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Comment and Discussion
ENTER THE FORUM 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:
Air War with Libya The Inevitable Attack on Libya To Fly Safely Accountability Afloat Fitness You Can See Is NavAir Combat-Ready? Captain to the Bridge Scratch
U. S. Naval Aircraft and Missile Development in 1985
I am a . . . Convoy Commodore
July Cover
1000th Issue Celebration Death of a Captain Leadership Essay Contest Sea Cadets
for r„
years and having made two \Wste^e|
cases
board general medical offmer
ular
tot'
“Air War with Libya”
(See R. E. Stumpf, pp. 42-48, August 1986
Proceedings)
Captain R. C. Allen, U. S. Navy, Commanding Officer, USS America (CV-66)— I read Commander Stumpf’s article with great interest, but disagree with his statement that . . data link, voice communications, and other routine procedures, now second nature to the Coral Seal Saratoga team, had to be relearned to accommodate the America, which was unfamiliar with the Libyan theater.” I believe what Commander Stumpf meant to say was that the addition of a third carrier to Battle Force Sixth Fleet required modifications in the force’s command, control, and communications—an understandable requirement.
The America!Carrier Air Wing One is a proud team of professionals who were completely familiar with the Libyan theater upon arrival in the Mediterranean. Our combat and operational performance after joining the Sixth Fleet proved that.
“The Inevitable Attack on Libya”
(See D. Evans, pp. 31-32, June 1986; E. C. Olson, pp. 12-16, August 1986; W. F. Readdy, pp. 24-26, September 1986 Proceedings)
Alan Schaak—Colonel Evans hits the nail on the head with his evaluation of tactical air power. His comments bring to mind the intransigence of the pre-World War II battleship admirals and the permanent fighting instructions of the 18th century English Navy.
“To Fly Safely”
(See R. Rausa, pp. 69-73, August 1986
Proceedings)
Vance T. Fagan—As a former sergeant in both the Army and Air Force and a pilot myself for 32 years, I keep up with aviation matters. While Captain Rausa addresses important safety structural issues that appear worthy of change, it seems that we speak of apples and oranges when we compare flying from a 10,000-foot or longer land runway and a
900-foot flight deck of an aircraft earn The aircraft and methods are design different worlds. Is it realistic to exP ^ carrier-based aviation to be as sa land-based aviation?
“Accountability Afloat”
(See G. B. Powell, pp. 31-35, August 19»6
Proceedings)
Captain P. J. Doerr, U. S. Navy tired)—Captain Powell’s article lS ^ deed, as the Secretary says 10 “Notes” in the issue, an extreme y ^ portant and timely article. AH ^ manders—but especially those n ^ line—should read the article vV'( j 1() despite the embarrassment it is b°u cause. .ollid
It is embarrassing that the line s ^ have to be informed of these even^(jvo- lessons by an officer in the -Judge , cate General Corps. It is more emba ^ ing that destroyer officers, wt10 themselves on the closeness they ^ tain with their men, should have ^ instructed in their duty toward the' by a fleet commander in chief- tpe
I find it difficult to understand ^ 0f
inadequate training and perform the independent duty corpsmen in^ ^ two cases was not detected sooner J^j, squadron staff and corrective actm ated. Aside from relatively trivia uadr011 cal services to the staff, the s" jfof' doctor’s duty is to oversee the P ^ mance of the ships’ independen corpsmen.
Michael S. Smith, M.D.—The ^lish' ings has done a great service by piping Captain Powell’s article- A-s(vV'0
cific deployments, I consider lucky that the worst medica treated were appendicitis, a teStl<i,lCj five sion, and malaria. At least I ep0rtifl- years of medical training before r on board ship. While it wasn enough, the independent duty t jg- has no such luxury. And 1 dou norance is blissful for him. y6 n1’ Senior officers who say they sajlor obligation or duty to visit a si
Eugene Marian, U. S.
serve tVh<_„ 1
^dvopa,__ Was commissioned a Judge
tyhen^j6 obscure regulations.
acles tbrou§h the minefield of legal ^hat they -° tke commanders could do
ful
enough
’° set off one of the mines, I
"'as
to
Print until he retires and then 1 lc’ze those who bear the bur- nation’s defense.
