SNA Symposium Panel Emphasizes Transformation
Since 03-04-05
Excerpted from NSL UPDATE 02-09-2005
Release Date:
2/8/2005 10:58:00 AM
From Naval Sea Systems Command Public
Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Vice Adm. Phillip M. Balisle, commander, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), led a panel discussion on Sea Basing and Sea Shield platform issues during the recent Surface Navy Association Symposium held Jan. 11-14. Rear Adm. Charles Hamilton, program executive officer (PEO) Ships, Rear Adm. Charles Bush, PEO Integrated Warfare Systems, and Rear Adm. William Landay III, PEO Littoral and Mine Warfare NAVSEA, were also on the panel. “In an era of rapid response and asymmetric warfare, we must find ways to go from requirement to concept to delivery much faster without losing acquisition discipline," said Balisle. "This is essential if we are going to leverage rapidly changing technology and work inside the battle rhythm of a very different enemy.”
Balisle spoke about two compelling reasons requiring the transition to a 21st century Navy. The first reason is operational - the need to develop the next generation of ships and weapon systems to conduct 21st century missions. These missions include fighting and winning a traditional conflict against peer competitors, supporting the ever present global war on terrorism, fighting a regional conflict against an asymmetric threat, and conducting large-scale peacekeeping missions and humanitarian support.
The second reason is economic - the need to have an affordable Navy. “A Navy must have a high investment return on ships and they must be efficient to operate,” said Balisle. “The end product is not just ships and weapons systems, but ships forward-deployed on station and the net capabilities they bring to the joint warfighter.”
Hamilton spoke about risk mitigation in shipbuilding -- ways to reduce risk and costs associated with building new platforms to support Sea Basing and Sea Shield. He stressed the importance of managing shipbuilding schedules, technology and funding to reduce wasted time and dollars. He proposed utilizing approaches such as open architecture systems, mission module integration, commercial best practices, and technology and application of design functioning and margins, as ways to mitigate risk in the shipbuilding process. “If you give yourself enough flexibility in design up front, you can modify and integrate new technologies as the risks for those technologies are mitigated," he said. Also stressed was the importance of building relationships with industry and rigorous testing.
Bush stressed the need to proceed now with the Navy’s new DD(X) Destroyer and future CG(X) Cruiser programs. He spoke about better ways to manage programs. He referenced the goal he set of 50 percent overhead reduction. “We have to reduce overhead costs in order to increase product,” said Bush, speaking of ways to restructure expenditures in order to buy more ships and weapons systems. “We need to get the information to the program decision maker in real time instead of having the data two months later after a program decision,” Bush said.
Landay emphasized how the Navy is rapidly achieving new technology advances to support Sea Basing in the littorals. Landay also discussed how unmanned underwater vehicles, the littoral combat ship, new anti-submarine weapon systems and other new technologies are transforming the U.S. Navy’s ability to conduct operations close to shore. One point stressed was how modular open systems were the key to deploying new technologies in order to keep ahead of an innovative enemy. “We can develop technology today far faster than we can employ it on legacy ships built under traditional methodology," said Landay. "We must have modular open systems in order to do what we want to do."