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We welcome brief comments on material published in the Proceedings and also brief discussion items on topics of naval, maritime, or military interest for possible publication on these pages. A primary purpose of the Proceedings is to provide a place where ideas of importance to the Sea Services can be exchanged. The Institute pays an honorarium to the author of each comment or discussion item published in the Proceedings.
Contents:
The Aviation Duty Officer
The Tailhooker’s Wife
Silver Anniversary
Can the Coast Guard Save Itself?
The Future Mix of Subs and Strategy Orion the Hunted
The Second Gap in Strategic Sealift Becoming a Female Aviator The Maritime Strategy Employing the PHMs The History of the PHM Some Tactical Considerations Rebuilding the Merchant Marine
“The Aviation Duty Officer”
(See R. Shipman, p. 87, October 1986
Proceedings)
Lieutenant Commander Robert H. Lit- winski, U. S. Navy—As an aviation duty officer (ADO) selectee from the August 1986 board now deciding whether or not I should accept the designator, I am considering the following observations:
The aviation duty program appears to be off to a shaky start. The initial board was delayed several times so that “more” applications could be received. Could it be that the program as described in the initial messages is not very appealing? Strangely enough, copies of the original OpNav notice were hard to find. After repeated attempts to locate the instruction in our squadron and air station, a shipmate of mine happened to be at another air station 1,500 miles from home base when he found an officer who had a copy stuffed in his jacket. Some senior aviators (captains) were bad- mouthing the program. And the board results were not announced until two months after the board had adjourned. All of this makes me wonder . . .
A junior lieutenant or mid-grade aviator considering the ADO program should realize that almost all of the billets will be at the second or third string of naval aviation—force support squadrons, training wing staffs, and naval air stations. Few, if any, will be in the fleet squadrons. Up- and-coming aviators would kill their career paths by accepting ADO rank—they would probably never see a second or third tour in a warfare squadron. Many ADO selectees probably already know that they can’t go back to the fleet for other reasons: age, past performance, or because their career paths were not the usual route for their communities. So why shouldn’t they apply for ADO? There’s nothing for them to lose!
I do not think there is an aviator shortage in the Navy. It is mismanagement of the billets themselves. Every flying and non-flying billet with an aviator in it should be scrutinized and justified. Having a top-notch aviator in a human resource billet just because he has to do it to secure a good career path is a waste of talent, flight pay, and billet. Selective bonus programs, more aviator crosstraining, billet reviews, aviator career- path reviews, and expansion of the ADO program would give us a more personally and professionally rewarding, lean and mean aviation force.
“The Tailhooker’s Wife”
(See B. Snevely, pp. 102-105, October 1986
Proceedings)
Lynn C. Timon—Beth Snevely compels me to offer a different perspective on life with a naval aviator. I have been married to an aviator for more than 11 years; I ant proud of him and the service he has given this country.
But my initial reaction to Mrs. Snevely was, “Give me a break!” My second thought was, “This is just another one of those wives who wears her husband’s rank.”
Elevating one Navy community over the others only hurts morale and discourages team effort. The Navy cannot perform its global mission without the combined efforts of the subsurface, surface, support, and aviation communities. Do the communities compete? You bet! Competition is alive and well, but it is low-key and stays exactly where it belongs—in the ready room, the air, or on the softball field. Competition belongs with the men, not their wives.
What kind of women marry Navy men, anyway? The ones I know from the various communities are women with the “Right Stuff.” They are durable, mature women who know themselves and what they want out of life. They do not depend on their husbands or the Navy for an identity. They have accepted their husband’s choice of career and support him and look after the household during separations. These women have dismissed “healthy rivalry” for camaraderie and respect. They help one another through tough times—the birth of a baby while a husband is away, or the anguish of hearing news reports of another encounter with the Libyans.
Perhaps Beth Snevely will eventually understand that the best thing she can be is herself, and the most important thing she can do for her husband is to love him. support him, and keep the fires burning until he comes home.
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Silver Anniversary
“Can the Coast Guard Save Itself?”
(See J. C. Clow, p. 134, September 1986;
L. Simpson, p. 22, November 1986 Proceedings)
John T. Chapin—Last summer I was Pleasantly surprised to receive my U. S. Naval Institute Silver Anniversary membership certificate. 1 had no idea that the institute kept such close track of anniversary dates. Neither did I realize that I had been a member for 25 years! Time indeed has flown by quickly.