Michael E. Duffy, U. S.
PtO'
• sh*6*S not tdone.
?SSOrttuent'refestab*’shment bas a huge ° 4 ship’s ° med’ca* services available crew, from mental health to
MRP
ers ca!-12 'y*10*e P°*nt of leadership: Lead-
raembersan°fUfVheir men' Sick sailors are wav to u 0t tbeir crew- Is there a better
and to c °W 'eadersbip,’° boost morale, your tban t0 v's'’ a s'c*c man under would rramand? * believe many sailors enousH eason ^at if “the old man cares
maybe th° \r'Sit me wben I m sick’ then be.” e Navy isn’t such a bad place to
for at sea means ri
"'hethe/so"1/ that hapPens
captain if °d °r bad’ whethe. ........................
is in jj- lnv°lved, and whether or not i
sP°nsibi]-tarea exPert'se- Medical re me beca* 'CS 3t Sea were lightening fo Vond mvUSk- ? knew how much was be ship’sa ’%• The responsibilities of: ening ^tain must be even more fright br°adpow tkat *s wby captains hav<
’heir nri, -,erS and wdy ’hey are entitled tc Privileges.
V’ndictiv —* was appalled at the
cle, which°ne °b ^aP’a‘n Powell’s arti- severa] off exPressed satisfaction that Cause thev'u61? careers were ruined be- egregiously failed to ob-
Uv°cate ----------------- “ —t-
ago, i ]eeneral Corps officer 30 years Pected ^ clu’chly that I was not ex- c°uld 0rted commanders what they dearatofCi°l|*d not do- My duty was to Obst; ^ ' needed to do. If I was unskill-
Merits hu'^L6 SUre ’hat none of the fragile ,0tbe “old man.”
?abstituted° <”aPta'n Powell’s article and ’egtilatio 'yberever it used the word acc°rdine ,nS , tbe w°fds “the Party Line the articiethewri’ings ofv- L Lenin,” Za>nPolit fnC°U*d bave been written by a Fandstand°r 3 ^ov’et Navy journal. It is b°Pe that'r^ °n an unprecedented scale. stay out Captain Powell will hereafter rethind a,aptain powell’s article shoulc. Cfrs (COst^r°SPect've commanding offi- t an area Hand executive officers (XOs) nCt”‘°n. B ertlanding their immediate at- Pr°vidin£>. .’ al’hough accountability fo \C0, he frqaate medical care lies will physical health resources. Use, or at least contact, with these services is an absolute must for the XO, if not for the CO. The independent duty corpsman (IDC) cannot and should not have to supervise the crew’s use of these facilities alone. Cases that can be handled on an outpatient basis while the ship is in port can rear their nasty heads at sea, where there is no medical officer to help. If the XO knows which crew members are receiving medical care ashore, he can question whether they should go to sea. It is not difficult to get a patient into a medical hold status, or to get him temporary additional duty ashore if the XO feels it’s in the patient’s best interest.
The Navy shore establishment should respond immediately to afloat units’ requests for medical consultations. Duty officers at naval communication stations and fleet training groups must—and generally do—react quickly to patch a ship’s radio telephone request through to a medical officer. However, these duty personnel would do well to read Captain Powell’s accounting of the facts. Furthermore, the fleet commander has ordered IDCs to seek medical consultation from a medical officer in company or at the nearest medical facility if a patient exhibits certain symptoms. When a ship calls to the beach with a request for a patch to a medical officer, the point of contact at the shore establishment should already be informed of the why and be ready with the how to promptly get the medical officer on the line. Also, it would help if large Navy medical centers had high-frequency communications capabilities so that they could be called directly from a unit at sea. This may not be immediately feasible, but even in the long run, it would help expedite urgent consultations.
