WEBVTT 1 00:00:29.719 --> 00:00:32.520 Welcome to mid Rats with sal from Commander Salamander, an 2 00:00:32.600 --> 00:00:35.880 Eagle one from Eagle Speak at seer Shure your home 3 00:00:35.920 --> 00:00:39.240 for a discussion of national security issues and all things maritime. 4 00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:43.119 And welcome on board everybody. Thank you for joining us 5 00:00:43.119 --> 00:00:46.759 for another edition of mid Rats, And if you are 6 00:00:46.759 --> 00:00:49.399 with us live, I'd like to extended invitation for you 7 00:00:49.479 --> 00:00:53.439 because it's extra advantageous today is go ahead and scroll 8 00:00:53.479 --> 00:00:55.719 over to the chat room. I'll hop right in there. 9 00:00:55.719 --> 00:00:58.560 We'll be monitored during the course of the conversation, and 10 00:00:58.840 --> 00:01:01.840 usually we have guests here, people will make some observations 11 00:01:01.960 --> 00:01:04.640 or even suggest a question or two. But today we 12 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.439 have our ever popular and ever famous Melee format for 13 00:01:08.480 --> 00:01:10.719 here in the middle of May. Perhaps not March, it's 14 00:01:10.760 --> 00:01:13.920 the other month. It's March, not May. 15 00:01:14.400 --> 00:01:17.200 Oh, we're not confused though. 16 00:01:17.159 --> 00:01:19.200 No, no, no, I just need more caffeine and I'll 17 00:01:19.239 --> 00:01:22.280 be fine. But yeah, it's like June July. As long 18 00:01:22.319 --> 00:01:24.599 as I know what year it is, I'm feeling all right. 19 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:26.200 Put it in there. 20 00:01:26.319 --> 00:01:28.400 If that's a topic or question you want us to 21 00:01:28.719 --> 00:01:31.560 bounce into, that's the perfect place to do it. And 22 00:01:31.640 --> 00:01:33.799 always want to extend the invitation to everybody. If you 23 00:01:33.840 --> 00:01:37.439 don't already, going over to iTunes, secer, Spotify wherever you 24 00:01:37.480 --> 00:01:41.359 are and go ahead and subscribe to the podcast. That way, 25 00:01:41.719 --> 00:01:43.920 if you can join us live, we'll be there waiting 26 00:01:43.959 --> 00:01:46.079 for you. And like I said, we do not have 27 00:01:46.120 --> 00:01:49.439 a guest today is just marking myself pontificating about things. 28 00:01:49.480 --> 00:01:51.920 And we cheated because in the pre show we pretty 29 00:01:51.959 --> 00:01:55.319 much know what we wanted to kick off with. And 30 00:01:55.519 --> 00:02:01.400 it's something that has momentum to go from one Congress 31 00:02:01.439 --> 00:02:03.879 to another. I wrote a bit about it right before 32 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:07.640 the November election. It didn't get passed, but it's got 33 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:10.439 even more enthusiasm behind it now and there'll be some 34 00:02:10.560 --> 00:02:13.919 changes made to it perhaps, But let's talk a little 35 00:02:13.960 --> 00:02:18.599 bit about what makes all navalists toes tingle the ships at. 36 00:02:18.439 --> 00:02:22.719 Yeah, the ship building in harbor, infrastructure for prosperity and 37 00:02:22.800 --> 00:02:23.840 security for America. 38 00:02:24.039 --> 00:02:24.680 That's a mouthful. 39 00:02:24.719 --> 00:02:26.719 I think one of the things that gives it so 40 00:02:26.840 --> 00:02:31.080 much of a boost is it really is bipartisan. Is 41 00:02:32.039 --> 00:02:35.520 In the previous Congress, the point man on it on 42 00:02:35.560 --> 00:02:37.439 the Republican side of the House, in the House of 43 00:02:37.520 --> 00:02:41.800 Representative Is was Mike Waltz, who's now the National Security 44 00:02:41.800 --> 00:02:45.680 Advisor he's in the administration, so he knows the rhythm, 45 00:02:45.680 --> 00:02:49.520 he knows the story. And in the last Congress, the 46 00:02:49.680 --> 00:02:54.719 Democrats had the Senate and retired Navy Captain Mark Kellnedy 47 00:02:55.039 --> 00:02:58.639 now Senator, a Democrat at Arizona, he had the point 48 00:02:58.719 --> 00:03:02.840 on their end and it got a fair bit of sponsors, 49 00:03:02.840 --> 00:03:06.319 but not enough to really get a vote last Congress. 