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Fanning Succeeds Fisher as Navy League National President
Top NLUS Honors to Thach, Anderson, Azzolina, Calliham
Directors Give Green Light to New Headquarters Building
Navy League Shifts to War Footing as Centennial Celebration Begins
By DAVID VERGUN, Production Editor
Even as the Navy League was shifting to a wartime footing to support the fighting against the Taliban and the al Qaeda terrorist network, it was continuing plans for its own year-long Centennial Celebration, which begins this month. NLUS President Timothy O. Fanning spoke for all Navy Leaguers around the world when he said, "our thoughts and prayers today are with the men and women of all of the nation's armed services who are serving on the front lines of freedom, both on the home front and overseas, in the war against terrorism. They need our support now more than ever before, and the Navy League is mobilizing to give them that support."
In Fanning's first President's Message, in the July 2001 issue of SEA POWER, he prophetically stated: "Although many Americans do not yet realize it, the complex new world order of the 21st century is in many ways more dangerous and more difficult than the bipolar Cold War world of the very recent past." It is for that reason, he emphasized, that supporting the sea services "is, and always will be, our first priority."
Fanning was elected president at last year's NLUS National Convention (in Reno, Nev., 19 to 24 June), succeeding John R. Fisher, who now chairs the Navy League's National Advisory Council. "This past year was one of tremendous progress and growth," Fanning said in a well-deserved tribute to his predecessor, "and helped set the stage for the 100th birthday of the Navy League as well as the beginning of what promises to be an even more prosperous second century for our great organization."
In Fisher's final President's Message (June 2001) he urged the rebuilding of U.S. naval and military strength to the levels reached when Ronald Reagan was in the oval office. In other convention highlights, Fisher presented the Navy League's Distinguished Service Award to James H. Thach III and inducted three longtime members--and former national officers--into the Navy League Hall of Fame: Jack Anderson, Joseph Azzolina, and Edith Calliham.
The Navy League was quick to mobilize in support of the sea services and to join in the war on terrorism following the "9-11" attacks. The New York City Council and several Sea Cadet units from the area were almost literally on the front lines at Ground Zero, helping the rescue and recovery workers in New York City. Numerous other councils also helped in the war effort. The Hampton Roads Council (Va.) assumed the responsibility of coordinating Fleet Week activities in that area so that Navy public affairs professionals could focus on activities associated with Operation Enduring Freedom. The Spokane Council (Wash.) "adopted" the families of reservists who had been recalled and deployed.
Scores of other councils throughout the United States and overseas also have contributed to the war effort in numerous ways, including ship adoptions; working with military family service centers and other base activities; donating time and money to the Navy/Marine Corps Relief Society; assisting the families of deployed service members; sponsoring the sea-service birthday balls; and participating in other civic and patriotic celebrations such as Navy Day, Fleet Week, and Veterans Day.
Sea-Air-Space Exposition
The Navy League's 2001 Sea-Air-Space Exposition attracted approximately 10,000 active-duty, civilian, and industry attendees, who viewed the latest in technological innovations presented by over 130 defense contractors. The theme of the 2001 exposition, the largest of its kind in the world, was "A Perfect Partnership." The exposition also featured an extensive seminar program led by senior Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard leaders, who discussed the direction their services will be taking in the new century.
The SAS exhibits showcased new developments designed to address dramatic changes in the rapidly evolving sea-service missions. The 2001 SAS Exposition provided, as it does each year, a neutral forum and meeting place in which sea-service leaders could meet with industry representatives to renew acquaintances, discuss recent technological developments, and address mutual concerns.
The Navy League presents its annual Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz Award during the SAS to honor an industry leader who has made an exemplary contribution to the nation's maritime strength and/or has otherwise enhanced national security. Dr. Vance D. Coffman, chairman and CEO of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, was honored as the 2001 recipient.
National Meetings
In addition to Fanning's election as NLUS president, several other new national officers and the members of the Navy League's 2001-02 Board of Directors were elected at the 2001 national convention, and plans for a series of 2002 Centennial-Celebration events were approved.
