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This is a national tragedy, and I couldn't sleep last night thinking of the Sailors who might still be missing.
We are in the midst of an unprecedented problem with the Navy. For decades, we have seen tasking that exceeds our budget, personnel shortfalls, increasing administrative and bureaucratic requirements, and a culture that is willing to accept no failures when it comes to meeting our country's needs. We're proud of our ability as a fighting force to meet the call to action when America or her allies require it. I was onboard one of the ships called to the Korean coast to reassure our regional allies and apply pressure to the North Koreans, and we worked tirelessly to meet operational demands and stay flexible.
I have growing concerns that our shortfalls in logistic and financial support are impacting our training, material readiness, and the quality of product we get out of our Sailors. We can't blame any one person, command, or institution for these challenges, but we have to find a solution that ensures we can be ready to fight. Losing Sailors and ships to incidents at sea reflects on a need to look inward and fight our greatest enemy: ourselves. If we can overcome our shortfalls, we'll be able to grow from this.
For those of you watching, I personally appreciate your investment in our Navy. We work for you. Sailors risk their lives and serve in challenging environments, overcoming personal adversity and unique obstacles only seen at sea. We're different from other forces, and for many of you it can be hard to understand what we do, how we do it, and how it affects our nation. I want to assure you that these incidents will be addressed with care and concern for the wellbeing of our Sailors and our ability to defend freedom and democracy around the world.
If you have questions, I'll do my best to be available to answer them.
—Surface Warfare Officer, LT, USN
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