Prospective Navy Secretary Vows to ‘Restore the Appropriate Culture’

Prospective Navy Secretary Vows to ‘Restore the Appropriate Culture’

Kenneth Braithwaite answered pointed questions from senators, but he and fellow nominees from DoD and the Air Force appear set for confirmation.

5/7/20
A friendly confirmation hearing saw the Senate Armed Services Committee prepare to advance three nominees to senior positions at the Defense Department, including President Donald Trump’s pick for a permanent Navy Secretary. "This is as strong a panel of nominees as we’ve had before us and I plan to support all of you,” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., said at the Thursday morning hearing. Up for consideration was Kenneth Braithwaite, currently U.S. ambassador to Norway, to be Navy Secretary; Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Plans, and Capabilities James Anderson to be the deputy undersecretary for policy; and Air Force Gen. Charles Brown to be his service’s chief of staff. Braithwaite and Anderson would replace officials who left the post prematurely. “It saddens me to say: the Department of the Navy is in troubled waters due to many factors, primarily the failings of leadership,” Braithwaite said during his opening statement, citing “a breakdown in the trust of those leading the service.” “It is my number one priority, if I’m confirmed, to restore the appropriate culture in the United States Navy,” Braithwaite said later. “I won’t say it’s been broken; I think it’s been tarnished.”

Anderson is currently holding the top policy post at the Pentagon in an acting capacity, filling in for John Rood, who was pushed out as part of a broad purge of officials seen as insufficiently loyal by the Trump administration. He was pressed on the simmering U.S. conflict with Iran as well as the American presence in Afghanistan. Brown’s testimony drew less focus from lawmakers than his two counterparts seated in the sparse, socially-distanced hearing room. He called for a new roles-and-mission study that could “potentially assign the Air Base Defense role to the Air Force” and cited possible budget constraints related to COVID-19 as his greatest challenge as incoming chief. “I might have given you a different answer a few months ago, but as the COVID-19 crisis unfolds, I see an emerging challenge where our strategic aspirations and our resources available may be on divergent paths,” Brown said.

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So much BS. Braithwaite is a solid Republican businessman and Trump loyalist:

“Donald Trump is not a politician, he speaks his mind, and sometimes without a filter. He’s definitely not a diplomat. I think we all know that. He’s a businessman ... One of the worst things you can do when you enter a room to negotiate is be predictable.”

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For his activities pushing Trumps agenda at NATO HQ, he was rewarded with an Ambassadorship (Norway) in 2017. As with all the rest, he'll err on the side of not displeasing Commander Clorox.

The thin book on Braithwaite is that he spent all but a few of his 27 years in the USN as a PR flakcatcher, leaving active service to nonetheless continue in the Reserve to become Rear Admiral.

After graduating Annapolis in polysci in '84 and then aviation school he flew sub hunting missions for two years at which time Navy put the guy to PR work, ie, catching incoming and tossing it back to the despised liberal media.

BW spent a couple of years consuming the Navy's oxygen as PR director of the USS America CV(A)-66 commissioned 1964 and decommissioned 1996. So yes the long and the short of BW is that he's a Republican Conservative polysci ideologue who knows as much about business and businesspeople as rightwingers say liberals know.

The upshot of BW is that he's another instance of the WH personnel office coming up with Trump clone government academy grads who have service histories to run as many military departments and offices as they can find of 'em.

Tangmo said:

The thin book on Braithwaite is that he spent all but a few of his 27 years in the USN as a PR flakcatcher, leaving active service to nonetheless continue in the Reserve to become Rear Admiral.

After graduating Annapolis in polysci in '84 and then aviation school he flew sub hunting missions for two years at which time Navy put the guy to PR work, ie, catching incoming and tossing it back to the despised liberal media.

BW spent a couple of years consuming the Navy's oxygen as PR director of the USS America CV(A)-66 commissioned 1964 and decommissioned 1996. So yes the long and the short of BW is that he's a Republican Conservative polysci ideologue who knows as much about business and businesspeople as rightwingers say liberals know.

The upshot of BW is that he's another instance of the WH personnel office coming up with Trump clone government academy grads who have service histories to run as many military departments and offices as they can find of 'em.

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And just imagine...

Another case of Tangmo trying to tee of on honorable veterans....

