You think the prospect of injuries in among military personell are going to prevent policies and practicalities that increase operational fitness? There are about 1.5 million injuries in the US military per year that require medical treatment and documentation (so more than a first aid kit). A few burns per year vs a 13 billion dollar carrier in a dysfunctional state... even an idiotic beaurocracy (which the miltiary is not) can figure that one out.
uticus|8 months ago
My point is that someone has to shoulder the costs. I'm not sure I would classify the Navy as an "idiotic beaurocracy" but it is not an efficient organization. They can "get it done" as you imply only with an obscene amount of money budgeted (and even so still have to shuffle money around every year). In one scenario, contracting out helps operational fitness by letting sailors focus on their MOS and taking the burden of upkeep and maintenance off the table.
Sure, contracting is often done poorly or even wickedly, but the best solution isn't always to replace contracting with an MOS.