Brent Scowcroft Center Navy Senior Fellow Mark Seip writes for Defense News on the future of the US Navy and its current budget challenges:
Richard O’Brien’s Feb. 5 Politico article, “The Navy’s Hidden Crisis,” rightly expresses concern over the decreasing number of ships and its impact on the ability to secure the oceans and project power. However, his analyses tend to be one-sided while his thoughts on messaging reflect a bigger issue as to how the Navy connects with the broader public.
O’Brien needs to look at all of the civilian leadership and their role, not just that in the White House, and should consider how the message of a strong Navy needs to be personalized for the average voter.