Thursday, December 06, 2012

Time Magazine Goes Salamander

As many of you in the front porch have sent me this week, Time Magazine has a Salamanderesque three-part series on the challenges we have in the Navy.

It really does cover the issues we have been discussing over the years here.  Nice work by Winslow Wheeler; Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 (even though not one link to 'ole Sal and the front porch).

Read them all, but here are some of the meaty bits. 

Does he get everything right? No, but he gets a solid B. That is something for me, as you know I am not a fan of the Center for Defense Information (my argument with them goes back to the Cold War) - now it seems a subsidiary of POGO. The only thing that tempers my suspucion is that he has published a book at USNIPress, Wastrels of Defense: How Congress Sabotages U.S. Security It is hard for a critic to make a living (goodness know I'm lucky this is just a hobby), so I'll cut him some slack for where he gets his paycheck.

 In any event, front porch regulars, check for recording devices under their rocking chairs please.
Recent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office shows that the prospects for the Navy’s growing in the future are quite dim. CBO estimates that to implement the Navy’s current 30-year shipbuilding plan (to increase the fleet from 284 to the projected 310 to 316 warships) will require average annual spending of $22 billion, not the $17 billion the Navy estimates. However, even the Navy’s unrealistically-low projection is well above the $11 billion for shipbuilding in the Navy’s 2013 budget, or the $12 billion it plans to seek, on average, for the next five years.

It is completely unrealistic to anticipate even the Navy’s low-ball future spending levels: No one is anticipating the kind of Pentagon spending increases these higher shipbuilding figures will require, and for naval shipbuilding even to retain its current level of spending, let alone increase, will require it to “eat” spending elsewhere in the Navy’s budget, or in one of the other military services’ budgets.

threats from these missiles, sea mines and diesel-electric submarines have all been real and existing for decades. They have also been without an effective response from the Navy, which seems more interested in high-profile, high-cost, show-the-flag forces that are best usable against enemies like Afghanistan, Libya, and Iraq – nations that have little, if any, weapons to use against us.

Our contemporary wars have amounted to little more than “clubbing baby seals” at sea. We have been lucky in the past, and escaped with only a few ship casualties.

Can we expect our luck to continue? ... Worse appears to be the case for the Littoral Combat Ship. It clearly offers diminished capability compared to some other navies’ frigates, corvettes and even fast-attack boats, and it may be a step backward from the U.S. Navy’s own FFG-7 frigates.

Multiple news articles present a depressing picture of what the LCS is, and is not. The Pentagon’s own director of operational test and evaluation repeatedly termed the LCS and its systems “deficient” in his most recent assessment. He added: “LCS is not expected to be survivable in a hostile combat environment.”

25 comments:

Stephen Fleming said...

Great content, but eyestraining! Have you tried reading this blog on an iPhone? If you don't have one handy, check out this screenshot:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/q0ejj6rvpeg9c04/Photo%20Dec%2006%2C%206%2042%2024%20AM.png

I love monospace, but if you add 'Monaco' in front if 'Courier' in your CSS stack, it'll make things much more legible for iDevice readers...

FormerFC said...

Winslow Wheeler... Bleh. I didn't bother going any further after seeing he was the author.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on radio drew brees. Regards

my web site spiele spielen kostenlos

Anonymous said...

7 WCLH ( Foгmat: College Rаԁiο
Wilkeѕ University's radio station plays mostly alternative rock, but Mondays have seemingly always been "Metal Mondays. Also, by having a radio internship in your resume, there is a better chance for you to become a DJ when you apply for a job in any radio station in the nation. Proffering multifarious benefits to the advertisers, it is a quintessential resort for companies big or small.

Review my web blog; internet radio

Anonymous said...

