A veteran in Congress is calling on the secretary of defense to examine the current Navy SEAL combat training program, saying it's less effective than a previous method and not conducive to SEAL operations.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, former Marine officer and member of the House Armed Services Committee, sent an April 5 letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter requesting that Carter provide "clarity" on Naval Special Warfare's 2011 move to replace its Close Quarters Defense institutionalized training system with Mixed Martial Arts.
"I have concerns with the process for considering and awarding the contracts that have led to the removal of CQD from SEAL training," Hunter wrote. "NSW operators and leadership have consistently determined CQD to be the most operationally effective training to prepare SEALs for combat, evidenced by more than 11,000 positive critiques and numerous complimentary reports."
"There have been reports that Szymanski is a central player in the selection of MMA over CQD," Joe Kasper, Hunter's chief of staff, told Military.com. "And it's important before any promotion proceeds that there's clarity on that role and assurances that it was all above board."
The letter also notes that CQD costs just $345 per SEAL compared to $2,900 for MMA training. It also refers to a 2015 Defense Department Inspector General review of NSW contracts that found about 25 percent of contracts inspected were not awarded in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations. While the MMA contract in question was not considered, Hunter suggested it too could contain problems.
Hmmm, $345.00 vs $2900.00? Lot's of possibilities to either defend it or attack it. Is one system actually more effective than the other? What's the dollar cost vs the life of an operator? Any funny business of those involved
directly to each other? (Congress - Contractor) Was there a specific bid or contractor request for this? Or was it "Rogue - ish" in nature according to the article?
Guess we'll see. My take on it is if it whatever works best for the Tms is the ideal solution. Course, as we all know, choices like this, are almost always made by those who think they know more......
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Rep. Duncan Hunter, a Republican from California, former Marine officer and member of the House Armed Services Committee, sent an April 5 letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter requesting that Carter provide "clarity" on Naval Special Warfare's 2011 move to replace its Close Quarters Defense institutionalized training system with Mixed Martial Arts.
"I have concerns with the process for considering and awarding the contracts that have led to the removal of CQD from SEAL training," Hunter wrote. "NSW operators and leadership have consistently determined CQD to be the most operationally effective training to prepare SEALs for combat, evidenced by more than 11,000 positive critiques and numerous complimentary reports."
"There have been reports that Szymanski is a central player in the selection of MMA over CQD," Joe Kasper, Hunter's chief of staff, told Military.com. "And it's important before any promotion proceeds that there's clarity on that role and assurances that it was all above board."
The letter also notes that CQD costs just $345 per SEAL compared to $2,900 for MMA training. It also refers to a 2015 Defense Department Inspector General review of NSW contracts that found about 25 percent of contracts inspected were not awarded in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulations. While the MMA contract in question was not considered, Hunter suggested it too could contain problems.
Hmmm, $345.00 vs $2900.00? Lot's of possibilities to either defend it or attack it. Is one system actually more effective than the other? What's the dollar cost vs the life of an operator? Any funny business of those involved
directly to each other? (Congress - Contractor) Was there a specific bid or contractor request for this? Or was it "Rogue - ish" in nature according to the article?
Guess we'll see. My take on it is if it whatever works best for the Tms is the ideal solution. Course, as we all know, choices like this, are almost always made by those who think they know more......
Full Story
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