Friday, March 17, 2017

The GOP obstacle to Trump's Yuge Defense builup


Precedent Beetlefart wants to build a yuge navy like he saw in Victory At Sea as a kid. Sure it will cost $Billions but the real obstacle will be the steady Republican elimination of skilled workers going back to St. Ronny, which leaves shipbuilders with a lack of trained employees to achieve the numbers Beetlefart wants.
U.S. President Donald Trump says he wants to build dozens of new warships in one of the biggest peace-time expansions of the U.S. Navy. But interviews with ship-builders, unions and a review of public and internal documents show major obstacles to that plan.

The initiative could cost nearly $700 billion in government funding, take 30 years to complete and require hiring tens of thousands of skilled shipyard workers - many of whom don't exist yet because they still need to be hired and trained, according to the interviews and the documents reviewed.

Trump has vowed a huge build-up of the U.S. military to project American power in the face of an emboldened China and Russia. That includes expanding the Navy to 350 warships from 275 today. He has provided no specifics, including how soon he wants the larger fleet. (For graphics on projected strength of U.S. Navy, shipyard employment see: tmsnrt.rs/2n3vOr0)

The Navy has given Defense Secretary Jim Mattis a report that explores how the country's industrial base could support higher ship production, Admiral Bill Moran, the vice chief of Naval Operations with oversight of the Navy’s shipbuilding outlook, told Reuters.

He declined to give further details. But those interviewed for this story say there are clearly two big issues - there are not enough skilled workers in the market, from electricians to welders, and after years of historically low production, shipyards and their suppliers, including nuclear fuel producers, will struggle to ramp up for years.
Assuming Beetlefart gets his funding, the trained people with security clearances in facilities capable of building his fleet won't happen until long after he is gone. And his replacement probably won't be such a douchebag.

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