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CNO Says Navy Primed for Expanding Missions, Old and New

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS060427-19
4/27/2006

From Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Sailors are ready and willing to take advantage of the Navy’s expanding mission roles, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Mullen told an audience at a leadership breakfast sponsored by Government Executive Magazine April 24 at the National Press Club in Washington.

Mullen said the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, spurred Department of Defense leadership to think differently about future conflict. Since the global war on terrorism has ushered in an era of changes in the Navy’s missions, which have steadily grown to support the Joint Force even further and are key components of the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), he said it’s absolutely vital now that the Navy be prepared to fight and win “both the big and small wars.”

“We’ve gone from a blue-water Navy, which is clearly where we were before the [Berlin] Wall came down, to a Navy that has vastly expanded its mission sets in a world that’s much more uncertain, much more unpredictable, and in a world that I believe the Navy and the Marine Corps have the ability and the maneuverability to be out and about,” Mullen said.

Mullen noted that many Sailors are seeking ways to contribute to the Navy’s increasing role in Iraq, Afghanistan and other new missions around the globe, including Joint Task Force Horn Of Africa (JTF-HOA) and detainee operations at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

“The Navy’s really trying to pitch in here," he said. "We’ve got a lot of talent. I know that. And we’ve got COs that we can count on to lead the challenge.”

Mullen noted that Navy commanding officers will soon lead half of the 12 U.S.-led Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan and that there are more than 10,000 Sailors serving in combat and combat support roles on the ground throughout the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility (AOR).

He spoke at length about the new Naval Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC), established this winter in Norfolk, Va.

“I think [NECC] actually represents both old missions and new missions,” Mullen said. "It signifies the change. When it’s fully stood up, I think that it’ll be a command that oversees about 40,000 Sailors. Thirty thousand or so of them exist right now. There are Seabees, our cargo handlers, there are our EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) personnel, our master-at-arms forces.

“We needed a command to oversee that - to really organize, train and equip these forces for the future. In addition to that, the new capability - specifically riverine - is where that will be embedded. We’re very excited about that,” Mullen added.

The Navy plans to build three 12-boat riverine security squadrons, the first of which is training now and will deploy to Iraq next year.

Mullen stressed that one of the key missions of expeditionary forces will be to build relationships with other navies and nations, to deal with conflicts in “phase zero” - in other words, preventing events from escalating to the point of conflict through better security and stronger relationships.

“One of the most important parts I believe of QDR, is to focus us on what I call ‘theater security cooperation and forward engagement.’ It’s a strength for us,” he said. “Anybody who’s been in the Navy, operating around the world, has always engaged with countries in many places. And this is not just a push from the United States Navy, this has been a requested capability of several chiefs of navies in recent years.”