The United States Navy
VI. A Vision of Tomorrow's Challenges and Solutions
The past few years unquestionably demonstrate that the Navy and Marine Corps continue
to play pivotal roles in the protection and advancement of U.S. interests worldwide. On-
scene naval forces conducting peacetime forward presence operations are frequently the
first elements of a measured U.S. response to regional crisis and aggression. In order to
deter aggression, foster peaceful resolution of dangerous conflicts, underpin stable
foreign markets, encourage democracy, and inspire nations to join together to resolve
global problems, the United States needs a multidimensional naval force ready to exert
influence and extend national power anywhere on the globe. However, possessing the
political will to influence events abroad is not enough to fulfill U.S. obligations.
Readiness is the foundation of Navy and Marine Corps credibility as indispensable
instruments of foreign policy and national resolve. It is the key
measure of survivability and success for naval forces. Today, the most profound
challenge to our nation’s naval forces arises from the mandate to maintain current
readiness while preparing for the needs of the future. We need to recruit and retain
quality people and modernize their equipment. Today, fewer Americans are inclined to
serve in the armed forces. Worries about families, retirement, and day-to-day bills are
causing our people to leave the Navy and Marine Corps for civilian occupations. The
cost of better pay and better retirement is small as compared with the cost of losing these
trained people. For these reasons, it has been and will remain a priority of the DoN to
encourage substantial improvement in military compensation. The President’s budget
takes a significant step toward meeting the needs of our Sailors and Marines.
Sailors and Marines are suffering now not simply from a deficiency in pay, but from
overwork as well. This overwork manifests itself in a pattern of sixty-hour weeks, of
excessive demands between as well as during deployments, and of frustration because
there is too little time and too little equipment to do a good job even while working
strenuously. To address this, the President’s budget includes a program for “Smart
Work” (described briefly in Chapter 3) whose aim is to improve the resources with which
we work, the environment in which we and our families live, and the power with which
we fight. Further, the
Secretary of Defense’s Reform Initiative (DRI) program, the DoN’s Revolution in
Business Affairs (RBA), the Navy’s Information Technology for the 21st Century (IT-
21) initiative and the Navy-wide Intranet, and the Marine Corps’ Reserve Recruiting and
Retention Task Force, showcase examples of programs and policies that help ensure our
efficacy for tomorrow.
With regard to modernization, Navy and Marine Corps initiatives are based on a
comprehensive assessment of future strategies, interests, requirements, and threats.
Sufficient force levels — people, ships, aircraft, and equipment — to meet long-term needs
are in jeopardy under current funding constraints. Specifically, the inventory and
projected build rate for ships and aircraft, and the lack of funds to effectively modernize
combat equipment will affect naval operations beyond the FYDP. Unless sufficient
funding is provided, the recapitalization and modernization of the Navy and Marine
Corps will necessarily be deferred, in most cases, to fund current readiness accounts.
Another consequence of our aging, maintenance-intensive equipment is its negative
effect on productivity and reliability, detrimentally impacting the quality of life for our
people, increasing our retention challenge. The proposed FY2000 budget includes
increases for modernization and begins to address concerns for supporting long term
force goals.
It is apparent that in an increasingly constrained fiscal environment, innovative thinking
and revolutionary initiatives are imperative to maintain our readiness, modernize and
capitalize our forces, improve our processes, and better serve our national interests. In
the coming year, we will strengthen existing initiatives and begin a number of new efforts
to ensure that our naval forces can perform the missions the Nation is likely to ask of
them. These initiatives include: (1) identifying and implementing additional cost
reduction opportunities across the Department; (2) taking a more expansive look at our
Reserve Forces with regard to potential efficiencies; and, (3) exploring the use of Navy
and Marine Corps forces in conjunction with other agencies and allies as a means to
enhance the global economy and U.S. interests.
• Cost Reduction: This initiative will continue to seek cost reduction opportunities at a
macro level by managing organizations and infrastructure costs concurrently with the
total ownership costs of weapon systems and platforms. In addition, we will seek ideas
designed to cut costs by consolidating individual activities and deleting redundant
functions and also analyze and compare similar components and successful cost
reduction processes used by the private sector and foreign navies, adapting those ideas
best suited to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. This initiative will work in concert with
the Secretary of the Navy’s Smart Work program, involving manning initiatives, capital
investments, improved working conditions and information system investments, as well
as with the National Partnership for Reinventing Government, and the Defense Reform
Initiative (DRI).
• Reserves: We must continue to enhance opportunities for Navy and Marine Corps
Reserves to perform critical missions where minimal active duty capability exists. For
example, some reservists have considerable education and experience in the private
business sector and could be effectively used in Peacekeeping missions. Another
example is the cadre of Reserves who have significant education and experience in areas
critical to chemical and biological warfare. These individuals, who as civilians work in
research, medical, and academic communities, could provide a CBW response capability
which could not be sustained by active duty forces without considerable investment.
• Global Economy: We need to continue to capitalize on the forward presence posture of
deployed U.S. armed forces as an instrument of peace to enhance the global economy.
We will improve existing efforts by developing operational
concepts for expanding the role of naval forces to shape events throughout the world.
Our efforts will focus on three key elements: (1) the significant
likelihood that shaping activities will occur in or near the littorals; (2) the sizable increase
in shaping capacity that results when joint, multi-agency or
allied operations are combined with naval forces; and (3) growing evidence that shaping
can result in both stability and growth of market economies and democratic societies.
Today, operating forces of the Navy and Marine Corps remains forward deployed and
ready to protect our nation’s interests. We remain the finest naval force in the world due
to efforts of our superb personnel and support of Congress. The challenges and solutions
detailed in this Posture Statement must be addressed for the benefit of the citizens of the
United States, and for the courageous and selfless men and women who are America’s
Navy and Marine Corps.
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