At the Navy League's Winter Meeting (1-4 November in Tampa, Fla.) the NLUS board of directors ratified the organization's FY/CY 2002 budget plan and also approved construction of a new NLUS headquarters building--a seven-story environmentally friendly structure that will be erected on the site of the headquarters building in Arlington, Va., that the Navy League has occupied since 1982. The new building is needed to support the campaign to significantly increase NLUS membership and to help generate the additional revenues needed to permit an expansion of the number and scope of the League's educational programs in support of the sea services.
The NLUS headquarters staff already has moved to temporary spaces less than a block away at 2300 Clarendon Boulevard in Arlington. The old building will be demolished in the near future. In the interim, headquarters telephone numbers stay the same--as does the NLUS mailing address (2300 Wilson Boulevard, Arlington, Va. 22201-3308--but the package delivery address is now 2300 Clarendon Boulevard, Room 705, Arlington, Va. 22201-3308).
The schedule for the League's future national meetings is as follows: 2002 Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Exposition in Washington, D.C. (26-28 March); 2002 National Convention in New York City (28 June-2 July); 2002 Winter Meeting (date and location to be determined); 2003 SAS Expo in Washington, D.C. (15-17 April); 2003 National Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii (16-22 June); 2003 Winter Meeting in Arizona (city and date TBD); 2004 National Convention in San Diego, Calif. (date TBD); 2004 Winter Meeting in Savannah, Ga. (date TBD); 2005 National Convention in Hampton Roads, Va. (date TBD); 2005 Winter Meeting in New Orleans, La. (date TBD); and 2006 Winter Meeting on Amelia Island, Fla. (date TBD).
In addition to these regularly scheduled meetings, the Navy League has numerous 2002 Centennial-Celebration events planned at both the national and local levels. Among the activities already scheduled are an NLUS "Community Education Month" (April 2002), several National Maritime Day and/or Congressional Maritime Week events in late May, and D-Day, Flag Day, and other observances in early June. Information on other events and activities will be included in future issues of SEA POWER Magazine and The Navy Leaguer.
Councils and Membership Services
Navy League membership enjoyed a steady rise in numbers last year, to the highest total in the Navy League's history--over 77,000 members at the end of November, 5,000 more than the previous year at the same time. Membership continues to grow at a healthy rate, thanks to the efforts of several outstanding councils and a successful national-level recruiting campaign.
Ship adoptions by councils also were on the rise as a number of new vessels were commissioned and joined the active fleet. The newest council, Lake Washington in Bellevue, Wash., was chartered on 1 January 2001. Former Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Thomas B. Hayward, USN (Ret.), was guest speaker at the chartering ceremony.
Councils continued to support the sea services through a wide variety of activities including ship and unit adoptions, awards programs honoring members of the sea services, ship-commissioning ceremonies, scholarship awards, and hosting ship and submarine crews during port visits both in the United States and overseas.
National Publications
SEA POWER Magazine and The Almanac of SEA POWER continued to disseminate the Navy League's message on the importance of sea power, naval and commercial, to U.S. national security and America's economic well-being. The war on terrorism brought this message into sharper focus than ever before.
SEA POWER continued its practice of including more but shorter and more timely articles on major defense issues, current national-security legislation, the development of new weapons systems and technologies, and other topics of particular relevance to the sea services.
Among the senior U.S. and allied sea-service leaders interviewed last year were: Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England; First Sea Lord Adm. Sir Nigel Essenhigh, Royal Navy; Coast Guard Commandant Adm. James M. Loy; Adm. Robert J. Natter, commander in chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Vice Adm. George Theodoroulakis, HN, chief of the Hellenic Navy General Staff; Vice Adm. James F. Amerault, deputy chief of naval operations for fleet readiness and logistics; Vice Adm. John W. Craine Jr., chief of naval education and training; Vice Adm. Edmund P. Giambastiani Jr., deputy chief of naval operations for resources, requirements, and assessments; Lt. Gen. Michael W. Hagee, commanding general, I Marine Expeditionary Force; Vice Adm. John B. Nathman, commander, Naval Air Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet; Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen; Rear Adm. Mark P. Fitzgerald, commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group; Rear Adm. John A. Gauss, commander of the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command; Rear Adm. John J. Grossenbacher, commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet; Rear Adm. Richard B. Porterfield, the director of naval intelligence; and David S. Huff, manager of Advanced Projects, Support Ships, and Craft in the Navy's Program Executive Office for Expeditionary Warfare.
