via Don! Thanks buddy!
One Admiral for every ship in Navy service. If cutbacks in ship numbers actually come true...or if ship building continues at its current slow pace, then you will have more Admirals in the US Navy then they have ships.
Note: The above info is from an August 10, 2010 Navy Times article. The problem continues.
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| Pic is another gift from Don, but an issue that we need to get around to. Notice how the architect of our victory in WW2 has a clean, dignified, neat uniform? Notice how the leader of our failed effort in Afghanistan is festooned like a cheap whore on Bourbon Street? The Marine Corps should lead the way on this effort. No more stacks of ribbons (especially to Officers that get them for serving in a billet and not getting in trouble...I mean REALLY!) just the three highest awards. I'm conflicted about jump wings and scuba bubbles but the JCS badge, foreign jump wings, drill instructor billet badges (I think that's what they call them) all need to go! All the services keep trying to duplicate the Marine Dress uniform but don't get to the basic underlying problem. They have too much shit on their stuff! |
At the close of World War II, the Navy had about 130 ships for every admiral in the flag ranks. Today, that ratio is closer to one ship for every admiral.Let that sink in.
One Admiral for every ship in Navy service. If cutbacks in ship numbers actually come true...or if ship building continues at its current slow pace, then you will have more Admirals in the US Navy then they have ships.
Note: The above info is from an August 10, 2010 Navy Times article. The problem continues.
Interesting that Ike is used an example of a purer military when I believe Ike is a good example of the problem with higher ranks that the US military has. We don't have leaders, we have executives. Why was Ike promoted and given the duties that he was? Not because of any expoits on the battlefield, but because he was an able administrator.
ReplyDeletedon't confuse military leadership with brawn. i'm a big proponent of the need for physical strength on the battlefield. however the planning and implementation of policy requires a bit more.
Deletei'd prefer a leader that had never set foot in the desert but has a clear understanding of the needs of his men AND the capability to organize it and develop it for future threats over the top tier guy that has 100 confirmed kills (5 by knife).
but perhaps more to the point. Ike warned us that what we have now would happen and that makes him not only an able leader but a spot on futurist.
the guy is smarter than most will give him credit for.
I'm not judging Ike's merits. I am well aware he was a great staff officer, the kind of general we needed to manage the war, along with Marshall back home.
DeleteMy point is, if we need those kinds of generals and admirals to manage our armed forces, we're going to have a bloated bureaucracy, whether we like it or not. We're not Finland, after all.
well maybe the USAF, US Army and US Navy need to have bloated Flag Ranks but the USMC has no excuse.
Deletei believe we have 80 some odd flag officers. THAT IS OBSCENE! want a comparison? we have one general for each of our Infantry Battalions. with almost enough to cover the Squadrons in the Wing!
that's alot of Generals. the push for joint forces only created more opportunities for people to pin on rank. thats it.
Correctimundo - joint duty opened the door and fools rushed in.
Delete10 U.S. Code § 526 - Authorized strength: general and flag officers on active duty
(a) Limitations.
Navy - 162 (25% of total)
Total all services - 652
That's not so bad, 162 admirals.
But:
(b) Limited Exclusion for Joint Duty Requirements.
The Secretary of Defense may designate up to 310 general officer and flag officer positions that are joint duty assignments
25% of 310 = 77 (assuming proportional representation)
162 + 77 = 239
Wow, 239, that's lot of admirals for 283 ships.
Now, going to the current list of admirals, they are listed alphabetically with links to their biographies. I counted the list, so you don't have to, as no total is given.
(Trivia-- There are no admiral names starting with I, O, U, X or Z. The letter M has the most admirals by far, with 43.)
Now the kicker:
There are 320 admirals' names on the list.
http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/bio_list.asp
So 320 admirals is 158 or 97% (almost double) over the legal limitation (w/o the joint waiver). That's well over one admiral per ship. Double wow.
And let's not forget that these admirals and all flags require fancy homes and offices and all sorts of nonproductive attendants: aides, boat tenders, shoe/brass-shiners, butlers, secretaries etc etc.
Deletenews report:
The military will pay $160,000 a year to house Marine Gen. John F. Kelly, head of U.S. Southern Command, in Casa Sur on a swanky street in Coral Gables, Fla. The home is undergoing a $402,000 renovation. (David Cloud, Los Angeles Times / July 18, 2013)
The Army guidance for official photos is "wear what is on your Officer Record Brief (ORB)" and "make sure you Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) has all the justification documents for what is on your ORB. Makes for some interesting photos. I'm of the mindset that if it is a "ribbon" and not a "medal" it should be the first to go if the chest cheese starts to look crowded.
ReplyDeleteAlso, the Green "Class A" uniform has been retired, and end of authorized wear date 4th quarter 2014. Unfortunately the "Army Service Uniform (ASU)" often makes Soldiers look like a policeman....
that is a shame. all the green class A needed was a Sam Browne belt and it would have been spot on. and maybe a change to the blousing of jump boots in the trousers...never did get that...but otherwise it was ok.
DeleteStarting to give the North Koreans a run for their medal money. http://www.rcmpveteransvancouver.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/4-29-2013-8-06-14-PM.jpg
ReplyDeletelol we should totally start putting ribbons on our pants! That's some funny shit.
DeleteI'm totally with you Sol. The sad part is I always felt like the British uniforms were on the obscene side with their giant medals and ropes big enough to tie down a boat. This guy, though, makes Prince Charles look like he hasn't done shit.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.insitelawmagazine.com/images/charles16jun12
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0jgZKV4N_A
ReplyDeleteIts 5 years old so its a bit dated but well worth a watch