'the' senior service

starting with a correction...

I begin with a major correction based on my failure to multi-task effectively yesterday. The aircraft carrier permanently moored along the western side of Manhattan is USS Intrepid even if I tried making it into the USS Enterprise. I definitely know the difference but was, as invariably true too often, doing too many things at once so I lost my train of thought. I thank my husband who served on both carriers for pointing out my misspeake. Enterprise still sails proudly and powerfully as part of the U.S. fleet.

The second day of the Western Naval History Association meeting on the USS Midway in San Diego began with a discussion of Britain and its way of war, as presented by Andrew Lambert. Lambert made two particularly interesting points.

I paraphrase something he said for us Yanks to ponder: Britain never forgets it is an island, thus the Royal Navy is the dominant service, regardless of the His Majesty Army’s or Air Force’s wishes otherwise. Britons who think about the military accept that this in an island nation that can’t feed itself, proving why seaborne commerce and everything else maritime matters. Fair and simple enough.