"I'm a believer" in the Fleet Response Plan, says HRNMA Guest Speaker, Vice Adm. Gary Roughead

By Lt. David Boisselle, U.S. Navy

Norfolk, Va., Aug. 20 -- Freshly returned from his final night at sea, Second Fleet commander Vice Adm. Gary Roughead told the bimonthly meeting of the Hampton Roads Navy Mustang Association that they were perfectly positioned to lead in 21st century initiatives like the Fleet Response Plan and the Human Capital Strategy.

Recently announced as the next deputy commander of the United States Pacific Command, Vice Adm. Roughead said that the world changed three years ago, but we didn't know it had.  Terrorism was the latest of the three "isms;" the others, fascism and communism, each took roughly forty years to defeat.  "Terrorism may take two generations to overcome.  They want to eliminate us and what we stand for."

The Fleet Response Plan was created to position the Navy to be effective in the Global War on Terrorism.  "We'd surged before," said the admiral, "but mostly we set the clock, deploying the carriers 25 percent of their available time, not a huge amount of return on investment."  Under the FRP, the carriers now remain an employable resource 55 percent of their time. 

A major challenge will be to maintain personnel readiness in the up-tempo FRP era.  Compressed, intense training schedules are putting greater pressure on sailors and Marines.  "Our challenge will be how we can do it, but not affect people adversely," said Vice Adm. Roughead. 

The Chief of Naval Operations' upcoming Human Capital Strategy will focus on the best ways to man the Navy of the 21st century.  "Newer ship classes like the LCS [Littoral Combat Ship] will be manned by 50 highly skilled 'LCS men,' who may stand a watch in CIC, then in Engineering.  It's not beyond the realm of possibility," said the admiral. 

The Navy's sea-shore rotation is getting a hard look.  Seventy-five percent of the Navy's seagoing forces were deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF-1), but were manned by only 25 percent of the service's human resources.  "Is that the right way to be?  Is sea-shore rotation the right way to go?" asked the admiral.

Vice Adm. Roughead recognizes the Navy's human capital challenges.  "Our biggest issue is people.  We need to train them and fulfill them.  Sixty-five percent of our budget is people.  This squeezes other things."

Noting the success of Summer Surge '04, which exercised seven carrier strike groups, the admiral said he is a believer in the Fleet Response Plan.  "We need to be ready, on guard, and keep them [our enemies] guessing.  Summer Surge '04 flowed quite well, and the world noticed."

The admiral implored Hampton Roads Navy Mustang officers to capitalize on their unique role and perspectives on leadership to ensure sailors are properly trained and taken care of in these challenging times.

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Last revised: August 21, 2004.