2009 Navy Year in Review

As 2008 comes to a conclusion, the time has come to reflect on naval activity for 2009 and offer some reflection regarding the most important developments of the year. My list will undoubtedly leave out activities that others believe are important, and will also undoubtedly include items that many don't believe belong. So be it, I am but one observer who looks at periods greater than one year at a time as a practice, but note that in certain years specific actions, events, activities, and items occur that carry with them long term effects that may or may not be immediately evident.

5) Navy Social Media. This probably looks like a self-serving choice given I am a blogger - not exactly. Engagement with the American people leveraging social software is important long term to the Navy, and the Navy needed to start the process. This list represents an impressive start. As time goes on we will see a strategy and cohesion emerge that develops into a coherent and consistent STRATCOM strategy. This will be absolutely vital to the Navy in the information age, not only in connecting the Navy to the American people, but to the people globally in places the Navy deploys to influence. The observations regarding the absence of Navy influence was expanded in February of 2008 with Steve Cohen's Proceedings article Marketing Is Not a Dirty Word and advanced further in February of 2009 with Professor Claude Berube's The Navy Can Handle the Truth: Creative Friction without Conflict. As we enter 2010, I look forward to seeing how efforts like Admiral Harvey's US Fleet Forces Command Blog evolves. I get the sense the Navy has seen the potential of social software in STRATCOM, and is working to figure out the finer details. Time will tell.

4) Combined Task Force 151. Back on January 15th, 2009, a reporter asked VADM Gortney "What's Taskforce 151 going to look like in a year? As I understand it now, it's a coalition, but of three United States ships only. So who do you expect to join, when, and what's it going to -- what's it going to look like full force?" A year later it is accurate to call CTF-151 a successful United States Navy established international naval task force coalition that has significantly curbed piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. CTF-151 best represents a visible example of the intended way to execute CS-21, but we must consider CTF-151 a good start with a lot of work ahead.

3) Ballistic Missile Defense Moved to Sea. This is the most significant requirement placed on the Navy since the cold war, and perhaps the most significant warfighting requirement placed on the Navy since the development of ballistic missile submarines. No capability will influence the surface warfare community over the next two decades more than naval ballistic missile defense. While there is a real potential for this being one of the major achievements of the Obama administration, he will be remembered as a strategic fool if the capability goes underfunded and significantly shrinks the fleet, as this major strategic change could very well do.

2) Ray Mabus/Bob Work appointments. It is a great thing for the US Navy that the civilian leadership is filled with two very strong personalities like Ray Mabus and Bob Work. Over the next year we are going to see decisions made that will shape the Navy for decades, and I consider it a very good thing that the Navy has the right combination of intelligence, wisdom, and experience in place to execute the policy vision for the 21st century fleet.

1) A Maersk Alabama Easter. What is the deal with Christian holidays in 2009? Hard to believe we spent Christmas discussing underwear bombers when in the same year, we celebrated Easter with 3 shots heard around the Horn of Africa. The resolution to the Maersk Alabama incident was incredible with 3 perfect shots, 1 capture, and a highly public dramatic rescue of the Captain that highlighted outstanding execution of a naval operation. God bless the Navy SEALs.

Happy New Year to all.