Andrew Blackley is an award-winning Naval Historian who lives near Cleveland; I was pleased to meet him at the Kickoff ceremony for Cleveland Navy Week, which celebrates, among other things, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry's victory in the Battle of Lake Erie on Sept 10, 1813 (210 years ago). Northeast Ohio already builds key, highly technical equipment for each and every US Navy submarine and aircraft carrier. As highlighted by Mr. Blackley, the area is ready to step up and support new industrial maintenance facilities, as well.
As Mr. Blackley notes, building new ships is not enough - we must also properly maintain these exceptionally complex ships through their life cycles. We must invest NOW, on an urgent basis, in the new industrial facilities which are already late to be built.
As reflected in our Bartlett Maritime Plan(tm) to locate two new major industrial facilities there, Northeast Ohio and her people have much to offer in this effort, along with the people of the Charleston, SC area, where we have proposed to build our new Charleston Naval Shipyard.
We anxiously await Navy action to get this urgently required process started. Just as Commodore Perry never "gave up the ship", neither will we.
Remember, the US Navy's asymmetric advantage of undersea dominance only lasts as long as we can keep enough of our submarines at sea. Then China's asymmetric industrial base advantage will rule. China has 19 major shipyards and is building more. Just one of these, Jiangnan Dao, has more capacity than all major U.S. shipyards combined. Unacceptable.
It is past time for prevarication. We must act NOW.
"If the United States and its allies want to maintain the current rules-based world order, they must prepare to meet this challenge through the maintenance of their sea power.
"That effort will require a massive and sustained reinvestment by the American people in their Navy."
![With the fleet returning to Cleveland, we should appreciate the Navy’s importance in our defense: Andrew K. Blackley]()
With the fleet returning to Cleveland, we should appreciate the Navy’s importance in our defense: Andrew K. Blackley
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2wThis initiative not only strengthens the educational opportunities for our dedicated service members and their families but also underscores the vital role that education plays in supporting our national defense. Kudos to WSU President Brad Mortensen and the entire team for driving this impactful collaboration forward. Thanks for sharing.