Le Carte es Merde

So, there I was....* Retired from the Air Force almost 10 years, working in a school district now providing IT support after teaching a bit.  Owned and profitably sold two wine related retail businesses which introduced me to some fine friends, two of whom own one of the finest wineries in Texas.  In fact their 2006 Syrah was rated as one of 12 Excellent wines in the United States. We enjoy wine, so having friends in the industry has its perks.

A few years ago, we decided to vacation together.  For various reasons, November has worked for our busy schedules.  Their harvest is over and the hectic activities in the crush have slowed down.  School has started and we've gone through a couple of grading cycles so except for the occasional paper jam, most of the teacher technological panic attacks have slowed way down. So, November it is.

Destination--France.  Unlike Sarge, I've never been assigned to Europe and but thanks to a few TDYs, have been able to visit a bit.  Enough to want to go back. Paris, the City of Lights will be our base camp with day trips to various areas of interest around the country.

Vacation has arrived and we have arrived at CDG, transitioned to the train, then to the subway and have arrived at our hotel near the Ecole Militaire.  Check in was mercifully quick and we head to the elevator to go to our rooms.  The elevator was quaint.  You had a choice.  Either you, or your bags, could use the elevator, not both.  I go up.  Mrs. Juvat loads bags from below, then joins me.  "You Americans! This is not a bug, but a feature!"

Knowing that jet lag is minimized by staying awake until bed time in the new time zone, we go walking about.  

Given that this was the view from our hotel room, we decide on where we are going.

We spend the next couple of days exploring Paris with all the usual suspects.

We see some pretty ladies.

Go to Church.

Drink some wine.

For some reason, this resonates with my twisted sense of humor.

Spend a lot of time consulting maps.

Even ask for directions.  This fellow was helpful.

We did not get lost. I've never been "lost", that position where you don't know where you are, nor how to get where your going, or even how to figure out where you are.  Nope never!

A low level fly by of a ROKAF runway was simply a matter of practicing airfield attack tactics.  Their calls on Guard questioning my identity simply confirm the effectiveness of my tactics.

Gratuitous Airplane Shot
Source RCGroups.com

I digress.  We have successfully navigated in a very large city.  It is time to expand our horizons.  We decide to visit Reims.  As I said earlier, having wine makers as friends has it's perks.  We are going to get a private tour of Veuve Clicqout

Not usually a fan of Champagne, but this was excellent.

I wonder if they'd miss just one.

Successfully returned to our hotel, we plan the next day trip,  I'd always heard about the beaches in France, so we decide to visit one.

This beach is named for a town in Nebraska. Big Red One visited here. Quite a few decided to stay.

Returned from that trip, sobered, but emboldened of our navigational abilities, we decide we want to sample wine from the Loire Valley. We take a train to the town of Tours because that's what we want to do.( I know, "try the veal, I'll be here all week.")

Rent a car and drive to Chinon,  a French Castle astride the Vienne River near Anjou.

With drawbridges on either end, the castle has instant moat protection from an attack.  It was interesting, the gardens are beautiful, but it's time to find wine!  The castle gift shop has a map purporting to have all the local wineries on it.  I purchase it and we hop in the car and are off. The ladies are in the back seat and as good back seaters they have assumed the navigational responsibilities.  We get back on the road and they tell me to start looking for a major highway which we will cross.  We find it and do.  A defined starting point.  They tell me to drive for about 10km when we will come to a village.  We do.  "Take a right, 10 km to next village".  "Take a left".  "We should be coming into village named  xxx".  I can't find anything that says what village we're in at all.  Continue on in this manner for a while and finally come into a village on a river.  It's about lunch time, and we spy an Auberge.

We decide we'll stop and get lunch and ask directions while we're there.

We walk in the front door and are greeted, in French, by the Maitre D', the waiter, the proprietor, cook and busboy.

He speaks no English.  There are several, male patrons in the Auberge, one of whom comes up to us and says "I speak English!". Great,  I ask him if the restaurant is open and could we get lunch.  He says "I speak English! Your wife is sexy!"  Well, I think so, but....Those phrases seems to be his version of my fluency in 22 languages (the ability to order a beer and find a restroom, neither of which I particularly need at this time).