England also contributed an article to the December issue of SEA POWER; Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, contributed an article to the June issue; and Vice Adm. Toney M. Bucchi, commander, U.S. Third Fleet, Rear Adm. Linda J. Bird, director of the Supply Programs and Policy Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Rear Adm. John G. Morgan Jr., deputy for acquisition strategy, Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, Stan S. Sacha, deputy director, Superintendents of Shipbuilding, Conversion, and Repair Management Group at the Naval Sea Systems Command, and Rear Adm. Patrick M. Stillman, USCG, assistant commandant for governmental and public affairs, all contributed articles to the April SAS issue. Among those contributing articles to other issues were Vice Adm. Gregory G. Johnson, commander of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and of Naval Striking and Support Forces Southern Europe; Dr. John Sirmalis, technical director of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center; Rear Adm. Robert G. Sprigg, commander of the Navy Warfare Development Command; and Rear Adm. Paul E. Sullivan, then program manager of the New Attack Submarines Program Office.
Corporate Affairs
In 2001, the Navy League gained one new corporate gold member, 23 new corporate members, and nine new business associate members.
The Corporate Affairs Department continues to host its special-topic breakfast series for corporate leaders to provide the latest information on Navy acquisitions and requirements as it continues to meet the challenges of the 21st century. With the support of director of Special Programs Rear Adm. Winford G. Ellis, these informative sessions have been very popular with NLUS corporate members and will continue for the foreseeable future.
Office of Legislative Affairs
The Navy League's Office of Legislative Affairs worked tirelessly during the past year advocating the legislative priorities of the Navy League. The Legislative Affairs staff continues to provide timely information on current legislation to Navy League members, and to give members more opportunities to use the World Wide Web to inform members of Congress about their views.
The Navy League is represented daily on Capitol Hill. Through visits with members of Congress and their staffs--and with the professional staffs of key House and Senate committees--and by attending defense briefings and seminars, the NLUS legislative staff has been able to articulate the Navy League's legislative priorities to congressional leaders. The Navy League continued to advocate an increase in shipbuilding funds and to restore Navy and Marine Corps use of the combined-arms live-fire training ranges at Vieques, Puerto Rico. Among the other issues of concern addressed were: further development of the Navy Marine Corps Intranet (NMCI), the need for full funding of three key Marine Corps programs (the V-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft, the 155mm light howitzer, and C-130J replacement aircraft), support for the Coast Guard's Deepwater project, and continuation of funding for the Maritime Security Program. These legislative efforts by the Navy League staff have been timely, on target, and effective--as was demonstrated by the addition of $80 million for homeland defense operations in the late stages of congressional deliberations on Coast Guard appropriations for FY 2002. The Navy League was credited by many members of Congress, and by senior Coast Guard officials, for the role it played in obtaining the much-needed additional funding.
The Office of Legislative Affairs hosted congressional staff members at the 2001 SAS Exposition, briefing attendees on the acquisition priorities of the sea services. The Navy League joined several other associations in co-hosting Capitol Hill briefings covering important legislative priorities of all of the nation's armed services.
In December, the Navy League joined with the Navy and Marine Corps Offices of Legislative Affairs in hosting two receptions thanking the members of the 107th Congress for their efforts on behalf of national defense.
The Navy League's advocacy efforts include membership in The Military Coalition, a consortium of nationally prominent uniformed services and veterans' organizations representing more than 5.5 million members. Coalition members meet regularly to share information, discuss issues of common interest, and advocate a coordinated legislative agenda. The Coalition provides expanded opportunities for the Navy League to help not only active-duty personnel but also military retirees and their families.
The Legislative Affairs Office publishes monthly Legislative Updates on legislation progressing through Congress and bills that have been signed into law. The Updates are e-mailed to council, region, and state presidents, National Committee chairs, members of the Steering and Executive Committees, members of the Legislative Affairs Committee, and members of the Navy League's Legislative Network.
