It is official: we are the North Korean Boy Scouts

I am seriously trying to find something positive or programmatically interesting to post on - well, one is on the way - but the FOD around the deck this week is off the hook.

Judging from my email, most of you think so as well

We've hit on this subject before, and it is time again - it is getting worse. We give out WAY too many ribbons, medals, and "warfare" pins - and have diluted those that we have. From "good bowel movement NAMs" to "Bronze Stars for all my friends (combat V not included)" to the "haven't deployed EVER but am at 1.5 rows ... it is just pathetic.

It is patronizing to the individual, it hides true accomplishment, and to the outside world - we start to look buffoonish. Not everyone deserves a trophy, and "you pick your rate - you pick your fate."

Just look at Rear Admiral Woodward, RN right prior to taking his Task Force to retake The Falklands Islands. Who is the real professional warrior - the Brit with one ribbon, or the North Korean gangsters?

This is seriously becoming self parody. A lot of people thought this was from The Onion or Duffleblog, just not funny enough.

This is just pathetic to the extreme.

The Pentagon is creating a new high-level military medal that will recognize drone pilots and, in a controversial twist, giving it added clout by placing it above some traditional combat valor medals in the military’s “order of precedence.” The Distinguished Warfare Medal will be awarded to pilots of unmanned aircraft, offensive cyber war experts or others who are directly involved in combat operations but who are not physically in theater and facing the physical risks that warfare historically entails.

What insecure little man-child came up with this idea, and why did no one up the chain stop it?

It is nothing more by an award created by insecure people, approve for insecure people, to be issues to insecure people. Sorry .... but we have awards that exist that will fit the bill fine for doing what you are doing in your chair - no need to clutter things up.

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Caption Contest!!!

State of the Union Speech: Substance & Style

There really isn’t much I want to say about last night’s State of the Union speech. Almost all of it was a rewind of previous ones, and the rest was a parade of spin and props.  I would like to say something about style, staff work and stage management though.

Senior leaders in the military, civilian world, or government cannot think that they can coast by on the substance of their argument, the validity of their data, or how well their argument “reads.” This has been a well known fact that broke above the ambient noise following the Kennedy-Nixon debate in 1960, the fact this still needs to be discussed is just silly.

Be as impressed or unimpressed with the substance or politics of President Obama’s SOTU, but the style, presentation, staff work, and stage craft was, as it almost always with him, top-shelf.  Yes, I didn’t care much for the beta-male pastel ties he, the VP, and the Speaker were wearing – simply not what a pinnacle power’s leaders wear – but that is just me. Everything else; varsity football – even if Biden’s vanity was showing with the glasses routine; that's just 'ole Joe.


Sigh … and then we come to the B-team. I’m sorry, but the Republicans need to up their game so much it is pathetic.

Everyone here knows I was a supporter of Senator Rubio (R-FL) since before he even declared against Crist for the FL Rep. primary challenge. He’s no political novice for goodness sake; he was speaker of the FL house in his 30s for goodness sake. I’ve taken the kids to see him speak in person in front of a small audience … etc … but for the love of Pete – who on his Staff was with him last night?

The staging was horrible. Well before the start, someone knew he needed a drink. Rubio has been speaking in public enough, that the dry-mouth rookie mistake should never have happened.  Heck, I am a dimple on a gnat’s a55, but have been doing public speaking for a long time – water is always in the top-3 before going live. When I was on senior leadership personal staff and organized engagements; water came right after microphone. 

Rubio’s substance was strong, but no one will remember it because of JV stagecraft and weak Staff support. Yes, I know, Rubio should have taken care of his mouth himself … but he was following the President of the US – a bit distracted; that is why great people have great staff support.

Now on to Senator Rand Paul (R-KY). I wasn’t a big fan of his father, but I kind of like Paul the Younger. I don’t know if you caught it, but I did. Someone allowed the pre-broadcast live feed out on the internet – as a result I had a chance to watch Paul the Younger fuss with his hair, tighten his tie, and just minutes before starting – having to direct who was going to give him the 5-4-3-2-1 countdown, where they were going to do it, and how they were going to do it … along with other details.  Details THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN TAKEN CARE OF BY THE STAFF. Paul’s substance was OK – but who picked his wardrobe? Good googly moogly man; get someone on your staff with some fashion sense and desire to have you look like you can stand up to the most powerful person on the planet. Visuals matter.  Oh, and I am not even going to talk about the hair.

Seriously Republicans – you are going to counter the might and message of the Executive Branch of the United States of America with one of the best politicians (don’t laugh, he got re-elected when almost no one else could/should have) we have seen since Nixon – you are going to counter with that kind of weak-cheese stagecraft and staff support?

In a fashion, both Rubio and Paul had very good substance – but no one is going to hear it when they are watching the clown care, dancing bear, and dogs licking themselves in the background.

For goodness sakes – someone get both of them a quality body-man. Heck, I know of dozens of solid USN Flag LTs who would never let a 1-star make those kind of mistakes speaking to a VFW post in Itchybottom Hollow, West Virginia, much less Senators trying to box with the CINC.

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UPDATE: As I would expect, Rubio is taking care of it with style.

Sequestration, Resignation, & Budgetary Grabassery.

Last week over at USNIBlog, a few JOs put out a post that, in summary, call for;

... leadership must accept the full burden of their command.

Resignation is the only option for strategic-level leadership that truly disagrees with sequestration; the time has come for a new Revolt of the Admirals.

I respect and empathize with their frustration. Their hearts and minds are in the right place, but I think they are about 1/4 out of phase.