I pantomime an eating gesture and the Maitre D', the waiter, the proprietor, cook and busboy takes us to a table.  A couple of minutes later, he brings out a terrine of something and cuts off a slice, placing it on my plate.  Points at it and pantomimes eating.  Now, I've eaten balut and lived to tell about it, I'm not intimidated.  I cut a piece of what is probably the innards of some long dead animal and commence to chow down.  The bar erupts in cheers and clapping.  Having passed whatever test was presented to us, we are now old friends,  Wine is poured, food is served and lunch goes on for quite a while.  At some time, I approach my new friend, (the all in one Maitre D'...) with my map and explain our situation.  With the wine consumed at lunch, my friend's English and my French are improving rapidly, or maybe it was the pointing at the map and scrunching my shoulders while lifting my hands.  In any case, We've communicated and he starts unfolding the map from where I had opened it to our supposed location. And unfolds, and unfolds, and unfolds.  Evidently, we are about 30 miles from where we thought we were.

I point to where we think we are, and he shakes his head and points at the location on the map.  I look at him quizzically and he responds "Le Carte es Merde!" (Google translate does a reasonable job on the statement.) 

I point to one of the bottles of wine we'd consumed and then pointed at the map with my patented "Where the hell are we?" gesture, and he points out where the winery is and the route necessary to arrive there.  We pay our bill, thank him profusely and get back in the car. Crank it up and promptly turn the wrong way.

I don't get very far when I realize my error and turn around.  Drive past the Auberge and the clientele is outside, bent over in laughter!

My friend the English speaker on the right

We manage to find the winery and taste some very fine Vouvray.

I am certain that should we find our way back to that Auberge, they will still be talking about the Americans that came to visit.

*As Buck was wont to say, "Everybody knows this Juvat, get on with it!" Therefore, I will.

Shortest Day

Stonehenge winter solstice 2012
Photograph by Mike Peel CC

Today is the Winter Solstice, the first day of winter. The day with the smallest amount of daylight and the longest period of darkness. Of course, that's just for us here in the Northern Hemisphere. If you're reading this south of the Equator, your winter solstice is six months from now, in June.

Oddly enough, I never really thought of that. I mean I've known since I was a wee lad that when it is winter in North America, it's summer in South America. But I never really knew that the solstices were reversed. I suppose that if I had thought about it, I would have figured it out. So thanks to Wikipedia, now I know.

Now I'm sure that my Celtic (pronounced "kell-tick", not "sell-tick", thank you very much, one is a culture, t'other is a basketball team, though without Rondo, I don't much care...) ancestors would have made a much bigger deal over this, being pagans and all. It wasn't until the Church (very cleverly) associated the birth of Our Savior with the winter solstice that we received our modern Christmas traditions.

That latter bit is something one of my colleagues at work has found endlessly fascinating over the past two weeks. He's an engineer, they don't get out much and don't really have the benefit of a classical education. But that's a post for another time. Something that spent most of last night rolling around in my head. Really.

I mean you would not believe the stuff that goes on inside my head.

Last night I dreamed of three absolutely brilliant posts to entertain you all with. Unfortunately, when I woke up, I had forgotten one, another made absolutely no sense whatsoever and the third involves being an "engineer." (That last bit is in quotes for a reason, which may or may not become clear later on this week. When I flesh that third "dream post" out.)

Now where was I?

Ah, the solstice. I'm not really sure what weird rituals my ancestors engaged in around the winter solstice. I'm sure it involved oak trees, chanting, bonfires and Druids. Makes me glad I live in modern times.

Though having a bonfire, quaffing a flagon (or three) of some strong beverage and howling at the moon is somewhat appealing, it is bloody cold outside at this time of year. (Now I'm not saying that I did any of that dancing around a bonfire, quaffing and howling as a youth, well, actually yes, I am saying exactly that. Seems I went through a bit of a Viking period in my youth. While we didn't go raiding villages or anything, we were known to gather deep in the woods, build bonfires and drink rather copious quantities of mead. If the moon was out, we'd howl at it. Otherwise we mostly listened to Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and other bands of that ilk. Good times... Hhmm, bit of a digression there, neh?)

So it's the winter solstice, the days will start getting longer now until June. When we get to do the whole summer solstice thing up here in the Northern Hemisphere and those folks south of the equator do the winter thing, which we do today.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

New Topic, NOT a Digression...

For those of you not paying attention, Buck has joined the Pantheon at the top of the blog. Something I had planned to do but which shipmate Glenn rather prodded me into doing sooner. Rather than later.

Now Buck has always been featured on the starboard rail as my 先生 (sensei) or teacher (more along the lines of a mentor). I thought about using that picture.

