The US Navy’s Three Great Intellectual Challenges

Intellect —-> agree 100% as to the need for and challenges.

And couple that with the common sense street smarts à la Lt. Holden.

Well...I'm going to voice a "contrarian" view on this one.

To begin, the article (though nicely written) doesn't actually say much beyond the obvious. Clearly, we are living in changing times, and warfare is evolving more rapidly than we can easily keep pace with using obsolete models of manning, training, and material. You could just as easily say the Navy faced these same issues in 1860, 1914, 1940, 1990, and 2000. Our fleet has seen the 'Age of Sail' give way to steam and dreadnoughts, the rise of air power, the emergence of littoral warfare and a reliance on Special Operations...and will ultimately have to adapt to cyber threats and other "unknowns". At the end of the day, whether it's a cannon...or a computer, a weapon requires a human being to be operated effectively, efficiently, and ethically.

Here's what I think Ma Navy needs to focus on: First, solve the "identity crisis". Yes, the Army and Marine Corps fight ground wars, and of late...that's where the "action" has been. That doesn't mean that on any given Sunday, our enemies cannot target our forward deployed task forces, fleet elements in reserve, or other strategic assets. Sailors are warfighters, but we fight a different kind of war. Second, stop eating our own young. At the end of the day, who really gives a hot, sugar-coated d@#n what society "feels"? They elect the national leadership, the national leadership sets policy, policy is enacted by people trained at great expense to do a specific job. Some mistakes are salvageable...some are not. Third, focus on what's important...I mean REALLY important. Whether or not a first tour DIVO "pins" in 24 months is probably less important than not earning that "pin" until they can do the job efficiently-it's certainly more important than ensuring the size of each battalion at USNA stays the same size as it has been since the 1990s. Perhaps it's more important to allow an E-6 to cross rate into something that will benefit the Navy, than gutting our force to make way for "fresh blood". Maybe it's better to maintain and modify what we have...than sink billions into new "future" initiatives that may or may not address current challenges.

In short...to meet long-range needs, we need to have a long-range plan. Perhaps more than any other service, the Navy is infamous for "knee-jerk" reactions. Yes, we need "thinking" Sailors...but we also need SAILORS; we need Swabs and Airdales. We need grizzled old Boatswain's Mates, and Snipes. We need SEALs and River Rats. So long as we have them, and we pull into ports around the world, we'll have liberty incidents, bad decisions, and human wreckage. We're supposed to have leadership to decide which of the above can be corrected or remediated...and what needs to be proverbially "thrown over the side". That, and being consummate professionals, should be our primary focus...not just "balancing the books". Just because something looks good on paper, or in a recruiting video...doesn't mean it will get the job done.