During a Service Chiefs’ Panel at the Navy League Sea Air Space 2010 Exposition in Maryland this week, Adm. Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) told the audience that the current pace of operations in the Navy is incredibly busy due to current commitments and pointed to the need to increase affordability.
Discussing the Navy’s versatility, Adm. Roughead said that the Navy should be on the forefront of ballistic missile defense and he expects that the current multi-national anti-piracy mission will continue.
“Even as we’re engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan, we continue our normal activity, our normal presence, our normal assurance [and] deterrence in so many other places around the world,” Roughead said. “Whether it’s the Indian Ocean, the Western Pacific, Africa or South America, we continue to keep watch in those areas.”
He also discussed the need to make processes and material more affordable. He stated that protests following the awarding of a contract are disruptive and are “an inhibitor for building the fleet.”
“We need to look at every way to improve affordability. Common hulls, common components, open architecture are key,” said Roughead.
Finally, Roughead discussed the future needs of the Navy. In addition to current projects and goals, Roughead sees a future focus on anti-submarine operations, ballistic missile defense and moving more into the world of unmanned vehicles.