Then I went searching his blog for a picture of Buck in uniform. Nothing was, I felt, suitable. Buck was different. While he was a retired Master Sergeant, he was also more of a free spirit than I. (In his retirement photo, he desperately needs a haircut! But that's just me. I was always jealous of Buck's full head of hair. Those who go bald... Well, I'll leave it at that.)

Anyhoo.

The photo that Buck's oldest sons (SN1 and SN2) posted on the Last Call post seemed to show Buck's personality very well. So I "borrowed" a piece of that photo for the Pantheon.

Buck has "gone west." I picture him with a mo'sickle between his legs, a fat cigar in his mouth and a devilish grin on his face. He'll never be "gone."

He's out there, roaring down some mountain road, looking for adventure and thinking of how he will tell us that story.

My God, but I miss him.

Now I have to go check and make sure my grammar and spelling are good and that all the damn commas and periods are where they're supposed to be. Just because Buck isn't with us, doesn't mean I can start slacking off now does it?

It's always sumthin'.

A Candle

Hubble Photo in the Public Domain

I have lost my beloved friend and mentor Buck Pennington.

He of the proper grammar and always knowing where the comma is supposed to go.

Buck never let me rest with the idea of what I had written, he was always on me to correct something. As he would often put it, "...ever the pedant..."

I cannot begin to tell you just how much I am going to miss that.

Buck followed my blog from day one, here's the first of his many comments:

Lex was my blog-father. I first contacted him back in 2004 simply to express my thanks thanks for what he was doing with his blog. One thing led to another and I started EIP in 2005 with his encouragement. The man was more than a blogger, more than a Nasal Radiator, he was bigger than life in more ways than one. We do miss him.

Which is a roundabout way of sayin' "Welcome to the club," Sarge. Keep on keepin' on!

Buck too, was larger than life.

If you have the inclination, head on over to his place, pay your respects and, if you have the time, read some of his other posts. It's well worth the trip and the effort.

Buck was fond of the phrase, "the Deity at hand," as a Buddhist he probably believed the following:

One fundamental belief of Buddhism is often referred to as reincarnation -- the concept that people are reborn after dying. In fact, most individuals go through many cycles of birth, living, death and rebirth. A practicing Buddhist differentiates between the concepts of rebirth and reincarnation. In reincarnation, the individual may recur repeatedly. In rebirth, a person does not necessarily return to Earth as the same entity ever again. He compares it to a leaf growing on a tree. When the withering leaf falls off, a new leaf will eventually replace it. It is similar to the old leaf, but it is not identical to the original leaf.

After many such cycles, if a person releases their attachment to desire and the self, they can attain Nirvana. This is a state of liberation and freedom from suffering. (S)

As a Christian, my beliefs differ somewhat. But having lived in many places and known many people different from me, I can only say with certainty that we cannot begin to understand our Universe and all that occurs therein. As The Bard said,

There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,

Than are dreamt of in your philosophy.

All I know for certain at this time, is that I have lost a dear friend and brother-in-arms. While I mourn his loss and my heart goes out to his family, I celebrate his life and I thank my God that I knew such a man.

I like to think that Buck has attained Nirvana, what we Christians call Heaven. I cannot believe for one instant that a man such as Buck would be turned away. He brought joy and wisdom to many.

To quote the Buddha,

Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, 

and the life of the candle will not be shortened. 

Happiness never decreases by being shared.

Buck was a candle.

Vaya con Dios, mi amigo!

We shall meet again, in the hereafter.

Tell Lex we say hi.

I love you Buck. I miss you.

Scenes of The Nativity

Nativity Scene - Christkindl market Chicago
by Túrelio CC

Every year around this time there always seems to be some controversy over displays commemorating the birth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This sort of thing was almost unheard of when I was a kid. Now it happens every year. That sickens me.

There are also public menorah displays to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah, there are some who protest that as well. Again, that sickens me.

Most of those protests are by atheists. Those who do not believe in a higher power. Those who have rejected God. I pity them.

Often these protesters cite "the separation of church and state in the Constitution." Sorry ee-jits, here's what the Constitution has to say about religion:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. First Amendment to the Constitution

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States. Article VI of the Constitution

These are the only references to religion that I can find in the Constitution. There is no constitutionally mandated "separation of church and state" and it seems to me that the intent of the Founders was to tell future governments to back off when it comes to religion. A government order to remove a Nativity scene from any property, public or private, is a direct violation of the Constitution. (Don't bother to mention the Supreme Court in the comments in this regard. Those political appointees lost my respect and any credibility they may have had, long ago. Go look up Dred Scott.)