1. Sequestration is nothing more than politics. Two of the very big Titans of our system of government, the Legislative and the Executive Branches, are at loggerheads of their own creation - part of that messy part of a representative republic in action. This is political, and any act related to it will be taken by one side or the other as political unless it is clearly seen as a natural 2nd or 3rd order effect of the political friction. The military, in uniform in their official capacity, should avoid at all possible costs being involved in politics. There is being "in DC" and being "of DC." Yes, yes, yes ... I know the reality is different and very messy - but we go there at our own peril. Those who play in that game need to understand the downside both personally and professionally - as well as morally. Be careful what you ask for in politics - and don't bluff if you can't cover the call; odds are you will be called. I am the first one to snort at professional politicians, but I know better than to try to play their game. Even those I have the most contempt for, I would never go at them in a frontal assault, nor would I step out in a "come at me bro" stance. Do that and you and the service you are part of will lose.

2. Is there at time to resign? Sure, that is when you are given an order that is illegal or in good conscience cannot carry out. What is going on right now is about as far as "they" could and should go; "Oh, I can't do that ... sorry." That is fine. Resigning because the Executive and Legislative Branches are at loggerheads? That isn't a bug in our system, that is a feature. Our system was designed like that. I can no more recommend someone resign over the budgetary grabassery, than I can recommend someone resign over excessive freedom of the press.

As for the leadership issue writ large, while there are some exceptional 3 & 4-stars out there - you've heard my point before about the need to start over. The BURKE option; where in 1955 he was selected over 99 officers senior to him - every four and three star officer in the Navy and a number of senior two star officers - to relieve Admiral Robert Carney as the Chief of Naval Operations. We need the right civilians to reach down to the 1-2 star ranks and bypass those with the taint of the lost decade that has put us where we are. That ain't happening for the next four years, so embrace the suck folks. Do the best for your Sailors and your Commands and let time, luck and yes, politics take care of the rest.

What happens when CPA's take over

This is a complete and total abomination! An outrage! Sacrilege!

As The Bard would say; you should be women and yet your beards forbid me to interpret that you are so. Methinks thou art a general offence, and every man should beat thee. I think thou wast created for men to breathe themselves upon you. Thou art a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, three-suited, hundred-pound, filthy worsted-stocking knave; a lily-liver'd, action-taking, whoreson, glass-gazing, superserviceable, finical rogue; one-trunk-inheriting slave; one that wouldst be a bawd in way. I'll beat thee, but I should infect my hands. Away, you cut-purse rascal! you filthy bung, away! By this wine, I'll thrust my knife in your mouldy chaps, an you play the saucy cuttle with me. Away, you bottle-ale rascal! you basket-hilt stale juggler, you! Thou art a boil, a plague sore, an embossed carbuncle in my corrupted blood.

The distillery behind Maker’s Mark bourbon is reducing the amount of alcohol to meet a rise in global demand, company officials said today.

Maker’s Mark is distilled to 45 percent alcohol by volume — or 90 proof — and, after the change, would go down to about 42 percent ABV or 84 proof.

“Lately we’ve been hearing from many of you that you’ve been having difficulty finding Maker’s Mark in your local stores,” Maker’s Mark executives Rob Samuels and Bill Samuels Jr. wrote in a joint email to clients.

“Fact is, demand for our bourbon is exceeding our ability to make it, which means we’re running very low on supply.”

The bourbon brand — which famously used the slogan “It tastes expensive... and is” in the ‘60s and ‘70s — looked at “all possible solutions” and “worked carefully” to reduce the alcohol by volume of the beverage by 3 percent.

And this is just as true in this case; I must tell you friendly in your ear, sell when you can, you are not for all markets.

Well, this I do know. Such vile activity will never take place at the Official Distillery of CDR Salamander; Catoctin Creek. Move your strong drink dollars there.

Command and the Spanish Navy

The other week, I asked friend-of-the-blog Commander Luis Nardiz, Spanish Navy, Commanding Officer of the SPS VICTORIA (F-82) how he, a Harrier pilot of all things, came to be the CO of a Frigate. Interesting ... and something to chew on. Here is his response;

For a pilot, commanding a ship is not that uncommon. But commanding an escort is not usual. As a matter of fact, I'm the first Harrier pilot to command a frigate. In the Armada, we do not have SWOs as such. Obviously we do have "surface officers", meaning that they dedicate most of their time as LT on board escorts (most of them are TAOs).

For a pilot to command an escort when CDR, you need to comply with the standard reqs for any officer (most important thing having commanded a ship as LTCDR) and having served as XO on a two years tour on a frigate (this one not a requirement for "surface officers") I know it my sound odd for the USN, but that's the way it works around Old Spain. And I think we pilots can provide to the escort command a different insight that is beneficial to our navy.

There is a lot of win to consider there.

Along with underway uniforms - there is a lot the USN can learn from its smaller, more nimble friends out there. I've always liked how the British Royal Navy worked their officer career paths as well. To do anything like this would require a root-n-branch restructuring; but doesn't mean we shouldn't ponder some.

Step one, of course ... could we please have more LT and LCDR commands?

Air Diplomacy, Air-Sea Battle, and the Next; on Midrats

As we shift from ground combat in Asia and reset to a more natural position of a naval and aerospace power, are we thinking correctly on how to best leverage our resources and strengths?

How should we be using sea power and air power to create the right effects during peace, yet be poised to have the best utility at war?

Are there concepts, habits, and systems that have had their time and should be moved aside for newer tools and ideas?

Today, Sunday 10 FEB from 5-6pm EST, our guest for the full hour will be Dr. Adam Lowther, Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest in Washington, DC.

He is the author of numerous books and articles on national security topics and previously served in the US Navy.

Join us live if you can, but if you miss the show you can always listen to the archive at blogtalkradio - the best way to get the show and download the archive to your audio player is to get a free account and subscribe to the podcast on iTunes.

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