My ensign-mobile—i.e. the first car I owned upon commissioning—was nothing flashy. A small blue Ford SUV that I creatively nicknamed “Ole’ Blue,” I bought it because it was affordable, seemed like a reliable model, and had space to haul my meager possessions between duty stations. I never loved it like other ensigns sometimes love their cars, but it did the job: 170 thousand miles, four PCS drives across large swathes of the country, a string of TAD drives to Fallon, North Island, and El Centro; it eventually became a useful Dad-mobile for taking the kids to school, the dog to the vet, and jun ..read more

Memorial Day is more—far more—than a day for merchandise sales or the unofficial start of summer. It is a day we set aside to honor the brave men and women that have fallen in the performance of their military duties while serving in the U.S. armed forces. To be exact this nation has had a grand total of 1,354,664-plus recorded deaths in all of America’s conflicts ranging from the Revolutionary War to the global war on terrorism. To put this in perspective, each one of the 50 stars that adorns our flag represents the death of roughly 27,000 U.S soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Mar ..read more

Enhancing one’s leadership skills through personal and professional development is important to one’s Naval career, especially while advancing through the ranks. It is vital to understand leadership skills can be developed at any point in your career; but a sailor must be committed to growing beyond his or her primary job in the Navy. How we decide to grow can vary from person to person, but the most important part is committing to taking the first step. Many leaders, such as the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Admiral Mike Gilday, have emphasized on the important of reading books to extend on ..read more

The ocean is the greatest of all highways. It is much easier to move a ton of goods from Shanghai to Los Angeles than from Chicago to Los Angeles, in terms of energy expended (if not in terms of time spent). This reality is even more pronounced for massive items like air bases and missile fields. Yet, navies routinely move air bases in the form of carriers, and missile fields in the form of strategic submarines. This fact is the basis of a seapower outlook, yet it is often forgotten. Perhaps most importantly, there is a single world ocean. There are no natural boundaries between areas of the w ..read more

Please join us at 5pm EDT on 22 May 2022 for Midrats Episode 624: Larter, Returning … You Never Get the Sea out of Your Blood If you’ve missed having David Larter on the Navy beat, well you’re in for a treat. Though everyone’s favorite former OS2 is no longer a defense journalist, like most Sailors, he doesn’t leave his love of the sea or affection for his Navy behind. Returning to Midrats, but this time with a little California sunshine kissing his cheeks, David will be with us for the full hour and we will cover the board from Ukraine, fleet size, how we treat our Sailors, global food sec ..read more

I am a bipolar warrior and survivor, and an ardent mental health advocate who has written and spoken widely—sharing my story of service and success, crisis, recovery, and new life. I receive hundreds of emails and letters—mostly from parents and spouses, both civilian and military—in search of guidance and hope. What follows is a composite letter and response. Without any compromise of confidentiality, I share them to provide knowledge and hope. A Mom’s Letter Dear Major General Martin, Thank you for your dedication and public battle against bipolar disorder and mental illness. We found your t ..read more

Please join us at 5pm on 15 May 2022 for Midrats Episode 623: the USN’s Port Arthur Problem – with Matthew Hipple What do the numbers tell us about the USN’s expected fleet during the rest of what we call the Terrible 20s? We are going to spend an hour digging in to that with returning guest Matthew Hipple, active duty Surface Warfare Officer & former president of the Center for International Maritime Security. As a starting point for our conversation we will reference his May 9th article over at CIMSEC, “20 Years of Naval Trends Guarantee a FY23 Shipbuilding Plan Failure.” “The FY23 Sh ..read more

Complementing recent articles in the January and March 2022 Proceedings about the importance of battle damage repair in sustaining the Navy in future conflicts, the Naval Historical Foundation’s May Second Saturday Webinar will focus on this topic. The program will begin with renowned historian Dr. Craig Symonds telling the story of the USS Yorktown‘s (CV-5) remarkable turnaround at the Pearl Harbor Navy Shipyard following Coral Sea that enabled her to be at Midway! This will be followed by an expert panel including former PEO Ships Rear Admiral Bill Cobb and ..read more

Imagine a 22-year-old Black woman ascending the national stage and reciting her own poetry for the inauguration of a new president. Looking on is the newly elected vice president, the daughter of Black and Indian immigrants. If you identify with these events, it might not surprise you if your chief or department head is a woman or even a woman of color. I cannot say that this is the case for every recruit. Experience has taught me that it takes the average sailor about one to five years to assimilate to the culture of the Navy. There is an opportunity address this within the Navy’s diversity p ..read more

For the U.S. military to excel, it must reevaluate and restructure advancements and promotions within the current ranking system. The current structure is archaic and, like the times, must evolve and adapt to the present. The military preaches for equality and civil rights, but there is a clear inconsistency between the treatment of enlisted and officer personnel, despite rising education levels within the enlisted ranks. Officers with less experience also are given commands far earlier than enlisted personnel, despite years of practical leadership experience. To even this field, I recommend c ..read more