"The obvious conclusion is the officers on the bridge and the seamen don't have basic navigation skills. They no longer are drilled in basic seamanship. They don't have the discipline they should. I love the U.S. Navy ... but it's in a bad way right now," he said on Fox Business Network.
He also criticized the "disgraceful" way U.S. sailors reacted when they were taken captive by Iranian forces in 2016.
An active-duty Navy officer echoed the concerns to Fox News, questioning the level of training for young officers.
"It’s not the same level of training you used to get," the officer said.
Peters called out the military, especially in the Obama administration, for turning the armed services into a "social engineering experiment."
"Those sailors did not have the basic seamanship skills, but by God, they got their sensitivity, race relations and sexual harassment training," said Peters, adding that sailors can't fight without adequate navigational skills.
Peters on USS McCain Collision: The Navy 'Is in a Bad Way Right Now'
He also criticized the "disgraceful" way U.S. sailors reacted when they were taken captive by Iranian forces in 2016.
An active-duty Navy officer echoed the concerns to Fox News, questioning the level of training for young officers.
"It’s not the same level of training you used to get," the officer said.
Peters called out the military, especially in the Obama administration, for turning the armed services into a "social engineering experiment."
"Those sailors did not have the basic seamanship skills, but by God, they got their sensitivity, race relations and sexual harassment training," said Peters, adding that sailors can't fight without adequate navigational skills.
Peters on USS McCain Collision: The Navy 'Is in a Bad Way Right Now'