Clark tapped to relieve Johnson as CNO

Sea Power, Apr 2000 by Peterson, Gordon I

Secretary of Defense William S. Cohen has recommended to President Clinton that U.S. Atlantic Fleet Commander in Chief Adm. Vernon E. "Venn" Clark be nominated to serve as the next chief of naval operations (CNO). If confirmed by the Senate, as expected, Clark would succeed Adm. Jay L. Johnson this summer at the end of Johnson's four-year tour as CNO.

Department of Defense spokesman Kenneth H. Bacon confirmed that Cohen had interviewed a number of highly qualified admirals before settling on Clark. "I think he chose Admiral Clark," Bacon said, "because he felt that Clark has a sterling record and that he has a very firm commitment to joint operations." Clark, a career surface warfare officer, has served at the helm of the Atlantic Fleet since September 1999. His joint-duty assignments include service as the Joint Staff's director of operations and, later, its director. During the Gulf War, Clark was assigned to the Joint Staff's Operations Directorate, where he directed the crisis-action team established during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

A Legacy of Innovation

Bacon, speaking at a Pentagon press briefing on 29 February, said that one of Cohen's legacies will be the individuals he has chosen to serve as service chiefs. "He looks for people who will bring innovative solutions to their service's problems," Bacon said. 'Admiral Clark not only has a strong commitment to jointness, but ... [also] a strong commitment to streamlining Navy operations in a way that keeps the U.S. Navy the world's premier naval force while recognizing that it is becoming increasingly difficult to recruit people to operate ships."

Clark has served in a number of key operational assignments since his selection as a flag officer nine years ago. He commanded the USS Carl Vinson Battle Group during a deployment to the Arabian Gulf and, following an assignment as deputy and chief of staff for the U.S. Atlantic Fleet, commanded the U.S. Second Fleet and NATO's Striking Fleet Atlantic.

During his tour as commander of the Atlantic Fleet, Clark has focused on documenting the requirements associated with fleet operations, maintenance, and training. He placed personnel issues at the top of his priorities, a Navy official told Sea Power, and was a strong proponent for Johnson's program to reduce inport work requirements during the Interdeployment Training Cycle. "[Clark] talks about quality of service," the same official said, "and that equates to one's quality of life plus quality of work-a concept he shares with Adm. Fargo [Adm. Thomas B. Fargo, commander in chief of the U.S. Pacific Fleet]."

The Case for Sea Power

Clark will face a number of daunting challenges as CNO. High on the list will be the need to make a strong case for sea power during the next Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR). The Clinton administration's continued underfunding of the Navy's shipbuilding and conversion account makes it increasingly problematic that a fleet of slightly more than 300 ships-the minimum level postulated in the 1997 QDR-will be sustained during the first decades of the 21 st century.

Funding for ship maintenance also has been inadequate, for a variety of reasons. The Navy estimates the current (FY 2000) deficit in ship-depot maintenance to be about $220 million. The maintenance problem has been compounded by the Clinton administration's frequent deployment of U.S. military forces on peacekeeping and humanitarian missions around the world. During testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on 1 March, Johnson noted that the Navy's contingency operations increased from an average of 5.4 per year during the 1988 to 1991 time frame to 12.25 per year during the period from 1996 to 1999. Recruiting and retention also will continue to demand high-level attention.

A Steady Hand on the Heim

Johnson assumed his duties as CNO under the most challenging circumstances, but observers say that his steady hand on the helm has helped immensely to return the Navy to an even keel. In recent years, he has been an outspoken advocate for increases in Navy shipbuilding-noting that for today's forward-deployed Navy-- Marine Corps team, "there is no substitute for being there."

Arguing that the United States faces unacceptable risks by going below a 300-ship fleet, Johnson has warned that the current level of funding for shipbuilding is insufficient to preserve even that number of ships in the coming decades. "Adequate readiness can only be sustained in the future with a modernization and recapitalization program that delivers sufficient numbers of technologically superior platforms and systems to the fleet," he told the SASC last month. "I remain concerned that we are falling behind in this effort."

That message has not fallen on deaf ears, as both armed services committees in Congress have focused on shipbuilding as a key concern during the FY 2001 budget hearings. Time will tell if illusory "outyear" funding increases will come to pass, but Johnson and senior Navy operational commanders have told the story "like it is" to make the Navy's case for increased resources.