EDITOR'S NOTE

Sea Power, Feb 2004 by Barnard, Richard C

Change is constant. And the pace of change increases exponentially. That is the message written between the lines of this month's lead story about fundamental change under way throughout the Navy. Fourteen years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Navy continues to reconstitute itself to deal with a fast-changing array of threats to the nation's security. The current goal: to build and deploy a new Navy for the 21st century.

This is not solely a shipbuilding project. The ships to be built are reflective of a philosophical evolution under way within the service. In a special report (p. 10), we note that the Navy is redefining its operational concepts and managerial processes to create a future fleet with greater capabilities, new missions and warfighting requirements that were not on the horizon when the Cold War drew to a close.

These changes come as the size of the service continues to shrink. In a summary of the 2004 guidance by Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations (p. 32), Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess reports that Clark once again calls for billet reductions throughout the fleet, determining that greater efficiency - and lower payrolls - will help pay the cost of recapitalizing the Navy. Clark already had reduced the force by 22,000 people.

Also in this issue, Special Correspondent Margaret Roth reports (p. 17) on the promises - and challenges - inherent in the new LPD 17 San Antonio amphibious transport dock ship, and Associate Editor Hunter Keeter covers (p. 27) the forthcoming transfer of some responsibility for resources planning from Washington to the Navy's operating units. On page 29, we talk with Rear Adm. Jay M. Cohen, chief of naval research, who believes that scientists who do not fail occasionally are just not trying hard enough. The basic purpose of Navy research efforts is discovery and invention, says Cohen, especially on projects focused in key areas such as underwater weaponry, underwater acoustics, naval architecture, and expeditionary warfare. "These things are absolutely critical to the naval battlespace, [and] if we don't invest in them no one else will," Cohen said. He has created a "Swampworks" to "invest in high-risk ... game-changing initiatives that any rational program manager would not propose. ... I desire that these programs have a 90 percent failure rate. That is what I want. I want one in 10 of these projects to be successful; but that one in 10 should represent a fundamental change in warfare, as we know it."

In this issue, we introduce a new "Washington Report" (p. 6). With an improved format, shorter articles and forward-looking coverage, it is designed to provide insightful reporting and analysis about the people, issues and events that are priorities for Sea Power readers.

Also this month, seasoned defense journalist Amy Svitak makes her initial appearance on our masthead as a Sea Power correspondent. Now a staff writer for CongressDaily, the respected Washington newsletter, Svitak is renowned among Washington's defense cognoscenti for her coverage of national security issues on Capitol Hill.

We hope you agree that these changes make your magazine more readable and vibrant. As always, thanks for reading Sea Power.

We are eager to get your feedback. Contact me at rbarnard@navyleague.org or by mail at Sea Power, 2300 Wilson Blvd., Arlington, Va. 22201-3308.

Richard C. Barnard

Editor in Chief