Yes, the “old man” is accountable, but he and his XO must task the shore establishment for maximum support.
“Fitness You Can See”
(See D. Huber, pp. 97-98, August 1986
Proceedings)
A. Mark Ratner—I have a very basic question concerning the recommendations made by Lieutenant Commander Huber: “Why have a weight standard at all?”
Physical fitness is a valid requirement. Yet how can it be justified that a person who is over the weight standard, but has passed the physical fitness test (PFT), is denied the chance to serve his country?
The data that I have seen does not indicate that any serious health problems
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HARM, and that there were designs
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drift. Then the submarine turned right to 040°, so the destroyer bore 320° (or “red 40”) relative. The bearing should have drifted left more if the ships held course. Then, why was Smith advised that “bearing should be red 30?”
I do not think the story had much value as a professional aid; there are not any lessons to be learned from it unless you count the three-minute rule (which some people have forgotten, thanks to the Navy tactical data system). Closing for a torpedo attack is easier now thanks to long- range homing torpedoes. Killing submarines from destroyers is easier today, too. Destroyer commanding officers do not even like to run over them anymore.
“U. S. Naval Aircraft and Missile Development in 1985”
(.See F. D. Kennedy, Jr., pp. 68-75, 321-325,
May 1986 Proceedings)
Curtis R. James, Manager of Missile Systems Marketing, Defense Systems and Electronics Group, Texas Instruments— Mr. Kennedy should have checked his facts more carefully before he wrote on the high-speed anti-radiation missile (HARM). He came to unjustified conclusions and incompletely related the HARM program’s 1985 history. The overall negative impression he gave may confuse fleet aircrews who are pleased with their operational experience with HARM. A recent report from these aircrews called HARM “the single most important weapon development in ‘attack’ aviation in the last decade.”
I’d like to set the facts straight on a few matters.
- A single restriction was placed on the F/A-18 Hornet launch profile for HARM missiles. Supersonic launches were not allowed until new fiscal year 1984 missile software was installed. During the 14 May 1985 hearing to which the author refers, Rear Admiral David Altwegg, Assistant Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Surface Warfare, denied that HARM had been eliminated from the F/A-18, stating, “In fact, the HARM and F/A-18 are deployed on [the] Constellation in the Indian Ocean as we speak.” Hornets from the USS Coral Sea (CV-43) launched HARM missiles containing the earlier, fiscal year 1982 version of software with apparent success in the Mediterranean during April 1986.
- The independent missile teardown audit, mentioned by the author, was conducted by a 60-man team led by the Naval Avionics Center. They reported in July that “the HARM missile is an effective weapon better than previous ARM weapons.” The missiles audited had fis-
cal year 1982 software. g.
- To amplify the statement that a ^ ware “change was already in Pr0§ef„e it was reported in July that the c ^ ^ would be tested later in the summer, firings of the fiscal year 1984 SO , took place 24 July 1985-17 Jan Each one was completely successfU preluding a supersonic launch from an ^ 18. From 31 May 1985-29 May ^ HARM scored 13 successes in 13 t'r^
- The fiscal year 1985 contract i ^ $549.7 million for 1,684 missiks> $426.1 million for 571 missiles as ^ tide stated. Sixty million d°Uarsr);; awarded in March 1985 to begin $462.1 million were awarded in Ju^ ^ 1,571 missiles; and since the Pn^ j0l) crease was more than expected, an °*^3s for $27.6 million in leftover funds
awarded in October for an missiles.
