tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-70119104642757249662011-10-22T22:45:07.280-04:00Balancing cost, schedule, performance, and risk.Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.comBlogger221100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-21211437332537830422011-10-22T22:45:00.000-04:002011-10-22T22:45:07.291-04:00

Fall Saturdays are exquisite.  Here are my favorite things about Saturdays in the Fall: Haircuts College Football Tailgating No Commute The Scent of Fall The Last of the Tomatoes Bratwurst No Commute Coffee in the Morning (brewed at home) Relative Freedom Some of these experiences (or lack there-of) are not related.  A few of the are related.  I like them all.

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-85493732479105372452010-05-11T13:12:00.002-04:002010-05-11T13:19:56.905-04:00

"No weapons are allowed in the overhead bins.  Please place your pistols in the seatback in front of you and your rifles underneath the seat in front of you with the butt facing the aisle." Crossing the top of the earth.  This is how you can avoid Icelandic volcanic ash. With a final....... at.......  Home Sweet Home.                                       A place of opulent recline. 0552 AM. 

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-4399764889210964322010-04-29T20:44:00.002-04:002010-04-29T20:49:42.064-04:00

if your clothes can stand up on their own. This is the United States Army Individual Body Armor (IBA) and Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH).  The ACH is a much improved version of the kevlar combat helmet that I was first introduced to in the summer of 1993.  The suspension system is excellent, and the weight of the helmet has been reduced by approximately twenty to thirty percent compared to the

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-26584906608425256912010-04-28T21:27:00.000-04:002010-04-28T21:27:35.260-04:00

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-32387668747678560342010-04-27T21:47:00.002-04:002010-04-28T21:28:09.253-04:00

didn't know about pirates.... and fire discipline. V/R,

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-64036535254492565072010-04-26T22:10:00.001-04:002010-04-28T21:29:02.253-04:00

can be an exciting or... interesting experience, all in the same day.

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-75847818389542356582010-02-08T05:24:00.001-05:002010-02-08T05:24:49.365-05:00

At 0414 EST today, I was fortunate enough to witness the successful launch of STS-130, Space Shuttle Endeavour from Cape Canaveral, Florida. While the view that I had was not as spectacular as the NASA picture above, I was able clearly see the red flare of the shuttle from the bridge of a ship hundreds of miles away in the Gulf of Mexico.  This is my second eyewitness launch of a Space Shuttle

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-6547449350872700902010-01-24T21:58:00.000-05:002010-01-24T21:58:11.655-05:00

I will be the first to admit that I was very skeptical about this uniform.  That said, I am currently on a rather lengthy TAD that has required me to utilize the Navy Working Uniform (NWU), and some of my initial skepticism has waned. The primary objection I had to this uniform is the color scheme.  Many reams of criticism have been written concerning the utility of this color scheme, but

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-31247472352114241942009-12-30T09:34:00.000-05:002009-12-30T09:34:13.255-05:00

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-70790338831826909682009-12-08T00:01:00.000-05:002009-12-08T00:01:19.253-05:00

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-63919874415460803112009-12-06T07:39:00.002-05:002009-12-06T07:39:41.745-05:00

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-44082514212512303582009-12-04T12:51:00.002-05:002009-12-04T12:53:59.476-05:00

Over at Information Dissemination, The Conservative Wahoo is wondering if the USN should “Scrap the Maritime Strategy?” The primary objection raised is the affordability of the fleet composition required to implement the strategy/vision as outlined in CS-21. I would like to challenge the notion that the USN cannot afford the fleet required to execute the vision embodied in CS-21. It is true

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-57934488140919222252009-11-20T13:52:00.003-05:002009-11-20T13:54:09.134-05:00

This is the second in a series of posts in which I will attempt to convey my view of the current LCS and DDG-1000 shipbuilding programs that I believe have the potential to add important contributions to future surface combatants.  I have decided to address the LCS speed requirement first because I believe that this is one of the more troubling aspects of this program, but I do not believe (as

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-37328530208544278082009-11-19T00:40:00.000-05:002009-11-19T00:40:26.356-05:00

I have decided that it is time to weigh in on the surface combatant shipbuilding debate, and to kick things off I believe it is appropriate to start weighing in on the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) procurement program. Before I begin to share my own opinions on this ship class, I would be remiss if I did not call attention to others (far more influential than I) that have weighed into the debate.  

