SECNAV nom: USN ‘troubled waters’

The President’s nominee for Navy Secretary blamed nearly a decade’s worth of Navy problems on a “breakdown” in leadership and culture during a May 7 Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing. Kenneth Braithwaite, a retired rear admiral and Vice Chief of Information, and ambassador to Norway, told the SASC in a prepared statement that the Navy was in “troubled waters” similar to the era of the 1991 Tailhook scandal. He cited numerous failures: Bribery of Navy officers in the Pacific; 2017 fatal ship collisions in the western Pacific; and the fallout from the COVID-19 outbreak on USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71). “It saddens me to say” among those issues the facts are “indicative of a breakdown in the trust of those leading the service,” he told the committee. Braithwaite said, if confirmed by the Senate, he would focus on improving the culture of the Navy. “Culture eats strategy for breakfast." He indicated that his No. 1 priority would be to restore good order and discipline. “I won’t say it’s broken. I think it’s been tarnished,” he continued. He did not specify the names of anyone in Navy active duty leadership circles. But, the instances he specified spanned the tenures of former SECNAVs Ray Mabus, Richard V. Spencer and acting SECNAV Thomas Modly. Beyond leadership issues, Braithwaite affirmed the Navy’s goal of developing at least a 355-ship Navy. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) quizzed Braithwaite for more details on the 355-ship fleet plan. “The way I calculate it ... an extra $20 billion would restore the curve and get us about where we need to be, combining shipbuilding and aircraft manufacturing,” Wicker hinted. Braithwaite didn’t talk cost, but cited an ongoing defense study into the Navy’s annual long-range shipbuilding plan and how he would serve as an advocate for a larger fleet. (Source: USNI News 05/07/20) One of the largest shipbuilding firms in America (HII) is located in part along the south Mississippi coast. https://news.usni.org/2020/05/07/braithwaite-to-sasc-navy-department-in-troubled-waters-due-to-leadership-lapses-tarnished-culture