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Roosevelt Strike Group
The USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group transits in formation, January 2020.
U.S. Navy (Anthony Rivera)

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Navy Force Structure Thinkers: Beware the Manpower Sirens

By Captain John P. Cordle, U.S. Navy (Retired)
February 2020
Proceedings
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The Navy needs to find efficiencies. Heard that before? I have—in 1990 and again in 2010. In both cases, the Navy found them in the manpower account. What was the result? Disaster.

In Greek mythology, the Sirens were dangerous creatures who lured nearby sailors with enchanting music and singing voices to wreck their ships on the rocky coast. In similar fashion, Navy leaders may once again be hearing the seductive call of the manpower Sirens in the halls of the Pentagon as a beautiful chorus: “Cut people, save money—all will be well.” Meanwhile, down at the waterfront, the sound is more: “More work, less time, more stress.”

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