Sunday there will be a streaming live interview that some of you might find interesting. It is on a podcast called Midrats. There is an opportunity to contribute to the discussion both by phone and using an online discussion tool. It would not hurt to have a little Coast Guard representation there as well to clarify how he sees the role of the Coast Guard in the National Fleet. If you miss it on Sunday, it is archived on line or you can pick it up on itunes. You can also find the connection through the USNI blog or through the Eaglespeak blog.
Below is a quote in full of the program description. I don’t think they will mind my passing it along.
Please join us at 5pm EST on 9 Nov 14 for for Midrats Episode 253: “The Fleet we Have, Want, and Need – with Jerry Hendrix”
What is the proper fleet structure for the USN as we design our Navy that will serve its nation in mid-Century?
Join us for a broad ranging discussion on this topic and more with returning guest, Henry J. Hendrix, Jr, CAPT USN (Ret.), PhD.
Fresh off his recent retirement from active duty, Jerry is a Senior Fellow and the Director of the Defense Strategies and Assessments Program at the Center for a New American Security (CNAS).
A Naval Flight Officer by training, his staff assignments include tours with the Chief of Naval Operation’s Executive Panel (N00K), the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (Force Development) and the OSD Office of Net Assessment.
His final position in uniform was the Director of Naval History.
Hendrix also served as the Navy Fellow to the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University. He has a Bachelor Degree in Political Science from Purdue University, Masters Degrees from the Naval Postgraduate School (National Security Affairs) and Harvard University (History) and received his doctorate from King’s College, London (War Studies).
He has twice been named the Samuel Eliot Morison Scholar by the Navy Historical Center in Washington, DC, and was also the Center’s 2005 Rear Admiral John D. Hays Fellow. He also held the Marine Corps’ General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr. Fellowship. He authored the book Theodore Roosevelt’s Naval Diplomacy and received a number of awards, including the United States Naval Institute’s Author of the Year and the Navy League’s Alfred T. Mahan Award for Literary Achievement.Listen in here (or use that link to pick the show up later) or visit us on iTunes.
Chuck Hill's CG Blog 
I’ll definitely keep this on the calendar, thanks for the heads up
What an interesting podcast. I have just listened to the episode covering the MSC; glad to hear the RFA mentioned several times.
There seems to be a difference in the restrictions placed on the use of MSC vessels compared with the use of RFA vessels. While the RFAs have been used for counter-piracy, apparently USN lawyers think that that would be illegal for the MSC vessels. Meanwhile though, we are planning to use MSC manned JHSVs with Coast Guard law enforcement detachments aboard to do counter-drug ops. I don’t see the difference myself.
To be honest I don’t but at least it will go some way to saving the USN from the RN’s Second Deadliest Scourge; “It is grey and floats therefore warship.”
* First Scourge; “Fitted for, but not with.”
*** Third Deadliest Scourge; “Gangplank to gangplank drafting.”
x, could you explain what you mean by the third? back to back sea tours for the crewmembers?
Yes sea draft following sea draft. Back when the RN was bigger there were opportunities to get drafted ashore. Personnel looking to settle down had an opportunity to do so before going back to sea. In the early 2000s when the government cut back on steaming there were instances of ratings leaving because of boredom. Now it seems like the RN is returning to Nelsonian practices.
Why it is “gangplank to gangplank” when the “walk way” between ship and shore is the “brow” I don’t know……… 🙂
My impression is that the British Navy has a disproportionately large civilian bureaucracy that are taking the shore jobs that might otherwise provide rotation ashore for the uniformed personnel.
Civilianization is a feature of modern British defence. Sometimes it makes sense, sometimes it doesn’t. Phrases like “good enough for government work” and “provided by lowest bidder” come to mind. My favourite example is catering at shore established. It was once all navy now it is provided by contractors. (Quality took a nosedive too.) A smaller fleet using technologies that can’t be fixed aboard ship. Fewer schools needing less personnel; not just for training but all those extra jobs militaries had a talent for creating (with good reason) . Joint training establishments too hit the need for extra uniformed bodies in the Service. The mistake the politicians made was that when the Wall came down they declared history over. The forget or were probably unaware that our seemingly large Cold War forces were actually tiny; even with super new efficient technologies for killing there is no substitute for numbers.
The best person to comment on this would be a chap who goes by the handle of Jim30/Sir Humphrey over at Think Defence. He is a civil servant in the MoD and a RN Reservist so he has every angle covered!
I keep forgetting to comment on the podcast.
As an “armchair admiral” it was nice to hear that my views on the USN echo those of experts. Yes presence is everything; that means the US needs something other than LCS! Yes the US should be more judicious in her use of carrier power. Very telling that the expert never mentioned CVF or the RN and was only interested in Japan and Australia. I can’t wait to see CVF but I think it is the wrong ship for our needs. On this side of the Pond what I am lead to believe is that the USN is really excited about CVF; perhaps this us bigging ourselves up, who knows? Lastly and the only thing that spoilt it for me was the expert’s appraisal of the Ukraine situation which was simplistic and naive much like the Obama White House’s handling of the situation; you know to stop listening when the words Putin and Hitler are used in the same situation. Interesting listen.