By PETER ATKINSON, Deputy Editor

A number of new touches were added for the Navy League’s 2006 Sea-Air-Space (SAS) Exposition to provide for a more informative and inclusive experience this time around. National President John A. Panneton, presiding over his first SAS, pointed out some of the more subtle features during his remarks at the exposition, held April 4-6 at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington, D.C. 

Noting the large projection screens on either side of the podium in the main ballroom that ran live video feeds during SAS luncheon addresses and slideshows of photographs both from the exposition and representing the sea services, Panneton told the audience on the opening day of the expo that the new multimedia setup served to help answer the question: What is Sea-Air-Space?

“The answer is it is the Navy League, and we wanted to tell the story that it is the Navy League,” he said. Panneton wants to associate the Navy League logo and “brand” more closely with the SAS exposition.

With that theme in mind, speakers and special guests were given the just-published Navy League of the United States: Civilians Supporting the Sea Services … for More Than A Century, a book that chronicles the organization’s efforts on behalf of the sea services. The first copies of the book arrived from the printer just before the exposition opened.

During each day’s luncheon, Panneton also made a point to recognize enlisted members from the Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps, ranks E-5 and below. Enlisted service members were specifically invited to SAS for the first time this year.

“They are the heart and soul of our sea services,” he said.

The 2006 SAS was hosted by the Navy League’s National Capital Council. The SAS chairwoman was Sharon Gurke.

Secretary Sees ‘Storm Clouds’ on Navy-Industry Horizon

Also new to the 2006 SAS was the exposition’s first guest speaker, Navy Secretary Donald C. Winter, who has been on the job for three months. The former defense industry engineer and executive, most recently with Northrop Grumman, has spent much of his brief tenure as secretary traveling to meet Navy brass and the rank and file around the world — as well as testifying before Congress — to see how things operate on the other side of the military-industrial complex equation.

In that time, Winter said he has been able to form some observations about the Navy and industry, and those observations were reason for concern.

“I see warning signs that the relationship is starting to fray under the strain of fiscal concerns,” he said.

Industry’s short-term focus on earnings and financial targets and the Navy’s long-range mandate for platform and technology programs, as outlined in its 30-year shipbuilding plan, are increasingly at odds, Winter said.

The shipbuilding plan promises to build the fleet to 313 ships from the current 281. But for the plan to work, he said, “we need a better alignment between the industry and the Navy. From where I sit today, I see diverging interests.”

Without a balance being struck between the corporate bottom line and the Navy’s emphasis on increased capability at reduced cost, Winter foresaw “storm clouds on the horizon” for the plan.

The secretary put the onus on both the Navy and industry to achieve such a balance. He stressed that the service needs to stabilize the anarchy of its requirements and acquisition plans, and work with Congress to similarly stabilize funding. And industry must be willing to look past the immediate demands of its stockholders to shape its processes and work force to meet the long-term goals of helping the Navy build the highly capable ships of the future at a price it can afford.

Winter cited the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program as one effort that was working in that regard. He also announced that the second LCS that is currently under construction will be named Independence.

Pinch-Hitters Rescue Guest Speaker Lineup

After a bit of lineup shuffling, a pair of pinch-hitters stepped up to the plate for the other SAS luncheon speeches when Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Marine Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts.

Adm. John Nathman, commander, Fleet Forces Command, spoke in Pace’s stead before the Sea-Air-Space Luncheon April 5. Pace had initially agreed to move his speech up a day to fill in for Rumsfeld, but ended up not being able to attend.

“The bad news is I’m not Alfonso Soriano; the good news is I’d play any position Frank Robinson asked me to,” Nathman said upon being introduced, making light of a recent controversy involving the Washington Nationals baseball team and their newly acquired slugger. Soriano agreed to Robinson’s request to switch from second base to left field only after the threat of being forced to sit out the season if he refused.

Nathman spoke of the political, physical and fiscal challenges to access the Navy faces around the world, and how critical “being there” was for the Navy to be able to deliver its capabilities.

“It’s really important,” he said, “and if you’re a pirate in Somalia now, you believe that.”

Stepping in for the Sea Services Luncheon April 6 was Adm. William J. Fallon, commander, Pacific Command, who spoke of the vastness, dynamism and turbulence of his area of responsibility, which includes such potential flashpoints as China, Indonesia and the critical Strait of Malacca, and the Korean Peninsula.

