That's Just Stupid

This is why the only thing I watched during both conventions was Bill Clinton. Hey - I used to work for the guy, I had to watch him. Otherwise... this is stupid.

On the last night of the Democratic National Convention, a retired Navy four-star took the stage to pay tribute to veterans. Behind him, on a giant screen, the image of four hulking warships reinforced his patriotic message.

But there was a big mistake in the stirring backdrop: those are Russian warships.

While retired Adm. John Nathman, a former commander of Fleet Forces Command, honored vets as America’s best, the ships from the Russian Federation Navy were arrayed like sentinels on the big screen above.

These were the very Soviet-era combatants that Nathman and Cold Warriors like him had once squared off against.

“The ships are definitely Russian,” said noted naval author Norman Polmar after reviewing hi-resolution photos from the event. “There’s no question of that in my mind.”

Naval experts concluded the background was a photo composite of Russian ships that were overflown by what appear to be U.S. trainer jets. It remains unclear how or why the Democratic Party used what’s believed to be images of the Russian Black Sea Fleet at their convention.

Does it matter how or why, because ultimately there is simply no valid explanation absent the word "stupid."

Did they Photoshop in the aircraft? Attention political folks - next time steal from Navy.mil, I do!

9/11

That String of Pearls Floats As Well

 Did you catch the article For China Boss, Deep-Water Rigs Are a 'Strategic Weapon' in the Wall Street Journal? I think it is one of the most thought provoking articles of the summer, because it has a directly attributed quote you need to pay attention to.

When China launched its first deep-water oil rig in May, Cnooc Ltd. CEO Chairman Wang Yilin delivered a message to employees and his Communist Party superiors about what it meant to Beijing's ambitions abroad.

"Large-scale deep-water rigs are our mobile national territory and a strategic weapon," he told a crowd gathered at Cnooc's glittering headquarters in central Beijing as well as rig workers by videoconference.

State-controlled Cnooc is using the rig to drill three wells this year in the South China Sea—an area with overlapping claims by China and other surrounding nations and an increasingly sore friction point between Beijing and Washington.

Mr. Wang now is spearheading Cnooc's $15.1 billion offer to acquire Canada's Nexen Inc., a blockbuster deal that needs U.S. regulatory approval because of Nexen's energy assets in the Gulf of Mexico.

It is the latest deal in a dual role that Mr. Wang has assumed since taking Cnooc's reins last year: running his company as a profit-driven multinational enterprise overseas, and promoting it as a political and strategic asset at home.

I don't really care what 95% of the PLA folks say, because only what 5% of the PLA folks actually matters. I also care quite a bit about what the top 5% of politically connected CEOs say in China, and CEO Chairman Wang Yilin qualifies.

Martin Murphy has written up a great analysis of this story.

Burn the Power Point Before Picking Up the Pen

Well this isn't very original... read all three of these.

U.S. Navy protecting our nation's interests every day by Rear Admiral Asbjornsen
Rear Admiral Asbjornsen is Deputy Commander, Navy Region Northwest.

Call them America’s ‘Away Team’ by Rear Admiral Pybus
Rear Admiral Pybus is Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command.

How the Navy protects America by Rear Admiral Klein
Rear Admiral Margaret DeLuca "Peg" Klein is Chief of Staff, U. S. Cyber Command.

I wonder if there is a "Rear Admiral's Memo" out there somewhere that instructs towards public engagement or if this is just a wild coincidence? Wait, no I don't, because we all know the answer...

These are not the same editorial, although you have to look very closely to realize that, and all three editorials clearly used the same set of talking points. A big part of me likes the active engagement by leadership aspect of these editorials, but another part of me wonders why everyone in the lower Flag ranks - who are otherwise interesting and intelligent - must resort to boiler plate templates to write about the US Navy.

I'm pretty sure the average member of Sailor Bob can execute 8 original paragraphs in support of the US Navy even if tasked after a 16 hour shift on the bridge wing during a hurricane, so why is it the average Flag Officer cannot manage 8 original paragraphs from their desk in an air conditioned office? I believe the reason is because one must practice to be good at anything, and these folks are out of practice. This isn't leadership, indeed these three articles collectively represent a good example of what not to do.

Rear Admiral Pybus comes from the SEAL community while both Rear Admiral Asbjornsen and Rear Admiral Klein are aviators. Rear Admiral Asbjornsen has a ton of experience in academics and education, and Rear Admiral Klein is Chief of Staff at US Cyber Command. These are otherwise remarkably interesting, well educated, smart Navy leaders - who are collectively - apparently - only capable of writing from the same set of talking points?

Strategic Communication by the Navy to domestic audiences can and must do much better than this, because the only reason I am even noting any of these articles is because they are all collectively the same boring article written in a different way... and I might be the only person who actually notes any of the three articles by the end of the week. This looks like assembly line communication - because it almost certainly is! Want to write Rear Admiral? Then tell your story, not only will the taxpayers appreciate that story 10x more, but those under your command will as well.

And now I will point out the obvious. Strategic Communications was absent in the NOC. It shows. I remember having a conversation with (then Captain now Rear Admiral) Mark Montgomery about STRATCOM being absent in the NOC after the NOC was released, and he acknowledged and very much regretted the absence of Strategic Communication in the NOC. He knew it was important, he fought for it, and he lost that internal fight. Sir, you were right, and even though you have moved on - your replacement now has very visible data points to make the argument for next time.

Templates are useful for newbies. 25+ years of Navy service combined with advanced education degrees should be enough to qualify every Rear Admiral to be original and unique when writing about the Navy they have given an entire career and life to. If for any reason that isn't enough of a qualification, then it should be stated outright those folks were not prepared during their career path to execute their role as a Flag officer in the modern US Navy, because Strategic Communications today is a critical, undeveloped and under appreciated aspect of leadership in the modern US Navy today - whether the audience is foreign or domestic.

Ex Ex Varyag

About damn time:

China will name its first aircraft carrier "Liaoning" in honor of the province where it was retrofitted, the Southern Metropolitan Daily reported, citing an authoritative source. The paper confirmed that officials decided to name the carrier to commend the province where it was renovated and repaired, thus Liaoning. The carrier, often referred to by its original name Varyag, is a retired Soviet-era vessel that China bought from Ukraine in the late 1990s. The carrier was later harbored in Dalian, Liaoning Province, where it was retrofitted. The vessel began sea trails in August 2011 and on September 3 received the side designation "16," prompting speculation that the vessel had completed basic trails and would soon be commissioned. The carrier's name has been a topic of interest for some time, and many netizens opined that it was likely to be named after Shi Lang, a well-known general during the Qing Dynasty, or the former leader Mao Zedong, or even the capital city of Beijing.