Welcome to the CavasShips Podcast with Christopher P. Cavas and Chris Servello…a weekly podcast looking at naval and maritime events and issues of the day – in the US, across the seas and around the world.
This Week…With a unique location on Pennsylvania Avenue smack dab in the heart of the Nation’s Capital, the U.S. Navy Memorial is a very public reminder of the legacy and importance of those who serve and have served in the U.S. Navy. Under its current director, retired Rear Admiral Frank Thorp, the memorial has expanded its outreach to become more active and inviting to the public. We’ll talk with Admiral Thorp about how the public views the Navy’s history, heritage, roles and missions.
In this Week’s Squawk Chris Servello discusses the stand-up of the new Center for Maritime Security.
Please send us feedback by DM’ing @CavsShips or @CSSProvision or you can email chriscavas@gmail.com or cservello@defaeroreport.com .
This Week’s Naval Round Up:
US, Israeli, Bahraini and UAE forces began a Maritime Security Exercise in the Red Sea 10 Nov, with Marines from the 11th MEU aboard amphibious ship PORTLAND LSD27 taking part. These are part of a series of naval exercises taking place in the region, which have also included forces from Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Regional media has been portraying the exercises as, quote, moves to counter Iranian aggression.
Three US Navy ships continued operations in the Black Sea. Sixth Fleet flagship MOUNT WHITNEY, destroyer PORTER and oiler JOHN LENTHALL entered the sea over several days in late October and early November and have been accompanied by P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol planes. MOUNT WHITNEY and PORTER called at Batumi, Georgia on November 8 and arrived at Constanta, Romania on November 12. The moves come as Russian troops or their surrogates are again active in the contested Donbass region between Ukraine and Russia.
The future USNS HARVEY MILK was christened and launched November 7 at General Dynamics NASSCO in San Diego. The ship is the second of the new John Lewis class of fleet oilers. Milk, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors who was a Navy veteran, was shot and killed in 1978. The oiler is the first US Navy ship to be named for an openly gay person.
Two ships for the US Navy were christened on November 13. Huntington Ingalls Industries held a christening ceremony for the Virginia-class submarine NEW JERSEY at their Newport News, Virginia, shipyard, and in Mobile, Alabama, Austal USA christened the fast expeditionary transport APALACHICOLA. Both ships will continue fitting out before being later delivered to the US Navy and commissioned into service.
Also on November 13, the US Coast Guard’s heavy icebreaker POLAR STAR was to leave her homeport of Seattle to begin a deployment to Antarctica in support of Operation Deep Freeze. Many people are not aware that POLAR STAR and her now-decommissioned sistership POLAR SEA were built specifically to support the annual resupply mission to the South Polar region. This is the POLAR STAR’s first Deep Freeze mission since the 2019-2020 season, as last year’s mission was cancelled due to the pandemic.
SQUAWK BOX – SERVELLO
This week the Navy League of the United States announced the launch of the Center for Maritime Strategy, with retired Adm. Jamie Foggo as its dean. According to the Navy League, this think tank-like organization will conduct and support policy research and advocacy efforts across a broad spectrum of issues that impact the United States’ position as a maritime nation.
Both elements of the announcement are fantastic…the much needed stand-up of the Center for Maritime Strategy and Jamie Foggo as the Dean.
The brain child and passion project of friend of the pod Bryan McGrath, this Center positions the Navy League to actually do what it claims in its Charter…policy development and advocacy.
As someone who followed this effort closely, I’d offer three suggestions to ensure success for the new Center and for Admiral Foggo as its public face and Dean:
First…Be thoughtful, but also be inclusive and collaborative. There are many places around town that are in the naval thinking and advocacy business…and the primus inter pares or first among equals for those who didn’t take Latin…must play nice in the sandbox. In fact, I’d go so far as to offer some affiliation or regular dialogue with the Navy Memorial, Naval Institute, Hudson Center for Seapower and others. The Center must be collaborative in ideas, but also in engagement–unnecessary competition will only waterdown the effort and take away from the Center’s stated goal of strengthening the United States as a maritime nation.
Number Two…Develop sharp elbows. Again invoking Bryan McGrath, simply saying “we support the President’s budget” in press clippings and committee hearings cannot be an option. Admiral Foggo and the staff he leads must be passionate and vocal advocates for seapower and maritime security even if it goes against the CNO or SECNAV’s public position. They have to become the Sea Services Jiminy Cricket, The Conscious of Seapower…you get the jist.
And finally…Don’t be shy. The Dean and staff of the CMS should not spend the bulk of their time in that sweet office building in Clarendon, but rather must be visible and well known within Media, Hill and think-tank circles. If this organization is to move the needle they have to be out there in a big way. The aw-shucks, I’m only here to help approach by much of the retired flag community wont get it done. Foggo and his team have to become household names in the budget and national security strategy space.
For years the Army through AUSA and the Air Force through AFA’s Mitchell Institute have been eating the Navy’s lunch in the thoughtful advocacy space. I’m hopeful that with the right charter, and more importantly the right team, the Center for Maritime Security will energize and optimize the well intentioned and thoughtful…but disparate navalist community spread around Washington, DC and across the Fleet.
Once again…BZ to the Navy League Leadership and Congrats to Adm Foggo…please don’t mess this up.