“There are still some enduring challenges, frictions and legacies of the past” in the region, Fallon said. “It gives us something to do, if nothing else.”

Winter Presents Safety Awards

Prior to his remarks at the Secretary of the Navy Luncheon, Winter presided over the presentation of the third annual Adm. Vern Clark and Gen. James L. Jones Safety Awards, which Panneton said honor “sailors and Marines who have made an inherently dangerous workplace safer.”

The four 2006 safety award recipients were:

• Adm. Vern Clark Safety Award for the U.S. Navy, individual
  
  Navy Reserve Lt. Allen J. Ramos. While deployed aboard the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk as the ship’s industrial hygienist, Ramos’ innovative, nontraditional approach to safety training and management resulted in a significant decrease in accidents and injuries. His dedication was instrumental in the safe execution of more than 10,000 aircraft sorties in support of joint and combined exercises.  

• Adm. Vern Clark Safety Award, unit
  
  Aircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment North Island, San Diego, which developed an innovative, highly successful motorcycle mentorship program that teamed novice riders with experienced riders. Through its proactive operational risk management program, it reduced off-duty mishaps by 64 percent. The award was accepted on behalf of the unit by detachment Commander Thomas Straub and Aviation Electronics Technician Daniel Gamet.   

• Gen. James L. Jones Safety Award for the U.S. Marine Corps, individual
  
  Staff Sgt. Kristina D. Wilber, the safety officer for the 7th Communication Battalion in Okinawa, Japan. She was recognized for her ability to identify safety hazards and her outstanding leadership in improving the battalion’s safety environment. Through her efforts, the battalion experienced a 75 percent drop in safety related incidents.  

• Gen. James L. Jones Safety Award for the U.S. Marine Corps, unit
  
  Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) Barstow, Calif., was selected for its aggressive safety program that resulted in an average mishap reduction of 15 percent per year during the past four years. Despite heavy travel on the country’s deadliest corridors, Highway I-15 between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, MCLB Barstow has had no Class A or Class B private motor vehicle accidents since 2001, and no similar-class, on-duty military ground mishaps since 1998. The award was accepted on behalf of the unit by Base Safety Manager Ray Aguilar and Gunnery Sgt. Michael Parker. 

Former Navy Secretary Gordon R. England and his wife Dorothy endowed the awards in 2004. They are named after the then-chief of naval operations Clark and former commandant of the Marine Corps Jones for their emphasis on safety throughout the Navy and Marine Corps during their tenure. Three Navy League corporate members — Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics and Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. — contributed to the endowment.

Panneton Meets Korean Delegation, Foreign Officers Visit Exhibition

As SAS concluded, Panneton met April 6 with members of a military, industry and diplomatic delegation from South Korea. The contingent included Sam-Nam Yu, president of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Sea Power League, Capt. Samman Chung, naval attaché for the Korean Embassy, and ROK Navy Rear Adm. Sang-Jun Woo.

The Korean delegation was one of a number of foreign military and industrial groups that visited SAS 2006. The largest was the group of students from the National Defense University (NDU) International Fellows Program, which included officers from militaries in Romania, Croatia, Jordan, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Dominican Republic, Thailand, Tanzania, Mongolia, Bangladesh and many other nations.

The NDU students took part in a series of events during the opening day of the show, and were seated as special guests at the Secretary of the Navy Luncheon. The officers also were given a special guided tour of the exhibit hall and later attended the International Maritime and Congressional Reception.

Swanson Presented With Nimitz Award

William H. Swanson, chairman and chief executive officer of the Raytheon Co., was the recipient of the Navy League’s 2006 Fleet Adm. Chester W. Nimitz Award at the Sea-Air-Space Banquet April 5. He was presented with the award by Panneton and Winter.

Swanson was selected for the Nimitz Award in recognition of his demonstration of public responsibility and support for a robust, responsive defense industrial base as head of one of the nation’s top five defense contractors. Raytheon has approximately 80,000 employees worldwide.

“Under Bill’s leadership, Raytheon has remained a competitive defense and aerospace leader,” said Panneton. “Bill’s visionary leadership, ethical conduct and commitment to excellence guide Raytheon, making it a major contributor to maintaining the U.S. military’s technological edge.”

Swanson has been with Raytheon for nearly 35 years, serving as manufacturing manager of the equipment division, vice president and general manager of the missile systems division, and executive vice president and president of the electronic systems division. He also was responsible for the company’s government and defense operations, including the four strategic business areas of missile defense.