No one knows precisely when the last naval sword was used in combat. After centuries of being considered standard military-issued weaponry, the sword’s utility waned in the gunpowder age. The enlisted cutlass disappeared entirely by the 1940s. The officer’s sword, steeped in centuries of military tradition, was spared for the sake of ceremony.
A required uniform item for officers above the grade of lieutenant commander, swords can be found at change of command ceremonies and drawn to create sword arches at military weddings. Today, officers may be versed in ceremonial drills, but the skill to effectively use such a weaponThe post For the Sake of Ceremony: Should the U.S. Navy Continue its Airborne Forward Air Controller Program? appeared first on War on the Rocks.