Best Defense
Thomas E. Ricks' daily take on national security.

21 — and some questions

No. 21 for year: The commander of the Naval Shipyard at Norfolk, Virginia, was bounced for “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.” Apparently he had a lousy command climate. This move kind of had been expected since he was put on the shelf in May. His predecessor also had been relieved. Is something going ...

By , a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy.
navsea.navy.mil
navsea.navy.mil
navsea.navy.mil

No. 21 for year: The commander of the Naval Shipyard at Norfolk, Virginia, was bounced for "conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman." Apparently he had a lousy command climate. This move kind of had been expected since he was put on the shelf in May.

No. 21 for year: The commander of the Naval Shipyard at Norfolk, Virginia, was bounced for “conduct unbecoming an officer and a gentleman.” Apparently he had a lousy command climate. This move kind of had been expected since he was put on the shelf in May.

His predecessor also had been relieved.

Is something going on the Navy this year? Are captains screwing up more, or are standards being enforced more rigidly? Anyway, I am glad to see accountability being enforced, if that is what is going on.

Also, I wonder if anyone has studied the pattern of reliefs. How many are Naval Academy graduates, and how many are prior enlisted?

If anybody from the Navy reads this blog (besides SEALs, I know some of youse do), I’d especially welcome your comments.

(HT to RD)

Thomas E. Ricks is a former contributing editor to Foreign Policy. Twitter: @tomricks1

Read More On Military

Latest

The Man Who Conned the World

Does Democracy Really Die in Darkness?

Confusion and Ambition Caused the My Lai Atrocities

What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War

How Women Are Reconciling Feminism With Faith
See All Stories

Editors’ Picks

  1. 1
    The Man Who Conned the World
  2. 2
    America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
  3. 3
    Grading Biden on the Israel-Hamas War
  4. 4
    What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
  5. 5
    Bill Clinton: Netanyahu killed the peace process
  6. 6
    Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak

More from Foreign Policy

The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.
The USS Nimitz and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and South Korean Navy warships sail in formation during a joint naval exercise off the South Korean coast.

America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose

Global war is neither a theoretical contingency nor the fever dream of hawks and militarists.

A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag in front of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, during a demonstration calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. People sit and walk on the grass lawn in front of the protester and barricades.

The West’s Incoherent Critique of Israel’s Gaza Strategy

The reality of fighting Hamas in Gaza makes this war terrible one way or another.

Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.
Biden dressed in a dark blue suit walks with his head down past a row of alternating U.S. and Israeli flags.

Biden Owns the Israel-Palestine Conflict Now

In tying Washington to Israel’s war in Gaza, the U.S. president now shares responsibility for the broader conflict’s fate.

U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.
U.S. President Joe Biden is seen in profile as he greets Chinese President Xi Jinping with a handshake. Xi, a 70-year-old man in a dark blue suit, smiles as he takes the hand of Biden, an 80-year-old man who also wears a dark blue suit.

Taiwan’s Room to Maneuver Shrinks as Biden and Xi Meet

As the latest crisis in the straits wraps up, Taipei is on the back foot.

Trending

  1. What Ridley Scott’s ‘Napoleon’ Gets Wrong About War
    Review
    Franz-Stefan Gady

  2. Is Portugal’s Golden Visa Scheme Worth It?
    Dispatch
    Kitty Greenwald

  3. Chinese Hospitals Are Housing Another Deadly Outbreak
    Argument
    Annie Sparrow

  4. America Is a Heartbeat Away From a War It Could Lose
    Shadow Government
    A. Wess Mitchell

  5. Bill Clinton: Netanyahu killed the peace process
    The Cable
    Josh Rogin