{"id":104581,"date":"2024-09-25T14:10:40","date_gmt":"2024-09-25T19:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=104581"},"modified":"2024-09-25T14:10:40","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T19:10:40","slug":"104581","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/milesfortis.com\/?p=104581","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"

Perfect Biden-HARRIS Metaphor: Only Navy Oiler in ME Runs Aground, Springs Leaks.<\/a><\/p>\n

If there ever was a need for a poster child for the neglect and indifference that characterizes the Biden-HARRIS administration’s attitude towards governance, someone now could easily slap up a picture of the\u00a0USNS Big Horn<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The ship’s sad story has all the elements that are now bedeviling the Americans it serves thanks to the malevolent, arrogant, indifferent clowns who currently rule over us.<\/p>\n

Almost a year ago,\u00a0I wrote something I headlined<\/a>, “US Maritime Woes: God Forbid We Go to War.<\/strong><\/em>” I was trying to shine a light on the utterly shameful, almost downright criminal neglect with which the Biden-HARRIS administration had treated our US Merchant Marine Fleet. It operates under the auspices of the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), which belongs to the Department of Transportation (aka Mayor Pete) – perhaps you’re already beginning to sense part of the problem if you don’t remember or haven’t read the column.<\/p>\n

The administration has an “admiral” named as head of MARAD, one RADM Ann Phillips, who has performed exactly as damn near any other Biden cabinet secretary, particularly Mayor Pete – they haven’t seen her.<\/p>\n

…<\/strong>Maritime matters were a priority during the GHW Bush years, but<\/span>\u00a0really got revved u<\/a>p during Trump\u2019s term.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026During President Trump\u2019s administration, Maritime Administrator Commandant Mark Buzby instigated a tidal wave of change. He allocated hundreds of millions of dollars for training ships, activated the entire ready reserve fleet in significant naval Turbo Activations, personally handled media inquiries, engaged with sailors nationwide, and attended major events as a headline speaker.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Biden\u2019s current administrator, in contrast, has been\u00a0so\u00a0little engaged, she\u2019s earned her own call-sign, and it\u2019s not a compliment \u2013 \u201c\u2026who some call\u00a0the Ghost Admiral<\/strong>.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

She’s still in the post.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

A crisis was afoot because there were not enough American merchant mariners to crew our US-flagged maritime fleet, and a plan had been floated to allow foreigners to provide a second deep-water US merchant marine fleet in time of war. While that was being argued – the US merchant union firmly against the proposal – a bombshell came from Maersk shipping.<\/p>\n

…Against all this roiling in the background \u2013 with a completely disinterested, incompetent administrator (and administration) at the helm \u2013 word came at the end of September that Maersk, the largest shipping firm in the world, and the \u201cprinciple transportation partner\u00a0for the US military<\/em>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0was backing away from it\u2019s DoD contracts<\/a>. And picking up business from China.<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u2026According to Hanley, Maersk executive interviewed by gCaptain today, the company plans to maintain its support and investment in container services and the US Maritime Security Program. However,\u00a0it\u00a0has already divested its critical tanker fleet and contracts to manage military grey hull ships<\/em>. Maersk also was clear the recent divestiture of sale of assets\u00a0received the approval of key military stakeholders\u00a0including the US Maritime Administration (MARAD), Military Sealift Command (MSC) and the US Transportation Command (TRANSCOM).<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

How critical are those assets to the US Military? Very.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe\u00a0<\/span>Department of Defense is\u00a0projected<\/span>\u00a0to need on the order of one hundred tankers<\/a>\u00a0of various sizes in the event of a serious conflict in the Pacific<\/span><\/em>,\u201d said former Maersk executive Steve Carmel in a gCaptain editorial. \u201cNot only does the U.S. lack the tonnage required to support a major conflict in the Pacific,\u00a0it has no identifiable roadmap to obtain it.<\/em>\u201d<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Oh,\u00a0WELL DONE, GUYS<\/em>. Go ahead, sell it \u2013\u00a0who needs tankers anyway? Not us<\/em>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

I asked that rhetorically last year, and the Biden-HARRIS administration’s “Ghost Admiral,” Secretary Buttigieg, and neither the president nor his second in command seem to make it a priority.<\/p>\n

We didn’t have to wait for China to start something. Shifting assets to the Middle East that should be in the Pacific has brought the problem home much sooner.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0USNS Big Horn<\/em>, the Navy oiler for the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier group, ran aground yesterday off the coast of Oman and sprung a pretty decent leak.<\/p>\n

Oh, wait – did I give you the impression it was one of the oilers for the carrier group?<\/p>\n

Sorry about that.<\/p>\n

IT’S THE\u00a0ONLY OILER<\/strong>\u00a0FOR THE ENTIRE CARRIER GROUP<\/em><\/p>\n