Rogue Valley said:

Prospective Navy Secretary Vows to ‘Restore the Appropriate Culture’

Kenneth Braithwaite answered pointed questions from senators, but he and fellow nominees from DoD and the Air Force appear set for confirmation.

So much BS. Braithwaite is a solid Republican businessman and Trump loyalist:



For his activities pushing Trumps agenda at NATO HQ, he was rewarded with an Ambassadorship (Norway) in 2017. As with all the rest, he'll err on the side of not displeasing Commander Clorox.

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You left out that he retired from the Navy as a rear admiral.

Rear Admiral was beans as Braithwaite's having the time of his life apparently.

While ambassador to Norway until now he went to sea in a Norwegian submarine that shadowed Russian subs and did recon of Russian ship movements in the Arctic and stations along Russian coastal areas. This was revealed in required written submissions to the SASC of thingys the nominee did that are special achievements and unclassified.

BW's rhetoric against Russia is pretty hard nosed, the Arctic in particular which is believed to have humongous natural resources down under as in oil and gas.

This spy sub commando wannabe stuff is distant from BW's modest high points as a Reserve rear admiral on perpetual active duty doing perpetual PR. His big command seems to have been the Philadelphia Navy Yard where he handed out awards for mowing pristine lawns.

I dunno about these Navy Yards cause while I was in the Army in Washington DC multiple moons ago I found myself in the Washington Navy Yard a couple of times for this and that and I (with others) were quite impressed by what looked like Miami Yacht Club with USN 8-inch guns and a couple of frigates. Even the guns were on manicured lawns. My young adventures over the fence and into the Boston Navy Yard with other daring kids was quite the opposite, ie, industrial plus a spanking.

The WNY has had an upscale commercial pedestrian mall complex for about 20 years besides. Philly NY has the same stuff from what I see online and they're equally proud of it as I'd suppose anyone there would be welcoming of such upscale stuff. Navy must pay pretty well these dayze (!). Maybe some squid reading this could elaborate or modify accordingly eh.

Oh and the other guy in the photo with BW, James Anderson the Pentagon new Under/Sec for Policy is big on missiles and upgrading nukes so I've been sleeping better lately. He wants more Nato members to accept US nukes and believes US and Nato need to state a no first strike policy, which would be a reversal of US nuke policy since August 6, 1945 which is not to rule out a first strike. More to come on Anderson who I like when I get more time.

What is "the appropriate culture".

avatar said:

What is "the appropriate culture".

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I would think proper use of the Chain of Command and proper response from that chain.

BahamaBob said:

I would think proper use of the Chain of Command and proper response from that chain.

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Having put in two tours during the Vietnam War I can understand where a government might want that one put firmly in place.

avatar said:

Having put in two tours during the Vietnam War I can understand where a government might want that one put firmly in place.

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One tour was enough for me. Can you imagine if what would have happened if your CO had given the news media the operational status of his unit?

BahamaBob said:

One tour was enough for me. Can you imagine if what would have happened if your CO had given the news media the operational status of his unit?

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That's half of the two edged sword. Can you imagine what would have happened if some had not stepped outside of the chain of command about My Lai.

In the case being discussed however I find I have to respect a commanding officer who was more concerned about the peacetime lives of his crew than the possible risk to his career.

avatar said:

That's half of the two edged sword. Can you imagine what would have happened if some had not stepped outside of the chain of command about My Lai.

In the case being discussed however I find I have to respect a commanding officer who was more concerned about the peacetime lives of his crew than the possible risk to his career.

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You think this is peacetime?

BahamaBob said:

You think this is peacetime?

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Yes I do. It does you a great disservice to pretend that we are at war.

avatar said:

Yes I do. It does you a great disservice to pretend that we are at war.

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The guys in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria say hi.

BahamaBob said:

The guys in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria say hi.

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Warning, goal posts moving. Warning.

Weren't you discussing China? I could have sworn the segway was from China to we are at war. Well, do what you have to while saving face I guess.

Rogue Valley said:

Prospective Navy Secretary Vows to ‘Restore the Appropriate Culture’

Kenneth Braithwaite answered pointed questions from senators, but he and fellow nominees from DoD and the Air Force appear set for confirmation.

So much BS. Braithwaite is a solid Republican businessman and Trump loyalist:



For his activities pushing Trumps agenda at NATO HQ, he was rewarded with an Ambassadorship (Norway) in 2017. As with all the rest, he'll err on the side of not displeasing Commander Clorox.