50 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:08.039 And there was a couple of things when I wrote 51 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:12.120 on in October that some staffers spot welded onto it 52 00:03:12.159 --> 00:03:14.199 that are probably unnecessary that I think will be cleaned 53 00:03:14.280 --> 00:03:17.080 up if it looked at again. But I think what 54 00:03:17.919 --> 00:03:21.879 has me looking forward to it being regenerated and resubmitted 55 00:03:21.919 --> 00:03:24.879 for this Congress once people have a chance to take 56 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:27.520 a deep breath and catch up to everything that's going on, 57 00:03:28.719 --> 00:03:32.280 is the fact that the executive branch and the President 58 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:38.199 UH and his Secretary of Defense and pretty much most 59 00:03:38.240 --> 00:03:41.520 of the players in his national security operas have you know, 60 00:03:41.879 --> 00:03:45.319 responded to to the bell. It's there's a lot of 61 00:03:45.400 --> 00:03:53.719 talk about pro seapower, bigger navy, better navy maintenance, shipyards, infrastructure, 62 00:03:54.120 --> 00:03:57.159 merchant marine. So we're having the right things being said. 63 00:03:58.120 --> 00:04:01.800 Again that has to have action behind it. However, you're 64 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:03.400 not going to get action if you don't have the 65 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:06.919 words in the top cover and you've got it from 66 00:04:07.520 --> 00:04:11.639 the Commander in chief on down. So I think, uh, 67 00:04:11.759 --> 00:04:15.159 the details of what comes in the the hopefully the 68 00:04:15.240 --> 00:04:18.439 Resurrected and Resubmitted Ships Act, I think it will flow 69 00:04:18.480 --> 00:04:22.920 in real well with the President's priorities. We have bipartisan 70 00:04:23.000 --> 00:04:25.959 support in the House and the Senate. There's really no 71 00:04:26.079 --> 00:04:29.199 reason why some version of this can't see the light 72 00:04:29.240 --> 00:04:30.560 of day sooner more than later. 73 00:04:30.720 --> 00:04:31.279 It really is. 74 00:04:32.079 --> 00:04:34.040 It's an exciting exciting thing to see. 75 00:04:34.120 --> 00:04:38.639 Yeah, it's been it's a hot topic. The President has said, uh, 76 00:04:38.839 --> 00:04:42.600 make ship building greater. God, you seem to have a 77 00:04:42.639 --> 00:04:46.160 motto kind of thing going on. Uh, But Brando and 78 00:04:46.279 --> 00:04:48.560 they've they've named they've they've changed the name of a 79 00:04:48.600 --> 00:04:51.120 group of folks that are already working for the National 80 00:04:51.279 --> 00:04:56.600 Security Council from the Maritime and Industrial Capacity Group to 81 00:04:56.759 --> 00:05:01.920 the the the Office of ship Building. And they've got 82 00:05:01.959 --> 00:05:04.680 a couple of people already there who has been pointed 83 00:05:04.680 --> 00:05:08.360 out by some other folks are not necessarily experts in shipbuilding. 84 00:05:09.000 --> 00:05:11.399 That concerns me less than that they're experts in moving 85 00:05:11.439 --> 00:05:14.600 money around and getting things done because we can always 86 00:05:14.680 --> 00:05:18.879 hire experts in shipbuilding. That's why there are shipbuilders, and 87 00:05:19.759 --> 00:05:21.519 so I think this is going to be really interesting. 88 00:05:21.560 --> 00:05:24.480 I'm excited about it. We're getting a new see it. 89 00:05:27.040 --> 00:05:30.120 What's he called, Secretary of the Navy, John Phalen, who 90 00:05:30.199 --> 00:05:32.839 is He's another money guy, I think, and that's going 91 00:05:32.879 --> 00:05:36.240 to be helpful for the Navy because up to now, 92 00:05:36.279 --> 00:05:38.879 I'm not sure we've been managing the money very well. 93 00:05:39.160 --> 00:05:41.720 Has probably when we ever pass an audit, we'll find 94 00:05:41.720 --> 00:05:43.000 out what happened to a lot of it. 95 00:05:43.800 --> 00:05:45.399 Yeah, I am. 96 00:05:45.839 --> 00:05:48.839 I'm not sold very much on some of the critiques 97 00:05:49.199 --> 00:05:52.959 that Phalan has been receiving. You he's not from industry, 98 00:05:53.040 --> 00:05:54.120 he doesn't know the system. 99 00:05:54.399 --> 00:05:55.519 To me, that's a benefit. 