Page 36: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 2012)

At the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, and with a new Chief of Operations at the helm, the U.S. Navy continues to provide credible combat power with per- sistent presence around the world. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert has set forth his ?Sailing Direc-tions? and ?Navigation Plan? for the Navy, which sets forth priorities and in- forms the budget and acquisition process. Meanwhile, the demand signal for the ca-pabilities provided by the Navy and Ma- rine Corps remains strong, and shows no signs of abating. ?Today our Navy is the world's preem- inent maritime force,? said Greenert. ?On any given day we have about 50,000 sailors and 145 ships underway, with about 100 of those ships deployed over- seas.? Our global fleet operates forward from U.S. bases and partner nation placesaround the world to deter aggression, re- spond to crises and, when needed andwhen called upon, to win our nation'swars,? Greenert said. The global reach and flexibility that are hallmarks of a forward deployed Navy have done everything from launch mis- siles into Libya, to providing humanitar- ian assistance and disaster relief in Japanafter the quake and tsunami, to protect- ing merchant ships from pirate attacks, toshielding our nation and our friends fromballistic missile attacks. Yet the Navy finds itself being used in untraditional roles. The U.S. naval forces at sea in the Central Command area of operations(AOA) are joined by another 10,000 Sailors on the ground, who are mostlyserving in support roles in Afghanistan. The Navy continues to build and main- tain partnerships. For example, USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), USS Chafee(DDG 90) and USNS Safeguard (T-ARS 50) recently conducted exchange activi- ties with the Vietnamese People?s navy in Da Nang, Vietnam; while USS Simpson (FFG 56) and 10 vessels from 12 West African and European nations success-fully completed the 2nd annual Exercise Saharan Express 2012, a regional mar- itime exercise focused on improving the communications and interoperability ofWest African countries. The shipbuilding program continues on course, but even as new ships join the fleet, older ships are being retired and the size of the fleet is not growing, and is not likely to reach the stated goal of 313 ships any time soon. There are currently 288 ships counted?up from 274 in March of 2007?but that number will still be 288 five years from now. However, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus told the Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on the Proposed Fis-cal 2013 Defense Authorization, the ?fleet of 2017 will include more more-ca-pable ships equipped with state-of-the-art technology and manned as always by highly skilled people.? Greenert has communicated his priori- ties through his ?Sailing Directions? and?Navigation Plan.? ?Sailing Directions assist mariners inplanning a long voyage by describing the destination, providing guidance on which routes to take, and identifying the condi- tions, cautions, and aids to navigation along the way,? the XX 2012 publication states. ?CNO?s Sailing Directions like- wise provide a vision, tenets, and princi- ples to guide our Navy as we chart a course to remain ready to meet currentchallenges, build a relevant and capable future force, and enable and support ourSailors, civilians, and their families.? From the September 2011 Sailing Di-rections comes the April 2012 ?Naviga- tion Plan,? which draws from Sailing Directions to describe how Navy?s budget submission for Fiscal Year (FY) 2013- 2017 pursues the vision of the CNO?s Sailing Directions. ?It highlights our in-vestments that support the missions out- lined in the new defense strategic guidance, Sustaining U.S. Leadership:Priorities for 21st Century Defense,viewed through the lens of my three tenets: Warfighting First, Operate For- ward, and Be Ready. The Navigation Plan defines the course and speed we will follow to organize, train, and equip our Navy over the next several years. To help identify our long-term destination, we areconducting assessments of the numberand type of ships and aircraft required toimplement the defense strategic guid- ance,? the plan states. Greenert said the plan acknowledges ?a dynamic security environment and fiscal challenges,? ?These factors may cause our intended plans to change or cause us to experience some ?set and drift? to our course,? he said. ?To ensure we stay on track, I will depend on feedback from the fleet to take a fix each year or when conditions re- quire. I will use each fix to evaluate our track and, as needed, issue updates to theNavigation Plan.? WARFIGHTING FIRST ?Our warfighting investments directly support the missions outlined in the newdefense strategic guidance,? Greenert says. The Navy?s FY 2013 ? 2017 budget submission seeks to maintain the CarrierStrike Group (CSG) with its embarked air wing and the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) with its embarked Marine Expe- ditionary Unit (MEU) as the main instru-ments to deter and defeat aggression andproject power. That Navy will sustain 11 carriers and 10 air wings, one each inJapan; and 10 ARGs, including one in Japan.To improve the Navy?s near-term mine warfare capability, the Navy will move ahead with the Quickstrike mine; the Seafox Mine Neutralization System; up-36Maritime Reporter & Engineering News U.S. Navy U.S. Navy still the World's ?preeminent mar- itime force,? but Treading water on Shipbuilding By Captain Edward Lundquist (Ret.) (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Peter D. Lawlor/Released)?Today our Navy is the world's preeminent mar- itime force,? said Green- ert. ?On any given day we have about 50,000sailors and 145 ships un-derway, with about 100 of those ships deployedoverseas.?Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm.Jonathan Greenert MR June12 # 5 (34-41):MR Template 6/11/2012 1:04 PM Page 36