There is a saying in politics that if you really want to find out what is going on, follow the money. The current Chairman of the USNI Board of Directors has cited the need for the Institute to gain financial stability as the prime motivator behind their actions leading up to the mission change. Following…
Announcing the 137th Annual Meeting of the US Naval Institute: More than ever we need you there, in person, at the meeting. I’m going and have registered – registration is free (but required) for USNI members. See you there. w/r, SJS P.S. Don’t forget to vote – while the Board of Directors may have stated…
Today’s post comes by way of AT1 Charles Berlemann, Jr. Currently assigned to VAQ-135 (World Famous Back Ravens), he enlisted in 1998 and has made five deployments (see “Postcards from Deployment”). Interested since 1995 (Charles calls himself an “unofficial member), he joined the Institute in 1999. We have maintained correspondence for a few years now…
Guest post tonight folks from CDR Turk; read, think, write – debate. See also the Navy Times article, our work is far from over. Keep the faith – SJS The revolt of the USNI members against the ballot initiative to change the mission statement of the Institute has had an effect. It is interesting to…
From the official announcement: In a special meeting on March 17, the Institute’s Board of Directors agreed unanimously to delay any change in the Institute’s mission statement whatever the outcome of the balloting. The Directors agreed that a wide-ranging and fully open debate led by the membership will provide the guidance needed to shape any…
UPDATE (15 Mar) – When does “unanimous” not mean everyone? When there is a minority dissent. Credibility: 1. capable of being believed; believable: a credible statement. 2. worthy of belief or confidence; trustworthy: a credible witness. e.g., “The degree of credibility of the Board of Directors is diminishing by the day.” Apparently the “run silent/run…
The Editorial Board of the USNI enters the fight in a major way: The independence of the Institute is paramount; without that openness, the Institute risks simply becoming an organ of whatever entity, whatever program, is deemed permissible by only a few, whomever those may be. It would be difficult to find a member or…
If you haven’t yet — vote In the mail this past week, one of our readers wrote of something he noticed at the bottom of the email newsletter he’d recently received: The U.S. Naval Institute is an independent forum founded in 1873 to advance the knowledge of sea power, to exchange ideas on national security…
The ongoing furor over the Board of Director’s attempt at a mid-watch hijacking of the Institute’s mission can, unfortunately, overshadow the very good work being done down in the trenches by the editorial board and legion of ink-stained wretches (and I use that term affectionately) in the trenches. Before re-directing to the BoD’s hi-jinks, I’d…
From comments posted to an article in Foreign Policy (online) yesterday against changing the USNI’s mission statement: As you are aware, since last summer I have had many misgivings about the direction of our board actions. I was skeptical about the ‘advocacy’ word going into the mission statement from the first. With the way this…
