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‘Synthetic’ training limits

This brings to mind a saying: Sailors belong on ships, and ships belong at sea. Maybe some [joint task force exercise] qualifications can be accomplished through synthetic training: administrative qualifications, communications drills, even some engineering drills. But it’s hard to simulate the rigors of tasks such as flight deck operations or an underway replenishment while ... pierside. Another aspect to consider: At sea there’s no worry about Friday night’s social event or weekend getaway plans. Sailors need to be able to compartmentalize their personal lives from their shipboard lives, especially on deployment. Being at sea for JTFEX and other pre-deployment exercises gives them time to become (re)accustomed to doing that.

— CTOC (AW), USN, Retired

From a strictly dollars-and-cents perspective, it makes sense to use simulators, etc., to reduce operating costs. That said, I believe the Romans had a saying: You train like you fight, you fight like you train. To me, that means you do the majority of your training underway and in conditions as close to what you would encounter both during normal cruising and wartime operations as possible.

— jeffersj

Gooding, Howard sign on for Tuskegee movie

Will it be accurate or stick to the myth that they never lost a bomber? If they go for the factual route, will there be boycotts and such from those who would rather perpetuate the myth?

— ringjamesa

stop lecturing fleet

Military leadership is overly concerned with perception and expends a great amount of resources to combat problems not unique to the military. The fact is that the vast majority of service members do the right thing. Focusing on such a small population does nothing except to demoralize everyone else. No decent person needs an Armed Forces Network commercial to let them know that shaking babies or taking advantage of women is wrong. When the criminals commit their acts, find them and expedite their separation from the military and into prison.

— former31B