US Navy’s No. 2 civilian claims leadership shouldn’t be blamed for old failures. Some disagree. January 14 A T-45 Goshawk transits the flight deck aboard the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. (MCSN Zack Guth/U.S. Navy) WASHINGTON — In an eyebrow-raising statement, the acting undersecretary of the U.S. Navy complained about congressional oversight of naval programs, suggesting that current leaders shouldn’t be held responsible for previous administrations’ failures. “You shouldn’t be held guilty for the sins of your parents,” Gregory Slavonic said, “and I think the Navy is being called to task because of [the littoral combat ship] — that this administration had nothing to do with — but we’re having to fix it. [The aircraft carrier] Gerald Ford, all those challenges, we’re being held by our feet to the fire to make those things right. And we didn’t have anything to do with it.”