When I joined the Naval Institute in January 1961, I was a 22-year-old junior majoring in journalism at the University °f Houston, and a firefighter second class ‘n my local U. S. Coast Guard Reserve unit. At that time, John F. Kennedy was being sworn in as President of the United States, few people had yet heard of Vietnam, the civil rights movement was just beginning to exert itself, and “Bonanza” kept everyone glued to their TV sets on Sunday nights.
Since then, our world has been vastly altered, with many of the changes being to the detriment of humanity. On the other hand, especially in the United ^tates, there have been achievements in human and civil rights that were only breams a quarter-century ago.
Throughout those 25 years, two of the tew constants in my life have been my rt'embership in the Institute and reading every page of the latest Proceedings. The Current issue contains the same forum ruessage as did my first copy in 1961, ^compassing vision, wisdom, leader- sbip, professionalism, and duty, honor, and country.
Of most interest to me are the open discussions of the U. S. Coast Guard’s role. Commander Clow’s piece is a bullseye. * be Coast Guard’s historic lack of a well- Planned public relations program is the root of its funding woes. The July 1986 tatue of Liberty celebration aside, the k-°ast Guard remains a sad case of “if y°u aren’t seen, you are ignored.” Its Pnght reminds me of the eagle’s nest, '''here those chicks that make the most n°ise and thrust their beaks the highest ®et fed first. The quiet ones get fed last, if at aH, and many starve to death.
The Coast Guard has been on a starva- j^°n diet as long as I can remember. Had avid Stockman been around much °nger, the Coast Guard would have been reduced to a few seamen painting marker Uoys. If the Coast Guard’s public information branch can’t get the job done, I, 0r °ne, am willing to step in and help.
To paraphrase Commander Clow, we old Coasties can’t sit back and watch Semper Paratus erode to Semi-Paratus, and then finally to “Semi-Paralysis.”
My membership in the Naval Institute is special. Except for my college fraternity, I’ve never belonged to another group for half that long. I’m looking forward to 25 more years.
“The Future Mix of Subs and Strategy”
(See Secretary’s Notes, pp. 11-12, December 1986 Proceedings)
Harold C. Hemond—I had the good fortune to attend the Naval Institute professional seminar in New London, Connecticut on 25 September, and I extend my appreciation to the Institute and to the participants for their contributions.
I was particularly impressed with Mr. Polmar’s remarks, not only for their compelling substance, but also for Mr. Polmar’s courage in addressing the faults of the submarine community while face-to- face with some of its leaders.
I agree with Mr. Polmar that the Seawolf (SSN-21)-class nuclear attack submarine as now envisioned is a blunder of the same order and magnitude, with the same potential for disaster, as the Spanish Armada. It’s too big! The improvements needed for our attack submarine fleet to successfully engage the Soviets—an increase in number, speed, depth capability, and a reduction in unit cost—can be met only by smaller submarines—not bigger ones.
“Orion the Hunted”
(See K. B. Sherman, pp. 90-92, October 1986;
J. K. Bray, E. C. Moore, pp. 14-17,
December 1986 Proceedings)
Lieutenant Mark Skinner, U. S. Navy—If patrol (VP) planes and their primary mission are endangered by submarine- launched surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) and short-range fighter planes armed with guns and air-to-air missiles (AAMs), then we in the VP community should find a way to protect the P-3 Orion against those threats without giving up what we do best—antisubmarine warfare (ASW). Other naval air communities pursue their missions in the face of active defenses— why should we be any different? Lest we forget, the CAC acronym we use to designate our aircrews stands for “combat air crew,” and, providing we have the proper mix of sensors and weapons, we should continue doing our job.
Let’s look at the AAM threat. Intelli-
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THE STANDARD IN SHIPBOARD AIR DEFENSE
gence briefs alone should preclude an on- station P-3 from being surprised by a Yak-36 Forger armed with an AAM- (There are not that many antiair-capable Soviet ships.) Even if the P-3 is caught off guard, a state-of-the-art electronic support measures system and the right defensive air combat maneuvering tactics should be enough to defeat the Forger threat.
