During the Cold War, the Navy began the practice of building very complicated ships, which were expected to last a very long time. Because most of our wars have been on land, draining modernization and procurement funds, the Navy has pretty much had the appearance of extreme power but was often lacking the basic essentials to operate the fleet.
In February 2010, the Navy tasked retired three-star Admiral Phillip Balisle to assess surface force readiness. His report found that the Navy’s attempts to create efficiencies had instead harmed the fleet, resulting in cuts to staffing, training and maintenance.
The report warned that unless the Navy mended its ways, it would continue to see surface ships condemned in inspections and sail unready to fight. Our next Second Saturday (taking place on the third Saturday in July) will answer the question of the report’s lasting impression and relevancy today.
This event will feature U.S. Naval Institute CEO Vice Admiral Peter Daly, Vice Admiral Phil Balisle (former COMNAVSEA), and Rear Admiral Brad Hicks (former AEGIS Ballistic Missile Defense Program Director).
The event will occur LIVE on our YouTube page on the morning of 16 July 2022. You can preregister and submit questions using this Google Docs form.
If you can’t join us live, this program and previous ones will be available on our YouTube page.