Under current plans the Updates will be posted on the Navy League's web site--which also provides an orientation to the congressional legislative process as well as guidelines for corresponding as effectively as possible with members of Congress.
Also posted on the web site are: (a) a search-engine capability that allows NLUS members to find their senators and representatives, and congressional districts, by nine-digit zip code; and (b) a daily schedule of important House, Senate, and committee activities.
The Congressional Contact Center also enables NLUS members to send e-mails directly to their senators and representatives, and provides draft letters on many of the Navy League's principal legislative concerns.
Community Education
The NLUS community education program continues to be central to the overall mission of the Navy League. The 2001 Samuel Eliot Morison Essay contest generated an increased number of submissions, thanks in large part to the efforts of NLUS councils and individual Navy Leaguers to inform students of the contest, and the opportunities it offers. Teen scholars from nearly all NLUS regions competed intensely for the top spot. The grand prize winner was Emily Winters of Ledyard High School in Ledyard, Conn., who won a $4,000 award for her essay on how the information age affects life in the sea services.
The Navy League also announced a new partnership with the Jason Foundation for Education. This scholarship program--which stems from the older Marco Polo program sponsored by the Navy League, National Geographic Society, and other educational organizations--was developed for middle-school and high-school students. It focuses on ocean science and will have links on the Navy League and Ocean Education web sites.
Public Relations
Navy League public relations efforts continued strong, with special emphasis on maritime issues vital to U.S. national defense and the sea services.
The 2001 SAS Exposition served as a significant opportunity to generate positive coverage in the media. Over 120 trade press and military media representatives attended. The Navy League web site provided up-to-the-minute information for those planning to attend. The NLUS public relations staff worked with the companies exhibiting at the SAS to provide journalists with the information they would need to report on the programs and equipment showcased during the three-day event. This partnering with corporations to publicize the exposition generated greater visibility and public awareness not only for the exhibitors but also for the Navy League and the sea services.
The Navy League's quarterly newsletter, The Navy Leaguer, provided Navy League members a broad spectrum of news and pictures about NLUS council activities throughout the world. Members were kept informed, in addition, about the role played by the Navy League in such significant efforts as adoption of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Ronald Reagan and participation in commissioning ceremonies for the Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill. The newsletter also contained various NLUS program announcements, such as the names of scholarship award winners and helpful hints on ways to improve and expand council activities, such as the NLUS's Centennial Celebrations and sea-service birthday balls.
The Public Affairs Recognition Program and the Donald M. Mackie Newsletter Excellence Awards generated the enthusiastic involvement of a number of councils; their participation in these and other programs demonstrates again that effective communication to audiences both external and internal is key to the continued success of the Navy League.
Marketing Programs
Much effort was given to increasing public awareness of the Navy League--especially as the NLUS Centennial drew near and events related to the 9-11 attacks highlighted the importance of the nation's military.
Councils made increasing use of backdrops for booth displays, developed for council participation in Centennial events such as Navy Day celebrations, county fairs, and Fleet Week. The displays depict Sailors, Marines, Coast Guardsmen, and Sea Cadets in various action scenes.
Recruiting new NLUS members was one of the most important goals of the Marketing Department. A direct mail program, begun in 2000, continued throughout the year and met with considerable success. More than one million invitations to join the Navy League were mailed to citizens around the country. The annual fourth-quarter "member-get-a-member" drive--also known as the Centennial Gold Cup campaign--urged members to become more proactive in recruiting new members. A sincere "thank you" is extended to those who took part in this campaign.
The Navy League member-benefits package was expanded with the addition of the Kiplinger line of publications and periodicals. The Navy League now offers members significant savings on Kiplinger's business and personal- finance periodicals, including business forecasts, tax help, retirement planning, and personal financial advice.
Work started on a Navy League Centennial book--to be released in the summer of 2002--that will highlight important Navy League events and contributions. Work on a Centennial Membership Directory also started. All NLUS members were given the opportunity to be included in the directory, and were asked to update their own membership record information.