► The implications that a warranty ^ new part of HARM contracts, tha e tests were required by warranty to r^.
comings that must be fixed ar®
HARM is the first air-launched 0f
to feature a warranty, which was P . the fiscal year 1983 and 1984 c0J? .jures The missile is warranted against ^ ^ during captive flight and storage ^ failures stem from defects in deslf ’ terials, or workmanship. Reliab11 ^0llj. ing storage and captive flights lS .0ns- tored during routine fleet °Pe Flight tests are not required. i:ver^ ► The total number of HARMs e ^ in 1985 was 128 AGM-88AS nd U. S. Air Force, and 128 AGM- ^ is 53 CATM-88AS for the Navy- ned more than the 128 AGM-88s meajr CATM-88AS (cap11 „
tra>n'
trol seetto
are identical to tactical missiles-
(See S. D. Landersman, pp. 56-6—, Sch^1 G. Erikson, p. 26, August 1986; ”• p. 94, September 1986 Proceedings ^
Captain J. R. Metcalf, U- ardc^ Marine (Retired)—This excel e contains much valuable informa the advice that should be ^ea0^
planners of future convoys. T e^-ce{ <-,(1 convoy-trained Navy liaison every merchant convoy ship|SeI) of good. With the number of ere ^ cli(r merchant ships dropping year y> o0id^ rent 26-man crew on many ships even smaller in years to come-
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Thinking of convoys took me back to early 1944 when I was a new third mate on my first merchant freighter. My convoy of 20 freighters was rounding Cape Maysi on its way to Guantanamo Bay just after dark. All was peaceful until the ship next to us suddenly switched on his running lights and we saw he was going in the opposite direction. We were head and head with an outbound tanker convoy. The ocean lit up as ships frantically maneuvered out of each other’s way. There were many near misses but no collisions. Both convoys had Navy escorts, and yet there was no warning because no one, not even the escorts, had radar.
the Governors Island Chief Petty
Offi
cers’ Club, where I spent many pleasa(_ hours telling my Coast Guard Peer* °, r. rageous lies of Navy seamanship and ring-do.
July Cover
(See July 1986; K. Thompson, p. 14, September
1986 Proceedings)
Senior Chief Radarman J. T. Whitfill, U. S. Coast Guard (Retired)—On the cover of your July issue, Tom Freeman has the battleship Iowa (BB-61) leading the International Naval Review into southeastern Bayridge Flats anchorage (average depth 2-15 feet).
If the Iowa and her consorts should somehow bull their way through the mud flats they will run aground on the patio of
1000th Issue Celebration
(See Secretary’s Notes, p. 7, August 1986
Proceedings)
Captain Roy C. Smith III, U.
(Retired)—The August Secretary s j reminded me of how grateful and PT°^. was to have one of my Proceeding^ cles in the same display case wit likes of Alfred Mahan, Ernest ^
Chester Nimitz, Bud MacFarlane, _
liam Crowe, and other highly °IS ^ guished officers. It was, however^ even greater thrill to have my article that case with one by my father--' only father-and-son combination re" sented there.
The simple reason for this was t wrote the 50th year of publication versary article, and I, at the urging then-editor of Proceedings, Clay B ^ wrote the 100th—though neither nor I remembered Dad’s 50th at the ^at I thank the Naval Institute again 1° opportunity.
The U. S. Naval Institute is proud to announce its third annual Arleigh Burke Essay Contest, which replaces the former annual General Prize Essay Contest.
Three essays will be selected for prizes.
Anyone is eligible to enter and win. First prize earns S2.000, a Gold Medal, and a Life
Membership in the Naval Institute. First Honorable Mention wins 31,000 and a Silver Medal. Second Honorable Mention wins S750 and a Bronze Medal.
The topic of the essay must relate to the objective of the U. S. Naval Institute: “The
rary,
and
advancement of professional scientific knowledge in the naval ano e time services, and the advancement o
knowledge of sea power.”
Essays will be judged by the Edit01 Board of the U. S. Naval Institute.
rial
Entry Rules
- Essays must be original, must not exceed 4,000 words, and must not have been previously published. An exact word count must appear on the title page.
- All entries should be directed to: Publisher, U. S. Naval Institute, Annapolis, Maryland 21402.
- Essays must be received on or before 1 December 1986 at the U. S. Naval Institute.
