Inside the Headquarters

We’ve looked back at 2008 and reviewed some of our favorite topics. A few are synopsized below, introduced by book ideas we’d like to see. 

Stodgy White Boys: A Service Chief’s Guide to Race-Based Awards. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughhead has penchant for his Navy as well as race-based awards. As we reported March 3, Roughhead explained, “It [endorsement of race-based awards] recognizes us as an organization that values diversity, that puts a premium on diversity, but it also shows the excellence that exists within the Navy. I believe it just speaks volumes about who we are and what we stand for.” That’s right, Gary. An organization of stodgy white status-quo-hungry males needs such awards to appear less so. We must note, no one in the Navy said this or implied the Navy is stodgy or white. This is from staff observations (inside their stodgy White Boy World.)   

Highway to Hell: The History of the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). We could not get enough on this gem, and apparently nor could the Navy or rival contract hunters Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics. This fast, maneuverable, versatile, and shallow-water capable vessel was an idea that could not miss. But the Navy’s Program Executive Office Ships has never met a change it could resist. (Damn the Budget! Full Speed Ahead!) While the road to Hell may be paved with good intentions, the LCS Speedway to Satan carries the cost differential between the original $220 million a ship and the now nearly $600 million price tag. Despite the Navy’s best efforts to blow this project out of the water, the USS Freedom (LCS 1) has made her maiden voyage, her sister is not far behind, and another 60-plus may lie ahead. 

The Rise and Fall of DDG 1000: Billions on the Path to Self-Discovery. We’re still stumped by this one. The Navy was determined to have a new destroyer different from those of the past. Maybe it was a dare? DDG 1000 boasted an unstable platform further challenged by myriad, unnecessary capabilities. In July, the Navy slashed the number of the Zumwalt class from a whopping seven to two with plans to cancel the program, followed by reports of a third ship. This project that has spanned more than 15 years has devoured in excess of $10 billion, if one counts the Zumie One and Zumie Two. Lessons learned? Tell ‘em what they want to hear. 

Buck Sloane and the Great TRAVEL-ing Red Herring Fishing Expedition. In “OSD PA, ‘You Can’t Handle the Truth,’ “ we told you how Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Buck Sloane (not his real name) languishes at Headquarters Marine Corps as he awaits the “outcome” of a DoD investigation into an item that had little to do with his previous tour as deputy commanding general, Multi-National Force — Iraq (Detainee Operations) and commanding general, Task Force 134, Baghdad, Iraq. The consensus seems to be he can take a nothing day and suddenly make it all seem worthwhile, according to those who watched the (miraculous) transformation of detainee ops in Iraq. In July, Sloane received Senate approval for his third star and command of Marine Forces Reserve. So why the investigation? Professional jealousy? Why the secrecy? Why did five headquarters avoid questions or mislead us? Why was the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs yelling? Can anyone be trusted? Magic Eight Ball says: Very doubtful. 

U.S. Naval Institute: A Century of Service and Decade of Disaster. On Nov. 24, we reported the firing of USNI’ Proceedings editor Robert Timberg.  He is just one in a long line “pushed out” of the U.S. Naval Institute by current CEO Tom Wilkerson. We’re confident we’ll hear more from this crew in the coming year.

The Navy is hawking the advantages of its littoral combat ship (LCS) and exploiting the overexposed Somali financial freedom fighters to underscore increases in LCS orders. 

Any port in a storm. 

Navy officials recently announced the service might order 64 or more of the swift, shallow-water vessels, up from the 55 planned. “Concerned” over the challenges posed by Somali pirates, officials opined if the Navy had its LCSs (now), these darlings of the sea could go a long way in dealing with the pirates. 

The USS Freedom (LCS 1) is coming off what has been seen as a successful maiden voyage. But does it make sense for Freedom and her sisters to go mano a mano with boatloads of Blackbeards? 

Recent estimates put the pirates’ booty at $30 million. That is a mere 30 million ducats in total ransoms collected by Capt. Jack Sparrow and his Somali shipmates. While the LCS has maintained its heading on its planned brown-water capability, costs have ballooned from $220 million nearly $600 million a ship. It seems ill-advised to dispatch a big-bucks vessel with her crew of 40-50 into the shallow waters off the Somali or Kenyan Riviera. (Hot pursuit or not, even ‘Nam swift boat guru and former presidential candidate Capt. Jack Sparrow and his Somali shipmates. While the LCS has maintained its heading on its planned brown-water capability, costs have ballooned from $220 million nearly $600 million a ship. It seems ill-advised to dispatch a big-bucks vessel with her crew of 40-50 into the shallow waters off the Somali or Kenyan Riviera. (Hot pursuit or not, even ‘Nam swift boat guru and former presidential candidate Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry (D) just expressed similar concerns.) We’ll crawl out on a boom here and guess that several smaller and heavily armed boats might make more sense. 