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what culture?

TypicalRussian said:

what culture?

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Traditional military culture.

Rogue Valley said:

Traditional military culture.

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it never really went away

BahamaBob said:

Can you imagine if what would have happened if your CO had given the news media the operational status of his unit?

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No need for that. All the kids in the area knew what it was already.

avatar said:

Warning, goal posts moving. Warning.

Weren't you discussing China? I could have sworn the segway was from China to we are at war. Well, do what you have to while saving face I guess.

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No, possibly a reading comprehension class would help you. At no time did I mention China. My response was to the uninformed yahoo who thinks this is a peacetime.

However, if you are afraid to respond to your own statement, I accept your concession. There is no need to go into the mud and lie.

BahamaBob said:

No, possibly a reading comprehension class would help you. At no time did I mention China. My response was to the uninformed yahoo who thinks this is a peacetime.

However, if you are afraid to respond to your own statement, I accept your concession. There is no need to go into the mud and lie.

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In spite of your snottyness I'm willing to admit that you did not mention China and I was wrong about that. I still think that we are not at war unless you count nation building without a formal declaration of war as "war".

I'll give you points though for thinking it unsafe to let the Taliban know the status of the sailors on one of our carriers however. It truly weakens us more than a few hundred sick sailors.

avatar said:

In spite of your snottyness I'm willing to admit that you did not mention China and I was wrong about that. I still think that we are not at war unless you count nation building without a formal declaration of war as "war".

I'll give you points though for thinking it unsafe to let the Taliban know the status of the sailors on one of our carriers however. It truly weakens us more than a few hundred sick sailors.

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I didn't mention the Taliban either. Only a handful of the sailors were ill enough to require hospitalization. Most of the hundreds of "sick sailors" did not even know they had been infected. If you can't debate on the facts of the argument, just give up don't resort to more lies. It seems you don't think conditions in the Middle East, Asia, Russia and other places warrant a command officer adhering the chain of command? Should the same standard be applied to his underlings? Should the crew be allowed to inform the media when they don't agree with the mission of the ship?

BahamaBob said:

I didn't mention the Taliban either. Only a handful of the sailors were ill enough to require hospitalization. Most of the hundreds of "sick sailors" did not even know they had been infected. If you can't debate on the facts of the argument, just give up don't resort to more lies. It seems you don't think conditions in the Middle East, Asia, Russia and other places warrant a command officer adhering the chain of command? Should the same standard be applied to his underlings? Should the crew be allowed to inform the media when they don't agree with the mission of the ship?

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But can you tell me how many more the asymptotic sailors who didn't know they had an infection would have infected had they not been removed from the ship.

Can I also ask, who we are at war with in Afghanistan as you stated if not the Taliban?

Now the goal posts have moved to the crew as another what if to deflect from the fact that the captain cared more about his men than you seem to have. I'm seeing in your world that they should have just shut up and continued to get sick. That is not command level thinking. I consider the captain to be a bit of a hero for putting his career on the line for his sailors.

How come there is never anyone like "Bull" Halsey in this kind of role?

Since we will be going to war with China soon, it would be nice to have a "Bull" in the ring. Who gives a crap about "culture". We need someone who knows how to kill the enemy.

avatar said:

But can you tell me how many more the asymptotic sailors who didn't know they had an infection would have infected had they not been removed from the ship.

Can I also ask, who we are at war with in Afghanistan as you stated if not the Taliban?

Now the goal posts have moved to the crew as another what if to deflect from the fact that the captain cared more about his men than you seem to have. I'm seeing in your world that they should have just shut up and continued to get sick. That is not command level thinking. I consider the captain to be a bit of a hero for putting his career on the line for his sailors.

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Well at least now that I know our only threat is the Taliban, I can sleep better. Soo, if you have 6 men out of 7,000 in the infirmary the sky has fallen. The captain must notify the media. He should get a medal. He is just like the captain of the USS Johnson. A real hero.

Court Jester said:

How come there is never anyone like "Bull" Halsey in this kind of role?

Since we will be going to war with China soon, it would be nice to have a "Bull" in the ring. Who gives a crap about "culture". We need someone who knows how to kill the enemy.

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Why do we have to go to war with China?