The Insults and Inefficiencies of Low Expectations

Last week I had another dead end "conversation" with someone about the complete joke of having a sub-100 Sailor ship commanded by a CDR. Of course, I'm talking about the Little Crappy Ship (BTW, never forget that description was coined here over a decade ago, H/T Byron and/or Sid).

I know the one mission LCS is best for is increasing the pool of post-CDR Command SWO for the CAPT board, yea team, but if we want excellence at sea for our DDG, CG, etc - then at every opportunity we need to give leaders a chance for LT and LCDR command - the Millington Diktat be d@mned.

Over the years we have turned civilian or decommissioned many former LT and LCDR commands. We still have a precious few.

The worst argument for LCS being CDR command is that it is such an important ship that it must have CDR commanding them; hogwash. 10-years after commissioning hull-1, and it is still only PMC in ASUW. Even if all the modules were working, it is still clearly a LCDR command. But, I hear people say, LCDR don't have the experience! They don't have the judgment! They don't have ... a CAPT board coming up!

Hogwash.

A LCDR is a man or woman well in to their 30s. If we have had someone in our leadership pipeline over a dozen years and they are not ready to lead a LCS, then we have lost the bubble. The problems is not the LCDR cadre, the problem is us.

This generation is no better or worse than those who came before. Today, on the anniversary of 617 Squadron's finest hour, let's put out just one datapoint. The "it was wartime" excuse does not hold water - so don't even try that in comments.

A new squadron was formed at Scampton on 21st March 1943, initially known as “X” Squadron and latterly as 617 Squadron, and the 24 year old Wing Commander Guy Gibson was personally selected to lead it by none other than Air Chief Marshal Sir Arthur “Bomber” Harris, the Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command. Gibson had flown 71 bomber sorties and an entire tour of 99 sorties on night fighters and was already the holder of four gallantry awards - the Distinguished Service Order and bar and the Distinguished Flying Cross and bar.

24. And we continue to find reasons to treat officers in the 30s as if they are a 16yr boy asking to borrow the keys to the Mercedes. 

Our DDG are really CLGs and in the BMD role have the lives of millions of civilians in their hands. Is that really a ship you want almost everyone to have their first command on? Really?

Do you think a former LCS CO can compete for major command at sea with someone who was a DDG CO? Is that even fair? Head to head with all things being equal, I know at best one is a 75 and one is a 100.  Next. Should they? 

The arguments are legion and really get you nowhere, but as with many things in the LCS program that are akimbo, they need to be pointed out every now and then if for no reason than to help with your humble blogg'r's blood pressure.

If you are a 617 Squadron fan, I did a FbF on one of the crewmembers last year here.