USNS Cody

USNS Cody (T-EPF-14), Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport, was christened on 25 February 2023 by ship’s sponsor Averil D. Spencer, launched at Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama on 20 March 2023, and its delivery was accepted by the U.S. Navy on 11 January 2024. These are a fine balance of weight (hence the aluminum construction) and speed capability. It’s a transport, not an amphibious assault ship. It is being mothballed.

My friend PTS weighted in:

“There are multiple problems with the EPF and they were over hyped and vastly underdelivered. As mentioned, they are fragile with their aluminum hulls as demonstrated of the coast of Yemen. They are un-armed and should have least been equipped with CIWS or SEARAM but the aluminum hull could not support their weight. The flight deck could not support CH53, CH46 or V22 ops so pretty much a non-starter. The flow path of heavier cargo from the flight deck down to the vehicle deck was also not really good either. Now lets talk the berthing… they should have modified the internals tremendously, but they left it pretty much with no cabins, no storage and airline seating. Want to put a company of Marines and their AAV or other vehicles… well they are left sleeping in the airline seating area and will not enough food to toliets to support them for more than a few days without turning the vehicle deck over to containerized storage. A huge issue is the speed and the ships ride. With low sea states you could get 35 kts… but anything higher the speed dropped quickly till you would do better traveling in an old WW2 LST (at 12kts) to move from Okinawa to South Korea. Buddies of mine who did that trip would have been combat ineffective after their slow trip across that distance due to the poor sea keeping abilities in Blue Waters. Finally, they never were able to get it capable of doing a drop of AAV straight into the water and recover them. The real limitations are vast.”

The former HSV-2 Swift, laid up at Ampelakia, Salamina, Greece. In July 2015, the ship was leased by the UAE National Marine Dredging Company & was used to carry aid through Bab Al Mandab strait. On 1 Oct 2016, the ship was attacked and damaged off the coast of Yemen by Houthis.

2016. The Houthis have gotten even

She didn’t fare well (photo from 2021):

The same Austal USA that just sent some grifters packing after bilking taxpayers:

“The SEC alleges that, from at least January 2013 through July 2016, Austal USA’s former president, Craig D. Perciavalle, its current director of financial analysis, Joseph A. Runkel, and former director of the Littoral Combat Ships program, William O. Adams, engaged in a scheme to artificially reduce the cost estimates to complete certain shipbuilding projects for the U.S. Navy by tens of millions of dollars. The complaint alleges that Perciavalle, Runkel, and Adams knew that Austal USA’s shipbuilding costs were rising and higher than planned, but they directed others to arbitrarily lower the cost estimates to meet Austal USA’s revenue budget and revenue projections.”

The Navy department that is in charge of shipbuilding and repair is Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), the largest of the U.S. Navy’s five system commands.

They have 83,000 people; it’s twice the size of the entire US Coast Guard.

83,000

They can’t get anything right.

How could this happen with the streamlined acquisition system at the Pentagon?

Fire the Chief of Naval Operations immediately.

Fire them all.

H/T to John A Conrad IV

In this episode, we dive into Donald Trump’s latest remarks on the future of Gaza, his stance on Palestinian displacement, and his renewed “maximum pressure” strategy on Iran. Trump claims the U.S. will “cleanse Gaza” and might even “own it,” while Hamas outright rejects his vision. We also explore Trump’s meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where he watched raw footage of the October 7 attacks.

Plus, we break down Trump’s latest statements on Iran, his push to reinstate harsh sanctions, and his claim that reports of U.S.-Israeli plans to strike Iran are “greatly exaggerated.” What does this mean for Middle East policy under Trump? Tune in for these crucial developments.

The DDG(X) program will be over-budget, very late and a shadow of its naval architectural ambition.

Of course.

The US Navy has seemingly abandoned naval gunnery at the 5″ level and above and the latest navy build program for a new destroyer is removing the capability. While missiles are certainly the predominant means to project power from naval ships, there is certainly a call for naval gunnery in certain operational tasks. The increasing density and threat capabilities of drones is making gunnery important also at levels below that caliber to bring back the anti-aircraft utility of Oerlikon and Bofors style 12.7 to 40mm to increase reasonable ship protection.

The latest renderings depicting the U.S. Navy’s next-generation destroyer are missing some weapon systems initially incorporated onboard the ship. According to Naval News, the image revealed by Program Executive Office (PEO) Ships last week showcases the DDG(X) without a main gun. Back in 2022, the upcoming destroyer was equipped with a 5-inch Mark 45 Mod 4 main gun forward of the bow-mounted 32-cell ark 41 Vertical Launch System cells. While this original design was purely conceptual, the new DDG(X)’s missing gun is significant. Similar to the service’s other next-generation projects, its destroyer timeline has been delayed. The most recent estimates surrounding the DDG(X) indicate the destroyer will not become available until the early 2030s at the earliest.

https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/new-renderings-show-ddgx-destroyer-missing-its-main-gun-214372/

Naval gunnery used to be quite the vocation for interested surface warfare officers and men.

The legendary ADM Ching Lee commanding the USS Washington battleship (BB56) in WWII was the winner in the sole “gunfight” between battleships in the PTO in WWII and sunk the IJN Kirishima in what was point blank range for 14″ and 16″ guns. He was a former Olympic shooting champion in 1920. Guns and gunnery are a tool in the armory.

The stewards of other people’s money continue to disappoint.

While 70% of the $6.4 billion charged on 2.3 million government cards that year was found to be appropriate, 12% was inadvertently spent on the wrong things, such as alcohol or in Google’s online store for games, smartphone applications and video streaming services. Inspectors also found cards used on federal holidays and during major sporting events when employees were unlikely to have work expenses. About 2% of spending was considering abuse and less than 1% fraud, according to the report. That’s down from a decade ago, when the inspector general found about $1 million had been charged to government cards at casinos and adult entertainment venues.

The most egregious case highlighted by the IG was an Air Force airman who withdrew more than $10,500 from two Maryland casinos between April and August 2023. The airman tried the card nine more times totaling $3,500, but those transactions were rejected because the card had reached its spending limit. 

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/pete-hegseth-is-unfit-to-lead-the-pentagon/

The quality of our enemies defines us. The Center for American Prosperity (CAP) opposition makes me certain Pete Hegseth is the right man at the right time.

The evil and execrable John Podesta runs CAP.

That John Podesta. He replaced John Kerry as the Climate Envoy.

The consequences of Hegseth’s appointment would reverberate far beyond the Pentagon. His lack of credibility and diplomatic acumen threatens to undermine alliances, embolden adversaries, and weaken America’s standing on the global stage—all outcomes that raise risks to the safety of the American people.

America’s armed forces deserve leadership that is competent, credible, and focused on the challenges ahead. The American people deserve a secretary of defense who will prioritize an effective and accountable Department of Defense ready to keep the nation safe against rapidly evolving threats. Hegseth is not that leader. His confirmation is a risk the nation cannot afford.

https://www.americanprogress.org/article/pete-hegseth-is-unfit-to-lead-the-pentagon/