also demonstrates is something that most people 381 00:23:36.160 --> 00:23:40.359 I know know intuitively, but we we don't really take 382 00:23:40.359 --> 00:23:42.599 advantage of it as much as is what he did 383 00:23:45.440 --> 00:23:49.480 and something I wish the CHINFO would would take on 384 00:23:49.559 --> 00:23:52.960 board here. It was very basic, It was very simple, 385 00:23:53.559 --> 00:23:57.240 and it was sailor forward. You put your sailors in 386 00:23:57.319 --> 00:24:01.039 front of a camera and just tell their story of 387 00:24:01.079 --> 00:24:07.200 what they do. We talk about recruitment, we talk about retention, 388 00:24:07.599 --> 00:24:11.440 we talk about sea blindness. That I saw a lot 389 00:24:11.480 --> 00:24:14.200 of great conversations, Like he had one of his nuke 390 00:24:14.240 --> 00:24:17.119 machinists mate up top side and people were kind of 391 00:24:17.119 --> 00:24:19.240 making friendly. You could tell who had served or not. 392 00:24:19.599 --> 00:24:21.359 We're kind of making jokes about her. It's like, that's 393 00:24:21.440 --> 00:24:23.359 enough daylight for you. You need to go back down 394 00:24:23.440 --> 00:24:25.799 to the reactor spaces. Good stuff like that. We like 395 00:24:25.960 --> 00:24:28.599 jackass at each other eighty year old people. Kid jackass 396 00:24:28.640 --> 00:24:30.200 a twenty three year old, but that eighty year old 397 00:24:30.200 --> 00:24:32.839 person was a nuke machinist. May too it's okay, it's good. 398 00:24:32.960 --> 00:24:37.680 But I think what it did is it demonstrated without 399 00:24:37.720 --> 00:24:42.720 all this flash and glitter, the fact that here's an 400 00:24:42.799 --> 00:24:47.519 organization that will take a young lady twenty three twenty 401 00:24:47.559 --> 00:24:51.519