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Frank, that's an interesting comment:


But consider that your audience there were not civilians, as most of us are 
here. As a civilian my feeling is that when and if the GPS system is knocked 
off the air and my little GPS is no longer of use, I will have bigger worries 
than "precisely where am I?"

Your audience were the officer core of the USCG, which is a legal paramilitary 
organization. In time of war their mission is to defend the coasts of the 
United States, and that means very precisely that at any time the GPS system 
may be attacked and destroyed--they will be required to go to sea, to go to 
war, and to navigate with the greatest possible precision in the worst of 
conditions.

If they don't understand that, and they don't understand why the prudent 
navigator (or commander) needs the ability to function when the primary 
systems are down and an enemy *is* actively attacking...Then I would suggest 
the Commandant of the USCG needs to review who is at the Academy, and how the 
hell they managed to get in there.

Air sea rescue and drug interdiction and pollution control are all well and 
good, but the USCG becomes a full military arm during time of war. The USCG 
is no longer a "Coast and LifeSaving Service" "Lightkeeping Service" or 
"Revenue Agency". And if they are not cognizant of that duty, and prepared 
for it, they don't belong in New London.

Perhaps next time around, you could remind them that in the last legally 
declared war that the US entered (WW2) a number of civilians in wooden 
sailboats were placed on antisubmarine and picket patrol off the New England 
and Atlantic coasts. They were required to be on station, and navigate, and 
they managed to do this in radio silence with no outside assistance.

Or perhaps, you could simply remind them that the USNA 44's still carry 
Cassens & Plath sextants, and embarass them with the prospect that "real 
sailors" might be able to beat them at something besides football.

   

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