"But neither the Navy nor the Pentagon has said when this deployment will end, nor whether there is another carrier being readied to take their place. At stake is whether Mr. Hegseth further extends the deployment to keep his military options open. If so, that decision will probably increase costs down the road by delaying crucial maintenance for the Ford and putting strain on the crew's morale."
From "Long Carrier Deployment Projects U.S. Strength, and Carries Costs/The U.S.S. Ford has been deployed for six months, now in the Caribbean as part of President Trump’s pressure campaign on Venezuela. Maintenance woes and strains on sailors will likely mount" (NYT).
The article quotes Senator Mark Kelly, who was deployed beyond 6 months during the 1991 Gulf War: "It kind of wears on you. And you start to see accidents start to happen — not just pilots crashing planes, necessarily, but accidents on the flight deck.... All kinds of stuff starts to happen when you’re out there for an extended period of time."
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118 comments:
Mark Kelly might be an officer, but he's no gentleman. He's decidedly chucked that part of the proclamation.
Kelly looks like Nosferatu.
6 Months are not long deployments, rather it is a typical length of deployment all the way back to at least the 80's when I served. A Westpac was 6 months long, and sometimes extended to 8 months and that was under Reagan's "600 ship" Navy.
Think of the crews on the escort vessels, which typically don't have the onboard amenities of a carrier.
If these ships were bringing hordes of violent, unassimilable foreigners to our shores to replace American voters and institute a one-party left-wing dictatorship under Democrat rule, or if they were meddling in European or Middle Eastern wars that are none of our business but make Democrat politicians and their worthless relations rich, the Democrats wouldn't give a shit if they were deployed there for three years running.
But if we have them taking care of devilry in our own back yard that deeply injures American society, killing hundreds of thousands of us per year, the Democrats throw every obstacle they can in the way.
Teach your kids that Democrats are their worst enemies, not their countrymen.
Comments by President Mark Kelly? Or Secetary of War Mark Kelly? Oh. Senator Mark Kelly, mostly known as a critic of Trump & Hegseth's use of the Military to combat Venezuelan cartels.
The NYT--and Mark Kelly--are all of a sudden deeply concerned about military morale and maintenance. Snort!
Dude looks like and is a chode. A large chode the size of a small chode...with ears.
ET PHONE HOME!
7th month at sea? Or 7th month deployed?
Very few surface ships stay at sea for even a month at a time.
I suspect the reporters are to ignorant to know and too stupid to ask the difference.
6 - 8 month annual deployments used to be standard schedule in the navy. My ship had just come back from 8 month Westpac cruise when I joined in Dec 68.in April 69 we left for a Mediterranean cruise. Got home in November.
Between Westpac ND med cruises, we did 2-3 1 week rearming cruises
Ships were normally scheduled to be at sea (not just deployed) 20 days a month.
Buncha pussies theses days (:
Senator Kelly thinks it would be beneficial to our military and our country for other countries to believe we have a hard 6-month deadline for any deployment?
Ha, Ha. I did an 8 1/2 month deployment on the USS Carl Vinson in the mid-80's including a then record 122 days continuously at sea. I don't remember any left wing pussies crying for us back then.
Hey shipmates, just kidding about pussies. Long cruises suck. Merry Christmas
John Henry
WHOA guys. whatever you think about Kelly's political positions he's stating common knowledge about long deployments at sea. Military planners take this into consideration. Maintaining mission discipline and sharpness during very extended deployments becomes increasingly difficult. Of course, strategic demands may make extended deployment a necessary requirement of the mission but Kelly is questioning the whole operation and pointing out some of its possible consequences.
People paid to talk say stuff or they don't get paid. Doesn't mean it's a real issue. Maybe it is, but a military action is made of issues and they get handled.
link doesn’t go to the NYT article.
Hello? They're in the caribbean. And going up against South America fish boats and tankers. That doesn't sound very stressful to me. And why is Mr. Pete to blame?
Link isn't working: "Sorry, the page you were looking for in this blog does not exist."
How long were Carrier deployments during Vietnam? I'd bet 6 months or more.
If a Leper's scrotum dropped off in the woods and was lost in deep leaves and dense undergrowth, then was discovered and adopted by a bitter, half-mad, barren she-weasel desperate for a young'un of her own...
We're going to war in Venezuela. That's why the active armed forces signed on for...
Enough with the National Guard, and unarmed women and children, being shot in the head...
He promised no new wars, but we'll have dead warriors of our own at this time next year. It's too lucrative, and addicting, overthrowing other people's leaders. Just don't bitch when the people of the wartorn lands end up as refugees here?
