As someone who spent 24 years in the Navy, I completely understand where Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., who spent 20 years in the Navy, is coming from when she argues that the service is constrained by budgetary and bureaucratic limitations from developing a proper maritime strategy that defines and funds the Navy’s proper role.
But as someone who has been involved in defense budgetary and organizational issues, including about five years as an assistant secretary of defense, I believe she is mistaken when she argues that the Navy is facing unreasonable fiscal and bureaucratic constraints because of the power of the Joint Staff. In fact, the Navy is doing very well.