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-81341192080322312502009-11-16T11:48:00.002-05:002009-11-16T11:51:20.817-05:00

On Thursday, 12 November 2009, General David Petraeus was interviewed by Michael O'Hanlon as part of the Bloomberg sponsored Washington Summit.  The entire presentation was exceptional and dealt mostly with explaining the success of COIN in Iraq and relating those efforts to some of the unique challenges facing General McCrystal in Afghanistan. One of the more interesting topics came during

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-33914085448662200012009-11-11T06:42:00.001-05:002009-12-08T00:02:28.182-05:00

The BPAUV is part of the Mine Countermeasures Mission Module delivered to the USS Freedom in 2007. Image courtesy of AUVfest 2008: Partnership Runs Deep, Navy/NOAA, OceanExplorer.noaa.gov The information concerning the testing and delivery of the LCS Mission Modules has been relatively muted.  This little gem slipped quietly out on a NAVSEA newswire in early October 2009.  Although sparse on

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-87796555453486815932009-11-10T00:01:00.004-05:002009-11-10T07:34:53.877-05:00

A committee of the Continental Congress met at Tun Tavern in Philadelphia, PA, and drafted a resolution calling for two battalions of Marines to fight for freedom both at sea and ashore.  The resolution was officially adopted on 10 November 1775 forming the Continental Marines.  As we celebrate the 234th birthday of the United States Marine Corps, I believe it is appropriate to reflect on how

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-71557200695401480802009-11-09T07:40:00.002-05:002009-11-09T07:44:07.327-05:00

"I recognize the pressures of time but I suspect the long term pain will be less if we take the time to do it right." -- RADM Bob Wertheim, 08 March 1978 RADM Wertheim was a central player in the development of the Polaris, Poseidon, and Trident Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles. While these programs suffered setbacks on occasion, the reliability of these systems is a testament to the

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-38182014778667450672009-11-06T11:01:00.002-05:002009-11-06T11:08:13.527-05:00

From the gentlemen at Coming Anarchy, we receive word of an AIS based live ship tracking project from University of the Aegean Department of Product and Systems Design Engineering. MarineTraffic.com is an interactive live ship tracker using Google Maps and AIS to display real time data of ships with AIS transponders that are within range of an AIS receiver.  There is an opportunity (and

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-77164107467972114342009-11-06T09:16:00.005-05:002009-11-06T11:19:38.260-05:00

A series of essays by Francis J. "Bing" West. Bing West Articles Courtesy of Westwrite I first saw Mr. West speak at the Counterinsurgency Leadership in Iraq and Afghanistan Conference hosted by the Marine Corps University and the National Press Club last September.  His newest article is a trip report covering his travels in Afghanistan last month.  The article provides an interesting

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-33005001415696449552009-11-04T09:30:00.002-05:002009-11-04T13:19:35.517-05:00

Much ink has been spilled decrying the seemingly ever increasing cost of USN ships and vessels. The following is a short bullet list that attempts to outline some of the reasons Navy ships cost so much. With a blinding flash of the obvious ships cost so much because of. . . . . . . Operational Requirements (or Capabilities) Shipyard Performance Program Management  Perhaps not so obvious are.

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7011910464275724966.post-57849530175840244222009-10-31T06:36:00.001-04:002009-10-31T07:14:11.647-04:00

With your  indulgence, I am going to take this first post and define some terms and conditions.  Here we go: Short Term     :  1 - 5   years Medium Term :  3 - 10 years Long Term     :  6 - 50 years There are reasons that I define these time horizons the way that I do, and I hope to use these terms and conditions to define the debate that may (or may not) occur on these pages.  I come from a

Benjamin Walthrophttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09339823020215647443noreply@blogger.com0