Beat that chest and sound the wardrums...
Even at his lowest level of perfidy, John Kerry never advocated mutiny and sedition. Congrats Mark...you are now lower than John Kerry. I wish we still snapped swords in half.
Kelly was attacked as being engaged in undermining morale while still a reserve officer. So, its not like he's some objective observer of the Trump administration.
They fed the boys well in the Pacific pre battle too. Sun, volleyball and baseball, even some comfort women? Let them have their red meat and shellfish today, even if there's no Christmas break from the killings... They know what they signed up for. No coming now to your mommies. There's a job ahead....
You see it too right, reading the papers and seeing what America is assembling? It's going to cost the country the way the Bush Cheney wars did. Please don't avert your eyes.
God knows there's a better way to live, but Americans are slow learners and addicted to bloodshed now, it seems... Hoorah?
Do you have confidence in Pete Secretary of War Hegseth's leadership or the American military? God bless you.
Kelly is full of it. When I served, 7-8 months was normal--this was in the 1980s.
We're boarding ships, seizing oil and trying to tank further the Venezuelan economy. It's not about drugs. It's a deadly power play that will backfir on us
.
again.
Lol at "low morale" and talks of rotating in new crews. This might be the last Christmas some of them celebrate... give them two steaks apiece, I say...
God be with them in the days ahead.
I predict we'll have to invade to overthrow Maduro... and that of course is the endgame. America picks the leaders in this great game of globalism we are playing...
Maybe three steaks apiece tonight?
Kelly represents a ruling class desperate for their return to absolute power. The jury is out as to when that return will occur. When it happens, and it will, look out.
Would the 6 month deployment include time spent to and from? Add an extra month each way to westpac from east coast
>RCOCEAN II said...
How long were Carrier deployments during Vietnam? I'd bet 6 months or more.<
You bet well. Mine was 8.5 months and that was not unusual then. It was a bit unusual in that we got turned around just a day short of the outchop line, for another 1.5 months - now that is tough to take.
I'm reading this 6month-deployment-as-onerous notion and crying crocodile tears.
You guys know why they're assembling all that military hardware down there, right? It's not hard to follow if your eyes are looking ahead not back at your glory days talking about pussy...
No New Wars was just a winning campaign slogan it seems.
(Personally, I wouldn't trust Pete Hegseth to tie my shoes...)
What did Kelly have to say about the astronauts Biden needlessly kept in orbit because Musk had been declared an enemy of the people by The Party? They faced serious health consequences including radiation exposure and loss of bone density among other things.
In Army I had 13 month deployment to the Great, Big, Beautiful Iraq. Suck it up, Navy.
Huh--my son just got back from 6+ months deployment with his ODA in an African locale that featured four Americans dying in an embassy attack. During GWOT, his team members often had year-long deployments with people trying to kill them every day. As Green Berets say "travel to interesting places and meet interesting people".
Son’s deployments during the Biden era were 8-9 months long
As Green Berets say "travel to interesting places and meet interesting people".
Then kill them
John Henry
So now Kelly is moving on from trying to get National Guard Soldiers killed to telling us how hard it is for a Navy Seaman?
If Trump keeps those boats down there any longer those Navy boys will just have to start disobeying their orders right?
John henry said...
As Green Berets say "travel to interesting places and meet interesting people".
Then kill them
John Henry
In Afghanistan the Green Berets trained them then we killed them.
"The U.S. military achieved its best recruiting numbers in 15 years in fiscal year 2025, Pentagon officials said, with each service exceeding its goal and all reserve components, except the Army Reserve, meeting their targets."
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2025/dec/23/military-hits-best-recruiting-numbers-15-years-pentagon-says/
More gloom and doom from the NYT. It’s what they do.
@Political Junkie, If we - and @Gilbert Pinfold's son - could take stop-loss and "The Surge" then the USN can take a few more months with their lobster and prime rib, and Mark can get a second-helping of STFU.
For the folks in our Armed Forces…
https://x.com/i/status/2003638511367499817
Obligatory suck chart.
Sadly it leaves the Navy out of the cartoon. But the comments section supplied the proper Navy quote:
"You suck at sucking."
"What did Kelly have to say about the astronauts Biden needlessly kept in orbit because Musk had been declared an enemy of the people by The Party? They faced serious health consequences including radiation exposure and loss of bone density among other things."
Not as useful...no one's going to be scared of seditious astronauts, no matter how many times they saw Moonraker.
@Achilles, Always been partial to this one myself.
Mark Kelly is a tiresome politician. Enough already.
