The Naval Institute, the Navy, the Department of Defense, and the nation have lost one of the most influential military thinkers of modern times. On 12 November 2005, retired Vice Admiral Arthur K. Cebrowski succumbed to cancer after a long battle.
His relationship with the Institute began with a membership as a midshipman at Villanova University. It was an expense he often recalled as being "a real bargain, because I took at least one good idea from each issue of Proceedings." The association blossomed when he was a Navy commander, with his first article, a "Nobody Asked Me, But" published in December 1983. He proceeded to serve two tours on the Naval Institute Board-one as chairman-and appeared several times in this magazine and as a featured speaker at Institute events.
Admiral Cebrowski, best known for his visionary network-centric warfare and "Streetfighter" littoral combat ship concepts (both of which were unveiled, discussed, and debated in Proceedings), retired from the Navy on 1 October 2001. True to the ethic he displayed throughout his career, he came out of retirement 28 days later to serve as the first director of the Office of Force Transformation in the Office of the secretary of Defense. Declining health forced him to resign from that post on 1 February 2005, but nothing could keep him from honoring a commitment to deliver the kickoff address the very same day at the West 2005 symposium sponsored by the Naval Institute and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association in San Diego.
Obituaries have pointed out that Admiral Cebrowski was a dedicated officer, a skilled air combat tactician (veteran of the Vietnam War and Operation Desert Storm), and a strategic innovator. He was also a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. In short, he was an uncommon human being, both personally and professionally.
But the admiral had another trait not often mentioned: He could tolerate someone with a very different point of view. This characteristic is often missing in visionaries, who are usually eager to surround themselves with like-minded disciples.
In summer 2003, Admiral Cebrowski needed a replacement for an assistant director in his office. I applied for the job and got an interview. He asked what skills and strengths I could bring to the task of force transformation. "Well," I said. "I've worked in the Naval Air Systems Command, and I know a great deal about acquisition." He looked doubtful. "That process is broken." he said. "Are there other skills you can show?" I told him I knew a lot about the planning, programming, and budgeting system and had experience with it. He looked even more doubtful. "That's broken, too."
I was quiet for a while before he prompted me: "Do you have anything else to say?" I felt as though he was asking me, "Do you have anything to say that might show you aren't just a run-of-the-mill bureaucrat?" I didn't say that, though. An old Navy saying advises you should have brains enough not to slap a tiger on his snout when you have your other hand in his mouth.
What I did say was, "Admiral, you've thrown two knuckle balls by me, and Fm afraid my next swing will be my third strike." He smiled faintly at that, and I knew then I had a chance. I continued to have that chance. For example, it took me about a year, but I persuaded Admiral Cebrowski that efforts to transform the business practices of DoD were as essential as force transformation and that the two efforts were complementary. After 1 had shown him enough evidence, he came around. But we always had the understanding between us that I had to continue to marshal facts and examples to support my position. There was no free ride for any of us who worked for him.
This emphasis on evidence made the admiral special. If you had the evidence, you had standing in his court. If you organized your case so it made sense. Admiral Cebrowski would see it in the blink of an eye. I once had a ten-slide brief to show him. After the third slide, he told me what the remaining seven would say. and he was right on the money. His focus on evidence, coupled with his razor-sharp mind, made him demanding, but it also made working for him the greatest pleasure.
Dr. Hone is assistant director for Risk Management, Office of Force Transformation. Office of the secretary of Defense. He is the former principal deputy director of DoD program analysis and evaluation. The Naval Institute Press will publish his new book, Battle Line: The United States Navy, 1919-1939, in spring 2006.