Bureaucrats’ Influence on Sea Power

It should come as no surprise to readers that the state of the United States Navy is similar to the state of the U.S. civil service writ large — bloated, slow, indecisive, and struggling to execute its core function. Once a dynamic fighting force able to seize control of the globe’s two largest oceans, the Navy today is about as effective as a floating DMV. Long maintenance lines have left ships rusting and unimpressive. Young officers no longer seem to desire squadron or ship command, once prestigious and coveted postings. Talent leaves early, mediocrity is tenured.

The Navy has a new boss, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and with her new posting come formidable challenges. The service has been captured by bureaucrats, timid officers, and civil servants who have spent their careers chasing out promising young officers who took a look around their ships and said to hell with this. You can find many of these top performing junior grades on Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and in prominent international law firms. These days they are harder to come by in the fleet. Franchetti is well regarded in military circles, considered a natural and gifted leader. With the threat from China dire, hopes are that she can return the Navy to a “meat-eating” mindset. That is, a culture that builds out dynamic war-winning leaders and ceases the practice of mindless promotion of leaf-eating bureaucrats and administrators to the senior ranks.

About the Author

John Noonan

John Noonan is an adviser to POLARIS National Security. He is a former congressional staffer and veteran of the United States Air Force.

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It should come as no surprise to readers that the state of the United States Navy is similar to the state of the U.S. civil service writ large — bloated, slow, indecisive, and struggling to execute its core function. Once a dynamic fighting force able to seize control of the globe’s two largest oceans, the Navy today is about as effective as a floating DMV. Long maintenance lines have left ships rusting and unimpressive. Young officers no longer seem to desire squadron or ship command, once prestigious and coveted postings. Talent leaves early, mediocrity is tenured.

The Navy has a new boss, Admiral Lisa Franchetti, and with her new posting come formidable challenges. The service has been captured by bureaucrats, timid officers, and civil servants who have spent their careers chasing out promising young officers who took a look around their ships and said to hell with this. You can find many of these top performing junior grades on Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and in prominent international law firms. These days they are harder to come by in the fleet. Franchetti is well regarded in military circles, considered a natural and gifted leader. With the threat from China dire, hopes are that she can return the Navy to a “meat-eating” mindset. That is, a culture that builds out dynamic war-winning leaders and ceases the practice of mindless promotion of leaf-eating bureaucrats and administrators to the senior ranks.