Freedom’s Lockheed Martin and General Dynamics, mothership to the USS Independence (LCS 2), still are vying for the America’s Top Model crown and the right to build the 55 or 64 vessels. Both companies have been courting potential purchasers like Saudi Arabia. (Maybe the Somalis are interested, too.) 

The ship reportedly has achieved speeds just over 47 knots (the Navy quotes 45) and can enter shallow (20-foot) water. The two designs differ and offer their own advantages. Lockheed uses a high monohull while General Dynamics boasts a trimaran hull. 

Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Va., will be home to the Freedom until she moves to a permanent berth in San Diego. 

Sixty-four of these vessels will push the Navy well past its goal of 313 ships and closer to 340. It seems the Navy will bilk (uh, milk) this pirate “crisis” for more than it’s worth.

There’s a hot secondary market for even “hotter” defense-related items. Forget the Defense Logistic Agency’s massive Government Liquidation auction Web site. And we’re not talking about Defense-sanctioned foreign military sales.

Welcome to the dark, duplicitous world of eBay and Craigslist. And say “Hello” to the clandestine side of the GAO.

From January 2007 through March 2008, GAO investigators went “undercover” and found these sites to be a hotbed of illegal — but profitable — activity. The title of its April 2008 report sums it up: “Undercover Purchases on eBay and Craigslist Reveal a Market for Sensitive and Stolen U.S. Military Items.” 

The GAO found controlled items such as F-14 components; nuclear, biological and chemical gear; body armor; and night vision goggles for sale. One item, an F-14 antenna, for example, is restricted for overseas sale. (We stopped selling F-14 parts to Iran in 2007.) It seems the antenna erroneously was sold through the Government Liquidation site before it made its debut on eBay.

While eBay and Craigslist were the subjects of the inquiry, the true challenge seems to be stopping the supply of these items. Sloppy work in disposal is one issue. A more difficult challenge lies with the suppliers: servicemembers who sell their ill-gotten goods. While not a threat to national security, stolen Meals-Ready-to-Eat (MREs) are a top eBay seller.

Our interest was piqued. MREs are, in fact, plentiful and available for $50 a case. A reader found a “Spec Ops Armor Vest” in Colorado Springs, Colo. Given the specific location, we can guess two things: the seller is possibly a soldier in 10th Special Forces Group and he’s not particularly bright. Another seller offered two tactical body armor vests complete with Kevlar inserts. None of these items is cleared for public sale.

While Iran might be watching for F-14 antennas, and terror elements could put that pair of night vision goggles to good use, these operations probably have better sources for the gear they need, maybe straight from the U.S. supply chain. The GAO might want to go undercover and study the conga line of gear out of warehouse door. 

The condition can be debilitating. Ruinous. In what could be termed a severe case of hoarding, the Government Accountability Office has found that the Navy keeps $7.5 billion in unneeded spare parts above its $18.7 billion secondary inventory.

But how accurate is this study? Where does the Navy store so much gear? Those $7.5 big ones could buy at least 10 littoral combat ships. Cha-ching.

Since 1990 the GAO has pegged the Defense Department’s inventory management as a “high-risk” area. For this latest study, the GAO poured over Navy inventories from fiscal 2004 through 2007. The Navy’s path to the poor house seemed no surprise (at least on paper) to the GAO sleuths who have been in these troubled waters before. According to the GAO polling, Navy managers frequently explained that the excesses were due to changes in demand. The GAO debunked Navy reasoning and found a service deficient in planning as well as management.

While these findings may be accurate, it seems the GAO did not physically verify even a sampling of items. Oddly, it went off information obtained from the Navy managers running the systems it was investigating.

The GAO found that many of the excess items would satisfy requirements for years to come. Nearly one third was obsolete or unserviceable and would never be used according to the report. That much gear may only exist on paper.

Typically items, like the GAO’s example of $3.6 million worth of 13,852 fan blades showing zero demand would be dropped by the Navy and shipped out. If they had become as “loss,” the blades would be handled as such during and inventory. Those blades may be long gone but may continue to live on paper. The managers may be as bad as the GAO says, but they’re not schlepping 13,852 fan blades. (Nor are they counting them.)

Earlier studies (dating back to 1973!) have found weaknesses in the Navy’s inventory practices. Past corrective actions recommended by the GAO have not been implemented.