Then there is the SAM threat. If a submarine surfaces to launch a SAM at a P-3, a quick-reaction, air-to-surface stand-off weapon and a self-defense countermeasures system would cause far greater problems for the submarine than the sub’s SAM would cause the aircraft- A surfaced submarine is an easy target-
The P-3 is not as flimsy and weak structurally as Commander Sherman would have us believe. Although limited to load factors of - 1 to +3Gs, it has the advantages of a straight, semi-blown wing and sufficient maneuvering power to sustain high angle-of-bank (AOB) turns. In certain operating regimes, its turn rate and radius approach those of modem fighter aircraft. It can carry a variety of offensive and defensive armaments and can maneuver successfully to fire the weapons accurately. With regard to the sea-based VFR (visual flight rules) fighter threat, community standard operating procedures could be a greater factor than the aircraft’s structural integrity: When “over 30°” calls are briefed on instrument approaches, and AOBs are limited to 20° on station to prevent crew' fatigue, will properly trained P-3 aircrews transition to 70° AOB maneuvers to defeat the threat?
It is unlikely that ship-based air ASW platforms can fill the open-ocean ASW gap that removing the P-3s would create- Although fighters from the battle group could protect these ship-based ASW aircraft from an airborne threat, they could not protect them from a submarine- launched SAM. That’s a job for other onboard aircraft countermeasures.
The P-3 has survivability and vulnerability problems that are results of conducting our mission in a low-threat environment. But giving up the ASW mission is not the answer. The enemy could easily counter the proposed P-3 antishipping role advocated by Commander Sherman by introducing a new weapon. What mis' sion would we have then?
The times are a changin’. We should develop the hardware, tactics, and creW expertise required to perform both the open-ocean ASW and the antishipping mission in a threat environment. The pa' trol community must realize that successful weapons and tactics rarely go unop'
posed. We’re in a business that thrives on •noves, countermoves, and countercountermoves. Let’s meet the challenge now and continue to do our job.
“The Second Gap in Strategic Sealift”
(See P. J. Brown, pp. 93-95, December 1986
Proceedings)
Captain Robert W. Kesteloot, U. S. Navy (Retired), Vice Chairman, Transporta- ,'on Institute—I fully concur with Mr. Brown that there is a “second gap,” but n is already here and in areas other than jnst diesel engineers. As Mr. Brown Points out, only 20% of the U. S. flag Beet is composed of motorships. What he does not explain is that U. S. operators are having difficulty finding qualified n'otorship engineers. And the larger question is whether the United States "tould have enough seafarers of all skills to man the ships of the Ready Reserve Force (RRF) in time of war.
Mr. Brown considered only the approximately 70 RRF ships that would be activated 5 to 20 days after war erupted. Thirteen other ships were also bought and added to the RRF this past fall. In addi- hon, eight former SeaLand Corporation SL-7 containerships are partially manned and kept in a four-day readiness status. By year’s end one of two Navy hospital ships was completed, as was the con verson of two aviation-support ships.
That totals about 95 ships. If they were needed today, the United States would have trouble manning them. And the Problem will worsen if the Navy is successful in its plan to increase to 150 the number of government-owned ships by
The 375 active U. S.-flag deep-sea ships, along with a few govemment- °Wned, civilian-manned Military Sealift Command ships, employ about 29,000 toerchant mariners who rotate through M,800 billets.
Studies show that at least 1.5 mariners are needed to support every seagoing bil- et- In wartime the United States would need 14,800 mariners to fill the active- ship billets, nearly 4,500 more to man today’s laid-up ships, plus enough to recrew an estimated 20% of the militarily toeful U. S.-owned foreign-flag ships.
hesc requirements reduce the ratio of available mariners to needed billets to the toinimum level of 1.5 to 1; in real-world torms they produce a shortfall of 1,000 to 2>000 seafarers. If the Navy has 150 RRF ships by 1992, the predictable wartime shortage will jump to 5,000 to 6,000
Proceedings / January 1987
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Navy and eight allied fleets. Now, Standard Missile is a key component in the Navy’s advanced Aegis weapon system.
Which takes the standard in shipboard air defense to new heights.
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mariners—and the number could be higher depending on how many mariners answer the Navy’s call.
Therefore, the “second gap” is not only in diesel engineers, but in seafarers of all skills. And the gap is here today.
