"Surface Warfare" is an episode of JAG that first aired on May 23, 2000. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Written by Ed Zuckerman.
The U.S.S. Wake Island is carrying out a practice amphibious landing along with naval gunfire shelling the shoreline. Since they are doing this off the Florida coastline, there are environmentalists protesting the exercise. And then Fire Controller Third Class Michael "Mikey" Roberts (Michael Bellisario), Lt. Bud Roberts's brother, shoots down a drone threatening a Marine amphibious tractor (amtrac) but then fires the ship's close-in weapons system (CIWS) a little too close to the amtrac.
Bud heads out to "investigate" but to actually defend Mikey, resulting in him pissing off the Marine Colonel Howard Pergament (Brent Huff) onboard and joining his brother in the brig. Lt. Colonel Sarah MacKenzie then heads over to "smooth things out" but ends up accusing Captain Lyle (Patrick Kilpatrick), the ship's captain, of a cover up. After a group of environmentalists approach too close to the ship, ignore warning signs and collide, Commander Rabb is sent and uncovers potential sabotage. This prompts Admiral Chegwidden to come over, too, and later the Secretary of the Navy (Paul Collins). After all of them have Mike walk through his actions on the day of the mishap, they identify a Seaman Schofield (Chad Halyard) as the possible saboteur. Schofield admits to the sabotage, claiming that the shelling is hurting the biosphere of the Florida coastline.
Tropes
- Blame Game: Captain Lyle (of the Wake Island) and Colonel Pergament (commanding the MEU) both blame each other for the mishap.
- Eco-Terrorist: Seaman Schofield becomes one.
- Inter-Service Rivalry: Tensions boil over between the embarked Marines and the Navy crewmen. Also, the Marine Colonel in command of the MEU and the Wake Island’s skipper don’t get along.
- Let Me Get This Straight...: Done by the Secretary of the Navy after he joins Bud, Mac, Rabb, Admiral Chegwidden, Captain Lyle, Colonel Pergament and Clayton Webb on the ship.
- Misblamed: Bud's brother Mike Roberts is blamed for firing CIWS rounds a little too close to the Marines' landing vehicle. In actuality his gun was sabotaged by his apprentice, Seaman Schofield, who wanted the entire military exercise cancelled for environmental reasons.
- Realpolitik: Rabb asks Webb what the CIA's interest is in this situation. Webb replies that if the exercises fail in Florida, they'll have to be moved back to Puerto Rico. That will drive a wedge between Puerto Rico and the U.S., which benefits Cuba as they'll try to gain influence on the island.
- Red Herring: Both the protestors claiming they hacked the Wake Island's computers and rumors of Cuban espionage.
- Running Gag: A helo landing on the Wake Island's flight deck and a JAG officer stepping out.