This time around, the GAO has recommended “that the Navy strengthen inventory management by incorporating cost-efficiency metrics and goals, evaluating and improving demand forecasting procedures, revising inventory management practices to better accommodate demand fluctuations, and enhancing oversight though the chief and deputy chief management officers.” That’s it? To carry an excess of more than $7 billion suggests additional issues like demand overrides and end-user hoarding, for example.

The GAO concluded: “Strengthening the Navy’s inventory management—while maintaining high levels of supply availability and meeting warfighter needs—could reduce support costs and free up funds for other needs.”

True, but maybe not for the reasons the GAO cites.

Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders had asked GAO to look into this matter. He praises the report, probably because it turned up exactly what he had hoped.

After reading blog-o-pinions about the Jan. 6 debut of ABC’s “Department of Homeland Security USA” reality series, we have been gathering additional episode ideas, just in case ABC has been reading our blog and seeks our advice. Two items are sure to be hits with viewers.

As reported by The Detroit News on Dec. 18, “A former U.S. Coast Guard petty officer pleaded guilty to extortion in federal court in Ann Arbor. Benjamin H. Bostic, 36, admitted to taking more than $30,000 from the family of an illegal alien seeking to avoid deportation.”

This story has everything DHS, ABC, and the reality show junkies who would watch the series could want. It has the hardworking, underrated Coast Guard. (Why not take a few extra dollars? Surely this guy earned it.) It has immigration issues—a feel-good story regardless of where one stands on this issue. Deportation? It just sends chills. Since Coastie Boy had been arrested and investigated we have lots of COPS, a crucial aspect with the target audience. One added bonus: America gets to see how versatile and profitable Coast Guard training can be. (There could be a spin-off show about Defense Contracting.)

Another item that will keep viewers riveted is the Coast Guard’s employment of the “low-voltage carp barrier.” The program’s goal is to keep Asian Bad Boy Monster Carp out of the Great Lakes. It does not get any more real than this. No, the carp barrier is not being used on people, though such concerns have delayed its deployment. Aside from unease over zapping humans, there is a dispute over the voltage that should be used. The Coasties prefer reduced juice, a fraction of what the scientists say will be effective. Zapping fish (and maybe the occasional recreational boater) for the greater good? It’s what the “USA” in the show’s title is all about.

We first reported the show Dec. 12. Our blog brethren have shared their thoughts about “Department of Homeland Security USA”:

“I fully expect the show to be a shill for the feds.”

“Really I do think some investigation into the origin, selection, promotion and funding of this program is necessary. It would not be the first time the present junta has used tax dollars for internal propaganda.”

“The executive producers expect the show to be a ratings hit, as they attempt to court the coveted 18-34 al-Qaida demographic.”

Many news agencies have been reporting on the resurgence of thievery on the high seas. The story may be receiving more attention than it’s worth because of our utter fascination with pirates. (ARRRGGGHHHH!) This latest search for tanker (ransom) treasure is a scrappy David vs. wealthy Goliath story and several defense blogs are weighing in with credible information one won’t see in any daily.

“War is Boring” and freelance thrill seeker David Axe goes to where the action is so you don’t have to. Axe has spent December in Mombasa, Kenya, to cover piracy. In his series “Axe vs. Pirates” he gives a personal look at the very real dangers in the region. The UN’s greenlighting of pirate pursuit inside Somalia (How did they work out the legal issues?) makes this a very good (or very bad) time to be chasing pirates in Africa.
A superb homeport for Navy blogdom, “Information Dissemination: Observations of an Armchair Admiral”  concludes that Somali piracy essentially is not a major issue for the U.S. when ranked with national priorities. It is not “counter to U.S. interests in Somalia.” The rerouting of a U.S. tanker, according to author “Galrahn,” costs all U.S. citizens less than a penny. The United States has more pressing (and costly) issues.

He notes that while Somalia is a major front in one of the priorities— fighting terrorism, piracy is an unrelated issue. The disarray in Somalia as a failed state allows for nuisances like piracy to flourish without interruption. The up side is that these thieves are driven by economics and not religious fanaticism. In fact, pirates’ motives are counter to those of radical Islam. “Galrahn” stops just short of the adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend.” The author also looks at how the current legal framework to deal with piracy is woefully out of date. He notes only the French have an evolved legal framework to that allows them to take pirates prisoner. (That maybe why a recent NPR report was made from a French vessel. )
Could the Somali pirates be a part of a solution as the author suggests? If you want a serious discussion of the issues, go to Information Dissemination. If you want some perilous globetrotting with “Gee-I’m-face-to-face-with-real-pirates-and-maybe-this-was-not-such-a-good-idea” flair, take a look at “Axe vs. Pirates.”

