I have to disagree that Short was being negligent. Look at it from the General's point of view: based on what Short knew, the only possible way that his force could be attacked is through sabotage. Hence, that's the action he took.


Basically, Kimmel and Short acted based on their experience, on what they knew and their training. We're viewing events with the benefit of hindsight. These commanders didn't have the information that we take for granted. Orders from Washington were vague and the two were excluded from receiving critical intelligence reports. What's the use of getting such intel if the guys who actually needed to know weren't told?

On a personal note:
I tend to be less generous to Macarthur and his officers because they had no excuse for being caught by "surprise". They had an eight-hour warning time to act after Pearl Harbor was attacked. I think Admiral Hart acted appropriately to protect his fleet after Pearl, unlike his Army counterparts.