But the the main thing is a lot of your personal data is out there whether it's health information, bank card details or even as the Albuquerque mishap shows courtroom files. If you look around your community, our country, and the world, there is little evidence of loving actions. Official Picture of President Reagan by the Executive Office of the Presidency used under Public Domain. So, in conclusion, removing the headphones from your MP3 player is not bad, provided you don't yank too hard on the cord.
In doing so, it becomes the only potential choice for best gaming PC under 500
bucks in the desktop category. "What have you Googled lately. This was the time when broadband internet was still in its infancy and uploading the revised pages could be nothing short of tedious with a slow phone line connectivity. Most visitors on a trip to Munnar invariably end up at the Tata Tea Museum and gain some delightful insights into the process of tea making. Do you want a top notch gaming PC that can play all the latest games at max or near max settings. I died numerous times because of the stupid reload system.

Here is my webpage Ongoing

Anonymous said...

I realize that there is not a ton of variety in this
list, since Rogue and i - Net - Hack are essentially the same and Sorcerer #1 and #2
are more overtly the same. Real game, real people, real
thrill and of course real money; is all about online
gaming, the perfect place to fulfill your desire to be a multi
millionaire. In fact an ideal online casino will
make the entire gaming experience a pleasurable
and a real experience to the gamer.

My web blog: spiele spielen

Anonymous said...

If there is a change in the search engine algorithms, it is also up to
the service provider to keep a watch on such activities.
If the executives promise high traffic then understand you are
talking with a non-SEO person. This is what professionals do.
Naturally, they will flock to your competitor who does.
A dedicated SEO expert will devote all the attention and
effort in enhancing the visibility of your website or business
in the online world. The algorithms are not known publicly,
but one thing is certain, is the search engine websites that the information is relevant to the
purpose of the preferred site. Social networking Optimization Websites which include Facebook and
You - Tube could be the latest examples of how "personal"
websites can be appropriated for business. Content writing for websites is not
as simple as typing out a predetermined amount of words, if you wish people to view the content.

Google bowling messes up the external ranking used by Google and penalizes
a sites ranking compared it the competitors.
Also make sure that the articles are of high quality as it is the key to
get better rankings on search engines and more
profits. So, most move slowly when deciding on who becomes the company's SEO. If your website deals with certain products or services, then conduct a proper research on these and then form your SEO content. Let us assume that at this point you have 6 keywords. It's
more control than you get In many backlinks and every element of these controls allow you to link a
bit more than he would be out of control. Once you find the right and
affordable SEO Company, it is essential to talk about your business objectives, target customers and
future goals with the professionals to help them develop their strategies accordingly.
Here are some examples of things that were once good moves that can now get you into trouble.
Law firms face various challenges and have issues in remaining at the top in the
market. You will not even get to a 1 or 2 until Google has fully crawled your website or blog enough to give it a
ranking. The internet has become an integral part of our lives that
according to the latest statistics, almost 1 billion Americans access the internet.
============ More at: Comment "Smartly" & Increase Page Views:
Writing Essentials 8.

Here is my web-site click the following internet page

Anonymous said...

Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my apple ipad and tested to see if it can survive a 25 foot drop, just so she can be
a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has
83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!



Here is my page; youtube downloader online

Anonymous said...

Have you ever thought about adding a little bit more than just your articles?
I mean, what you say is valuable and everything.
However just imagine if you added some great photos or
video clips to give your posts more, "pop"! Your content is excellent
but with pics and videos, this website could definitely be one of the greatest in its niche.

Very good blog!

Also visit my weblog :: gratis spiele

Anonymous said...

Tag Cloud. ''. The race is becoming even more challenging with the passing of each
day. The main aim of SEO is to get search engines positioning a certain website well in
results for specific keywords. NOW, I don't mean you should just put keyword spam in your footer. If the conversion is higher with a certain keyword or a particular set of keywords, then the SEO vendor can focus on the same keyword to get it ranked high in all the search engines. The tips are as follows:-. Lastly, make sure that you have a reliable work-at-home office. It focuses on networking and impeccable website maintenance. Numerous SEO services over competitive price for outsourcing your site online, but, would it be best to hire the locals if the nature of your business limits to your local as well. organic search, frequency of blog posts, frequency of on-page optimization, the relative importance of links, the use of social media, the best way to measure results, etc. ), watching movie trailers or other people's funny animal
videos. Effective SEO techniques for Bloggers aren't any different. Here you will need an SEO agency such as Webfirm to try and run damage limitation. These professionals follow ethical SEO strategy and effectively implement it that finally increases your website visibility. SEO companies may only offer this type of service. The World Wide Web is an incredible source of customers and potential revenue for all types of businesses and companies in all niches. A person can find all sorts of products available at various prices on the internet. The content must complement the theme of the website design. Yahoo style guide.

