• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

CNO Visits Everett, Seafair, Participates in P-8 Roll Out

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS090731-05
Release Date: 7/31/2009 8:55:00 AM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (SW) Rebekah Blowers, Chief of Naval Operations Public Affairs

SEATTLE (NNS) -- The chief of naval operations (CNO) visited Naval Air Station Everett, participated in the Seattle Seafair and delivered remarks at the P-8A Poseidon rollout ceremony July 29-30.

Adm. Gary Roughead, CNO, met with Sailors and Navy leadership while in Everett. He held an all hands call with local Sailors and watched the Parade of Ships, which marked the official arrival of the fleet to the Seattle Seafair. The Seattle community has made a point of including the Navy in its long-standing, annual Seafair. CNO thanked Sailors for participating and allowing the Seattle community to get a firsthand look at the Navy.

"It feels great to be here in sunny Seattle. I think Seafair is great from the standpoint of our Sailors being able to enjoy one of the world's greatest cities, Seattle but also for the people of Seattle to be able to see their Navy," Roughead said.

Following his participation in Seafair, CNO flew to Renton Field to welcome the P-8 Poseidon aircraft to the fleet. The P-8A, the multimission maritime aircraft (MMA) is replacing the P-3 Orion. The Poseidon is designed to operate in conjunction with the broad area maritime surveillance unmanned aerial vehicle and assist in providing maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.

"We are literally, as you know, flying the wings off the P-3 airplane, an airplane that has been so successful in hunting submarines and uncovering improvised explosive devices targeted at our Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen on the ground and even recently chasing down our old foe the pirates who still prowl the oceans," Roughead said. "The P-8 will take up those missions. It will become the premier anti-surface weapon that we will use in the vast ocean areas. And it will collect intelligence, and it will [conduct] surveillance and recon in many, many missions in the future."

CNO visited Seattle shortly after being in Fort Worth, Texas, for the roll out of the new F-35C Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. He expressed his pleasure in rolling out two aircraft so close together.

"You have to go back a long way in history to have someone in my position roll out two airplanes in one week," CNO said.

Roughead concluded by saying he was pleased with the progress that has been made to this point, and he looks forward, along with Sailors in the fleet, to seeing the Poseidon join the fleet in 2013.

"To the Sailors that are here: You are our future and you are looking at our future in a few short moments. And I would not want this moment to go by without thanking the men and women of Boeing and especially the men and women who will be making the P-8 for the United States Navy," Roughead said. "You are building this airplane magnificently. Most importantly, you are building it in a way that reflects the fact that you are building it for your sons and daughters, because that's exactly what you are doing. You are building it for the sons and daughters of America that will fly it, man it and operate it for decades to come."

For more news from Chief of Naval Operations, visit www.navy.mil/local/cno/.