SECNAV: Readiness relies on industry

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. - The Navy is showing progress in its drive to increase readiness and prepare forces to “fight tonight and win,” Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer said May 8. But in a luncheon speech at the Navy League’s annual Sea-Air-Space exposition, SECNAV spoke directly to defense industry representatives in the audience telling them: “We cannot do this alone.” Spencer said that the Navy needs and welcomes industry support to increase readiness, and meet operational demands. SECNAV called the relationship a “true partnership” based on shared risk and rewards. He offered industry “a clear line of sight to our needs and resources, and industry understands that our security, stability and prosperity rely on ready and combat-capable forces that are capable of projecting naval power. … We must work together to provide solutions to our challenges.” Referring to the results of investigations into two fatal destroyer at-sea collisions in 2018, SECNAV said the fleet was moving from a culture of “normalization of deviation” standards to increased focus on performance and safety. At the end, Spencer said the Navy’s vision was for a “more agile, sustainable and superior force. … We want to be able to dominate future conflicts from the seafloor to space, in blue waters, littorals, mountains and desert, and also throughout the information domain.” (Source: Seapower Magazine 05/08/19)