Then there is the Declaration of Independence...

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. 

...

We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

So to me, it's pretty clear that this country was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. By men (and yes, women) who firmly believed in God. While we're at it, let's throw some numbers out there.

Wikipedia

Source: ARDA

Seems that the majority of Americans believe in God. Yes, there seems to be a disturbing upward trend in the number of unbelievers but still, most of us believe in a Supreme Being. 

Far too often I think we let the extremists in this country drive the agenda. Now I'm not one to shove my religion down anyone's throat, it is, after all, a free country. If you don't want to worship, you don't have to. But I fail to see how a display representing the birth of the Messiah or a menorah celebrating the Festival of Lights impinges on anyone's so-called "rights."

Now if it's a huge display with lots of bright lights and booming music, yeah I can see how that might annoy the neighbors. But most of these displays are not like that at all. So how are they bothering anyone but the most extreme fanatics who have some sort of political ax to grind?

Drive on, don't look, get over yourself.

I have no quarrel with those who don't believe, I have pity for them, but I'm not going to try and make them believe what I believe. I expect that they should return the favor.

At Christmas and Hanukkah, let us have our displays and pretty lights.

Oh, one last thing, it's "Merry Christmas" and "Happy Hanukkah," it's not happy holidays. Though they are holidays and we do like to be happy at this time of year, stuff your political correctness. If you're offended, too bad, sucks to be you, etc., etc.

Hands off my Christmas traditions and hands off the Hanukkah traditions of my Jewish friends. Most of us love this stuff and this time of year. Those who don't, be patient, you'll have all of Eternity to celebrate being separated from the Light.

And that's...

Dorfkrippe Baumkirchen
by Haneburger GFDL

That Last Friday

It's that last Friday before Christmas.

A day I start looking forward to around September.

A day I start to count down to sometime in November.

It's the last day I have to work before the holidays.

My company shuts down between Christmas and New Year's. We skip five regular holidays in order to do that. (So they say. I know of companies who take all of the Federal holidays off and shut down at Christmas. Obviously these are not companies in retail. If they shut down at Christmas, it's permanent. Know what I mean?)

So when some folks are having a three day weekend, I'm driving to work on a Monday wondering where all the traffic is. Until someone at work mentions that their spouse is off that day because it's a holiday.

No big deal, I like having an entire week off at Christmas. In fact, I have learned to save a few vacation days each year so that I can have TWO weeks off at Christmas. (Greedy, neh?)

But the last couple of weeks leading up to that last Friday before Christmas can really drag. I don't sleep well, trying to get last minute bits of work done, listening to The Missus Herself stress about holiday shopping and all that tends to really wear my aging self out.

I start to feel like an old diesel submarine that's been depth charged and submerged too long. The batteries are running low, dangerously low. I need to get to the surface and run the diesels to recharge those batteries. But I have to wait a bit longer. Just a bit...

USS Porpoise (SS-172), 20 July 1944
Public Domain

But it's that last Friday.

According to the chronometer, it's just past sunset. Sonar indicates that the screw noises of that tin can that just worked us over are fading. The crew is stirring.

"Prepare to surface!"

It's that last Friday before Christmas.

For two weeks I'm foot loose and fancy free.

No work to do.

No need to get up early.

Sigh...

Finally!

War may be politics by other means, but so is military acquisition.

When I left active duty, I accepted a civilian job working in the Navy's Mine Warfare (MIW) field.  No, not a minefield, but close.  This is very different from my previous career in Naval Aviation, but not too different considering a couple of non-flying jobs I had.  During my “Joint” tour, which has nothing to do with California's favorite recreational herb, I served as an Exercise Planner and the Readiness Officer for US Central Command in Tampa Florida.  A joint job is at a Combatant Command where all four services are represented.  Maybe 5- I think we had a Coastie or two running around. 

As the Readiness Officer, I coordinated with all the Task Force and Functional Component Commanders under CENTCOM to put together a bi-annual report to the Joint Staff, which was many pages of me complaining about all our shortfalls.  Each deficiency then listed what “stuff” we needed to improve those capability gaps.  This was in the mid-2000s, and we were just starting to realize how difficult it was to simultaneously fight an insurgent force and nation-build at the same time, so that report was long.  We pretty-much got everything we asked for back then- Counter IED equipment and jammers?  Check.  Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) for ISR?  “But you’ve got every Global Hawk and Predator we own.”  “Ok, then we need more- everything you have is still not enough.” An Admiral who I came across later in my career was familiar with my reports and told me that within the Pentagon, they thought that CENTCOM was like a fat crying baby in the corner, everybody feeds it, but it still cries and so it keeps getting fed more and more.

