Everyone seems to be doing an "end of the year roundup" and Navy Matters is no exception. Here's his list of the good and bad from the past year. A tidbit...
Right and Wrong – Hornet. The decision to abandon specialized aircraft in favor of a generic, combination strike fighter, and a short-legged one at that, marked the beginning of the decline of the air wings and the decline of carrier striking power. On the plus side, the Navy seems to be pursuing a program of evolutionary improvement to the Hornet that looks better and better when compared to the F-35.Read the whole thing here.
There are many other decisions that could be added to this list but this a fair collection of major decisions. The obvious conclusion is that Navy leadership has, generally, been pretty consistent in making poor decisions. Even some of the good decisions are bordering on becoming poor ones, such as allowing the submarine force numbers to decline to far.
The Navy needs to engage in some serious soul searching, recognize its institutional shortcomings, and learn the lessons that its decision making history offers.
