Bigger, badder, leaner...

"Whatever motto which is used, I will say this. In the 243 years this nation has had the Navy, the men and women who serve or served in it, and on it, are the finest in the world."

Time for some Navy talk. Like, how is our Navy doing right now? Compared to the Obama years, quite well - even though many ships under construction, or just constructed were authorized and/or started under Obama. That being said, this nation has a fleet right now which can kick butt and take names on most of the world's bad guys. And the newest of the bad, maybe the baddest of the bad, is the USS Gerald Ford, CVN-78.

Before I go any further, let me first apologize to the socialists and statists. Most have no time for our military, and feel the money we spend to stay safe and secure can be spent better elsewhere - like giving free heath insurance to illegals. But the patriots and citizens of this country are VERY happy, and VERY proud of our military. Also, the smart folks who come up with the best of the best equipment and weaponry, for our sailors to use. 

So what is the big deal about the Ford class carriers? After all, we have had carriers for years. True - but like anything else, when you start a new class of anything after a few decades, there are a heck of a lot of improvements. The Ford, which is now commissioned and at sea, is only the first of a class of five, with the last one being commissioned in 2034. The Ford class carriers have so many technical improvements baked in (including the first Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System), it can get by with a much smaller crew than the Nimitz class carriers it will be replacing.

The Ford class will have better nukes powering these behemoth ships. For the first time, there will be enough room on board for better living conditions, as well as a small hospital, including operating room. The new AN/SPY-3 and AN/SPY-4 radars and sensors are going to be state of the art, giving the carrier "long eyes" for any threat. A possible upgrade for the Kennedy (carrier number two, which is under construction) will be a ship board laser. That will change just about everything.

There is nothing which projects American power anywhere in the world better than a carrier task force. Not only are our carriers getting bigger and badder - so are the rest of the ships in the task force. Our AEGIS weapon system, tied into the Vertical Launching System (VLS), can do things now once thought impossible. And every year, that technology just gets better and better. 

We really needed this upgrade. While we were sleeping during the Obama Administration, China went crazy upgrading their Navy. They now have a Blue Water Navy which needs to be countered. Otherwise, we can kiss the South China Sea and Indian Ocean goodbye. They will be nothing but huge Chinese lakes (so to speak). We also still need to rope in the North Koreans, Iranians, as well as our good friends at the Kremlin.

I know, I know. I get all wide eyed and excited when I talk about the Navy. As a retired sailor, and someone who worked with the Navy as a contractor, I love what our Navy does. I love what our sailors do, day after day, after day. One motto the Navy uses is Semper Fortis - "always courageous". A more recent recruiting motto is "forged by the sea".

Whatever motto which is used, I will say this. In the 243 years this nation has had the Navy, the men and women who serve or served in it, and on it, are the finest in the world. We continue to have the best of everything in the Navy, especially the people who call themselves United States sailors.