During the next tour, after deploying on the USS PELELIU (LHA-5), I ran an annual conference to develop a “Top-10” list of stuff the Amphib Navy needed to support Naval Aviation. 

Three Minesweepers underway.  Must be an old picture.

My current work is similar- I keep track of the problems faced by our legacy MIW force and work to bring about the next generation of systems to improve our MCM capability, advocating for another list of "stuff."  By “Legacy” force, I’m talking about the AVENGER-Class Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Ships, and MH-53E Sea Dragon Helicopters.  These ships and aircraft are aging and oft-broken.  Heck, they aren’t aging, they’re already OLD, and by old, I’m talking like 210 in dog-years.  30 years is the average lifespan of a Navy ship, but that’s the average for an average ship- Cruisers (CGs), Destroyers (DDGs), and Frigates (FFGs).  That doesn’t include our Aircraft Carriers of course, which are built and maintained to last into their 50’s, but I digress.  The MCM ships and MH-53s are far from “average” because the level of support they receive doesn’t make it a level playing field.  Average would mean something that the Navy cared about, like a front-line ship or aircraft.  Our MCM "stuff" came out in the 80’s to early 90’s and has never gotten the care and feeding it deserves, so the ships and aircraft look very tired and worn out.  The oldest of the ships, which have already been decommissioned, were about 30 years old, but looked far worse.  If you want to keep something nice, you have to take care of it.

We're spending a lot of money to maintain these boats, but they still look a bit strung out, and rehab can only do so much.  Think of a 30 year old Buick - any chance of it still running if you didn’t maintain it well when it was younger?  And good luck finding parts for it.  All those shipyards are long gone by the way. It's the same for our helicopters.  They were taken care of a bit better than the ships, but the mishap rate has been less than good over the past few years.

MH-53E Sea Dragon conducting magnetic sweep with the Mk-105 sled.

MIW is just one of those warfare areas that big Navy doesn't really pay attention to.  It’s a matter of priorities, with Air Warfare, Surface and Anti-Submarine Warfare always being at the top of that list, and maybe rightly so.  Is MIW next in line? Well, yes, after Ballistic Missile Defense, Special Operations, EOD, Cyber-Warfare, and publicly reporting the latest CO firing.  The Navy has always found it easy to defer and delay maintenance to ships that don't have CV, SS, DDG or CG in their designation, and hardly any of those letters are in MCM.  The fact that there were only 14 of the ships, and 30 of the helos makes MIW even more of a bastard stepchild.  MIW is just one of those warfare areas that you don’t need, or at least you don't think you need, until you really need it.  So it’s been easy to underfund, especially with all these expensive wars going on. I could get all snarky here and complain about CVNs, CGs, and DDGs asking those crews when was the last time they actually did any real Anti-Air or Anti-Surface Warfare, but I’d be digressing.  MIW might not be a cool, sexy mission area like the others, but if one insurgent terrorist fisherman drops a cheap drifting mine in the gulf, just watch what happens to the price of oil.  And I was so enjoying gas under $3 a gallon.

So when the old stuff is gone, we’ll have a cool new sexy Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) with a bunch of critters doing MCM.  The ship isn’t going into the minefield, but some unmanned systems will.  The ship has had its fair share of problems throughout its development, with both mechanical issues and some horrible press.  The LCS has also had more than its fair share of political opponents.  Nevermind that it was a political decision to build two different LCS classes, keeping two shipyards fully employed, but that was a different politician.

I know some of the bad press is deserved- we buy a brand new ship that was very late to the showroom, way over-priced, and it breaks down minutes after we drive it off the lot- that's not good. But many of our weapon systems have had problems during development and tended to be a wee bit more expensive than the lying liars in the defense industry told us they would be.  One of these, which also helped accelerate the S-3B Viking Sundown, was the Super Hornet, which had a serious wing-stall problem until the wing pylon stations were redesigned.  Remember the MV-22 Osprey? That one killed a bunch of good Marines before we got the bugs worked out of that program.  Now, both aircraft are vital to the Navy-Marine Corps team and are doing a great job.

