 I'm Jay Fidel, it's the three o'clock block on a given Wednesday in advance of Thanksgiving and we have a very interesting show for Thanksgiving. We have Commander David Hale, Executive Officer, they get that right, of the brand new Daniel K. Inouye USS brand new David K. Inouye, yeah. And you're here with us. That's correct Jay, yep. That's fabulous. And then Jacksriver, the Navy League to talk about the commissioning of the ship, which is going to be on December 8th. So happy to have you here. I love new ships. I love the Navy. I love the United States, it's all part of the same bailiwick, and we are at the front end of that. Wow. So, the first thing we do is we talk about the ship. So David, can you can you discuss why this ship is different from all the other ships in the Navy? Yeah, Jay, that's a great question. I apologize if you hear a beeping in the background, it's because a truck is backing up on the pier near me here. So what makes this ship unique is we are the newest guided missile destroyer in the US Navy today. There are quite a number over 60 other guided missile destroyers, but part of what makes us unique is that our, most of our systems that we have on board are the newest that the Navy has in its ships, which is a very cool thing. Honestly, what makes us most unique is our namesake, Senator Daniel Inouye, and it is an honor to be part of the very first crew, we call them plank owners in the Navy. If you're part of the very first crew, you are a plank owner. It is an honor to be a plank owner of a ship named after such an amazing American hero. When you think of everything that Senator Inouye did from growing up in Hawaii to enlisting in the Army and getting a battlefield commission to earning the Medal of Honor to representing the state of Hawaii, the brand new state of Hawaii for over 60 years to bring this ship here to Hawaii is honestly one of the greatest honors of my of my entire life. It is truly amazing and we will do everything we can as a crew to live up to the legacy of Senator Inouye and what he meant to this country and to this state. You bet. Wish you were here now. Wish he was in the Senate now. Whoa. So, David, you know, I envy you. And if I had my life to lead again, I would be where you are right now. But let me ask you, if I had my life to lead over again, how would I get to be where you are now? This is a very prestigious position you have. And I understand that through the fleet up process, you will be not to command the executive officer, but the commanding officer given a month or so. And that's really fabulous. Sorry. So let me let me ask you a question about how how somebody gets to be in my position or how somebody gets to be a part of the of the crew. So I have been commissioned as an officer for over 18 years in the Navy. I went to the U.S. Naval Academy and graduated in 2003. So this is not a this is not a short or an easy process. I can tell you that it is to get to this point was a goal of mine ever since I joined the Navy and we have over 300 sailors in our crew who have similar and different goals along the way. So if you talk to each one of the 300 members of my crew, they will probably tell you all a different story about how they got to this point. How I got to this point is I started off as a brand new officer. We call them ensigns in the Navy and sort of worked my way up through a series of tours and each stage you have just a little bit more responsibility that you get to until this point where now I'm responsible for 300 300 plus sailors and a billion dollar warship here. So it is a pretty cool journey and one that I would not trade any step of the way for anything else. You know, one thing about the modern Navy, which I think is worth mentioning is something called command climate. And you're at the top of the command. I wonder if you could discuss what that means in the context of the way you run a warship like this. Yeah, that's a fantastic question. What command climate essentially refers to is what the morale of your ship is like is probably the best way that I can describe it. Is your crew. Is your crew happy? Do they like coming to work every day? Do they are they respected in everything that they do? Are they do they feel satisfied? Do they feel like they are contributing to something bigger than themselves? All those things are part of what defines command climate. And I have been at ships and commands that have had good command climates where you want to come to work every day. You love what you're doing. You see where what you're doing plugs into the ship's mission. And I have been at commands where that is not so good. And, you know, you're kind of wondering, what am I really doing here? Why, you know, I don't want to I don't want to do this. It works both sides, both sides of the coin. Obviously, I'm I'm a little biased being at the right at the top of the chain of command here and reporting to the captain. But I think if you ask any sailor on the ship, they will tell you that they enjoy coming to work. They love who they get to work with. They love who they get to work for. And they feel fulfilled, like the Navy was a was a good career choice for them. And they see that they're contributing to. OK, Jack, let's go to you while we try to recover on the video. You know, you you you're I'm talking to Jack, David. Jack, you're a submarine or that's that's different. How do you feel about ships like the Daniel K. and O.A. having had a career in submarines? Well, you know, there's always a little bit of interservice rivalry. And I think, you know, I know you were you were a coastie. And I was a submarineer. David's a swell with surface warfare officer. And, you know, we the basis of all that come all of all that sort of good nature, camaraderie is a whole lot of respect. I think that I have a tremendous amount of respect for for the N.O.A. and what she's capable of doing. I have to say, you know, I was really. When he said that, you know, what was your commissioning year, XO? Two thousand two thousand three was when I got commissioned. Yeah, so two thousand three. I mean, Jay, this is a young man's game, right? I mean, I think