100 00:05:55.639 --> 00:05:58.319 I look at what we've done, especially on the surface 101 00:05:58.319 --> 00:06:00.800 side of the house, in the last quarter century, and 102 00:06:00.959 --> 00:06:05.680 to be blunt, we're not going to get different, hopefully 103 00:06:05.720 --> 00:06:09.720 better results with people from that industry, from that background, 104 00:06:09.800 --> 00:06:14.920 with that friend group. You have a gentleman who is 105 00:06:15.000 --> 00:06:20.079 unquestionably successful, and what he's successful at is looking at organizations, 106 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:24.160 finding out what's healthy, what's not, what need works, what 107 00:06:24.319 --> 00:06:28.079 needs to be left behind. And the Navy needs a 108 00:06:28.079 --> 00:06:32.800 good wire brushing like that because I don't see a 109 00:06:32.839 --> 00:06:36.399 convincing argument that we have overperformed in the last quarter 110 00:06:36.439 --> 00:06:39.920 century and things have to get really bad before they 111 00:06:39.959 --> 00:06:41.959 get better. But I mean, we've talked about it a 112 00:06:41.959 --> 00:06:44.879 lot over the years, in the last few years especially. 113 00:06:46.920 --> 00:06:49.839 I love the argument. My answer is both. But people 114 00:06:50.000 --> 00:06:54.199 argue submarines are our capital ships, aircraft carriers are capital ships. Well, 115 00:06:54.480 --> 00:06:58.639 when you have attack submarines literally spend years welded to 116 00:06:58.680 --> 00:07:01.600 the peer waiting for maintenance, and everybody just kind of shrugs, 117 00:07:02.279 --> 00:07:06.199 that's that's a sign that we have a system that's. 118 00:07:05.759 --> 00:07:07.000 Almost frozen in place. 119 00:07:07.360 --> 00:07:10.519 So you need somebody who's had success in other areas 120 00:07:11.639 --> 00:07:14.240 that's going to come in and he'll hire the right people. 121 00:07:14.560 --> 00:07:16.439 He'll hire the folks that can tell him what the 122 00:07:16.480 --> 00:07:21.920 damn acronym means and probably can tell you listen to 123 00:07:22.360 --> 00:07:24.759 none of what that guy says. Listens to a lot 124 00:07:24.759 --> 00:07:27.399 of what that guy says, and I don't believe anything 125 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:30.000 after the first two minutes from this guy, and that's 126 00:07:30.120 --> 00:07:32.959 that's an important skill to have. I think it's also 127 00:07:33.000 --> 00:07:36.639 interesting that they've Originally it was thought that you're going 128 00:07:36.720 --> 00:07:39.600 to have another outside individual come in as the under, 129 00:07:39.879 --> 00:07:43.800 but again with different people breaking the mold of a 130 00:07:43.800 --> 00:07:49.920 different background. Retire another retired Navy captain Hung caw EOD 131 00:07:50.079 --> 00:07:53.879 guy coming in as he under. He will have a 132 00:07:54.079 --> 00:07:57.199 different view of the Navy than a lot of other folks. 133 00:07:57.279 --> 00:07:59.120 And I think, can you know, be the let me 134 00:07:59.120 --> 00:08:02.199 explain you what this act that means? Uh to fail 135 00:08:02.240 --> 00:08:05.360 And I think that's an interesting pairing. They both kind 136 00:08:05.360 --> 00:08:08.319 of break the mold. But being that the mold we've 137 00:08:08.360 --> 00:08:12.439 been using has not been producing products fit for service, 138 00:08:12.680 --> 00:08:14.240 I think there's lots of opportunity here. 139 00:08:14.319 --> 00:08:14.560 Yeah. 140 00:08:14.920 --> 00:08:17.600 Personally, I mean worked with some of the EO dkis 141 00:08:17.680 --> 00:08:19.839 and you know, they're a hoot. I mean that is 142 00:08:19.959 --> 00:08:24.079 that is a that is a small group of folks 143 00:08:24.120 --> 00:08:26.480 who do a really important mission. And I think that 144 00:08:26.600 --> 00:08:28.360 the way they you know, the way they work their 145 00:08:28.399 --> 00:08:32.320 teams and the way they work their assets, it is uh, 146 00:08:32.360 --> 00:08:35.519 that may be a really helpful model as we as 147 00:08:35.559 --> 00:08:39.200 we move forward, because some of the big stuff we 148 00:08:39.240 --> 00:08:42.240 do we need to take a hard look at. I mean, 149 00:08:43.039 --> 00:08:45.960 the potential secretary that maybe failing has said he wants 150 00:08:46.000 --> 00:08:50.200 to do a complete overhaul of shipbuilding goals and processes, 151 00:08:50.279 --> 00:08:53.320 and you know, then