Review my webpage :: click the next page

Anonymous said...

Wonԁerful blog! I found it while ѕeaгchіng on Yаhoo News.
Do you have any suggestiοns оn hοw to
get listed in Yahoo Νewѕ? I've been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it

my blog post ... Techno Musik

Anonymous said...

- Portion with certain human being variety numerator and denominator, involving 0 and a single (e.

The popularity of online multiplayer seems to have overshadowed the
experience of playing with someone who is sitting next to
you. Otherwise, choose the NES emulator you think will work
best for you and your system.

my blog; gratis spielen

Anonymous said...

Tomb Raider, Mega Moolah, Mermaid's Millions, and Blackjack are some of the new Android game apps that have been released from Microgaming's partner, Spin 3.

WIFI:Als Verbindungsmoglichkeiten ins Internet
stehen Ihnen WIFI wireless lan zu Verfugung.
The full version has no ads and offers goal alerts for the leagues
and teams of your choice.

Have a look at my web page :: kostenlos spielen ohne anmeldung

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply wish to give a huge thumbs up for the
good information you might have here on this post.
I shall be coming back to your weblog for more soon.


Feel free to visit my homepage SEM

Anonymous said...

Hey! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the good information you’ve gotten here on this
post. I shall be coming back to your weblog for more soon.


Have a look at my site ... seo

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just would like to give an enormous thumbs up for the
nice information you have here on this post. I shall be coming again to
your blog for extra soon.

my web site ... seoul subway timetables

Anonymous said...

Whats up! I simply wish to give a huge thumbs up for the nice
information you will have right here on this post. I will probably be
coming again to your blog for extra soon.

My blog post we got married seohyun ep 6 vietsub

Anonymous said...

Good day! I simply would like to give an enormous thumbs
up for the nice data you might have here on this post. I will
probably be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.


my web blog how to melt semisweet chocolate chips

Anonymous said...

Hello! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the nice
data you have right here on this post. I might be coming again to your blog for more soon.



Here is my blog :: semaphore manager settings

Anonymous said...

Hi there! I simply would like to give an enormous thumbs
up for the nice info you have got right here on this post.
I will be coming again to your weblog for extra soon.


Look at my blog queen seon deok episode 36 summary

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I simply want to give an enormous thumbs up for the great information you’ve got right here on this post.
I can be coming again to your weblog for more soon.


Also visit my blog post: semiotics in film music

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I just wish to give a huge thumbs up for the great information you could have here on this post.
I might be coming back to your weblog for more soon.

Also visit my blog post ... semak saman pdrm online semak saman trafik online

Anonymous said...

In addition, The Muscle Maximizer comes with a complete 9 week workout program
for you to follow so you now have everything you need to get started right
away and achieve the level of fitness you''.
These days there are virtually 1000's of guys and females who are seeking to create muscle mass and strip off body body fat in purchase to transform the way their bodies'
glimpse and really feel. No make a difference what
sort of fat coaching regimen you.

my website - Somanabolic Muscle Maximizer Review

Anonymous said...

Howdy! I just wish to give an enormous thumbs up for the nice data
you might have right here on this post. I might be coming back to
your blog for extra soon.

My site :: semi games for kids free online

Anonymous said...

Good day! I just want to give an enormous thumbs up for the
nice data you’ve got right here on this post. I might be coming back to your weblog for more soon.



Here is my weblog: seo in guk mp3 shake it up