SECNAV's is all in on politics & Berger won the war in the smoke filled room...

 via USNI News

Since my confirmation as the 78th Secretary of the Navy, I have characterized the most pressing challenges facing the Department of the Navy as the “Four Cs”: China, Culture, Climate Change, and COVID. The People’s Republic of China represents the pacing challenge against which we must plan our warfighting strategies and investments. Cultural challenges that we must tackle include confronting sexual assault and harassment, promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion, preventing suicide, and demanding integrity and accountability across our naval leadership.

Climate change poses a rapidly intensifying spectrum of risks to our operating environment, our allies and partners, and our planet. And COVID has posed an unprecedented test of the resilience of our people, their families, and our health system. We must tackle these Four Cs with a sustained sense of urgency and a strong bias for action.

Here 

I have absolutely no problem in his goals.

I do have a problem with the items chosen to be part of his planning guidance for the Dept Of The Navy.

If the DON is not focused so savagely on the threat that is China then we won't succeed.

Think about it.

Do you think our adversaries (with the stance that's been taken I believe we can remove the fig leaf of calling them competitors) give a flying fuck about climate change, covid (consider their society I'm sure culture isn't spiking any needles there)?

They're not.

Additionally with regard to culture all it takes is to enforce the rules that have been in place since the 60's.  If they simply enforce rules that already exist then the problem is solved...don't need to reinvent the wheel.

Covid?  I don't see how any military can solve that.  Provide assistance to local govts if they're overwhelmed?  Yeah.  But at the end of the day we're left to dealing with Nerds in white coats that will feel a sudden rush of power when people actually listen to them instead of ignoring them outright.

Climate change?  Again I don't know what the military is supposed to do.  Probably allocate its civilian vehicle fleet to be electric but I believe that will be a bigger headache than its worth soon enough.  Outside of throwing precious dollars at an unimportant (because its not modernizing, sustaining the force) then this one is outside the realm too.

Outside of Mattis (who I was not a fan of) then I thought the folks that held the chair during the Trump administration were all light weights.

This smacks of a political statement.

The generals are back in charge at the Pentagon.

It's kinda our fault too.  I remember people saying "listen to the generals".  Too bad.  I've always said the best people for general were in the ranks of the Colonels that were never selected.

I fear this SECNAV isn't serious...and I did hear good things about the dude.  We better hope Berger knows what the fuck he's talking about (Force Design 2030) cause the Marine Corps has just taken control of the Dept Of The Navy.

That crusty, sneaky old bastard.  He did a peaceful coup of the DON...I was so busy barking at the moon that I didn't realize the full ramifications of FD2030!  Its even more intense than that. Under Berger the USMC is basically leading the effort to defeat the Chinese ... the Navy is all in on it, the USAF is all in on it and the Army is pushing hard to make sure they have a seat at the table of Berger's grand strategy. Hate to admit but Berger worked his plan to perfection.  If he's right then he will go down in history as the modern day Lieutenant Colonel Earl Hancock "Pete" Ellis.