you get this industry best practices stuff, 152 00:08:53.679 --> 00:08:57.240 you know, So I hate buzzwords like that, but in 153 00:08:57.399 --> 00:08:59.960 this case, I'm not as concerned because Lord knows, we're 154 00:09:00.240 --> 00:09:02.440 using the industry best practices now and a lot of 155 00:09:02.440 --> 00:09:06.320 our efforts and and you know when when you I 156 00:09:06.320 --> 00:09:09.000 think I referenced a few shows ago that that there 157 00:09:09.039 --> 00:09:12.399 was a really nice presentation by one of the submarine 158 00:09:13.279 --> 00:09:15.879 whoever the submarine PEO is, I think, and you know, 159 00:09:15.879 --> 00:09:19.679 they're talking about the need to get the parts availability 160 00:09:19.720 --> 00:09:22.480 and all that good stuff in line, because that's what's 161 00:09:22.519 --> 00:09:25.840 holding up a lot of these ship uh and submarine 162 00:09:25.879 --> 00:09:28.799 processes is you know, it's we need to have a 163 00:09:28.840 --> 00:09:32.159 solid pipeline of this, of the of the materials we 164 00:09:32.200 --> 00:09:34.679 need to build the ships. We need to have this 165 00:09:34.960 --> 00:09:38.600 and this benefits everybody in the country because the economy 166 00:09:38.639 --> 00:09:41.960 will you know, it is driven by the processes of 167 00:09:42.000 --> 00:09:45.320 getting the materials and supplies you need to the place 168 00:09:45.360 --> 00:09:47.240 you need them, when you need them, and before you 169 00:09:47.279 --> 00:09:49.919 need them. Because I think we're just about done with 170 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:56.879 the just in time shipbuilding processes, and so I'm very hopeful, yeah, 171 00:09:56.960 --> 00:10:00.600 that this will work out and that the you know 172 00:10:00.679 --> 00:10:05.519 that there's enough Doge whoever's looking into the personnel people 173 00:10:05.559 --> 00:10:07.759 can take a hard look at NAVC and try and 174 00:10:07.799 --> 00:10:10.840 figure out what exactly some of those eighty three thousand 175 00:10:10.840 --> 00:10:12.639 people do there. I know there are a lot of 176 00:10:12.639 --> 00:10:15.799 good folks there, but you know, we also see a 177 00:10:15.840 --> 00:10:18.200 lot of I think we talked about this recently with 178 00:10:18.200 --> 00:10:22.000 one of our guests, that there's a core of yeah, 179 00:10:22.000 --> 00:10:24.519 we've got these rules, we can't bend these rules. We 180 00:10:24.600 --> 00:10:26.759 have to do it exactly this way, and every since 181 00:10:26.840 --> 00:10:29.039 everybody that has a hand on some of these projects 182 00:10:29.360 --> 00:10:31.960 says that, then all of a sudden, your rule bound 183 00:10:32.000 --> 00:10:34.480 instead of mission driven. 184 00:10:34.639 --> 00:10:37.159 Yeah, it's there's a lot of reason for optimism out 185 00:10:37.200 --> 00:10:40.480 there in some ways, and you get the ship sack there. 186 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:43.720 We have a lot of top cover and a lot 187 00:10:43.720 --> 00:10:47.000 of the reason why we have trouble with our industrial 188 00:10:47.080 --> 00:10:50.039 base and our infrastructure is simply there hasn't been much 189 00:10:50.039 --> 00:10:53.320 of a demand signal there, or a consistent demand signal. 190 00:10:53.960 --> 00:10:56.200 These are profit and lost companies, and a lot of 191 00:10:56.279 --> 00:10:59.200 when they disappear, you don't have that ability yet. And 192 00:11:00.240 --> 00:11:04.600 these are American jobs, good paying jobs, and it is 193 00:11:04.759 --> 00:11:07.879 really a national security asset because on Friday I did 194 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:10.519 a post about I'm not even gonna try to pronounce it. 195 00:11:10.519 --> 00:11:13.679 It's the zaikaku. I can't pronounce Japanese words very well. 196 00:11:13.720 --> 00:11:18.320 Where's my friend Brent sadlerk he knows Japanese fluently. But 197 00:11:18.399 --> 00:11:22.639 it was the last of the carriers that the Imperial 198 00:11:22.720 --> 00:11:26.120 Japanese Navy used to attack Pearl Harbor, and she was 199 00:11:26.200 --> 00:11:29.120 sunk the last of the sixth and she was sunk 200 00:11:29.120 --> 00:11:33.320 in October of forty four when she was part of 201 00:11:33.360 --> 00:11:35.879 the diversionary part in the Battle of Lata Golf that 202 00:11:35.960 --> 00:11:37.080 brought Halsey north. 