Dexter Filkins

And what that means is the priority is to put sailors on deck. So everybody on deck to your job. And what that means is that they're not below deck. Maintaining the engines, maintaining the ship, maintaining the computers. And so the maintenance is slipping on the ships and on the subs because they don't have enough people. So I think for the Navy, the Navy is just, their problems are gigantic.

And what that means is the priority is to put sailors on deck. So everybody on deck to your job. And what that means is that they're not below deck. Maintaining the engines, maintaining the ship, maintaining the computers. And so the maintenance is slipping on the ships and on the subs because they don't have enough people. So I think for the Navy, the Navy is just, their problems are gigantic.

I mean, I think they've really had to lower some standards to get people to come in.

I mean, I think they've really had to lower some standards to get people to come in.

I mean, I think they've really had to lower some standards to get people to come in.

Well, they don't have enough ships to do everything that they want to do. And that's really the big question, right? So since 1945, the United States has basically taken upon itself world leadership. And that means, among other things, kind of policing the sea lanes, the international sea lanes, which basically keep you know, international commerce kind of flowing.

Well, they don't have enough ships to do everything that they want to do. And that's really the big question, right? So since 1945, the United States has basically taken upon itself world leadership. And that means, among other things, kind of policing the sea lanes, the international sea lanes, which basically keep you know, international commerce kind of flowing.

Well, they don't have enough ships to do everything that they want to do. And that's really the big question, right? So since 1945, the United States has basically taken upon itself world leadership. And that means, among other things, kind of policing the sea lanes, the international sea lanes, which basically keep you know, international commerce kind of flowing.

The Navy, for instance, has a goal of having 75 service ships at sea all the time. They can't meet that number. And they can't meet it for any number of reasons. I mean, we have about 300 ships in the Navy. It used to be close to 700 ships in the Navy at the end of the Cold War. So they don't have enough ships to do the things that they want to do. And so it raises this

The Navy, for instance, has a goal of having 75 service ships at sea all the time. They can't meet that number. And they can't meet it for any number of reasons. I mean, we have about 300 ships in the Navy. It used to be close to 700 ships in the Navy at the end of the Cold War. So they don't have enough ships to do the things that they want to do. And so it raises this

The Navy, for instance, has a goal of having 75 service ships at sea all the time. They can't meet that number. And they can't meet it for any number of reasons. I mean, we have about 300 ships in the Navy. It used to be close to 700 ships in the Navy at the end of the Cold War. So they don't have enough ships to do the things that they want to do. And so it raises this

really large question, which is, if we don't have the armed forces to support the global commitments that we've made, do we make the military bigger or do we scale back the commitments? And, you know, that's the really big question, the hardest one to answer.

really large question, which is, if we don't have the armed forces to support the global commitments that we've made, do we make the military bigger or do we scale back the commitments? And, you know, that's the really big question, the hardest one to answer.

really large question, which is, if we don't have the armed forces to support the global commitments that we've made, do we make the military bigger or do we scale back the commitments? And, you know, that's the really big question, the hardest one to answer.

I think the moment we're in right now, 2025, if you kind of look at the history of the 20th century, to me looks, you know, more and more like 1938. every day. There's all these authoritarian powers, China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, who increasingly are working together. They're North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine. They're all cooperating with one another.

I think the moment we're in right now, 2025, if you kind of look at the history of the 20th century, to me looks, you know, more and more like 1938. every day. There's all these authoritarian powers, China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, who increasingly are working together. They're North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine. They're all cooperating with one another.

I think the moment we're in right now, 2025, if you kind of look at the history of the 20th century, to me looks, you know, more and more like 1938. every day. There's all these authoritarian powers, China, Russia, North Korea, Iran, who increasingly are working together. They're North Korean troops fighting for Russia against Ukraine. They're all cooperating with one another.

And they are in the kind of classic sense, revisionist powers. They do not support the status quo. They don't support International law as we know it, which is, you know, basically the edifice of kind of world order for the past 75 years. They're pushing against that. They ignore these things all the time. You see the Chinese ships that are suspected of cutting the undersea cables.

And they are in the kind of classic sense, revisionist powers. They do not support the status quo. They don't support International law as we know it, which is, you know, basically the edifice of kind of world order for the past 75 years. They're pushing against that. They ignore these things all the time. You see the Chinese ships that are suspected of cutting the undersea cables.

And they are in the kind of classic sense, revisionist powers. They do not support the status quo. They don't support International law as we know it, which is, you know, basically the edifice of kind of world order for the past 75 years. They're pushing against that. They ignore these things all the time. You see the Chinese ships that are suspected of cutting the undersea cables.