Neptunus Lex

30 responses so far ↓

• 1 bullnav // Jun 8, 2007 at 10:58 am

  Dang, you beat me to the punch…

• 2 MissBirdlegs in AL // Jun 8, 2007 at 11:01 am

  I was waiting for this one from you. Just KNEW you’d have a “taking over the place” post up by the time I got here.

  We owe a lot to Gen. Pace, too. My thanks to him.

• 3 bullnav // Jun 8, 2007 at 11:04 am

  OK, after a little thought, ’cause I can’t see it: who will be the next CNO?

• 4 Mike M. // Jun 8, 2007 at 11:05 am

  If I were an Iranian, North Korean, or other enemy of the U.S., I would start being VERY afraid at this point.

  Because when the Navy isn’t like the other services…it has a doctrine of extreme flexibility. And the ability to go just about anywhere and deliver a thrashing to Uncle Sam’s enemies.

• 5 SJBill // Jun 8, 2007 at 11:16 am

  Who will be next CNO? My money is Timbo.

  -SJBill

• 6 Midwatchcowboy // Jun 8, 2007 at 12:27 pm

  Roughhead (Just moved from CPF to CUSFFC).

• 7 Big D // Jun 8, 2007 at 12:28 pm

  Next CNO:

  1. Gary Roughhead
  2. Rat Willard

  Outside shot but best choice: Jim Stavrides

• 8 Nose // Jun 8, 2007 at 1:43 pm

  You’ve heard me gush on about Mullen before - I had the great experience of serving in the CVBG he commanded in 96-98. Our first impression was typical myopic aviator largess. He was, after all, just a shoe.

  We soon came to find out that the man had the heart of a true warrior and something for which we were still, after the travails of the past few years, looking for: A leader.

  Our boss, the air wing commander, or his deputy, was required to attend the admiral’s morning brief. We would always have one of the LSOs or one of the Ops guys “Staff” the CAG for the meeting. As much as I hated meetings and briefs and the early wake-ups that they entailed (Did you guys know that they serve BREAKFAST on carriers?), I actually liked going to Mike Mullen’s meetings. He was smart, didn’t put up with anything but info that mattered and didn’t suffer fools well. (Joe Sestack was the Battle Group’s Destroyer Squadron Commander and as far as I could see, the Senior Ranking Fool).

  It is easy to sit on the outside as a “quitter” and take pot-shots at those who remained inside and keep doing the good work the career requires. I am sometimes amazed at the people picked for positions of leadership - men I knew when we were all young and stupid. But I can tell you that right now, our military is in good hands.

  Nose

  PS, I too vote for TIMBO.

• 9 HomefrontSix // Jun 8, 2007 at 1:58 pm

  Knowing very, VERY little with regard to the Navy, the compliments I read here about Admiral Mullen are like music to my ears. My hope is that he will do as good of a job, if not better, than General Pace.

• 10 BigFred // Jun 8, 2007 at 2:11 pm

  The watercooler talk is that we will not have a Shoe three times in a row as CNO. Subs are out, as they are dying a slow and painful death, so it will be a pointy nose guy. As we are fresh out of 4 buttons at the moment, smart money says Boomer Stufflebeam. 2nd pick is Keating.

• 11 Skippy-san // Jun 8, 2007 at 4:05 pm

  Whoever ends up getting the nod-it will be the Navy’s loss Mullen moves on. He was only half wy done undoing the damage his predecessor had done. Anybody but Willard gets my vote.

  It has been 7 years since there was an aviator in the job.

• 12 Maggie // Jun 8, 2007 at 4:08 pm

  Adm Gary Roughead.

• 13 Nose // Jun 8, 2007 at 4:25 pm

  Big Fred -

  Won’t be Boomer. I love the man, but he’s got baggage.

  Nose

  PS Lex, can I say “I love the man” on you blog? Is there anything wrong with that?

• 14 HomefrontSix // Jun 8, 2007 at 5:01 pm

  Nose ~ I don’t see a problem with it. Heck, if I can comment on Fred Thompson’s wife, you can say “I love the man”.

• 15 Kevin // Jun 8, 2007 at 8:31 pm

  I suppose 3 months as VCNO isn’t enough to qualify ADM Walsh. His 4th star is barely dry.

• 16 Dangerous Dan // Jun 8, 2007 at 8:44 pm

  OK, after a little thought, ?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢cause I can?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢t see it: who will be the next CNO?