203 00:11:37.240 --> 00:11:38.720 And you can. 204 00:11:38.600 --> 00:11:44.080 Look at the difference between the US, which had a 205 00:11:44.240 --> 00:11:47.559 very vigorous due to over half a decade of investment 206 00:11:47.799 --> 00:11:50.799 in the shipbuilding industry in the late mid to late thirties, 207 00:11:51.039 --> 00:11:53.200 the production that we had in the carriers that we 208 00:11:53.279 --> 00:11:55.519 produced in the course of that three year and eight 209 00:11:55.559 --> 00:11:58.440 month war, and that Japan pretty much fought with what 210 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:01.200 she brought to the table, except for some very light 211 00:12:01.320 --> 00:12:03.720 and limited carriers that they were able to produce. That 212 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:09.360 all had to do with industrial capacity and the ability 213 00:12:09.440 --> 00:12:11.960 to fight a long war, a vice what the Japanese 214 00:12:12.000 --> 00:12:14.080 were hoping for, that they would swat us so hard 215 00:12:14.360 --> 00:12:16.639 that we would back out. You know a lot of 216 00:12:16.639 --> 00:12:21.080 people get those briefs President Putin and it often doesn't 217 00:12:21.120 --> 00:12:21.840 work out that well. 218 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:22.360 And you look. 219 00:12:22.240 --> 00:12:27.799 Today, Japan and China is the USA of the nineteen 220 00:12:27.840 --> 00:12:31.440 thirties when you look at that industrial capacity. And we 221 00:12:31.480 --> 00:12:34.480 had a nice show on I think we had Salmar 222 00:12:34.519 --> 00:12:38.200 Cogliano on where we talked about where we had sidelined 223 00:12:39.799 --> 00:12:42.200 over a dozen ships just to be able to repurpose 224 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:45.639 to seven hundred mariners mare Ad. When you look at 225 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.759 our ships that we do have. Ideally as part of this, 226 00:12:48.960 --> 00:12:52.519 I would like to see US production because you can 227 00:12:52.759 --> 00:12:56.360 build ships for mara Ad and our Naval Reserve Force 228 00:12:56.639 --> 00:13:01.320 cargo ships auxiliaries to mostly a different standard than warship. 229 00:13:01.559 --> 00:13:03.120 But we just don't have the ability. And there was 230 00:13:03.159 --> 00:13:08.240 an interesting article that John Grady over US and I 231 00:13:08.399 --> 00:13:10.600 News put out what's the date on here back on 232 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.039 March sixth. I'll just do a little quote from it, 233 00:13:13.240 --> 00:13:16.200 and it's good news, but it also tells a story 234 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:18.759 and I'm glad he acknowledges it. Okay, a little quote here, 235 00:13:19.200 --> 00:13:22.000 the head of US Transportation Command ask a key Senate 236 00:13:22.080 --> 00:13:24.840 panel for the authority to buy ten more used cargo 237 00:13:25.000 --> 00:13:29.120 vessels to support American forces overseas in combat. Air Force 238 00:13:29.200 --> 00:13:32.960 General Randall Reid said in a Thursday hearing. Unless moves 239 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:35.600 are made quickly, by twenty thirty two to fifty four 240 00:13:35.600 --> 00:13:38.120 percent of government owned sea list ships will reach the 241 00:13:38.320 --> 00:13:42.039 end of their service life. He added, eighty five percent 242 00:13:42.080 --> 00:13:44.840 of the Navy's combat powers in the United States, and 243 00:13:44.879 --> 00:13:47.639 we need to be delivered by sea for our air 244 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:52.039 for operational operations overseas. Acknowledging President Donald Trump's call to 245 00:13:52.080 --> 00:13:55.960 overhaul American ship building to compete with China, the Maritime 246 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:59.519 Administration and Command needs to quote, get ships in any 247 00:13:59.519 --> 00:14:03.080 way we can, Reid said, for speed, that means buying 248 00:14:03.759 --> 00:14:06.679 used but newer vessels to support US C lift. We 249 00:14:06.799 --> 00:14:09.440 would like to buy four per year, but two it 250 