This year’s WEST Conference, “Lower Budgets and Higher Demands: How Do the Sea Services Strike the Right Balance?” has a laser focus on:
• The Nation’s growing demand for maritime forces
• The increasing challenge of providing the resources for the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard operations, personnel, and platforms required to meet that demand successfully
The conference, the Naval Institute’s 25th cohosted with AFCEA International, will run 10–12 February at the San Diego Convention Center. On 11 February, the Institute will also host a Member event at the Ultimate Skybox in San Diego, guaranteed to be a most enjoyable social and networking opportunity. I do hope you have registered for both. If not, there is still time and you can sign up at www.usni.org/memberevent.
The participants in WEST bring expertise and extremely valuable strategic and operational perspectives, from the first day’s morning keynote speaker, Deputy Secretary Robert Work, to the final day’s Sea Service Leaders’ Town Hall with Commandant of the Marine Corps General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., Vice Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Michelle J. Howard, and Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul F. Zukunft.
The Commander, North American Aerospace Defense Command, U.S. Northern Command Admiral William E. Gortney will deliver the luncheon keynote on 10 February, and former Deputy Secretary of Defense and Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England will lead a distinguished luncheon keynote panel on 11 February addressing creative disruption and how the Sea Services can exploit the best technologies.
Building and expanding beyond these key issues, additional panels will include:
• “What Are the Force Providers’ Priorities?” moderated by Raytheon’s Vice President for Navy and Marine Corps Programs Vice Admiral Richard Hunt, USN (Ret.)
• “Mission First, People Always: How Are We Making It Work?” led by former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James L. Herdt, together with the top enlisted leaders of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard
• “The Network as a Key Warfighter Advantage: What More Must Be Done?” moderated by AFCEA International President and CEO Lieutenant General Robert M. Shea, USMC (Ret.)
• “Continuity and Change in the Indo-Asia Pacific: Reflections from Former Pacific Commanders” moderated by Dr. David M. Finkelstein, Vice President and Director of China Studies at the Center for Naval Analyses
• “What Will the System Commands Deliver?” Moderated by Mr. James McAleese, Esq., Principal, McAleese & Associates, P.C.
Between keynotes and panels, I commend to you the conference’s superb Cyber Engagement program and array of floor exhibits. WEST 2015 will be an outstanding and memorable event. You can still register at www.usni.org/events. We look forward to seeing you there!
As 2014 came to a close, I was pleased to report in these pages that the Naval Institute has had another successful year. Credit for such success belongs first to you the Members. Your participation, feedback, and support renew and strengthen the vitality and contributions of the Institute as they have for more than 140 years.
This flows from our mission, from the shared belief of Members, Directors, Trustees, and Staff in the importance of providing an independent forum for those who dare to read, think, speak, and write in order to advance the professional, literary, and scientific understanding of sea power and other issues critical to national defense. This flows, in turn, from our statement of vision: We are the preeminent thought leader, serving all Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard personnel by advancing the naval profession and preserving our naval history. The Naval Institute enhances the understanding of the vital contribution of American sea power to the defense and economic well-being of our Nation.
In realizing success, Directors, Trustees, and Staff have been guided by the Institute’s Strategic Plan, in place since 2012, with objectives to:
• Enhance national understanding of the vital contribution of American sea power
• Preserve and make available naval history
• Increase, broaden, and engage our membership
• Secure endowments to fund key strategies and initiatives that enable the Naval Institute to realize its vision
Moving forward in 2015, we will devote time and effort to updating our Strategic Plan to ensure that we are best positioned to realize the vast potential of the Institute and propel it into the future.
The news on the essay front continues to be exciting. With this issue we are announcing two essay contests.
For a second year, Hewlett Packard Corporation will sponsor the Information Dominance Essay Contest. Last year’s contest generated a great deal of interest and many fine entries. With all that is going on in the world of information dominance and cyber, we anticipate many authors will accept the challenge and submit essays. See the announcement on page 3 for details about this opportunity.
We are also delighted to announce a new essay contest, Innovation and Risk: Striking the Right Balance. TASC, Inc. is partnering with us to make this initiative possible. This contest is positioned to contribute to the current debate that will determine the balance between the promise of new technologies and the constraints of current budget limitations. For more information, please see the announcement on page 13.
We will have representatives of these two fine partners with us at the WEST 2015 Conference, and will publicly announce both contests aimed at advancing the Naval Institute’s mission.
The Naval Institute and the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) cohosted the second segment of our new Maritime Security Dialogue Series on 16 January. Commandant of the Coast Guard Admiral Paul Zukunft was the featured speaker at the event that took place at CSIS headquarters with excellent attendance.
Admiral Zukunft laid out the increasing importance the Nation attaches to the Coast Guard’s growing, multidimensional mission, and the pressing need for recapitalization of the cutter fleet if the service is to successfully meet that mission. His strategy places high priority on the Coast Guard’s growing role in the Western Hemisphere as well as cyber, environmental, and polar operations. He said that for the latter, the service has only one polar icebreaker, brought out of retirement. On the high seas and the Nation’s rivers, cutters with 50 years of service and buoy tenders with 60 years of service are on the job. The new national security cutters are outstanding, but more new cutters are needed. The dedication and professionalism of Coast Guard personnel are currently making it all possible. You can view the event at http://csis.org/event/americas-coast-guard-21st-century.
The Naval Institute and CSIS look forward to bringing you new speakers in the Maritime Security Dialogue Series about every six weeks throughout 2015. The series is generously sponsored by Lockheed Martin.
Peter H. Daly, VADM, USN (Ret.)
Life Member and Member since 1978