4 ms·

Navy vet here. YOU DO NOT expose the readiness of the unit, medical or otherwise. This was akin to putting private keys in the git repository.

palow 7y ago
Isn't that a bit overly dramatic. Unless at war, literally no one cares if this aircraft carrier is fully operative or not. People have other problems and the Chinese can figure this out without the letter being leaked anyway.
- smitty1e 7y ago
  Dramatic? I offered the IT security example alongside. How long does one expect to work at, say, Apple, if one is careless? Fun fact: no one dies if they leak at Apple. As the global situation deteriorates due to the virus, remember to pray for peace. Because what does any authoritarian regime do when things get creaky? Start a fight to focus attention, that's what.
  - shawnz 7y ago
    > if one is careless? That's assuming this was carelessness and not intentional. But then again, I guess whistleblowers usually don't keep their jobs long either. > Fun fact: no one dies if they leak at Apple. No one will die from this leak either, obviously, yet they might if they don't get an adequate response to the infection
    - smitty1e 7y ago
      > No one will die from this leak either Certainly the hope, but this could fall short of prophecy. Which is why, for all the points about rumors, you do make these sorts of official pronouncements. "Loose lips sink ships" and all that.
  - MagnumOpus 7y ago
    Fun fact: No one dies if the carrier anchors at Guam for a few weeks longer with just security staff on board. Less fun fact: Maybe a dozen sailors will die (or have died) if the carrier sails and gets the rest of the crew on board infected. Hmm, hard choice.
MrOwen 7y ago
As another commenter mentioned here, sailors usually have family and/or relatives that they call in addition to myriad other ways of communicating to the outside world. There is no way that a breakout of COVID-19 could remain a secret. What are sick sailors going to tell their families? And how would you prevent a news investigation from talking to those sailor's families and putting together 2 + 2?
- 93po 7y ago
  You're giving way too much credit to the media to do anything other than shit on Trump 24/7
- smitty1e 7y ago
  When one enlists or takes a commission, one falls under the UCMJ[1]. One's 1A rights are constrained. Aside: this feeds the distaste of veterans for the authoritarian leanings of so many public figures. Among the things sailors are ordered NOT to do is talk to the media without running the communications by a Public Affairs Officer. There is also regular OpSec[2] training. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Code_of_Military_Justice https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Code_of_Military_Jus... [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_security https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_security
mythrwy 7y ago
I'm curious how then do you deal with non responsiveness and buck passing when it's a matter of life or death (and not the war kind either)? I mean, I hear what you are saying, maybe the letter writer has to be sacked. But how do we deal with ineffectiveness and failure to address the situation? There is a lot of that apparently and playing political games doesn't solve it. To be frank, if the military can't become more effective, enforce real responsibility and outcome, put people in charge who make good decisions rather than pass the buck and look to get on with a defense contractor, we are done anyway and China knowing guys on a ship are sick that week is deck chairs on the Titanic so to speak.

palow 7y ago

Isn't that a bit overly dramatic. Unless at war, literally no one cares if this aircraft carrier is fully operative or not. People have other problems and the Chinese can figure this out without the letter being leaked anyway.

smitty1e 7y ago
Dramatic? I offered the IT security example alongside. How long does one expect to work at, say, Apple, if one is careless? Fun fact: no one dies if they leak at Apple. As the global situation deteriorates due to the virus, remember to pray for peace. Because what does any authoritarian regime do when things get creaky? Start a fight to focus attention, that's what.
- shawnz 7y ago
  > if one is careless? That's assuming this was carelessness and not intentional. But then again, I guess whistleblowers usually don't keep their jobs long either. > Fun fact: no one dies if they leak at Apple. No one will die from this leak either, obviously, yet they might if they don't get an adequate response to the infection
  - smitty1e 7y ago
    > No one will die from this leak either Certainly the hope, but this could fall short of prophecy. Which is why, for all the points about rumors, you do make these sorts of official pronouncements. "Loose lips sink ships" and all that.
- MagnumOpus 7y ago
  Fun fact: No one dies if the carrier anchors at Guam for a few weeks longer with just security staff on board. Less fun fact: Maybe a dozen sailors will die (or have died) if the carrier sails and gets the rest of the crew on board infected. Hmm, hard choice.

MrOwen 7y ago

As another commenter mentioned here, sailors usually have family and/or relatives that they call in addition to myriad other ways of communicating to the outside world. There is no way that a breakout of COVID-19 could remain a secret. What are sick sailors going to tell their families? And how would you prevent a news investigation from talking to those sailor's families and putting together 2 + 2?

93po 7y ago
You're giving way too much credit to the media to do anything other than shit on Trump 24/7
smitty1e 7y ago
When one enlists or takes a commission, one falls under the UCMJ[1]. One's 1A rights are constrained. Aside: this feeds the distaste of veterans for the authoritarian leanings of so many public figures. Among the things sailors are ordered NOT to do is talk to the media without running the communications by a Public Affairs Officer. There is also regular OpSec[2] training. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Code_of_Military_Justice https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uniform_Code_of_Military_Jus... [2] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_security https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operations_security

mythrwy 7y ago

I'm curious how then do you deal with non responsiveness and buck passing when it's a matter of life or death (and not the war kind either)? I mean, I hear what you are saying, maybe the letter writer has to be sacked. But how do we deal with ineffectiveness and failure to address the situation? There is a lot of that apparently and playing political games doesn't solve it. To be frank, if the military can't become more effective, enforce real responsibility and outcome, put people in charge who make good decisions rather than pass the buck and look to get on with a defense contractor, we are done anyway and China knowing guys on a ship are sick that week is deck chairs on the Titanic so to speak.