Worked right well, as I recall. Kindler, gentler Navy. Wouldn’t want the media to get upset now…

A fun and somewhat interesting intellectual debate and the original post and subsequent comments seem to be mostly about promoting individual biases and agendas as well as showcasing the poster’s intellectual dilletanism. Fun stuff I’m sure, but in no way an accurate portrayal of the Admiral or the state of US Naval readiness.

Having been gone from the Navy since the mid 90′s I can’t accurately comment on the current state of readiness. Frankly, I doubt that anyone else posting here can accurately comment either. I can, however, comment on the capabilities of Vice Admiral John Bird.

I served and worked closely with him for several years. I found him to be perhaps the most versatile and STRATEGIC leaders I ever met. He was well read, open minded, but absolutely willing to decisively lead from the front.

Rest assured, John Bird gets what the military’s role is. It’s comforting to believe that the role of the military is just to fight wars, but the world is much more complex and US foreign policy requires a combination of a velvet glove and a strong fist applied appropriately. The US military has always been and continues to be an important tool for projecting power and influencing “political” outcomes and nothing in his quote leads me to believe that he doesn’t understand that.

Put simply, why fight a war if you can influence the outcome by your presence.