cameron zandol أُعيد تغريده
Take a deep breath. Really deep. Fill your lungs.
Now exhale.
Hold your breath until your lungs are reedy to explode.
Then repeat.
Now imagine that your lungs get 5% smaller each time you do this.
Now imagine you are standing in a stadium with 50,000 people watching you slowly die.
You are getting tired but refuse to succumb. Refuse to even kneel.
That’s how it feels to be a supporter of shipbuilding during this administration.
The thrill and excitement of walking into the stadium for the first time and your issue taking center stage.
Fits of joy at each major milestone. Then long periods of nothing.
You stand on the pitches mound waiting for the team to tun out from the dugout. You wait for the umpire to walk out with the game ball.
Waiting for the game to start.
It never happens.
Trump has done more for American shipbuilding than any President since Nixon. He uncovered the grounds. He turned on the lights. He set up the scoreboard. He paid the salaries. And he filled the stadium with fans eager to cheers.
The Maritime Executive Order
The White House Maritime Action Plan
The reintroduction of the SHIPs for America Act
Hegseth’s Arsenal of Freedom Tour
New energy at MARAD in DOT
Navy acquisition reform
OMB, Labor, Treasury, Energy and Commerce ready to pitch in
All the pieces of the puzzle are on the table ready to be assembled.
And yet nothing is getting built.
The problem is shipbuilding requires a monumental all of government approach.
It’s not a Mavy problem or a Merchant Marine problem or a USCG problem or a Steel, or UN, or alliances or whatever
It’s a truly all of government problem.
All the players are ready but we have no manager calling a huddle and walking everyone out to the field.
The outgoing secretary of the Navy John Phelan did a lot of good, but he never called that huddle.
Will Hung Cao?
He has the enthusiasm and passion and ability to lead the team.
Problem is he has an enormous Navy to run.
Hung Cao needs a manager, a pitching coach, a batting coach… a small cadre of guys who really understand shipbuilding. Not just Naval shipbuilding but the entire landscape of commercial, finance, trades, union, allies best practices, and all the levers of government available.
Now is the time.
It shouldn’t have to be the duty of @SECNAV to hold this much water but every other department tasked (except OMB) has stood their and watched as opportunity after opportunity sailed by.
There is still enough excitement for shipbuilding to start the game but the pitcher is quickly running out of breaths.
The game needs to start asap and @HungCao_VA has the last chance before the midterms to start the show.
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