CNO talks Navy Today and Four Areas of the Rebalance

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The chief of naval operations (CNO) gave a speech about where the Navy is today and described the rebalance to Asia Pacific to defense industry professionals at a luncheon in Washington Sept. 27.

Adm. Jonathan Greenert told the attendees of the Fall 2012 Navy Now Forum that after a year on the job as CNO, he believes his tenets - warfighting first, be ready, operate forward - are the way forward for the Navy.

"I would tell you this, too, folks, those six words remain burned in [as] where I think we need to go," Greenert said. "Those are the tenets. Warfighting has got to be first, and I have to inculcate that in the ward room, the ready room, and of course, we talk about it all the time in my board room."

Greenert said the Navy has to be ready to respond when needed, but he said a big part of being ready is training Sailors.

"It's important as I think about what we're being asked to do - today and in the future - that the [Sailors] feel confident and that they are proficient at what they do," Greenert said.

Greenert explained how having a ship forward deployed, like the USS George Washington (CVN 73) in Japan, is much more efficient than having ships rotate to that same station from the continental U.S.

"To maintain one ship forward rotationally, takes four in the continental U.S.," Greenert said. "So that's the cost of rotation. One's there; one just came back, or is on its way; one is getting ready to go over there shortly; and one is in deep maintenance. That's your minimum ratio of four to one. So again, if we can be forward stationed ... then that's good."

Additionally, Greenert highlighted in his remarks four areas where the Navy is rebalancing toward the Asia Pacific -- with Forces, Capabilities, Intellectual Capital and Basing.

In today's Navy, the West Coast is the home port to about 52 percent of U.S.-based ships. Greenert explained how the Navy will go about increasing that number to accommodate the shift in focus toward the Pacific.

"We are shifting toward a 40 [percent] East Coast, 60 [percent] West Coast shift in our home porting," Greenert said. "As ships retire, as they go into overhaul and come out of overhaul through the decade, we will be there."

Greenert also said the Navy has 30 ships under construction right now, and he said he was pleased with the current state of ship building.

"We are on a roll," Greenert said. "We have had the last six ships delivered on or ahead of schedule, on or below budget, and the quality has been very high."

The Navy Now Forum was hosted by the Association of the United States Navy. The event is a chance for senior Navy officials and business leaders to develop and enhance relationships to help strengthen functions of the Navy.