The Marketing Department and the Oceanic Education Committee partnered with the Jason Foundation to develop and implement a national contest, for middle- and high-school stu- dents, that focuses on oceanic education.
Youth Programs
The two NLUS-sponsored youth programs--the Naval Sea Cadet Corps (NSCC) and the Navy League Cadet Corps (NLCC)--continue to grow and thrive. Over 10,000 Cadets are now enrolled in more than 300 NSCC and NLCC units in the United States, Puerto Rico, and Guam. The training of Cadets by volunteer officers and instructors continues to be outstanding.
The NSCC was established in 1958 and chartered by Congress in 1962 as a nonprofit youth-training organization. Membership in both programs is open to boys and girls--ages 11 through 14 for the NLCC and ages 13 through 17 for NSCC Cadets. The NLCC is not covered by the federal charter, but both programs are sponsored by the Navy League. The Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and reserve components all provide significant training and facilities support.
The local training of Cadets, usually held at the home unit's drill site, includes activities ranging from classroom instruction in basic military skills to preparation for summer recruit or advanced training. There are numerous educational opportunities available locally--e.g., first aid, CPR, swimming, drug awareness, and participation in local community-service events and parades. During the summer, first-year Sea Cadets participate in a two-week recruit-training program--a condensed version of the training provided to U.S. Navy recruits. Cadets who successfully complete recruit training are eligible for advanced training in a variety of career fields. Included in the advanced curriculum are at-sea training, aviation training, submarine orientation, and specialized training in such fields as health care, music, construction, and/or law enforcement.
Approximately 2,350 Cadets attended recruit training sessions last year at 18 regional military bases or stations; another 3,100 attended advanced training at more than 50 other bases and stations nationwide. This represents an increase of approximately 1,500 more Cadets training in 2001 than in previous years. Last year was the first time that federal funding support was available for Cadet training. The funding provided was used primarily to offset increasingly expensive berthing and messing costs, and resulted in a marked increase in Sea Cadet participation in the training.
The NSCC has for several years participated in an international exchange program with Sea Cadet organizations in Australia, Belgium, Bermuda, Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, the Netherlands, South Korea, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Each summer, outstanding NSCC Cadets are selected to serve as "young ambassadors" and train with their counterparts in those countries. In exchange, a number of foreign Cadets are provided the opportunity to visit and train in the United States. Last year, 96 U.S. Cadets--plus their adult escorts, and 45 foreign Cadets with their escorts--participated in the international exchange program.
The NSCC's senior leadership is provided by volunteer officers and instructors who contribute their time and expertise to the program. Cadet Corps officers can be either civilians or active-duty, reserve, or retired military personnel. All must complete the professional development courses specially designed for NSCC officers and clear a background screening program.
The NSCC's objectives are to:
Develop an interest and skill in basic seamanship and other naval specialties;
Develop in American youth a greater appreciation for the history, customs, and traditions of the U.S. sea services and their role in national defense;
Develop individual qualities of patriotism, courage, self-reliance, and other attributes that contribute to the development of strong moral character and good citizenship; and
Provide information to participating Cadets about the advantages and prestige of pursuing a naval or other military career.
The purpose of the Navy League Cadet Corps is to use the medium of naval and other instruction to give young people the mental, moral, and physical training needed to understand and develop principles of patriotism and good citizenship, and to instill in the Cadets a sense of duty, discipline, self-respect, self-confidence, and respect for others. NSCC and NLCC Cadets also are taught the values of a drug-, alcohol- and gang-free lifestyle, including the importance of community service.
Since 1975, more than 131 Cadets have received NSCC college scholarships ranging in value from $1,000 to $2,500. In addition, many Sea Cadets have been selected for appointment to one of the nation's service academies or other accession programs, and/or have received NROTC scholarships. There are 37 former Sea Cadets in the Naval Academy class of 2005; more than 100 other former Sea Cadets are members of the classes of 20022004.
Many former Cadets have gone on to highly successful careers--graduating from service academies or other universities and serving in responsible positions in government or in the private sector. Approximately 60 to 80 Cadets receive full college scholarships each year.
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