Don’t we all wish we were David Axe in some way?

Michelle Howard seems to be known at the first black female to command a ship, not that we (or she!) knew race was an issue for ship drivers. Our guess is the rear admiral and 1982 graduate from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md., would prefer her race and gender rank far down the list of noteworthy accomplishments.

Howard is slated to head Expeditionary Strike Group 2 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/navy/esg2.htm  based in Norfolk, Va. This is a big deal.

The admiral’s bio lists the litany of ships on which she has served. She has been a chief engineer. She has commanded the dock-landing ship Rushmore (LSD 47). She also commanded Amphibious Squadron Seven.

She has also gone by the names Constance and Antigone.

Howard’s bio does not talk about her days as a thespian, though most who fell in love with Shakespeare (and other actors) will recall her as gifted on stage as off. Michelle Howard was a Masquerader. Then a group of renegade misfits, Howard was a favorite of group advisor and English professor Mike Jasperso, who cast her in a number of productions including Hermia in the hilarious and inspired “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” 

She was Constance in the 1980 production of “The Three Musketeers.” The next year, she played the title role in “Antigone,” and her last turn on stage in the stately Mahan Hall was as Lady Amaranth in “Wild Oats.”

Howard seemed to be one of the most normal and well-adjusted mids — regardless of gender. She would have none of the Hall nonsense in the miscreant acting troupe. Our association was brief, but, for some reason, we have never forgotten her.

Nor has the Navy. Expeditionary Strike Group 2 (ESG 2) is the former Amphibious Group 2 that was disestablished at the end of 2006. Amphibs might not be the sexiest in the Navy’s whopping collection of 280 or so ships, but ESG 2 has the crucial mission of transporting a Marine expeditionary unit where it’s needed.

Admiral, not bad for a starving artist.

Sometimes it’s good to open junk mail.

The VFW has a new outreach organization exclusively for women. “She Serves” is a simple, yet brilliant recruiting tool targeting an underserved population. 

Though female veterans seem to have long been ignored in the veteran service organization world, one must wonder if a gender-exclusive campaign is justified. The VFW seems to think so and public affairs director Jerry Newberry could not be more enthused about the program.

“She Serves gives women a place specifically for them to connect and communicate. It helps with issues unique to women,” explained Newberry. Unless you are talking certain medical issues (childbirth in a combat zone?), we are unclear what items are so unique to women in military service, especially in 2008. An unscientific review of Internet “chat” groups for female servicemembers, for example, has turned up the mother load of depressing gripe sessions. Some seem to use these groups as a replacement for the therapist they really need. But we digress.

She Serves is about membership in the VFW, an organization with an aging cadre. Newberry says that’s clear in the mail campaign. VFW membership seemed to be downplayed in the letter, though Newberry disagreed. We wondered, does a 28-year-old Britney Spears wannabe want to join a bunch of older stodgy white boys (OK, maybe she does) or a hip clique of combat-hardened chicks. We’d pick door number two!

“Club Chick” skews young. Probably the under-35 crowd. The push on the MySpace.com and Facebook.com, associations were one clue, though the VFW admittedly as no control over these sites.

The requirements are the same as for the VFW: honorable service in a conflict zone. If you were stuck in the U.S. during the Cold War, well, the application seems to take whatever info you input, not that we’d ever advocate misinformation. (One VFW headquarters representative confessed they do not track quite a bit of the information, including conflict area. We’re not so sure about that, though the irony makes for a good story.)

For the $35 membership fee, you get a subscription to th VFW magazine and discounts on Dell computers and Sprint cell phone service, for example. Members also receive “personal assistance securing government benefits and entitlements for veterans.” No Ginsu knives, but not bad.

It will be interesting if other veteran organizations begin to target underserved populations. A tweak here and there can customize the VFW effort to target the hot group du jour.  

What had been the imminent takeover of Marine Forces Reserve has been delayed for months, and service reps remain evasive on the details.

According to military sources with knowledge of the matter, Maj. Gen. Buck Sloane (not his real name), who is slated to take the helm at Marine Forces Reserve, might be the subject of an investigation stemming from what widely has been touted as a successful stint in the world of Iraq detainee operations. One source emphatically called the charges against Sloane “BOGUS!” and expected all to be resolved soon.

