The Navy’s tricked-out, ultra-fast catamaran has just arrived for duty in San Diego, where it’ll be used to chase down drug runners at 50 knots.
It’s a pretty impressive feat, considering the blueprints for this “Sea Fighter,” or “X-Craft” were only drawn up two years ago. Thank a little slab of ol’ fashioned pork for getting the job done, Murdoc says.
By finding funds outside the normal defense appropriations process, and by ignoring special interests such as traditional ship builders and Navy officials who “want to keep building big slow ships,” Hunter said he, Issa and Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham, R-Escondido, [yeah, the same guy who got caught in bed with local defense contractors — ed.] helped military and private industry visionaries “conspire to beat the bureaucracy…“
Hunter said the money for the project —- about $79 million —- came from congressional “add-ons,” which are often referred to as “pork.“
In 2003 the Navy’s Office of Naval Research awarded San Diego-based Titan Corp. an exclusive contract to develop the vessel. The Sea Fighter was built in only two years —- an unprecedented feat in the world of naval acquisitions.
“I knew if we got this thing in the water we could sell it to the Navy,” Hunter said.
The Sea Fighter is the latest example of how the Pentagon’s old rules for buying gear aren’t keeping up with the defense technology’s Lance Armstrong. Jammers to stop roadside bombs are essentially rotting on the vine, waiting for Defense Department bureaucrats. Companies like General Atomics, maker of the Predator drone, are self-financing their research, because they can’t wait for the endless Washington decision loop to close.
Maybe that works for companies with big bankrolls and Congressional pals. But it leaves out tens of thousands of others who might be able to give American troops a hand.
I wonder how many armored vest and armor for our guys vehicles that this 79 million could have bought?
I realize that Representative Cunningham may have, ahem, something tawdry to be commented on.
Let us also try valiantly to remember he was the highest scoring ace during the Viet Nam War. If I recall, he was also quite vocal about reestablishing old-school dogfighting lessons for the Navy. This, when his record was established in the Phantom, a plane fielded without a built-in gun.
Not an apologist, merely if you’re going to put in an –ed remark on the guys’s significant history, you might add some mention of this, to remind us that even politicians are complicated.
I may be wrong on this but the ship pictured with this story is not the FSF 1 “Sea Fighter” recently home ported in San Diego.
As for the “Duke Stir” good ridence. My Congresional District is next to his and I’ve been involved in Veterans and Military activities in the San Diego area since leaving the Army in 1967. Congressman Cunningham’s contribution to building a stronger national defense and in protectioning Veterans Rights have been minimal at best.
He is much more interested in promoting himself with Defense Contractors and carrying their water up the hill then taking care of his fellow Veterans or of those actively serving their country.
Do not be shocked if this “Hero” finds plenty of post congressional service with the “Military Defense Industry”.
My Congresswoman, Rep. Susan Davis (Ca.,Dem., 49th. District) a very Liberal Democrat has a much sounder record in supporting a strong defense of America and Veterans then Congressman Cunningham has ever had.
Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham has traded mostly on his Vietnam War exploits. He is far more interested in haveing his Navy Cross upgraded to the CMH then to the current state of affairs of the Military and Veterans of his district.
There are several of his former shipmates who served with him (U.S.S. Constillation, CV 64) who think the Navy Cross is undeserved.
But that is their business not ours.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
“Stewart’s Platoon”