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2004-09-07 Home Front: Tech

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Posted by Steve 2004-09-07 10:36:07 AM|| || Front Page|| [11139 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Ummmmm.... better yet... keep the crew strength at 100 percent or better and keep the carriers at sea 35 percent of the time like God intended. I know these guys are experts... but this sounds Soviet.

Posted by Shipman 2004-09-07 11:12:52 AM|| 2004-09-07 11:12:52 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Shipman, don't know your background, but I see a huge hole in this--if crews have to be maintained at near 100%, then where's the advantage to the sailor who used to have to deploy, deploy, deploy? Now he just sits, sits, sits, can't go to schools, they would take away from readiness. Not to mention the unmentionable--is there enough gear, parts, and weapons to fully load up all those boats at once? There were reasons for that old cycle, and I can't see how the bean counters will get in line behind this one.

Posted by longtime lurker 2004-09-07 2:14:23 PM|| 2004-09-07 2:14:23 PM|| Front Page Top

#3 I have often wondered why the US Navy in particular,and the other services as well,don't strike a deal w/State Univ.&Colleges and make it possib for the young men and women to get at least their first year of college credits while serving their first enlistment.Esp.if credits are transferable to any State College/Univ. that accepts Federal funding.How hard would it be for Navy to find some Professors(even retired and/or disillusioned w/campus politics)willing to teach eager,disciplined young men and women,who would also be willing to go to sea for a couple of months(surely a Carrier could spare a few berths for Englis/Lit/Math/Social Science teachers)?

Posted by Stephen 2004-09-07 3:14:12 PM|| 2004-09-07 3:14:12 PM|| Front Page Top

#4 I think they're referring to equipment/procedures/methods training. For instance, mechanics getting refresher courses, officers updating management techniques, etc..

Posted by Ptah 2004-09-07 3:22:47 PM|| [http://www.crusaderwarcollege.org] 2004-09-07 3:22:47 PM|| Front Page Top

#5 Stephen, the Navy has such a program as well as all the services:
The Navy College Program for Afloat College Education (NCPACE) is a part of the Navy College Program. Both academic skills and college (undergraduate and graduate) courses are available through NCPACE. NCPACE college courses are provided by regionally accredited colleges and universities. NCPACE gives Sailors the opportunity to experience challenging education while on sea duty assignments preparing them for personal and professional growth. The Navy has contracted with Central Texas College (CTC) of Killeen, TX, to administer NCPACE. Through CTC, colleges and universities around the country offer courses in a variety of delivery methods.
Courses are taught via technology and by traditional classroom instruction. All undergraduate courses are from institutions with Servicemembers Opportunity College - Navy (SOCNAV) affiliation insuring Sailors the opportunity to transfer credits and complete degrees.

Posted by Steve 2004-09-07 4:01:55 PM|| 2004-09-07 4:01:55 PM|| Front Page Top

#6 LL, you're right, about the manning thing. I just don't like ships staying in port getting ready to get started to get ready to surge. That's ass backward thinking. You can learn lots at sea.

Posted by Shipman 2004-09-07 5:56:16 PM|| 2004-09-07 5:56:16 PM|| Front Page Top

#7 I'm ignorant of military affairs but it seems to me that with the new approach, the ships sit in port so the bad guys know where they are (and possibly where to get at them ala Cole) as opposed to being at sea where the general location may be known but not necessarily the exact location.

Posted by Anonymous6352 2004-09-07 6:52:16 PM|| 2004-09-07 6:52:16 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 6352, the difference would be that the carriers would be in their home port. The USS Cole went in to Aden in Yemen when they should have refuelled underway, Djibouti or in another secure location. Bad things happen when stupidity rules the day.

As for deployment versus being in homeport, I don't think the plan is to keep the carriers tied to the pier. The underway time would probably be nearly the same but the carriers would be just off the coast. Flight status can't be maintained while tied to the pier.

Posted by Super Hose 2004-09-07 10:55:15 PM|| 2004-09-07 10:55:15 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Sailors belong in ships and ships belong at sea. The only way to be good at operations is to operate. Personnel turnover requires constant retraining. There is no simulator that can inculcate the teamwork required to be proficient at fighting a ship. You also do not know what problems lurk on a ship until all systems run at sea. You don't know how a crew is going perform under the grinding stress and pace of ops until you grind on them. A well rested crew is probably a dangerous crew beleive it or not. It is fine to be able to surge your forces, but their is no teacher like experience. Get 'em out to sea 'til the sailors grow gills and big blue balls. Then turn 'em loose on some exotic port of call. Too bad Mecca is not directly on the coast.

Posted by Zpaz 2004-09-07 10:57:34 PM|| 2004-09-07 10:57:34 PM|| Front Page Top

#10 I think something is wrong here in the way the article is written. Everything I read before hand on the surge practice was to have ships at sea MORE often than in port.

Posted by Valentine 2004-09-07 11:42:01 PM|| 2004-09-07 11:42:01 PM|| Front Page Top

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