’…not just pilots crashing planes’
John McCain has entered the chat…
Link fixed. Thanks.
In reply to the esteemed Senator: No shit Sherlock.
Here's an idea. It's the Caribbean for chrissakes, not half a world away. Grant leave. Arrange to have cruise ships half full of women on discounted vacations pull up alongside. One advantage of turning attention to defense of our own hemisphere?
Kelly, if he's rational, must have already abandoned his presidential ambitions. Him raising this foolishness is just personal smite against Trump.
At this point, Kelly really does appear to be rooting for Maduro.
Bob Boyd said...
"The U.S. military achieved its best recruiting numbers in 15 years in fiscal year 2025, Pentagon officials said, with each service exceeding its goal and all reserve components, except the Army Reserve, meeting their targets."
Most of them being Cis-White-males.
That is grounds for impeachment right?
Hes a chinese compromised hack
The mandarin word is lesuo
"All kinds of stuff [i.e. catastrophes of carelessness] starts to happen when you’re out there for an extended period of time."
Senator Mark Kelly (D) is just the sort whose endurance and competence expire after 180 days.
Long deployments are a function of having too few carriers.
The red sea deployment was probably much more fraught with dangers
As said above- 6 months may be the scheduled deployment- and isn't unusual at all. And being extended isn't all that unusual either. And if everything went right, upon returning, the vessel would stay tied up for minimum 30 days. But the 6 months before and after deployment wouldn't be sitting alongside the pier. There's be workup and training and shakedown and short cruises for other purposes.
The worst is having to go into drydock. Almost everyone would rather be cruising at sea to being in a drydock.
Mark Kelly said...
And you start to see accidents start to happen — not just pilots crashing planes, necessarily, but accidents on the flight deck.... All kinds of stuff starts to happen when you’re out there for an extended period of time.
I knew Kelly's tone sounded familiar to me!
"You've got a nice Army base here, colonel. We wouldn't want anything to happen to it."
This is why the military is staffed by people selected for merit, not Diversity. As for the current mission: black lives matter. George "Fentanyl" Floyd Syndrome aborts thousands of Americans lives annually throuh respiratory suppression, etc.
My heart bleeds for the poor swabbies that have to spend 6 whole months at sea with no one shooting at them and are forced to eat prime rib and lobster tails. My only familiarity is with Viet Nam where the ground pounders spent 13 months on duty and if they were lucky did not have to eat Ham and Limas out of a can a more than a couple times a week. I know, different strokes for different folks and carriers are amazing at projecting power - and need to be repaired once in a while - nevertheless I lack a certain amount of sympathy with any "warrior" who gets "three hots and a cot" every day he is supposed to be in combat.
Are there any friendly islands? Shore leave could be an option.
More ships? A diversity of ships.
Arent the drones handling most of this operations maybe whatever awac equivalent is doing surveillance
Let me tell you about Christmas of 79” off the coast of Iran in the Arabian gulf.
NN
San Juan is about 500 miles away. Trinidad is 100 or so has some nice resorts. Lots of other islands people pay lots of money to visit. I am sure the Ford is making regular portcalls with liberty
If at sea, the COD plane flies multiple daily flights and can carry 26 passengers.
I'd be willing to bet that the Navy provides some time ashore, somehow. USO and Navy MWR (Morale, welfare and Recreation departments) usually do a good job of organizing cheap rates at nice hotels for I&I purposes.
John Henry
Malicious Observance.
Typical carrier cruise duration is 6 to 9 months.
In June 2025, CVN 75 returned home after 8 month cruise.
In August 2025, CVN 70 returned home after 9 month cruise.
In July 2024, CVN 69 returned home after 9 month cruise.
Whose complaining beside marshmallow mark
A ship may be safe in port; but that’s not what ships are for.
"... probably increase costs down the road ...." 1. NYT worried about costs? 2. The Navy generally does not operate on roads. Substitute 'later'.
My dad was CO of an LSD (landing ship dock amphib. ship) for 14 months in '68-9 before it was decommissioned. My sister calculated they were at sea 12 months. Brought our Olympic sailboats back from Acapulco, later WestPac for 8 months. The crews have had annual reunion events for years, though I imagine they're dwindling.
Bush’s famous Mission Accomplished fleet had been deployed for 10 months but the Left begrudged them their banner.
The article quotes Senator Mark Kelly...
But of course it does. Maybe he can make another video telling the troops to shit all over the chain of command.
Kelly is questioning the whole operation and pointing out some of its possible consequences.
That's not his intent and you know it.
Lem: "In July 2024, CVN 69 returned home after 9 month cruise."