that the average age of the crew, you know, and XO is talking about the responsibility that he's about to take on as the commanding officer after being in the Navy for 18 plus years. But I think it's important also to point out that when the ship is at sea, you know, cruising wherever she may be in harm's way or not, the average age of the folks that are actually driving the ship in that moment is probably in the low 20s. So, you know, there's a lot of cumulative experience, but there's a lot of, you know, just young, raw talent out there on board the ship. Yes, we can never forget that. That that's what it is and that's what it will be. And I always remember that the people who man the ship, including the officers, are way younger than you would think. And that they're absolutely qualified, absolutely appropriate to the job. So, Jack, as a member of the Navy League, you have a lot to do with the commissioning ceremony set for December 8th. Can you talk about it? Now, this ship was questioned more than two years ago. Well, first question is why did it take so long to commission a ship that's been operating for two years? Well, the ship hasn't been operating for two years. It's been being built and, you know, tested, accepted by the Navy. There's a very rigorous process the Navy goes through for a newly commissioned ship, as you can, as you can imagine, when the when the Navy spends hundreds of millions of dollars on a new piece of kit, they want to make sure that not only what they're getting is what they're paying for, but also that this crew, you know, that's coming together from several other ships and also, you know, young sailors who have just joined the Navy are going to get the opportunity to train together, learn the ship, learn the equipment to the point where they're able to not only safely operate it, but proficiently operate it and then potentially take it into harm's way. So that's a very long process that the ship has to go through. I think that's probably the main reason for that long period of time. I would also imagine that there are probably some delays in there due to due to the pandemic. Not sure. So, so you're on the you run the bridge now and you're overlooking like was that Fort Island or some other part of Pearl Harbor? Can you swing the camera around so we can get a view of what you got behind you and on the side of you? I'm doing a little little pan here. I'll show you the folks of the ship here in a second. Yeah, Jay, yes, he's these destroyers these days. They have very US Navy destroyers that really clean lines and they look. You could be deceived by those clean lines into thinking that it's not packed full of the most lethal combat power of flow, but you'd be wrong. That's beautiful ship, though, beautiful. So are you at the at the shipyard now, David? Or are you at your permanent you know, mooring in destroyer row? Or can you tell me? Yes, so we so we are actually we are moored at Joint Base Pearl Harbor Hickam in Hawaii. This is where our permanent home will be, not necessarily this pier, but here at this base, this is where a permanent home will be when we're not able to see during during doing operations for the foreseeable future. So happy to be here at our new operating. Your operating area will be anywhere and everywhere, not only across the Pacific but across the world. Am I right to say that? Yes, wherever the Navy sees fit to send us, whether that's the western Pacific, the Middle East, the Persian Gulf, the Mediterranean and really any. OK, let's take a moment and do some footage. We have a short Navy film on the the way the ship rides. Jack, can you can you talk about the the proceedings that will take place on December 8th for the Daniel K. Inouye Institute and the commissioning, the official commissioning of the ship? Absolutely, yeah, thanks. I think one of the things that the XO was trying to say there is that the ship was built in Bath, Maine and it got under some of those clips where the ship getting underway from Bath. It has sailed down the east coast and made a couple of stops along the way. It came through the Panama Canal and then came out to Hawaii toward Alvin, the Hawaiian Islands before it pulled into Pearl Harbor. And that was just a tribute to how Senator Inouye affected all of the islands here in Hawaii wanted to make sure that all the islands had a chance to see this great ship before it pulled into Pearl Harbor. So the ship pulled in. We had a welcoming reception the other night and now the ship is all the families are seeing each other for the first time. Some of them up to a year since they've seen their loved ones on board the ship, you know, all the work and moving, etc. A lot of the families moved out here without their husbands and wives that were assigned to the ship. And so that was that's a really difficult thing. As we come up on the actual commission, the date of the commissioning is on the eighth, the commissioning itself is that is a ceremony along, you know, traditional ceremony that is actually conducted by the United States Navy. So we'll have a bunch of distinguished guests. I think a lot of our guests will be here both for the December 7th Pearl Harbor celebration or, you know, commemorations, I should say, and then staying over the next day for this for this big event for the commissioning. So the Navy League, you know, the commissioning ceremony itself is run by the United States Navy. The Navy League, which supports the Navy in certainly during these kinds of events, we were the party planners, you know, we really support the Navy by establishing the connection between the ship's crew and the community. And in support of that, we have, you know, some receptions, we've set up some barbecues and events for the ship. For example, these these visits to the neighbor islands on their way here to to establish that connection between the crew. That's our core mission in the Navy. The Navy League is to to help to make those connections and educate the, you know, our elected officials and our communities importance of the United States as a maritime nation. Now, every ship has to have a relationship with the community