00:14:09.480 --> 00:14:12.720 a minimum to maintain necessary sea lift capacity. Estimated to 251 00:14:12.799 --> 00:14:15.639 cost for two would be about two hundred and ten 252 00:14:15.919 --> 00:14:19.320 million unquote. Maybe we could repurpose some of the doze 253 00:14:19.440 --> 00:14:23.480 money that they're finding under the seat cushions. But it's 254 00:14:23.639 --> 00:14:27.600 it's it's sad because previous generations you could get on 255 00:14:27.639 --> 00:14:29.960 the phone and say, hey, we need to spit out 256 00:14:29.960 --> 00:14:33.279 two more auxiliaries a year out of our shipyards, and 257 00:14:33.759 --> 00:14:34.440 it could happen. 258 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:35.840 Now we're going. 259 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:37.919 Through the used car lot just to find good enough 260 00:14:38.039 --> 00:14:42.000 at the minimum numbers. That is pretty damning. But at 261 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:43.399 least we're trying to buy them now. 262 00:14:43.559 --> 00:14:46.240 Yeah, I'm less troubled by that than you are, because 263 00:14:46.279 --> 00:14:46.639 I think that. 264 00:14:48.120 --> 00:14:51.039 I'm I'm not troubled by it. Well, in my perfect world, 265 00:14:51.080 --> 00:14:53.399 we would be building new construction. But hey, I'm not 266 00:14:53.399 --> 00:14:55.080 gonna let the perfect be the enemy of the good. 267 00:14:55.080 --> 00:14:57.240 If we can get we still instead of driving around 268 00:14:57.279 --> 00:15:00.879 on my nineteen sixty nine Dodge panel truck, if I 269 00:15:00.879 --> 00:15:05.679 can pick up twenty twenty one Toyota, that'll be fine. 270 00:15:06.159 --> 00:15:07.799 Yeah, we need to put holes in the water and 271 00:15:08.120 --> 00:15:10.080 have holes available. I don't I don't care where they 272 00:15:10.080 --> 00:15:12.360 come from necessarily, and if it's you know, if it's 273 00:15:12.399 --> 00:15:14.399 less expensive to do that, then to try and get 274 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:17.600 Nasco and San Diego to build us you know, some 275 00:15:17.600 --> 00:15:20.200 something like that or some of these other you know 276 00:15:20.360 --> 00:15:22.960 most you know, we're not. This is the problem. This 277 00:15:23.039 --> 00:15:24.879 is why the Ships Act is so important. We are 278 00:15:24.879 --> 00:15:27.799 not building cargo vessels, container ships and all that in 279 00:15:27.879 --> 00:15:31.960 the US, uh, unless for very specific purposes, for for 280 00:15:32.159 --> 00:15:35.240 Jones Act reasons and you know, so we end up 281 00:15:35.720 --> 00:15:38.519 we're looking at ships made every place else Korea, kind 282 00:15:39.799 --> 00:15:41.440 I don't know where else they're doing it these days, 283 00:15:41.639 --> 00:15:45.000 Norway maybe, And you know, that's just that's just it's 284 00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:47.399 killing us. We don't have the and I remember doing 285 00:15:47.440 --> 00:15:49.240 Desert Storm. It's some of the some of the ships 286 00:15:49.279 --> 00:15:53.879 that were that we hired to bring equipment over there 287 00:15:53.919 --> 00:15:55.960 were you know, I'm surprised they passed any kind of 288 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:58.879 coast Guard inspection before they returned loose to to tote 289 00:15:58.879 --> 00:16:01.360 that equipment. And that's when we really geared up right 290 00:16:01.360 --> 00:16:04.320 after Desert Storm to get you know, all these marriages 291 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:07.600 from Desert Storm. Was was a zillion years ago, it's 292 00:16:07.679 --> 00:16:13.279 relatively speaking, and you know, thirty thirty one years. 293 00:16:13.120 --> 00:16:17.480 Anyway, Here here's an interesting data point over on X. 294 00:16:17.840 --> 00:16:20.120 His ears must have been burning our buddy the other 295 00:16:20.200 --> 00:16:24.759 south Salamarcagliano. He just replied to our live stream over 296 00:16:24.799 --> 00:16:29.000 on X and interest the data point said about the 297 00:16:29.080 --> 00:16:31.000 used ships, he said, we paid one hundred and ten 298 00:16:31.080 --> 00:16:33.240 million for the last ship when it was built a 299 00:16:33.279 --> 00:16:37.240 decade and a half ago. It was eighty million. Supply 300 00:16:37.279 --> 00:16:39.120 and demand. I guess where's the art of the deal 301 00:16:39.159 --> 00:16:42.399 when it comes to gain about price inflation hit used 302 00:16:42.399 --> 00:16:46.159 cars too, So that's true here, Sure Dodge panel van 303 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:48.639 is worth a lot more than you're paid for it. Probably, Well, 304 00:16:48.679 --> 00:16:50.440 if you take good care of a Dodge pedalvan, it 305 00:16:50.480 --> 00:16:51.600 becomes a classic. 