Sloane, a hit with Marines as well as U.S. Central Command Chief Gen. “King” David Petraeus, seems to have a “second coming” track record. He was a media darling as deputy commanding general, Multi-National Force — Iraq (Detainee Operations) and commanding general, Task Force 134, Baghdad, Iraq, discussing the work he was doing in the area of detainee operations in the post-Abu Ghraib world. Buck and the boys also seemed to have met with success in the crucial area of rebuilding trust in U.S. forces. After his return to the U.S., blogsters were abuzz about what he could do to assist in the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detainee arena. When we spoke with him earlier this year (an opportunity helped along by a mutual friend), Sloane was warm, funny, gracious, and refreshingly honest.

Sloane was tapped by Corps Commandant Gen. James T. Conway in early 2008 for the top reserve job. (We reported it April 4, thanks to a source.) On July 23, he was cleared by the Senate for his third star and for his waiting post as commander Marine Forces Reserve.

So, where’s Buck? Lt. Gen. John W. Bergman continues to honcho the New Orleans-based headquarters.

To confirm our information, we called the public affair offices of: Marine Corps Forces Central Command, Marine Forces Reserve, Headquarters Marine Corps, U.S. Central Command, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. It was the doe-eyed sounding and nervous captain at Headquarters Marine Corps who wrote two weeks after our initial query:

“Maj. Gen. [Sloane] is scheduled to be promoted to lieutenant general and assume command of Marine Forces Reserve in January 2009. A specific date has not yet been set. He is currently assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps while awaiting his next assignment. Questions about the timing between his
confirmation and assumption of command should be directed to [DoD].  Their phone number is …”

Actually the Sloane-Bergman swamp stomp originally was scheduled for Sept. 5, 2008. According to sources, Hurricane Gustav conveniently threatened the region around the same time, allowing the Corps to change of command without revealing details about the investigation. That date was later nudged to October 2008. It is now December.

It’s moments like talking to a hostile Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) that make one feel alive. We called, explained what we knew, posed our questions, and listened to the gentleman at OSD yell. He was, in fact, yelling at us, so we restated our questions and submitted them in writing. It seemed we had struck a nerve.

OSD’s official response: “We do not have anything for you on this.”

We thanked them for their efforts and decided to go with our sources.

The Sloane Affair is curious. Why the coordinated secrecy? It might have more to do with squashing anything but rose-petal-and-puppy stories in the world of detainee operations than it does with Sloane. It might have nothing to do with detainees in Iraq. So who’s pegged the Secr-O-Meter? Defense Secretary (and Occasional Superhero) Robert M. Gates? State? POTUS? (We love that acronym.) Add a beleaguered DoD IG (involvement unclear) to the mix and you get screaming OSD desk officers.

“BOGUS!” charges?  Delayed promotions? A denied “second coming?”

Buck Sloane, International Man of Mystery, we await.

We were roused from a Grey’s Anatomy-induced stupor by an advertisement for a new series. It seemed to be a spoof on reality show TV.

“Homeland Security USA,” said the announcer. Since there was no “gotcha’ moment or announcer to confess the joke was on the viewer, it became painfully obvious that ABC would, in fact, air a reality show about the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Not only it is true, but ABC has announced that at least four agencies from the DHS Dollar Menu have signed onto the project: Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Transportation Security Administration, and the Coast Guard.

The “catch” seems to be that we have ABC’s version of DHS’s rendition of “Cops,” Fox’s wildly successful (and cost-effective) series that follows real police officers as they bust shirtless schleps. Why people are shirtless when taken into custody remains one of life’s mysteries. Regardless “Cops,” in its 21st season, wins its Saturday night mullet-pleasing time slot almost every time.

Cops. Cops on the Border. Cops at the Airport. Cops on the Water. Cops! Cops! Cops! All cops, all the time.

But will anyone watch DHS cops? Apparently ABC thinks so. “Homeland Security USA” will air opposite another Fox juggernaut, “American Idol.” Internet skeptics already have labeled the new show as propaganda. (Shocking!) There seem to be concerned “According to Jim” fans out there. Somewhere. Jilted devotees of “Pushing Daisies” and “Eli Stone” appear to hope that ABC’s interest in DHS might signal hope for their shows.

Originally titled “Border Security USA,” the show is a takeoff of a similar Australian series. We sense Border Boys may give Dog the Bounty Hunter a run for his hard-earned money.

According to executive producer Arnold Shapiro, who says the show puts DHS in a good light. “This show is heartening. It makes you feel good about these people who are doing their best to protect us,” he said.

Maybe the show has a future on the Disney Channel.

Border Boys, Border Boys where ya gonna go?