Peter1469
12-22-2015, 10:45 PM
Not well reported, and even less paid attention to, the SecDef sent an open memo to the SecNav which was essentially a hint that he needs to start floating his resume, or at that level you float a curriculum vitae instead). Basically SecDef is pissed that the Navy is sticking to its claim that numbers of ships is the key to its strategy, when the Administration has long told them to focus more on capability. In other words quality over quantity.
We had a long thread about this outside of the political context a while back.
RealClearDefense discusses the issue here (http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/12/21/did_carter_memo_hang_one_service_secretary_to_enco urage_the_others.html):
Some 260 years ago, the famous French philosopher and man of letters, Voltaire, delivered the following comment on the execution of British Admiral John Byng for failure to do his utmost in battle: “in this country (England), it is good, to kill an admiral from time to time, to encourage the others.” Recently, the Office of the Secretary of Defense released memorandum from Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus that, in the opinion of many observers, did the equivalent.
*****
Why this very public “hanging” of the Navy secretary? It may have been to encourage the other service secretaries as well as the leadership of the services to get with the program which is, to use current jargon, capability over capacity.
We had a long thread about this outside of the political context a while back.
RealClearDefense discusses the issue here (http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2015/12/21/did_carter_memo_hang_one_service_secretary_to_enco urage_the_others.html):
Some 260 years ago, the famous French philosopher and man of letters, Voltaire, delivered the following comment on the execution of British Admiral John Byng for failure to do his utmost in battle: “in this country (England), it is good, to kill an admiral from time to time, to encourage the others.” Recently, the Office of the Secretary of Defense released memorandum from Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter to the Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus that, in the opinion of many observers, did the equivalent.
*****
Why this very public “hanging” of the Navy secretary? It may have been to encourage the other service secretaries as well as the leadership of the services to get with the program which is, to use current jargon, capability over capacity.