306 00:16:51.679 --> 00:16:51.879 You know. 307 00:16:52.000 --> 00:16:55.759 Well, you know we've we need to build destroyers, we 308 00:16:55.799 --> 00:16:57.919 need to build frigates, we need to get this this 309 00:16:58.120 --> 00:17:01.639 stupid constellation class off the off, the off the mark. 310 00:17:01.720 --> 00:17:03.399 But you know, here's the other thing I was. I was, 311 00:17:04.519 --> 00:17:07.759 I have a new surface warfare hero Rear Admiral or 312 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:10.720 I can say that. I can't say that's very off, 313 00:17:11.319 --> 00:17:15.880 but h Rear Admirald William Daley, who is N ninety 314 00:17:15.920 --> 00:17:18.319 six in the op NFT staff. 315 00:17:18.960 --> 00:17:19.200 UH. 316 00:17:19.519 --> 00:17:22.720 He gave a speech to the Surface Navy Association, and man, 317 00:17:22.759 --> 00:17:25.519 it's a burst of of of common sense. It's just 318 00:17:25.720 --> 00:17:28.200 incredible what he was talking about, and he's talking about 319 00:17:28.279 --> 00:17:33.160 getting What he's talking about is getting these these unmanned 320 00:17:33.839 --> 00:17:38.680 UH surface vessels out as fast as we can and 321 00:17:38.680 --> 00:17:41.400 and load them up with with four whatever whatever you 322 00:17:41.440 --> 00:17:46.000 can put in four forty foot containers, which includes I 323 00:17:46.039 --> 00:17:48.519 think what is that called the I think they tested 324 00:17:48.559 --> 00:17:52.920 him on the one of the l L LCS is 325 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:57.160 the Mark seventy launcher forty foot container. You know, every 326 00:17:57.160 --> 00:18:00.680 one of those launchers has four uh missiles in it. 327 00:18:00.799 --> 00:18:03.680 So if you put four on a ship and they 328 00:18:03.680 --> 00:18:06.319 all have four, you just added sixteen missiles to your 329 00:18:06.359 --> 00:18:08.400 capacity when you go out to see with a with 330 00:18:08.480 --> 00:18:11.519 an unmanned ship. So that's I think that's a pretty 331 00:18:11.519 --> 00:18:15.759 significant thing. But what what Admiral Daily is saying. He 332 00:18:15.799 --> 00:18:19.319 says we need to stop going for the exquisite. Let 333 00:18:19.359 --> 00:18:21.559 me let me give you a quote. Instead of different 334 00:18:22.200 --> 00:18:25.519 large and medium designs, we need one craft that is affordable, 335 00:18:25.640 --> 00:18:28.599 non exquisite, can come off multiple production lines in an 336 00:18:28.599 --> 00:18:31.960 identical manner and go towards one of two payloads, either 337 00:18:31.960 --> 00:18:35.240 the envisioned magazine payload at the large us V or 338 00:18:35.279 --> 00:18:40.079 the envisioned I s R Medium USB payloads. We can 339 00:18:40.079 --> 00:18:44.519 build this craft in numbers at many shipyards. Designs already exist. 340 00:18:44.599 --> 00:18:47.720 We must not overspect this man. You could have knocked 341 00:18:47.720 --> 00:18:49.599 me over with a feather when I when I when 342 00:18:49.640 --> 00:18:52.759 I heard him say that, and it's it's uh, he's 343 00:18:52.759 --> 00:18:55.039 talking about the large USB And I think you've got 344 00:18:55.039 --> 00:18:58.119 a piece kind of on this about the DARPA. What 345 00:18:58.240 --> 00:19:00.640 is that thing called the us X one. 346 00:19:00.880 --> 00:19:02.079 Yea, yet the medium size. 347 00:19:02.119 --> 00:19:03.400 So you did it on your you did it on 348 00:19:03.440 --> 00:19:07.960 your substack and and you know that that isn't cool. 349 00:19:08.240 --> 00:19:10.400 But it's way too sophisticated for what we need. We 350 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:13.160 need hauls in the water that are carrying equipment that 351 00:19:13.200 --> 00:19:16.440 can do damage to other people. I think Admiral