CNO in ’04 Guidance: “Winning Organizations Never Rest”

By RICHARD R. BURGESS
Managing Editor

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Vern Clark has directed his admirals to “develop a culture of improved productivity and find the resources to create the Navy of the future.”

Through such business practices as leveraging technology; promoting competition; challenging assumptions, costs, and institutional encumbrances; and merging redundant efforts, Clark believes the Navy can achieve economies of 3-to-5 percent annually, depending on circumstances, and directed his senior admirals to “set and achieve” those cost reduction objectives in 2004.

Clark’s direction was set forth in the CNO’s Guidance for 2004, a document posted on his website detailing to his senior commanders guidance in areas that require their attention this year. Praising the performance of the Navy during Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, Clark pushes the Navy to “accelerate” this year the hard-won advantages of gains in readiness.

Clark summarized the Navy’s accomplishments in 2003, noting with pleasure the performance of the Navy in the global war on terrorism and the liberation of Iraq, record recruiting and retention of sailors, the improvement in surge capability, the additions of new ships and aircraft, and the savings recouped for recapitalization of the service. The combat actions demonstrated, in his words, the “value of readiness,” the ability to exploit the maneuver space of the sea, the importance of technology in surveillance and attack, and, most of all, the genius of the sailors in accomplishing their mission.

Even after a year during which more than half the fleet was deployed to war, Clark is speeding up his drive to improve the Navy’s readiness to respond to the nation’s needs. “After all, winning organizations never rest — they are always on the move!” Clark wrote.

For 2004, Clark has directed his admirals to “deliver the right readiness,” improve productivity in all areas, streamline and better align the Navy’s manpower structure, and demonstrate the flexible surge capability of the Fleet Response Plan.

Clark is committed to maximizing the capability of sailors and minimizing the total number on the payroll. “As our Navy becomes more high tech, our work force will get smaller and smarter,” Clark wrote. He wants to ensure that today’s sailors are given challenging work and meaningful job content, and to reduce the drudgery characteristic of much shipboard routine. In view of this goal, he has directed his admirals to identify technology and process improvements to reduce manpower required for tasks including underway replenishment, ordnance loading, and food preparation.

Clark said previously that he has cut the Navy’s ranks by 22,000 people and planned more cuts in the future.

Clark also wants to increase the percentage of recruits with high-school diplomas and college credits, and reduce attrition of personnel by 10 percent of 2003 levels. He has directed that the Navy study ways to merge ship-relevant training between the Navy, Coast Guard, Army, and commercial activities, and ways to merge aviation-relevant training between all services and commercial activities. He also is directing the study of the potential of two-way integration of active-duty and reserve forces.

Clark’s vision of maintaining and improving readiness is exemplified by the Fleet Response Plan currently being implemented with the goal of being able to deploy six carrier strike groups on short notice and bringing two more up to deployable status soon thereafter, a feat realized during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has directed the commander of Fleet Forces Command to demonstrate in 2004 the capability to surge multiple carrier strike groups. In line with this, he wants to implement the principle of progressive readiness, ordering a zero-based review of the current inter-deployment training cycle. Clark also ordered the Navy to study the use of additional simulation to enhance training, and ways to enable staffs to better support contingency deployments.

With regard to future readiness, Clark is pushing to improve efficiencies in platforms and operations, such as:

· Implementing integration of Navy and Marine corps tactical aviation.

· Incorporating open architecture on all future ships.

· Deploying an initial ship-based missile-defense capability by the end of 2004.

· Developing an integrated antisubmarine strategy.

· Developing an overarching sea-base concept of operations.

· Defining the C4I capabilities required to achieve joint standards for a common operational and tactical picture.

· Developing a plan for increased use of unmanned systems.

· Formalizing the concept of operations for the Ohio-class SSGN.

· Improving command-and-control integration of special operations forces and strike platforms.

· Developing proposals to use high-speed vessels in future concept experimentation.

The CNO’s Guidance for 2004 may be found at www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/clark-guidance2004.html.