CNO: QDR Vectors Navy to New Skills and Missions

The Defense Department’s recently released Quadrennial Defense Review will “vector” the Navy toward the development of new skills and critical missions. The review calls on all the services to sharpen that capability and to build close working relationships with outside agencies. The CNO singled out the U.S. Coast Guard as one agency the Navy has been working very closely with to strengthen the nation’s maritime defenses, calling that work critical to homeland security and maritime domain awareness of the coast, as well as coasts around world. The QDR also calls for the Navy to have a greater presence in the Pacific Ocean. The report says the Navy will maintain at least six operationally available and sustainable carriers and 60 percent of its submarines in the Pacific to support engagement, presence and deterrence missions. Other maritime decisions made by the QDR include: Building a larger fleet that includes 11 Carrier Strike Groups, balance the need to transform and recapitalize the fleet, improve affordability and provide stability for the shipbuilding industry; Accelerating procurement of Littoral Combat Ships to provide power projection capabilities in littoral waters; Procuring the first eight ships of the Maritime Pre-Position Force (Future) to improve the Department’s ability to operate in restricted access environments; Returning to a steady-state production rate of two attack submarines per year not later than 2012 while achieving an average per-hull procurement cost objective of $2.0 billion.

(Source: Navy News Stand)