Rear Adm. John Nowell, the U.S. Navy’s director of military personnel plans and policy, said that the service’s biggest challenge in readiness is “maintaining a stable and predictable budget,†the Navy said Tuesday. Nowell noted during the recent Sea-Air-Space exposition in Maryland that his office is addressing the Navy’s gaps in readiness that were identified in fiscal 2018.
“We really worked to fill those gaps at sea and we’ve addressed a lot those readiness challenges, but we’re not done yet,†he added. James Geurts, assistant secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition, said at the event’s key luncheon that he seeks to address four main priorities including affordability, agility, lethal capacity and workforce development.
“When we can partner between the industry, the ship’s captain and, wherever we’re supervising on the government side, we get great examples of us delivering great things out to the fleet,†he noted.
Other Navy efforts that were discussed during the conference include the Education for Seapower initiative, which Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy Russell Smith said would help sailors focus on their duties while preparing for life outside of service. This year’s Sea-Air-Space exposition was based on the Chief of Naval Operations’ Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority 2.0 and has the theme “Sustainability, Agility, Superiority.â€
