New Challenges . . . Enduring Realities

10 Naval Aviation News July–August 1997

Naval Aviation Vision:New Challenges . . .Enduring Realities

When Lieutenant T. G.“Spuds” Ellyson quali-fied in the Navy’s first

aircraft in 1911, subsequentlybecoming Naval Aviator No. 1, andwhen 1st Lieutenant Alfred A.Cunningham, USMC, reported tothe aviation camp at Annapolis,Md., on 22 May 1912—recognizedas the birth date of Marine Corpsaviation—no one imagined that ina little more than 85 years NavalAviation would stand at the dawnof a new century with power and

expeditionary capabilitiesunmatched by any other force.

Today, Naval Aviation plays acentral role in every naval mis-sion, from establishing battlespace dominance to projectingpower ashore. Operating fromsea bases, Naval Aviation canreach littoral trouble spots quick-ly, provide self-sustained, long-range operations for extendedperiods, and move at a moment’snotice to respond to emergentsituations. Forward-deployed

naval forces and Naval Aviationare a superb means of signalingU.S. capabilities and resolve tofriends and foes alike.

Naval Aviation’s proven abilityto adapt to changing times will betested in the 21st century as thestrategic environment, operationalconcepts and technology continueto evolve. To ensure that we willcontinue to be ready for these chal-lenges, we needed a road map tochart where Naval Aviation is goingand how it intends to get there.

Naval Aviation News July–August 1997 11

This article is a condensed version of the definitive vision document developedby the fleet and produced by the Director, Air Warfare: Naval Aviation . . .Forward Air Power . . . From the Sea.

By Stephen J. Kapurch

Edited by Sandy Russell and Wendy Karppi

Illustration by Morgan I. Wilbur

The Naval AviationVision

The process began in July 1996with the first of three fleet confer-ences, whose participants repre-sented a true cross-section ofNaval Aviation—Marine and Navypersonnel from the fixed- androtary-wing communities, andshore- and sea-based senior fleetoperators. In these sessions, theparticipants reviewed the direc-

tion provided by our NationalMilitary Strategy; analyzed jointrequirements; integrated thevisions of the Chairman of theJoint Chiefs of Staff, the Chief ofNaval Operations and theCommandant of the MarineCorps; and assessed the geopoliti-cal, economic and technologicalfuture.

These meetings resulted in theNaval Aviation Vision, a docu-ment that will serve as our guideto the future. Designed as a focal

point around which NavalAviation will develop a consensuson its future direction, the Visionwill be a “living” document,updated and adjusted over timeto reflect operational, technologi-cal and programmatic changes.

The Vision outlines five keyelements that underpin allaspects of Naval Aviation, each ofwhich has been defined in termsof specific goals that must beachieved if we are to adapt in thefuture.


Naval Aviation Vision Statement:

Naval Aviation . . .Forward Air Power. . .From the Sea . . .

Providing a robust and credible forward presence throughflexible response and dominant power projection.


Quality and Motivated People.Naval Aviation will comprise thenation’s most talented and highlytrained personnel, motivated bystrong leadership espousing thecore values of the Department ofthe Navy: honor, courage and com-mitment. The best educated andmost qualified young men andwomen will be recruited to fill theenlisted and officer ranks. Naval

Aviation personnel will be techni-cally trained and fully capable ofoperating and maintaining the mostsophisticated aviation weapons andsupport systems. Naval Aviationwill maintain high retention ratesthrough improved quality of lifeprograms, including educationalopportunities, monetary compensa-tion, advancement and leadershippositions.

The Five Central Elementsof the Vision

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The Naval Aviation Vision is based onJoint Vision 2010 and the direction ofthe Chief of Naval Operations and theCommandant of the Marine Corps. TheVision contains five critical elements,the first of which is its greatestasset—our people. This element cou-pled with technology and innovationand the ability to be self-sustainedcreates a unique forward presence,which provides the National CommandAuthority with a flexible response toany contingency.


Quality andMotivated People

Implementing our vision for thefuture is important to ensure contin-

ued success well into the next century.We must be organized, trained andequipped to meet the challenges thatwill confront us. Our goal, therefore, isto give our people the tools they needto do what they have always done—togo in harm’s way and prevail.