- The name of the author shall not appear on the essay. Each author shall assign a motto in addition to a title to the essay. This motto shall appear (a) on the title page of the essay, with the title, in lieu of the author's name, and (b) by itself on the outside of an accompanying sealed envelope containing the name and address of the essayist, the title of the essay, and the motto. This envelope will not be opened until the Editorial Board has made its final selections.
- J he awards will be presented to the winning essayist at the 113th Annual Meeting of the membership of the Naval Institute. Letters notifying the award winners will be mailed on or
about 7 February 1987, and the unsuccessful essays returned to their authors on that date.
Win $2,000
Arleigh Burke Essay Contest
6. All essays must be type'
Will be
writfef1.
double-spaced, on paper aPPr°^0
mately 8V6" x 11". Submit complete copies. -bie
7. The winning and bor!?s^ed mention essays will be Pub' rl0t in the Proceedings. ^ssa^eCted awarded a prize may be se ,. oS. for publication in the Procee
The writers of such essays 1(ap. compensated at the rate e
lished for purchase of articl^Sand/ 3 contest should be analXta^rative'
8. An essay entered in this or interpretive, not merely an exposition, a personal or a report.
Caution: Do not exceed 4,000 words!
1986
Deadline: 1 December ^
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“Death of a Captain”
(See H. L. Buell, pp. 92-96, February 1986;
F. G. Sanford, p. 16, April 1986; W. A.
Moffett, p. 90, June 1986 Proceedings)
W. J. Valentine, U. S. Naval Academy, Class of 1939—Admiral Moffett aptly illustrated the difficult decisions editors must make when he noted several things that the Proceedings’ editors should have done differently, or not at all, such as:
- Do not belittle deceased members of the naval profession; they are unable to defend themselves.
- Do not emphasize that a Naval Institute book urges that naval aviators should just be aviators, and nothing more, when it is not Navy doctrine.
- Finally, the editor has the right, duty, and wisdom to differentiate between a “close call and a strike-out,” and should do so.
An editor does have the right to make close calls. But, he has learned that for all his wisdom, he does not always know what his readers will think of everything he publishes. So he sets the opinions of others aside and judges on story value: Is it something he believes his readers should know? (Not: Will it hurt someone’s feelings? Or, will it go against professional doctrine? Or, will it repeat what might be an apocryphal story?) He sticks with his judgment, and awaits the letters and comments. And they will come.
Editing for military readers is special. When a military publication opens up subjects to fellow professionals, it also opens a Pandora’s Box into which civilians like to look. Americans love to criticize: It’s a right; it’s a duty; it’s free speech!
The editor must not let his readers retreat into the convenient shell of professionalism, withdrawing behind a “we know best” attitude. This could damage both the profession and the credibility of his publication. The test for the editor of a naval publication is: “Will professional and general knowledge of this story contribute to the ability of the Navy to carry out its duty to protect and defend the United States from all enemies, foreign and domestic?”
Americans give blind obedience to nothing and to no one. They must know. U. S. publications, general and professional, constitute a communication system essential to our nation’s vitality.
The security of the United States is so important that the people’s understanding of our defense must be constantly sought— and satisfied. The military can accomplish this only by talking and writing openly about everything and anything that has a bearing on how best to provide national security. It will benefit the profession and the people that it protects.
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“Death of a Captain”
(See H. L. Buell, pp. 92-96, February 1986; F. G. Sanford, p. 16, April 1986; W. A. Moffett, p. 90, June 1986 Proceedings)
Leadership Essay Contest
(See S. R. Lackey, p. 91, June 1986
Proceedings)
Lieutenant Commander R. L. Kile, U. S. Navy (Retired)—I add my voice to that of Admiral Moffett in condemnation of “Death of a Captain.” I read that article with amazement tinged with disgust, that the Proceedings would give space to further an obvious personal vendetta.
On the other side of the coin, I was pleased to read the letter from Air Con- trolman Scott Lackey. This young man should write for the Leadership Forum. I, for one, would be interested in hearing from one of the followers, as he terms himself, as a change from the series of leaders and would-be leaders. I am inclined to think we all might learn something new from Air Controlman Lackey.