  …..
  I would think Mullen would want to pull Adm Ulrich up with him again since after all it was Ulrich who replached him as COMNAVEUR.

  I personally like Boomer too I think he would make a good choice.

• 17 badbob // Jun 9, 2007 at 5:42 am

  Who cares? With Mullen as JCS (pinch me will ya?) the CNO job will be a “DH responsibility”. Personally, I think CNO should be changed to IAM- Individual Augmentation Manager. BTW, has anybody considered this is all a pre-2008 setup for the USN to take the heat as the Dims bring the Dogs of War back to the kennel?

  I would like to see a brown shoe as CNO, but all on the horizon eligible for the job are all guilty to one degree or another for the present mess Naval Aviation finds itself in….And we all know that it is impossible for any Naval leader above 0-6 to say they were wrong and do a 180….

  b2

• 18 Nose // Jun 9, 2007 at 8:38 am

  Bob,

  I can tell you’ve been gone a while - we are all Brown Shoes now! Isn’t it great?

  Nose

• 19 badbob // Jun 9, 2007 at 9:10 am

  Nose,

  Now you say the “shoes” wear brownshoes? They co-opted our identity? Holy smoly, how’d I miss that? I think somebody in here might have corrected me in posts past but maybe I just couldn’t accept it..you know mentally (PTSD?). Do they have flight jackets yet? LOL.

  Gee Nose it just seems like yesterday to me that we finally won the right to our brownshoes (again) around 1981!
  I work entirely within/about Naval Aviation so’s all the folks with brown shoes I see have some sorta aviation wings…Still this new (to me anyways) rule has Plodder MBA Clark all over it

  Another reason for a jet pilot CNO! (not WideAbeam though…Was he your Cag &..you love him?)

  b2

• 20 Nose // Jun 9, 2007 at 7:47 pm

  I believe it was Adm Clark who gave away our shoes, but if you think that is bad, wait until you see the new enlisted uniform.

  Yes, Boomer was one of my CAGs. He’s one of those guys that is frustrating to work for until you realize that that is because he is teaching you (i.e. making you work!). He was impressive as a CAG, Day and night current in both the big and the little fighter. Flew every fly day and sometimes twice. Mullen absolutely loved him (at least I think he did). He’s a “I’d fly on that guy’s wing anywhere” kind of guy.

  You know, when it comes to giving away the aviation identity, the one I never really liked was “aviation supply officer.” We had about 20 of them on GW (or so it seemed) with gold wings with the pork chop in the middle, which they “earned” without ever flying in an aircraft. Seemed very AirForceish.

  Nose

• 21 Prowler Skippy // Jun 9, 2007 at 9:40 pm

  Hmmmm…

  Admiral Nathman has only had a change of command, not retired yet…

  Oh boy.

• 22 badbob // Jun 10, 2007 at 8:09 am

  P-skippy!

  You have just thrown ice water in my face! You’re right!

  God help us. To reiterate: “..all on the horizon eligible for the job are all guilty to one degree or another for the present mess Naval Aviation finds itself in..”

  b2

• 23 jws22 // Jun 15, 2007 at 7:37 pm

  Why not Ulrich?

• 24 baronbvp // Jun 17, 2007 at 12:05 pm

  Hey there, Lex. My money is on Timbo Keating. Best CAG I ever had. Ran the good part of Katrina. Knows the PACOM issues. Leads, fights. And Walsh will stay his VCNO for awhile.

• 25 lex // Jun 17, 2007 at 12:22 pm

  Hey, Baron - overseas yet, or still in Monterey?

• 26 baronbvp // Jul 6, 2007 at 4:55 pm

  I’m in Virginia, almost done learning the mother tongue. We head to Europe next month for a Germany area fam. We’ll move there in June ‘08. Ich spreche jetzt Deutsch. Glauben Sie das?

  Kooky. How goes the carrier readiness biz, Lex? Do you have a blog about that?

• 27 baronbvp // Jul 6, 2007 at 4:57 pm

  Nice website by the way. I’m going to start blogging about Europe on my Yahoo 360 site. I just re-registered the domain name I’ve had for almost 10 years, mentorshipmatters.com. I hope to set it up soon - you inspired me! This site rocks. Where do you get the time, dude?

• 28 lex // Jul 6, 2007 at 5:53 pm

  Oh, the CRT thing keeps chugging along. I mostly keep work-related stuff out of the blog, so much simpla.

  As for time, if you don’t sleep, take meals at your desk and blow off work/studies, there’s loads of time

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