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Technology and Innovation.Naval Aviation will aggressivelypursue the application of advancedtechnology and innovative opera-tional concepts to ensure the deploy-ment of an affordable, effectiveforce in this era of unpredictablethreats by building on proven,existing capabilities and maintain-ing an environment that supportsinnovation; partnering with indus-try to leverage the use of commer-cial off-the-shelf technology; antic-ipating exploitation of our emerg-

ing technologies by our adver-saries; and using technology as aforce multiplier and as a means ofreducing costs and improving theeffectiveness of all Naval Aviationdisciplines.

Sustainment. Naval Aviation issupported by cost-effective,focused logistics that ensure arapid response across all missionareas. Naval Aviation will achieveand maintain superior sustainmentby aggressively influencing theacquisition process to provide max-

imum weapon system reliabilityand maintainability; capitalizing onstate-of-the-art logistics informa-tion technology; reducing the for-ward-deployed joint-service logisti-cal footprint; skillfully managingintegrated logistic supportresources for optimum perfor-mance; and institutionalizing theconcept of focused logisticsthroughout the support community.

Unique Forward Presence. TheNavy will strive to enhance itsworldwide forward presence through


Technology andInnovation

Naval Aviation is taking full advan-tage of ongoing technological and

doctrinal innovation that will be thebasis for operational excellence in thenext century. Naval Aviation’s leadershipwill remain ready to adapt to new imper-atives of warfare, including the prospectsthat future adversaries will harness tech-nologies and approaches that may not be symmetricalto ours. We must be ready to ensure that we—not ourfoes—enjoy the advantage of operational and techno-logical superiority.

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multinational exercises, port visits,foreign military training and repre-sentation on allied staffs. Theseactivities plus the active efforts ofpersonnel assigned to overseas navalair installations are meant to providetimely and sustainable on-scene pro-tection of U.S. national interests,and foster closer relationships withour friends and allies.

Flexible Responsiveness. NavalAviation will continue to supply theNational Command Authority with

capable, credible options rangingfrom nonlethal deterrence to rapid,precise and decisive engagement. Toaccomplish this, we will provide thenecessary doctrine and training, situa-tional/battlespace awareness and com-mand and control systems, and appro-priate munitions and weapon systems;enhance mobility to enable the rapidconcentration of forces; and utilizeNaval Aviation’s unique warfightingcapabilities to achieve battlespacedominance at sea and in the littoral.

Building on the Pastfor the Future

To prepare for the challenges ofthe next century, Naval Aviationmust embrace new concepts andutilize creative thinking in order toadapt our forces as dictated by fiscalrequirements, while ensuringmission success. We have alreadybegun the process of balancingtoday’s realities with tomorrow’sneeds in many aspects of Naval


Aviation, such as aircraft carriersand aviation-capable amphibiousships with their embarked air wingsand aviation combat elements.

Aircraft CarriersA comprehensive plan to mod-

ernize our aircraft carrier force forthe next century is based on adual-track strategy, which com-bines the modernization of existingcarriers with the addition of newships to the force. The “near-term”

element of the dual-track strategyis the procurement of the tenth andfinal Nimitz-class carrier, CVN 77,in FY 2002. Scheduled for com-missioning in 2008, CVN 77 willreplace the conventionally poweredKitty Hawk (CV 63) after 47 yearsof service. CVN 77 will be a“smart” transition ship, incorporat-ing new technologies resultingfrom research and developmentefforts that are currently underway.The second element of the

dual-track strategy is the design ofan entirely new class of aircraftcarriers, now referred to as CVX(see NANews,Jan–Feb 97).

Major improvements and equip-ment upgrades to existing ships’ sys-tems will continue to keep our cur-rent carrier force ready to meet thechallenges of the future. We are alsorevamping our maintenance plans todecrease the number of long-termshipyard maintenance periods ourcarriers must undergo.

Unique Forward Presence

Naval Aviation has long been at the forefront of U.S. power pro-jection capabilities. As a carrier and its air wing or an amphibi-

ous ready group deploy, they represent a unique forward presencethat provides a broad spectrum of warfighting capabilities. By lever-aging technology, innovative tactics and highly trained people, theseforces provide the National Command Authority with a wide rangeof crisis-management and combat capabilities.

PHAN Kris White

PH3 Chris Vickers

Documents

New Challenges . . . Enduring Realities