(Zero Hedge)—Captain John Konrad, CEO of gCaptain, a website specializing in tracking the shipping industry, blames the “West Point Mafia” and decades of land wars in the Middle East for a hollowed-out US Navy that was entirely “unprepared” for the salvage operation of the collapsed 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland.
Konrad explained, “Truth is bridges are an Army Corps of Engineers responsibility but they are so unprepared they gave the job to Navy Salvage to lead. Navy salvage is so broken they had to outsource it to the US subsidiary/partner of a European firm which is chartering equipment from private companies at great expense.”
“And it’s the Army’s own fault. The West Point Mafia has systematically destroyed our nation’s maritime strength,” he said, adding that China would’ve had the Baltimore shipping channel “fully cleared in weeks,” not months (read more about the reopening timeline here).
Here’s more from Konrad on X and his epic rant against the “West Point Mafia”:
China could have the Baltimore ship channel fully cleared in weeks but yesterday @POTUS said yesterday for the Army Corps of Engineers it will take months.
I blame the West Point Mafia and their budget demon. Please let me explain…
Truth is bridges are an Army Corps of Engineers responsibility but they are so unprepared they gave the job to Navy Salvage to lead. Navy salvage is so broken they had to outsource it to the US subsidiary/partner of a European firm which is chartering equipment from private companies at great expense. Equipment that’s weak & small compared to what the European parent has overseas.
And it’s the Army’s own fault. The West Point Mafia has systematically destroyed our nation’s maritime strength.
When I was 10 Vinzzini taught me the first lesson of war “You’ve fell victim to one of the classic blunders! Never get involved in a land war in Asia”
Yet in my adult life the United States fought not one but two wars in Asia.
How did we pay for those? By gutting our maritime capabilities.
With Chinese military capability growing exponentially, how do you win a war in Asia? The same way we did in WW2: with ships & marines with the Army and Air Force serving a support role
Except there is a problem, the current and last Secretaries of Defense are West Pointers. The SECDEF before that was a marine but he was forced out after a disagreement with the Secretary of State who was a West Pointer
Two decades of Land Wars in asia have decimated our Maritime capabilities as trillions was rerouted into Army coffers by the West Point mafia demon in DC
And now that the land wars are over is the Army Corps of Engineers helping rebuild shipyards and bridges? Is the Army rebuilding its once mighty fleet of dredges? Is it working jointly with the SeaBees and Merchant Marine? Is it rebuilding watercraft?
No today’s West Point mafia leader Jack Reed controls the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee & has blocked the Future of the Navy Commission That Congress created to develop a Naval rebuilding strategy
Now under General Lloyd Austin & Reed EVERY SINGLE navy shipbuilding project is delayed.
The West Point Mafia has gutted every Maritime service:
Navy National Guard (Naval Militia): now only a boat service in a small handful of states
United States Navy Armed Guard: gone
US Navy Reserve: zero ships in inventory
USCG Icebreaker fleet: down to one ship
US Navy salvage fleet: mostly gone
Seabees: cut to 7,000 active personnel
Merchant Marine: now less than 80 ships in international service
MARAD Ready Reserve Fleet: small & on average age a half century old
US Maritime Service: just a handful of officers at the US Merchant Marine academy
Marine Hospital Service; gone except the uniforms
NOAA Officer Corps: down to 330 officers
Army Corps of Engineers dredge fleet: includes ancient hulls like the 57-year-old dredge McFarland
Army Corps of Engineers salvage: the last SECDEF, @EsperDoD sold all Army salvage vessels in Baltimore
Army Watercraft: gutted by at action by Esper
USCG: forced to cut 10 cutters this year alone
I could go on but I have something more important to say:
? NOW THEY ARE COMING FOR THE CARRIERS AND SUBMARINES?
(I will post the details of the carrier and sub delays in post 2 of the thread)
If Jack Reed & the West Point Mafia wins the next war in Asia will be lost.
Problem is there is nobody to stop them because the think tanks, defense contractors and DoD civil servants know who wields the power and nobody in Navy or Coast Guard uniform has the moral courage to ruin their career by calling out Jack Reed & General Austin in the media or during a senate hearing.
PS why am I using quotes from the Princess Bride & making light of the problem by creating the West Point Mafia Demon meme? Because it doesn’t require a PhD to see what is happening.
The gutting of every critical maritime capability to pour money into Land Wars is something any 10 year can see is idiotic.
China could have the Baltimore ship channel fully cleared in weeks but yesterday @POTUS said yesterday for the Army Corps of Engineers it will take months ?♂️
I blame the West Point Mafia and their budget demon. Please let me explain…
Truth is bridges are an Army Corps of… pic.twitter.com/s8VmbaPT8G
— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 6, 2024
Konrad asks: “Why am I able to call out the Jack Reed and General Austin when NOBODY else in DC or the DOD is?”
Why am I able to call out the Jack Reed and General Austin when NOBODY else in DC or the DOD is?
Why can I call it them West Point Mafia without fear of repercussions? (in fairness General Berger, USMC obliquely tried last year)
Because my service was the first killed and my… https://t.co/15j4NYxKkr
— John Ʌ Konrad V (@johnkonrad) April 6, 2024
Konrad describes a colossal mismanagement of the US Armed Forces despite record defense spending.
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