Vern Clark's Legacy

Here is an interesting article on outgoing Navy Chief Admiral Vern Clark. Often criticized for depleting the fleet, he was in fact a transforming sailor, as this reads:

If he's been aggressive about phasing out the old while building newer and fewer (today's Navy has 287 ships, down from 315 in 2000) to meet shifting global defense challenges -- it may have been a lesson from the FRAM age. A corollary to this is the realization of where the Navy's real value lies: in the talents and dedication of its sailors -- the snipes and deck apes who get the most out of sophisticated systems while keeping even the most outmoded systems operational. They deserve the best -- whether the best is measured in terms of pay or quality ships.