in which it is important, for sure. Yeah. So, yeah, you have to be you have to be more than just a captain. You have to be a political official, if you will, to deal with the local community. So let me let me ask David, what what what do you do at a commissioning? What do you plan to do? How will you participate in that ceremony? Yes. So me personally, the exo's role is to be the emcee of the ceremony. So it'll be the the dulcet tones of my voice that you hear doing most of the announcing there. And before that, to do all the rehearsals and make sure the crew knows what they're supposed to do. So that's my primary role. And you'll be wearing dress whites and a bunch of medals. And it'll be as formal as the Navy ever gets, right? Just about. Yep, every every crew member will be in their dress whites wearing all their all their best medals. And yep, that's that's the time to make sure you're looking as shiny as possible. Yeah, and there'll be music, right? There will be music. We will have a joint Army Navy band that will be doing all the music for the ceremony. Are people flying in? I imagine they are. Yes, we will have quite a few people flying in. Both VIPs as well as guests and family of the of the crew and the in OI family. Oh, wow, of course, of course. So, you know, it seems to me that when you have the newest ship with the most high tech gear and all that, it really does mean something within the Navy, within the fleet. This ship must be treated as special in the fleet. Am I right to say that? That it has a special place in our in our fleet, in our national Navy fleet. Absolutely. Destroyers like the Daniel and OA are the workhorse of the United States Navy. Odds are, if something happens in the world, a destroyer will probably be the closest unit that is ready to respond. And so our class and ship of ship in general is special and it's a workhorse. And obviously, this ship in particular, every time this ship goes forth from Hawaii, it's going to be just naturally more noteworthy than some of the other ships just because of the namesake that we have. So every member of this crew is acutely aware of that extra responsibility that they carry. It also makes a statement about Pearl Harbor. You know, I mean, for a time, we we we saw a lot of focus on Guam and talk about, you know, moving military resources, naval resources to the West to Guam. And I suppose some of that happened. But at the end of the day, Pearl Harbor is still Pearl Harbor. And this ship is a statement of that. Am I right? Absolutely. Pearl Harbor is an incredibly important strategic location to to the Navy, you think we said just about at the midpoint of the of the Pacific here and our ability to respond to things that are happening in, you know, the Western Pacific or other regions, Pearl Harbor is incredibly strategically located to be able to be the sort of that that central point of response if we need to be somewhere quickly. Fabulous. So at the proceedings, Jack, would you be speaking to? Will you be wearing your Navy uniform? I will not be wearing my Navy uniform. No, I regrettably, I'm not sure I would fit into it anymore. But but I will be there. And we certainly that the Navy League will be well represented. A lot of our members will be there. The Navy, the commissioning itself, though, as I said, is really a Navy ceremony. And we're just, you know, there to enjoy it and honor the ship and and support. You know, we have a we have a little breakfast beforehand for some of the folks to make sure that everybody knows where they go on stage and all of that. But during the commissioning itself, we are just we're guests of the United States Navy. Oh, that's very nice. Well, I will I will be there with you in spirit. I attended the last change of command ceremony. It wasn't a commissioning in the Coast Guard with some years ago. And I know how these things are really great because the speeches are acceptable, you know, I mean, the speeches are not boring. Right. And it will be live streamed, by the way. Oh, good, good. Well, maybe we can catch it. Maybe we can even catch it. It will be live streamed on those websites. Let's take a look at the websites. We have two websites of interest. One of them is, yeah, one of them is the ships website, the U.S.S. Daniel K and no way. And the other is the Institute website. And Jack, maybe you can tell us what the difference is between the ships website and the Institute's website. Sure, that the website that you've got up there is the actually the commissioning committee, the ships commissioning committee website, where we have information about the commissioning process and, you know, the schedule, etc. We can certainly try to get the link to the live stream up there. But it isn't already. The live stream will be done by the Navy, but hopefully we can provide access to that. The other so that the commissioning committee is put together by the Navy League to to support all of the events leading up to culminating in the in the actual commissioning ceremony. And so that's the role that the Navy League fills in this particular case. We do other things as well, but for every ship, every new ship, we we have a commissioning committee. And as part of that committee, given the special namesake and history and, you know, and all the background associated with Senator Inouye, or as I like to call him sometimes captain in the United States Army, because the ship is really named after him as a warrior, as well as as a as a statesman. And so the Daniel K. Inouye Institute, which is, you know, set up to honor the legacy of Senator Daniel Inouye is a big part of our commissioning committee for this ship and an absolutely vital core player in making this all come together. So, David, what happens after the commissioning ceremony is done? I mean, aside from the fact that you you might just sit down and rest for a little bit and maybe maybe have at least a little bit of a beer. What happens after that? You come back, now you run the ship again because you live on the ship. What happens? Yes. So once we are done with the commissioning committee, we actually are affording the crew the opportunity