As will this one if it gets the chance:

It really deserves to.  The LCS is a great concept- build a ship from an existing commercial design (the trimaran LCS-2) that can have its mission packages swapped out depending on what we need it to do.  And if technology advances, we don't need to send the ship into drydock, or take it off the schedule for an extended yard period in order to upgrade the systems- just swap out the boxes. Sure, it's expensive, but that price would have come down (it already was) as we committed to more ships and stabilized the design.  It was supposed to be a much cheaper ship though, until the Defense Industrial Complex and the Navy's Acquisition Process got a hold of it. And it's not like other systems haven't had massive cost over-runs.  Anybody ever hear of the F-35 and CVN-78?

But the voices of all the detractors rose to a cacophony, and enough of them found the ears of Secretary of Defense Hagel.  Because of all the bad press, and stronger political voices than the ones that chose to buy the LCS, SECDEF decided earlier this year to hold the planned number of ships to 32 (from the original 52) as we evaluate the design.

“I am concerned that the Navy is relying too heavily on the LCS to achieve its long-term goals for ship numbers. Therefore, no new contract negotiations beyond 32 ships will go forward...”
Hagel has instead directed the Navy to, “submit alternative proposals to procure a capable and lethal small surface combatant, consistent with the capabilities of a frigate.”
The Navy is to consider options that would include, “a completely new design, existing ship designs and a modified LCS. These proposals are due to me later this year in time to inform next year’s budget submission.”

Then on Dec 10th, Secretary Hagel made these remarks updating DoD's plan for the LCS.  I'll summarize the one page memo:  "We're done with it."

I approve your plan to procure a small surface combatant (SSC) based on an upgraded Flight 0+ LCS, and direct the following actions to be taken:

• Develop an Acquisition Strategy to support design and procurement of new SSCs no later than Fiscal Year 2019 (FY 19), and sooner if possible. Provide this Acquisition Strategy to the USD(AT&L) for review and approval no later than May 1, 2015.

Holy Fast Frigates Batman!  We're going to supposedly design and build a new ship in 5 years?  So instead of a light and fast modular ship, we're going to start buying Frigates again, and quickly!  I tend to be a bit cynical, and expect that a bigger, heavier, more traditional ship will make somebody a ton of money, and that probably won't be the Australian company that is building the LCS-2 Independence Class.

If any procurement program in recent history offers any sort of indication as to whether that is possible, please let me know and I'll stop this blog post right now...

Anyone?  Nah, I didn't think so.

Captain John Paul Jones

Hagel must have read the quote by CAPT John Paul Jones-

"I wish to have no connection with any Ship that does not sail fast for I intend to go in harm's way."

One of the complaints of the mainly aluminum LCS (2), is that it supposedly can't survive in combat. Although it can definitely get there quickly.  MCM is mainly conducted in or close to enemy waters, but we rarely, if ever, operate in contested waters.  And what the hell do people think our 30 year old minesweepers are made of?  Steel?  Nope, guess again.  Good old homegrown American timber; typically oak, Douglas-fir, or Nootka Cypress - coated in glass-reinforced plastic.  Not exactly bulletproof.  And did I mention that the LCS doesn't even go into the minefield!?

Navy leadership has accepted his decision almost without argument.  I would rather they adhere to the quote by CAPT James Lawrence:

"Don't give up the ship!"

The Void

A star forming region in the Large Magellanic Cloud, perhaps the closest Galaxy to Earth's Milky Way.
NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team, Public Domain

As you can see, there is a lot going on in that photo. Magnificent isn't it?

The wonders of Creation laid out for us to see.

Unfortunately, the Tiny Cranial Cloud (the post forming region in my brain) is devoid of any activity this AM.

Believe me, I thought long and hard (well, okay, long) about what to write about last night and went to bed with nada, bupkis, rien.
Yup, Nothing. A big, fat zero.

It's as if a great void has formed between my ears and all rational thought has collapsed to a singularity. A very dense singularity.

Who knows, maybe something will spring forth later today. Until then, read those folks over along the starboard rail (the sidebar for you non-nautical types).

Continued prayers for my blog-buddy, mentor and fellow Air Force Master Sergeant Buck, the Exile in Portales. He's in the hospital and it's not good.

Keep him in mind, stop by his place and leave a note. His sons are with him and will let us know as things happen. Prayers for them too. Buck raised a couple of good lads there.

Sarge, out.