“Becoming a Female Aviator”
(See C. A. Lewis, pp. 104-107, October 1986
Proceedings)
Midshipman Fourth Class George F. Franz—As a midshipman at the United States Naval Academy, I am a very new member of the Naval Institute. For a long time, I have wanted to follow in the footsteps of my father, a naval aviator, and fly jets from carriers. For this reason, I found the October 1986 issue an excellent introduction to Proceedings. In reading “Becoming a Female Aviator,” however, a pressing question came to mind: Why does the Navy spend millions of dollars training women for combat roles which, by law, they cannot fill?
I am not a male chauvinist. In fact, I consider myself liberal on the subject of women’s rights. I do not feel the deference toward women midshipmen that Lieutenant Lewis alludes to in her article. I face competition every day from my classmates, both male and female, and consider the women to be at least as capable and competent as the men. In some cases, the women are better. My point is not to qualify or disqualify women for the stressful combat roles now filled only by men. I only question a seemingly wasteful expenditure in a time when the military faces budget cuts.
I confess that the prisoner-of-war (POW) scenario described by Lieutenant Lewis struck me hard. However, with careful thought, I realized that raping women prisoners is just another form of torture. I would feel the same pain if a fellow male POW was beaten to death before my eyes. My point is this: If women are to assume combat roles alongside men and be effective, they must be treated entirely as equals, and that includes regarding women equally under the Code of Conduct.
The Maritime Strategy
{See Supplement, January 1986 Proceedings)
“Employing the PHMs”
(See L. G. Williams, Jr., pp. 79-87, September 1986; M. J. Szablak, p. 26, December 1986 Proceedings)
“The History of the PHM”
{See S. R. Chapin, pp. 80-83, September 1986 Proceedings)
“Some Tactical Considerations”
(See T. H. Berns, pp. 84-85, September 1986 Proceedings)
Lieutenant Anthony Gurnee, U. S.Navy— Patrol missile hydrofoil (PHM) critics— leaders of our Navy among them—argue convincingly that the craft has severe operational limitations and no valid mission. In particular, they argue that coastal combatants have no place in the U. S.
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strategy of global “forward defense.” The Proceedings supplement on the maritime strategy, for instance, mentions neither PHMs nor any other patrol-sized
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v J vessel. But then, while the supplement discusses “crisis response” as a major Navy mission, it considers only huge crises that might occur thousands of miles from the United States. The supplement does not consider the politically unspeakable spot where a crisis is likely—Central America—nor other limited-crisis areas where U. S. forces would require coastal or riverine vessels as well as the “big decks.”
Yet it is precisely in a limited crisis in Central America or off other coasts that the PHM might perform well; its hydrofoil sisters could perform even better.
There is no denying that the PHM has difficulties:
- The craft is totally unsuited for battle- group operations. In fact, PHMs are a group commander’s albatross: they need constant refueling and are vulnerable in storms; valuable destroyers or frigates must be diverted from other duties to carry PHM fuel rigs, spare parts, and mobile logistics support group (MLSG) personnel.
- PHMs currently lack a clear mission. In the only U. S. region where the craft is not dwarfed by distance and heavy seas, the Caribbean, its primary antisurface warfare mission is useless. A Soviet Navy surface action group (SAG) visits Havana occasionally, but no principal surface combatants have permanent Caribbean berths. Heavy seaworthy ships from Mayport, Florida, and San Diego could easily manage any surface threat that might appear. The Navy now has six PHMs based in Key West. Their only mission is to serve as high-speed water taxis for Coast Guard law enforcement teams, and to play the “orange force” in naval exercises.
- Among U. S. Navy combatants only the PHMs require a shore-based support facility (the MLSG). PHMs cost nearly twice as much as conventional missile patrol boats with similar speed and capability. Some critics even argue that the PHM’s foilbome function—which accounts for half a hydrofoil’s cost—is useful only for escaping, not for attacking.
Its problems not withstanding, in the coastal or riverine warfare that has occurred eight times in U. S. history (most recently in Vietnam), the PHM or other hydrofoils could be valuable. Consider that:
- A PHM can cruise comfortably at better than 40 knots for 15 hours at a time. It can travel from Key West to Nicaragua in under 18 hours; the Navy’s conventional ships in the area need three days to make the trip from their closest port.
- Hydrofoils are stealthy and agile, with a low political profile and little prestige. This makes them a wise weapons choice when leaders want to respond without over-responding in a budding crisis.
