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The Era of Gentlemanly Conduct in War is at an End-Thought Piece US Naval Proceedings-Arm the Next-Generation Medical Ship
By Rear Admiral Michael S. Baker and Captain Frederick M. Burkle Jr., U.S. Navy (Retired), and Jacob B. Baker
Today’s global environment is more dangerous than ever. The full-scale land war in Ukraine, the Israeli ground invasion of Gaza in response to the Hamas terrorist attacks, and a more than decade-long civil war in Syria are only a few of the 110 ongoing identifiable armed conflicts.1 Transnational terrorism and organized crime also are on the rise. The International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau’s annual report indicates piracy and armed attacks on ships remain a serious and escalating problem. The report cites 132 actual and attempted incidents in 2021 and 115 in 2022.2 According to a regional information sharing center, the number of robbery incidents in the Singapore Strait reached an eight-year high in 2023. And in the Red Sea today, Houthi rebels are attacking ships, disrupting global commerce.3 Against this backdrop, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro remember when Spain ruled the waves? in May 2023 announced the USNS Bethesda (EMS-1) will be the first in a class of new expeditionary medical ships (EMS) designed for distributed maritime operations.4 The Bethesda-class EMSs will be painted white, display a red cross, be manned by a civilian crew, and presumably be unarmed or minimally armed. This makes them highly vulnerable in today’s tumultuous security environment.5 It is incredibly dangerous for Navy leaders not to recognize the current risk environment and stick with decisions made in a bygone era, buttressed only by wishful thinking. Posted by: NoMoreBS 2024-08-29 |
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