The Navy isn’t ready to stop killing its sailors yet

Alright... Let's try and get some perspective. I don't want to take away from a number of (very) good points made by the author. I've lived it,and understand it. Most officers spend approximately two years on a ship per tour... I did two tours "back to back" on the same ship, in the same role. I served under three COs, two XOs, and two different DHs while there. I got to know not only the Sailors in my division... but most on the ship, extremely well. I'd like to think I learned something from them. Every branch of the Military comes with its own special version of risk, sacrifice, and adversity. If you're in the Infantry... you close with and engage the enemy while living worse than some farm animals. If you're a maintainer... you deal with long hours of pulling off complex and vitally important tasks often bordering on the superhuman. If you're a missileer, you're living on the razor's edge of potentially world-altering events demanding extreme focus, dedication, and loyalty. If you're a special operations warrior... you're leaping from aircraft at high altitude, swimming in freezing water, or infiltrating behind enemy lines. If you're a U.S. Surface Sailor... you're at sea for months on end, performing myriad boring and tedious tasks, routinely without sufficient rest, and always under threat from either potential enemies, or the sea herself. "Eternal Father, Strong to Save" evokes a few salty tears from men who've served before the mast for a reason. No one's going to question that there are plenty of self-serving, indecisive, or simply weak officers. I've seen (and likely done) some pretty stupid things at sea. Junior officers can only be taught so much in the class room... they have to have experience and guidance in order to properly apply it. The margin between making the "right" and "wrong" call on the Bridge can often be measured very narrowly; made worse by the fact that often... these JOs are among the most sleep-deprived and practically inexperienced personnel aboard. Every warship at sea is a functioning piece of U.S. sovereign territory... a base housing some of our most critical tactical and/or strategic assets. To be captain of one is to be at the sharp end of the spear of foreign policy. Crozier's acts are admirable in the sense that any CO who loves his people more than his career has "got his heart in the right place". I'd love to serve under him. However, they're censurable because this entire, elaborate infrastructure exists for one purpose... to be the heavy hand of the People of the United States either in their defense, or to exact their just retribution on our foes. Bringing back a carrier under emergency conditions has an impact on all of that. It leaves a "hole" in the line... one that someone else has to fill. We're talking about thousands of personnel, and billions of dollars of equipment. It takes time to make things happen. Personally, I think Moldy acted improperly. I'd like to think a fellow USNA graduate who served as a rotary wing aviator, and taught at the U.S. Air Force Academy would know better than to personally insult a commander in public, before his people. That said, none of this gets at the heart of why from collisions at sea, to sickness aboard... we seem to be continuously receiving "black eyes". The reality is that just like the British, Spanish, and Romans before us... we're finding out the price of maintaining a "global armed presence" is often very steep. We're not making Sailors so they can earn college credits, acquire valuable certifications and training, and obtain critical benefits (all of which they deserve by the way)... we're making them because our enemies and potential enemies have to be countered. If we as a nation are incapable of choosing between investing vastly more money, or surrendering to these threats... incidents like those mentioned may indeed be a reality. In the middle of a two theater war, we let go hundreds of personnel; not because they were inept... but because we needed to make budget cuts. This happens periodically in the Navy (if not all the services), and translates to an increased demand on those who remain.