Kicking and screaming? CC, JSM
Now if the Russians provide heavy ordinance like s 200s of the venezuelans target a carrier with migs things may change
The fraud in Minnesota alone could pay for another aircraft carrier. A significant amount of those stolen US assets went to Somalia to buy weapons to shoot at the US Navy.
Kelly, good, Party man that he is, voted for more fraud, less ships. So when he claims to be concerned about sailor safety and over-extended US military assets, he's full of shit. It's pure partisan politics.
If we were to target la guiara which hss certain historical resonances
RSM: "no one's going to be scared of seditious astronauts"
But once we field the Rods from God....CC, JSM
Anyone saw gi joe retaliation that showed how it worked
Shorter Kelly: If you're at sea long enough, it's your legal right to mutiny.
Die another day featured a solar mirror (which borrowed from diamonds are forever
RCOCEAN II said...
Hello? They're in the caribbean. And going up against South America fish boats and tankers. That doesn't sound very stressful to me. And why is Mr. Pete to blame?
12/24/25, 12:56 PM
It's really the day-to-day operations that are the problem. Monotony and complacency can turn the job dangerous really quickly even if you are only steaming around in Nav's steaming box all day every day.
That being said, don't feel too bad for the targets on the surface. Especially with STtNG (yes, an actual system. Starlink for ships), they have plenty of bandwidth to play World of Warcraft or watch porn or occasionally send an email back to the family, or whatever it is they do for fun.
Submarines once...
During President Obama's last years in office, Scott Kelly, Sen. Kelly's twin brother, spent 340 consecutive days onboard ISS.
The rods from god only really work if the materials to make them are sourced in space. Do the math on making telephone pole sized chunks of tungsten and putting them in orbit. They get pretty expensive even with Starship.
When I was on the USS Abraham Lincoln back in 1990 the supply officer made sure to work his budget so the crew had steak and lobster or steak and king crab legs one night a month. I'm assuming that supply officers on aircraft carriers still do that today.
But they are a non nuclear alternative anyways that would be a soace born force multiplier
68' back from 6 months in Med with 6TH FLEET on USS CASA GRANDE LSD13 ,in states for a month then back to San Juan for shake down cruise and monitoring the area, missed my wife and kids but was all part of serving this nation. Put in chit to serve on PBR MEKONG DELTA late 68'.
"Monotony and complacency can turn the job dangerous really quickly..."
You could say the same thing about factory work.
Sheeeeeeeeet! I spent 12 months in Iraq getting shot at every other day. No lobster tails. Cold MREs.
So, much ado about nothing new.
Oh noes...anyways
After the cease-fire was declared in the 1991 Gulf War, we (TF 3-37 AR, Big Red One) got a celebratory shrimp dinner, just south of Basrah, Iraq. I consulted my mental map of how far we were from Dhahran SA and how long it took to drive that shrimp out to us through the various levels of logistical support, and politely declined. None of my mates got food poisoning, but I still think it was a good decision. CC, JSM
Lots of barnacles attach below the water line which greatly increases stress on the hull. Since the ship is nuclear-powered I don't think fuel consumption is a big deal.
It also depends on the Op Tempo. Go 6 hours on, 6 hours off for a week (and your 'off' isn't sleep if it's during the work day as that is consumed with maintenance and administration) and the whole ship gets 'testy'.
Comment posted to the NYT: “Maintenance woes and strains on sailors will likely mount.” Mark Kelly and the Times predict the future and the Times laments that the “Navy and the Pentagon [have] not [disclosed]” their plans. Seriously? This relentless negativity fueled by speculation is looking like something other than “the loyal opposition.”
NYT begins the rehab of Seditious Mark Kelly.
“This business will get out of control. It will get out of control, and we’ll be lucky to live through it.” Said AdmiralPainter, the senator from TN.
This article is like the one a few days ago that our host found so annoying about troubles in the Trump administration.
Our host never told us what, specifically, was so annoying about this type of article. She did mention that it contained no news, just vague worries. I guessed it was because it was trying to worry molehills into mountains. Kelly's remarks are very much in this vein.
How many crazy senators can Arizona elect? From McCaine to Kelly. I kind of liked Simena.
Back in aught 90, the times had an op ed by a max molnar, who complained about his sons deployment to what woulx become desert shield
The Times is just phoning it in now
Texas John Slaugter moved to AZ in 1880 and founded Douglas Az. That became the home of the Phelps Dodge Copper kingdom that allowed the electrification of the entire United States. Copper made life in the US livable, not a crushing grind that killed people at 60 yo. But we hate mining.
