Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2017 August 18

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August 18

"detachment" and "non-judicial punishment" in US Navy

[1] Military Times article says:

The commander of the destroyer USS Fitzgerald and the executive officer have been permanently detached from the ship and face non-judicial punishment over the deadly collision in June with a container ship, the Navy announced Thursday.

[The officers] are "being detached for cause," meaning that the Navy "has lost trust and confidence in their ability to lead," Adm. Bill Moran, Vice Chief of Naval Operations, said during a press conference.

What does detached actually mean, what is "non-judicial" punishment, and what happens to those guys? Non-judicial presumably means they won't go to jail, so will they be swabbing decks for the duration, or what? Thanks. 173.228.123.121 (talk) 16:05, 18 August 2017 (UTC)

It means the have been removed from their position on board the ship without losing their rank (you can read about the policy HERE) and we have an article on non-judicial punishment you can read more there. uhhlive (talk) 18:25, 18 August 2017 (UTC)

It's worth noting that the report is a preliminary determination only. The full investigation is ongoing, and (as it's a complex, technical matter) will surely take many months to complete. No-one has been the subject of a court marshal, and those proceedings would wait until the investigation is complete. But, as with other complex investigations like airliner crashes, it's common for investigations to produce a preliminary report with recommendations for improvements. For example, if an airliner crashes, and a worn engine widget is quickly suspected, you might see an interim report a few months into the investigation recommending airline mechanics check all the widgets on similar engines for wear. This is a wise idea, because complex investigations can literally take years, and they don't want a known risk factor to remain unaddressed while that meticulous procedure is finalised. So, it seems, is the case for these officers - the evidence that the investigators have collected so far is enough that the Navy doesn't feel confident letting these officers command a warship. So "what happens to those guys" is up in the air, perhaps for a year or more. Once the investigation is concluded, there may be courts marshal, or the officers may be reassigned to active duties. In the meantime they're in something of an administrative limbo; I don't know what the officer equivalent of swabbing decks is, but it's probably paperwork. -- Finlay McWalter··–·Talk 15:17, 19 August 2017 (UTC)

Orwellian

The adjective "Orwellian" refers to the dystopian retro-futurism in George Orwell's novel, 1984. The article states that Orwellian "particularly" relates to Nineteen Eighty-Four. What other G. W.→O. writings would be considered "Orwellian"? (Notwithstanding the literal sense that everything he wrote was "Orwellian"). 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:D4EC:691A:1EDC:835D (talk) 23:41, 18 August 2017 (UTC)

Quote: "the term Orwellian – descriptive of totalitarian or authoritarian social practices" so I think Animal Farm is Orwellian too. (((The Quixotic Potato))) (talk) 23:53, 18 August 2017 (UTC)

Okay. And, I forgot to note that the article also mentions Politics and the English Language. 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:D4EC:691A:1EDC:835D (talk) 23:57, 18 August 2017 (UTC)

“G. W.”? —Tamfang (talk) 22:47, 19 August 2017 (UTC)

'O' / 'W' typing errors are typical for ambidextrous folks (same finger / different hand). 2606:A000:4C0C:E200:A90E:D475:2878:2440 (talk) 00:42, 20 August 2017 (UTC)