Established 1936 – John A. Collins, President

EMBASSY SUITES BY HILTON, GRAND RAPIDS DOWNTOWN

Big E's Sports Grille

710 Monroe Avenue NW, Grand Rapids

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2024 – 7:15 AM

What is the cost of being unprepared? Well, that depends on the thing for which you’re unprepared. What if that thing is our nation's ability to defend itself?

We live in a world where wars are raging in Ukraine and Gaza, and terrorist activity has heightened considerably in Iraq, Iran, and other areas of the Middle East. U.S. ships have been targeted and the U.S. Navy has responded with force. This escalation in force requires a strong and prepared naval presence. So, is the U.S. Navy prepared for what comes next?

Utilizing a lot of current, unclassified information from readily available sources (vide Claudine Gay), Unpreparedness of the U.S. Navy in 2024 is an update from what was presented to our club in 2017 by Paul Chardoul. For those who don’t know, Paul is a retired Naval officer, Naval historian, and geopolitician that has involved himself in the Naval hierarchy and uses those positions to see through the fog of war.

This presentation is an eye-opener for those who have become complacent with our international posture.

Invocation: Eric Nelson
Introduction: Jeff Kissinger

The Navy

“You may fire when you are ready, Gridley.” 
 - Commodore George Dewey

“A good Navy is not a provocation to war."
 - President Theodore Roosevelt 

“I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way”
– John Paul Jones