dg> What is important to understand is the Navy in Asia has a lot of commitments to handle with a limited amount of assets. So these ships forward deployed to Japan possibly don't have enough time to properly train. Also, the Navy has changed too much in recent decades, like the modern parent who now often doesn't properly discipline their children because of concerns what would people think. More heads will roll.
“One tragedy like this is one too many, and while each of these four events is unique, they cannot be viewed in isolation,” Swift said of the 7th Fleet’s accidents. “I welcome the broad, comprehensive view announced by the chief of naval operations.”
So far this year, the fleet has faced four accidents that together have prompted questions about whether the sailors are being properly trained and supported. On May 9, the guided-missile cruiser Lake Champlain collided with a South Korean fishing vessel. On Jan. 31, the guided-missile cruiser Antietam ran aground in Tokyo Bay.
The 7th Fleet has headquarters in Yokosuka, Japan, and is responsible for an area that spans 36 maritime countries and 48 million square miles in the Pacific and Indian oceans, according to the Navy. The fleet has about 50 to 70 ships assigned to it, including about a dozen at sea at any time. The force’s missions range from responding to natural disasters to countering North Korean threats and Chinese audaciousness in the South China Sea, where Beijing has established new military bases. |
