Chronicling the Revolution

Sea Power, Feb 2005 by Barnard, Richard C

These are revolutionary times for the U.S. Navy. Futuristic new ships are on the horizon and new ways are being devised to keep them at sea longer. Ideas such as Sea Swap and the Fleet Response Plan will bring fundamental change to a service that is reinventing itself. But the most exciting changes to come are not about technology or deployment processes. They are about Navy people. The Navy has embarked on a sweeping modernization of its personnel management strategy that will have far-reaching effects on its personnel policies and practices.

The service's Human Capital Strategy is a work in progress, but it may include fundamental changes such as a blurring of the roles of officers and senior enlisted people, new ideas about shore assignments and the recruitment of highly skilled individuals who want to spend a few years with the Navy and then move on to other ventures. Adm. Vern Clark, chief of naval operations, says that his underlying purpose is to inspire "great leaps in human possibilities" throughout the fleet. Our story begins on p. 10.

Elsewhere in this issue, Associate Editor Sue A. Lackey reports on the work of the Marine Special Operations Training Group (p. 18), and Special Correspondent Robert A. Hamilton covers (p. 22) a little-known Navy effort to develop technologies for a submarine that would be about half the size of today's attack boats and built at half the cost. Managing Editor Richard R. Burgess reports (p. 26) on the Navy's current effort to build a mini-sub designed specially for the SEALs. Seapower Correspondent Margaret A. Roth provides this month's cover story - a look at the changing role of the military's special forces (p. 14).

This month, we introduce a new department called the "Seapower Forum," a discussion about the more controversial defense issues of the day by experts in the field. We'll run it in a few issues each year.

We hope you enjoy it.

RICHARD C. BARNARD, Editor in Chief

Richard C. Barnard

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