- No principal hostile surface combatants roam the Caribbean, but 40 Cuban patrol torpedo or missile boats do. East Coast-based U. S. ships sailing to a Central American crisis would face the gauntlet of these boats in the Strait of Florida. High-speed U. S. patrol boats could slip through first to clear the way.
- Statistically, PHMs require no more repairs than an FFG-7-class frigate. Three PHMs regularly deploy in Puerto Rico, supported only by a ten-man, two- trailer MLSG. The craft could easily deploy farther afield, with logistics support provided by destroyer tenders or allies.
The Navy’s hydrofoil program boasts much more than PHMs, and we should not dismiss the entire program because of one troublesome design. (It is worth noting that the Navy never wanted the PHM. The craft was forced upon the Navy by Congress.)
The first U. S. Navy hydrofoils, Boeing’s Tucumcari (PGH-2) and Grum- man’s Flagstaff {PGH-1), served in Vietnam as high-speed, coastal and unconventional warfare patrol craft.
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Tucumcari was modified into the Italian Navy’s Swordfish-class hydrofoils. The Swordfish boats are as fast as a PHM and twice as maneuverable. They carry the same guns (with less ammunition) and half the PHM’s antisurface missiles. Swordfish and the PHM achieve the same range, but Swordfish is a simpler, more easily maintained design, and costs one- third as much as a PHM. The Tucumcari design also led to Boeing’s Jetfoil, a passenger ferry with considerable military potential. Flagstaff evolved into the Israeli Shrimrit-class, which carries elaborate electronic warfare sensors for use off the Levant.
Other hydrofoils have more potential missions than the PHM does. For example, in amphibious operations hydrofoils could be used for:
- Forming antisurface warfare outer- screen and SAG units, with FFG-7-class frigates acting as their command ships
- Transporting sea-air-land teams and other special forces that need to hit the objective area well ahead of the main battle group
- Protecting the fast but vulnerable air cushion landing craft (LCACs, which only hydrofoils can keep up with). Once LCACs had landed troops, hydrofoils could ward off enemy and neutral ships.
A smaller, tougher design than the PHM could even make ocean transits on an amphibious cargo ship.
The PHM is by no means the ultimate hydrofoil. But that is no reason to ignore the potential of the hydrofoil concept. Now is the time to move on from the PHM to simpler, more rugged, and more survivable hydrofoil designs.
“Rebuilding the Merchant Marine”
(iSee M. Guralnick, pp. 74-77, August 1986; R. Marshall, pp. 100-103, November 1986 Proceedings)
Philip J. Loree, Chairman, Federation of American Controlled Shipping—The maritime industry too often fails to keep shipping issues in perspective, viewing shipping as a world in itself rather than what it is: a minor but necessary cog in a huge machine.
This faulty perspective underlies Morris Guralnick’s essay. The author proposes to have U. S. shipyards build 300 ships in three years. (Recall that the 1970 Merchant Marine Act proposed building 300 ships over ten years.) His cost estimate of $30 million per ship seems highly optimistic, even considering that he plans to build only two types of vessels. The cost of prior programs, current U. S. building costs, and the speed Mr. Guralnick advocates argue that the cost of his proposal would be much higher.
Whatever the cost, proposing to fund a $9 billion shipbuilding project by siphoning $4.5 billion each from the federal social services and defense budgets shows that the author’s perspective is woefully lacking.
Remember that, in Mr. Guralnick’s words, these ships would have “immediate lack of employment” and would “simply be placed in existing reserve areas.” The idea probably could not win the support of a single public official. Over the years—especially as the federal budget deficit ballooned and Gramm- Rudman budget-balancing came into play—Congress and successive administrations have consistently judged merchant-vessel funding to be a less compelling federal responsibility than caring for the needy and supporting the military. This is why federally-funded construction subsidies for merchant vessels have been eliminated.
In a real-world perspective, second- guessing congressional budget allocations will not provide any basis for rebuilding the merchant marine. The author, a naval architect, should go back to the drafting table.
[1] have no experience with women in the fleet, nor am I qualified to say whether women can handle the stress of combat, physically or psychologically. I have little doubt, however, that having women in the fleet would initially cause friction and decrease efficiency. Now is the time to address the issue though, because women are knocking at the door. Either the Navy goes all the way and lets women fight, or shuts the door and stops