It used to be that a carrier was accompanied by a number of smaller escort vessels. I suspect that it still is. These usually do not have the onboard amenities that a carrier does.
Wasnt pullman car company also founded in arizona
Well, no Pullman started kn the south side of Chicago in 1869 and created a stunning model of building plush cars that they did not sell to railroads but leased, the software as a service model of the 19th century. Pullman became involved in a massive labor strike and was finally killed by anti trust political attack.
My Dad was a Marine Aviator, 1941-1965. He was gone when I was born during the Korean War. Numerous deployments. I flew on RC-135s, average missions were 12 hours not counting pre and post flight. Nine years at various stations working rotating shifts, days, swings, and mids. I swear that took some years off my life. Not complaining,that's just the way it was if you chose that particular life style. Everyone knew it, you could quit if you wanted to, get a dishonorable discharge in a year or so and they would let you go.
18-month Army combat deployment to Iraq here. One just gets warmed up at month seven.
Someday America will be humbled and follow the Son of God's teachings and acknowledge we can't kill our way to happiness. Until then, happy holidays to those who acknowledge the Messiah and fear God .. I AM is Jesus the son of God and all who follow him are blessed. Don't let those jealous tell you otherwise no matter how much playing their game will enrich your earthy riches. He came for us once and he's coming again. .. Believe in the New Covenant and the value of ALL human life not just those allegedly selected under Abram's promise. He loves us all equally because he made us all in his image... Preach.
Enjoy the timmy chamelet pingpong hustler movie and have a nice day to our Jewish friends.
Hopefully no innocents are dead by this time tomorrow taken too soon because we worship guns not God now. From our house to your big old house, Merry Christmas. May the cynical all find a reason to fall on their knees and rejoice too? Hope your stockings and tip jars are overflowing and you too know peace one day too 🥰🌲
Thank you for your service.
The last shall be first...
Believe.
Cry me a river. I deployed aboard the Constellation (CVA-64) on 1 September 1971 for a planned 6- month deployment to SE Asia. In late February 72 we were in Yokosuka, Japan, changing out weapons and loading supplies preparatory to returning home when CINCPAC sent word to reload and return to the Tonkin Gulf as the NVA were massing to invade the South, and that became the Spring Offensive. We ran flight ops 2-3x 24/7 until finally relieved in June, including one 8-week stretch at sea on station. We returned home in July 72, 10 months after departure, having (with the USAF in Guam, Thailand and the Philippines) eliminated the NVA as a functional fighting force and gave Nixon the chips he wanted to negotiate peace. Constellation was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. In short, Capt Kelly, you know better than to preach like a wussy, whiny worm. Stand up straight, sailor.
Mark Kelly still hasn't gotten over the devastating experience he had over Macho Grande.
I never understood how you Navy guys do it. FIL was a SeaBee. Big thanks to all the people who served away from home. I love being home and after a career of travel can’t imagine being away more than a night or two now.
Six months ain’t shit. Uss Ranger CV-61. Our 1983 cruise was extended, then extended again, then two main engine rooms blew up and we stayed at sea for I do t remember how long, but it was months whole they repaired it all at sea. When we got into Subic finally, our loser captain (Arthur Frederickson, look him up) started running multiple captain’s masts daily just to hammer as many beat up, broken down sailors as possible. I think we had just completed 156 straight days. Also, those beer days were every 90 days so at least we had that going for us.
I am enjoying all the short war stories, many from my service era (1969-1973). I remember Alaska in 1970. Just as I settled into Eielson AFB for a long tour, they decided they needed to ship me to a remote radar site on the Bering Sea. They did it at end of December, so I spent Christmas in transient barracks at Elmendorf (they made me turn in my arctic gear at Eielsen and then go to Elmendorf which handled that for remote sites - I got frostbite at Eielsen after I turned in my gear) . Then it was on to the remote site where I found out we weather guys did not stay at the main site (around 50 personnel with cooks, a little bar, etc.). Instead, our weather shack was four miles away from main site at the beginning of the gravel runway and actually was a small, 2-BR house with a kitchen, small work area with our equipment, a small bathroom with a shower, all powered by diesel generators in the back. Four of us living together for 12 months, young men (19-22, basically) doing their own cooking (that was an experience - but thank god for cookbooks sent by family), no where to go other than outside in the arctic for a hike. You learn to deal with it and you do your job. Most guys took leave after six months just to get our for awhile. Since my tour was prorated to 10+ months, I didn't take leave. In retrospect, it wasn't that hard, and it wasn't Vietnam, so we had that going for us.
I feel so much safer knowing the USS Ford is there pressuring Venezuela.
MVGA.
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