By Peter Galuszka
The stunning slaying of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the ultra-violent Islamic State terrorist leader, on Oct. 25 by U.S. Special Forces in northwestern Syria was the most spectacular such endeavor since Osama bin-Linden was dispatched in Pakistan in 2011.
President Donald Trump, under attack for withdrawing most American forces from war-torn Syria, got a big, temporary bump from the raid in which no U.S. service people were lost.
But one might ask the question of why the raid got its start by helicopters based in Iraq? They had to roar in at very low altitude under dangerous conditions on a flight that lasted more than an hour. They risked being shot down by Russia, Turkey or Syria.
Wouldn’t it have been easier if they were launched from an aircraft carrier sailing much closer in the Mediterranean?
One answer seems to be that many aircraft carriers just weren’t available. Six of them were stuck at port in Virginia undergoing maintenance or their construction had been delayed by unexpected problems.
The very fact that so many essential warships are not available raises serious questions about how Trump and his chaotic, revolving chair approach to military leadership is hurting U.S. national security not to mention government overspending. You don’t hear much of it on this blog but American’s budget deficit has risen to nearly $1 trillion after years of decreases under President Obama. That’s an unwanted fact among the right-wing participants on this blog.
Let’s take a look at which super carriers are in port, according to media accounts:
- The U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower is undergoing prolonged maintenance at Norfolk Naval Shipyard.
- The U.S.S. George Washington is halfway through a makeover at Newport News Shipbuilding.
- The U.S.S. John C. Stennis has arrived in Norfolk and is expected to begin a mid-life refueling and other makeovers at Newport News in 2021.
- The U.S. Harry C. Truman is still in port with electrical issues.
- The U.S. George H.W. Bush is in port for 16 months of maintenance than may now take 18 months.
- The U.S. Gerald R. Ford, the poster child fro shipyard screw-ups, was supposed to deploy in 2018 but that may be 2024.
- The only carrier available near the war zones is the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln.
The Ford is the big enchilada of problems. During sea trials in 2018, its propulsion system failed and it had to limp home to Newport News. More recently, half of its 11 weapons elevators have failed. They use a new electrodynamic design pushed by the Navy that will get aircraft on the flight deck loaded with bombs and missiles faster, allowing up to 30 percent more sorties than before.
The massive screw-ups have caught the attention of freshman U.S. Rep. Elaine Luria, a Democrat who knows something about Navy ships. She graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and served aboard surface warships as a nuclear propulsion officer. She has locked swords with Trump administration officials in the Pentagon about the issue.
For Virginia, the problems are embarrassing. Hampton Roads’ great concentration of Navy bases and shipyards has been a huge asset compared to other states and the source of great employment. It is amazing that so much bad work and overspending is going on under the Republican administration of Trump.
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