Just curious – is the C/MH-53 line still open? If not, could it be reconstituted? Could the C/M-47 be navalized?

Well spoken, Leesea. Aviation is not the answer to the massive transport problem we face. And Ken, it is sluggish, no matter what we may want to think. The recognition-of-problem on the part of the Navy was slow, and the response was certainly bureaucracy-bound. Those on the scene are working as hard as the systems that manage them will allow, and bless them all for their efforts.

BBC America is reporting tonight that there are almost no patients on BATAAN, and the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday that VINSON’s hospital was not handling shoreside casualties, despite the chief medical officer’s statement that he had a plan to handle up to one thousand casualties.

Good on MARAD and Navy for activating the ex-Hawaiian ferry. A good, fast, stable link to GTMO can be run. When COMFORT arrives, more superb care will be available. But it’s been a week now, folks, and many, many have died that frankly did not need to.

As far as tonnage transfer…JLOTS is great, as are the alternatives discussed here; any combination will serve in the long run. But in the time elapsed to date, a standard tug and deck barge could have easily made the transit from any Florida port. Any Ro-Ro with a couple of forklifts on board could discharge to the barge, and a simple Pettibone-type mobile crane on the barge could lift pallets to the dock remnants.

Creativity, not bureaucracy, in the face of adversity.

Solomon – I am missing what your problem is here.

Did we not get not get there as quickly as we could? Would the USNS Comfort have arrived faster if the USCG Cutter Forward has not gone? If you look at the whole force we intend to deploy, would it have been better if we had held up the forward line so every one got there at the same time.

Sure it would have been great if there was some pixie dust we could have sprinkled over some of the slower moving elements. But how does lauding those who reached Haiti first impact the “lessons learned”?

I don’t even get your beef – but you asked where the “cheerleaders” are…..here I am baby! Our military *did* a good job. They are *doing* a good job. They will continue *to do* a good job.

Perhaps I am not as well versed in military terminology. But I didn’t think “lessons learned” was only for failure. I thought they went with pretty much every operation. No one has ever conducted an operation that couldn’t be improved.

Did we get to every patient? No. Did our presence, to whatever degree, on whatever day ease the suffering there – YOU BET!

Jim, two points to make: First, disaster aid and recovery is a sub-set of the skils a military possesses. Second, the Navy has been hard hit economically. I see work every day getting defered because the funding is not in place. You would be amazed at how many times we’ve used a two part epoxy to seal holes in FUEL TANKS. Yeah, Super-Duper Glue. And you want to Navy to ALSO be prepared to handle disaster relief? I personally think the Navy did a hell of a job reacting the way they did.

Consider this little nugget: All the days at sea, all the fuel spent, all the wear and tear on the ships, helo’s, aircraft, equipment ashore like trucks and bulldozers aren’t going to get a special funding.