to take take some leave, some well earned leave over the over the holidays here. Once we get everybody back on board, though, we head into a period where we're going to do a lot of testing for a lot of the ship's weapons and combat systems as a new ship. We have not really had the full opportunity to test a lot of these systems in a it is close to a combat like environment as we can. So we are going to shoot lots of rounds out of our guns. We're going to shoot missiles out of our launchers. We're going to make sure that if the ship has to sail off to fight, things are going to work the way that we expect them to work. And so that that's immediately sort of what the next few months after the commissioning holds for us. Well, that's pretty exciting. So testing is a very creative process. You have to figure out how to test it so you can be confident of the that it will work that the test shows you something, teaches you something. This is sort of philosophy on that. It sounds like you know, it sounds like it sounds like computer programming because you never finish with the program. Jack is laughing. You never finish with the program until you test it and make sure that it works even after you really kick the tires. We are every time we are out at sea and sometimes even when we're in port, we are testing, we are training. You know, you never you never know when that moment will come when you need that system to work and you need that sailor to respond exactly like they're trained. And so that is really at the core of what we do is that testing, training and making sure we are ready when that moment comes. And it's not over even then because you have to keep on testing, training after after whatever at every iteration, every evolution, as they like to say. And so, you know, one of the issues about about the US military, for that matter, the US government is everybody is in kind of a term limits sort of position is where you never stay there that long. And arguments have been made on both sides that maybe it should be longer so that you can really get, you know, comfortable with and competent, super competent with what you have and you don't leave taking all that knowledge with you and then leaving it to somebody fresh. So the question I put to you is what about the three hundred? What about you as commander? How long are you going to spend on this ship before you move off to your next evolution? Yeah, that's that's an excellent question. I apologize if the ship is making an answer behind me. But yeah, most of the sailors for our commissioning crew here, so three hundred plus sailors will be together for about the next three to four years. And we are a little unique in that regard and that most ships you have will turn over, meaning, you know, the old sailors will leave and new sailors will come to replace them about a third of their crew every single year. We are unique in that the crew right now that is the plank owner crew will stay together for about the next three to four years that does not hold true for everybody, so especially the officers on board. So I have been the executive officer for about almost two and a half years and immediately following commissioning, I will turn over my responsibilities as executive officer to to my relief. I had there's a commander Kevin Dore is coming in to replace me. And I go away for a few weeks and I come back in January and take over as the commanding officer of the ship. And so when I'm my time together as commander, as excuse me, as executive officer and commanding officer is done, I will have spent more than four years probably with this ship, which is longer than I will spend with just about any command in my career. So pre commissioning ships and new ships like the Daniel and OAR are unique in that regard. Well, you know, they say in the Navy, there's nothing finer than command at sea. Nothing better for you, better for the Navy, better for your career and possibilities of promotion. So this is a real winning situation. And I want to say I'm sure that Jack joins me in wishing you good luck on the commissioning, wishing you a great time on the ship as as commander and a great career to follow. This is pretty exciting and we get to talk to you. We get to say hi. That's that's very prestigious for us, you know. Well, thank you. I'll take every every wish of luck that that I can get. And in the meantime, we'll we'll train to the deficit there. So thanks. So, David, what is your what is your message that you would leave through the people of Hawaii about this ship, about, you know, the commissioning of the ship, the operation of the ship going forward, the importance of the ship to the fleet here and and globally? Yeah, my message to the people of Hawaii would be this. This is a ship that you can be proud of. This is a ship that will represent the legacy of Senator Daniel and OAR proudly. This is a ship that no matter who serves on it now and no matter who serves on it through the years will feel the weight and the impact of just what it means to serve under the name USS Daniel and OAR and wherever we go, whether that is here in Hawaii, whether that's across the horizon in the Persian Gulf or the South China Sea, or you can name it any number of hundreds of places in between. We will carry that legacy proudly and we will represent this country and the state as best as we possibly can. Amen. Jack, what's your message to the people of Hawaii? On behalf of the Navy League, on behalf of the Military Affairs Commission, you know, Council of the Chamber of Commerce, what would you like them to know? Yeah, I think it's important to recognize that our country is a maritime nation and our state is a maritime state more than any other. And, you know, I think that having this ship arrive at this time and represent the son of Hawaii and Senator Daniel and I is is just an honor for the state. It's really thrilling and I'm so proud to be a part of it. And I'm proud to talk to you guys. Thank you very much, David. David Hale, Jack Schriver, really appreciate this conversation. All the best to both of you and especially at the commissioning. Thanks, Jay. My pleasure.