Sea Cadets
Greg Freeman, Sea Cadet Recruit, Arizona Division—I am a relatively young member of the U. S. Naval Institute, but I would like to introduce a subject to these pages which I haven’t seen addressed before in Proceedings. The U. S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps is a branch of the U. S. Navy Recruiting Command. Sea Cadets wear regular Navy uniforms marked with the Sea Cadet insignia. There are more than 200 Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCCs) from almost every state of the nation, including Puerto Rico, and one in Iceland, with an approximate total of 7,000 cadets. The NSCC takes young men and women between fourteen and seventeen years of age who have an interest in the sea. Sea Cadets are given the opportunity to enter the Navy or Coast Guard at an advanced pay grade and rating. Many Sea Cadets enter the Navy, Marine Corps, or Coast Guard, already knowing in which area they would like to work. In 1985, seven graduating cadets entered the U. S. Naval Academy, 360 entered the Navy as enlisted personnel, and 30 attended either Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps, Officer Candidate School, or Aviation Officer Candidate School. Altogether, 59% of the Sea Cadets eligible for enlistment in 1985 enlisted in the Navy.
The NSCC gives cadets a taste of real Navy life. Cadets are sent to an abbreviated 17-day regular Navy boot camp (at Orlando, Great Lakes, San Diego, or others), and are instructed by actual Navy company commanders. After the summer of boot camp, cadets go to Navy specialty schools of their choice—from Airman’s School, to Underwater Demolition/SEAL Training, Seabee Indoctrination, Submarine Orientation, or even Music School— where they learn skills taught to regular Navy, in order to become better seamen.
Cadets are required to have the same amount of book training as regular Navy recruits. They drill at Navy or Marine Corps reserve centers, and are included in all reserve training evolutions at many centers. With transportation provided by the Navy Recruiting Command, cadets travel to train on Navy ships in port about six times a year. Some cadets from my division were able to tour the nuclear attack submarine USS Pollack (SSN-603) in San Diego harbor; others visited Luke Air Force Base to practice in simulators and to train in firefighting with the base fire department.
Sea Cadet instructors are civilians, former or retired Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel, or members of the Naval Reserve—all of whom show a great deal of pride in their young charges. Most units are sponsored by Navy League councils. Sea Cadets do a lot for the community, but are rarely acknowledged. At the ten-kilometer run for the Make-a-Wish Foundation held in Scottsdale, Arizona, cadets provided security, manned aid stations along the way, and cleaned up afterwards. Also in Scottsdale, the cadets provided security, crowd control, and ground crews for the
Navy Hot Air Balloon Show this April. They also work at historical ^ War II air shows, with daily crow ^ more than 26,000, parking cars ^ working as crowd control personne • ^ they frequently serve as assistants a Navy hospital unit in Phoenix.
I know two cadets who did the tremendous favor. Petty Officer* pjcjc- Cox (now a midshipman) and ^.c0tt0p the ering (now the leading petty o^'ce5 bj0us division) were on board the arnP ' assault ship USS Peleliu (LHA--) ^
two fires started. The first was Putgg(;0ntl the cadets themselves. The s#aS headed toward the jet fuel lines an-jaVy fought by the cadets until regular ^ personnel arrived and extinguis e ^ The commanding officer of the sent letters of commendation sta,tin^orts, if it were not for the two cadets e ^ the ship would have been severe y ^en aged and several lives would ^s
lost. He recommended that both receive the highest NSCC honors- ^
There is a problem: although tribute greatly to the Navy, y°a ^aVal ever hear anything about the U. • g0.
Sea Cadet Corps. Therefore, youn‘'jsjavy pie who might be interested in a( jsjot career never get a chance to try it only do Sea Cadets help the Navy also help the community.
• o lives
From plugging leaks to saV,n8s|,jpSt while training on board Navy ,rlCr Sea Cadets demonstrate their ^ tion as young service professto
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