Yes, because inertial navigation has to be checked against a second form of navigation. Submarine-launched ICBMs, unlike land-launched ICBMs, cannot use their launch point as an external reference, because the sub’s position is not known accurately enough (at least not by the missile, the subs of course periodically use a second method to correct their inertial positions to whatever precision they find sufficient). I don’t know if different ICBMs have different navigation systems but the sub-launched ones at least use stars for external reference.

Of course the larger the missile payload, the less important it is to be accurate within meters….

DEI is fairly recent, but affirmative action is much older and a less extreme form of the same thing.

If INS is small enough and reliable enough for a boomer or attack sub I would guess it would fit and be good enough for an aircraft carrier.

It was not until a group of retired Navy people got together and forced the Naval Academy to reinstate the Celestial Navigation requirement that the Academy saw the light of day!

It would be interesting if someone here could get the history of that event from the academy and make it available to the President so that he has some backup power! I remember reading the story in the press and the significance of that event had been watered down! The error may have already been corrected but the cause (source) of the error may still be in place ! Help the President do his job by providing factual information regarding educational practices in the services!

Bottom line here is to go back to the K-12 groups and start cleaning up that mess!

I suspect that the drafting was parceled out to people/groups with a particular interest in the subject matter, with varying degrees of experience in writing contracts and statutes.
Be interesting to know who the ghost-writers were.

That’s only 16 years: how can a culture change that fast and still be deep?
I’m hoping that the observations in the comments here are correct: that a lot of the wokery is lip-service to the priorities of the (corrupted) brass.
However, since the academies have had the same 16 years to indoctrinate the new officer corps, and some of the classes are coming in from infected high schools, I suppose the rot (IOW, sincere believers) can be wide-spread and many layers deep by now.

@ Molly Brown > “He can demote the recalcitrant officers and replace them with ones who actually have principles and the backbone to honor them.”
I really, really hope that you are correct about Trump reinstating the anti-covid-vax service members, but how many want to come back, after being shafted before and starting new careers?

@ J.J. > “Force many of the “gentlemen” high ranks to retire and start promoting the tigers. That will attract the type of volunteers that we need. But it will take some time.
I’m sure there are some who will welcome the change, but they may not be as numerous as we hope.”

Or as numerous as we need.

I always welcome your comments and your experience.

With no experience myself I do hope there are embers of warrior spirit which may flame yet again.

The time is right.

Ten years ago, I was invited to a “Dining In” (Formal squadron dinner – not something we did back in the day.) by the CO of the Squadron I was a member of in the 1960s.

It was a strange experience for me. There were a number of speeches given by various squadron members. Most of them were well intended and well given but were mostly about feelings and ambitions.

In my day any speeches would have been about being aggressive, hitting the target, flying a perfect carrier approach, flying tight formation, and other operational issues. Every pilot in the squadron wanted to be the best pilot in the Navy and tried to prove it every day in the sky. Feelings, ambitions outside being a pilot, and the like? Not a chance.

They were nice young men and women, and probably could do a decent job, but they were markedly different than the old days. I realized then that there had been a culture shift in Navy Air. I think Obama and his minions changed the culture. It’s a nicer, more nuanced military with goals other than maximum combat lethality.

It’s an all-volunteer service now, so what the leaders project is what we get. Force many of the “gentlemen” high ranks to retire and start promoting the tigers. That will attract the type of volunteers that we need. But it will take some time.

I’m sure there are some who will welcome the change, but they may not be as numerous as we hope. Time will tell.