Daily's 352 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:18.319 right on with this, and he's gonna hope he keeps 353 00:19:18.319 --> 00:19:20.720 pushing this. He says, he'll keep pushing until somebody tells 354 00:19:20.799 --> 00:19:23.200 him to stop. But you know, let's let's let's suppose 355 00:19:23.240 --> 00:19:25.799 you put I mean and these are these are they're 356 00:19:25.839 --> 00:19:30.839 based on the mirror and the was the other two 357 00:19:31.000 --> 00:19:33.920 there were two offshore oil field the marri and Ranger 358 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:38.440 Ranger demonstration vessels. To suppose you buy and they don't 359 00:19:38.480 --> 00:19:41.279 cost much. I mean, you can buy a used US 360 00:19:41.519 --> 00:19:45.039 one of those used oil oil field boats for I 361 00:19:45.039 --> 00:19:46.759 don't know, a couple of million. 362 00:19:46.680 --> 00:19:48.039 Offshore supply vessels. 363 00:19:48.119 --> 00:19:49.799 Yeah, let's say they cost Yeah, let's say they cost 364 00:19:49.880 --> 00:19:52.200 six million dollars or ten million dollars a new If 365 00:19:52.200 --> 00:19:55.079 you bought forty of them, you know you're not you 366 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:58.039 haven't spent as much money as you would spend on 367 00:19:58.039 --> 00:20:01.359 one d d G, but you would you would then 368 00:20:01.440 --> 00:20:03.480 have forty times sixteen. 369 00:20:04.319 --> 00:20:04.559 Uh. 370 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:06.400 Of course you're not gonna use them all for missile 371 00:20:06.400 --> 00:20:09.680 gram Let's say you use you know, some number thirty 372 00:20:09.720 --> 00:20:12.319 of them for missile totage. Then you've added a whole 373 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:15.599 bunch of new missiles to your system without having to 374 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.319 expand your current ships, without having to wait for the 375 00:20:18.400 --> 00:20:21.640 for the Constellation class, without how to wait for new DDGs, 376 00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:24.519 without having to wait for some exquisit program that you'll 377 00:20:24.559 --> 00:20:27.920 never see, and and you don't risk any human lives 378 00:20:27.920 --> 00:20:30.440 in this. You know, these things whatever the whatever the 379 00:20:30.440 --> 00:20:33.319 complications are by how they're going to be run and 380 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:35.720 who runs these things and all that stuff, you could 381 00:20:35.759 --> 00:20:38.960 you could you can drive these things if you have to. 382 00:20:39.000 --> 00:20:40.559 You can tow them across the ocean where you can 383 00:20:40.839 --> 00:20:43.000 where you can put them to use, and then turn 384 00:20:43.039 --> 00:20:45.599 them loose with the you know, four for each destroyer, 385 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:48.759 give some to the AMFIB people to play with that 386 00:20:48.799 --> 00:20:52.119 they have. They have an offensive weapons system that can 387 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:54.720 do some damage. You know, I I envisioned you could 388 00:20:54.759 --> 00:20:56.160 put a lot of these things in the water and 389 00:20:56.160 --> 00:20:57.960 it would be a real nightmare for whoever's on the 390 00:20:57.960 --> 00:21:01.319 other side. So I am really with this program, and 391 00:21:01.359 --> 00:21:05.240 I'm really impressed with the with that Mark sevent well, 392 00:21:05.279 --> 00:21:09.160 the Mark seventy launcher too. That that's pretty neat. They've 393 00:21:09.160 --> 00:21:11.200 already tried it out on the lcs But you can 394 00:21:11.240 --> 00:21:13.880 also put these things on lcs is so they can 395 00:21:13.920 --> 00:21:14.720 become useful too. 396 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:15.119 Yeah. 397 00:21:15.200 --> 00:21:18.960 Yeah, and it's it's got used ashore see a lot 398 00:21:18.960 --> 00:21:21.759 of platforms, and I see your Daily. I'm gonna raise 399 00:21:21.799 --> 00:21:24.599 another Daily. I think you may have quoted part of this, 400 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:27.960 but it's it's funny. I'm not saying that he might 401 00:21:28.039 --> 00:21:31.680