Admiral Gary Roughead meets with Rice University Navy ROTC members during his Nov. 2 visit to the Baker Institute.
Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Gary Roughead’s Nov. 2 visit to the Baker Institute was an enlightening preview of the future of the U.S. Navy. The post-9/11 world has changed the way that the military, and the Navy specifically, combats nontraditional adversaries. Anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden, maritime cooperation off the coast of Western Africa and Sailors serving in various roles on the ground in Afghanistan and Iraq are a few examples of the Navy’s evolving role. Along with operational challenges, the Navy and its sister services are being asked to operate with an increasingly tight budget.
Roughead’s lecture dispelled long-held notions that the Navy is an anachronism in the post-Cold War global order. The Navy’s traditional blue-water capabilities are not its only asset. While it retains a robust blue-water force, the Navy’s role in Overseas Contingency Operations is a stark contrast to the days of the ships of the line and John Paul Jones. To this end, Roughead highlighted the USS NASSAU’S recent departure from Haiti. Since late February 2010, the USS NASSAU, an amphibious assault vessel, was on-station serving those in need of hope and help. Utilizing its combined amphibious and aviation assets, along with a large embarked medical contingent, the NASSAU served as the optimal platform for distributing aid and supporting the U.N. mission in-country. However, NASSAU’S departure does not signal the end of the U.S. naval presence off the coast of Haiti; with further devastation in the wake of Hurricane Tomas, the USS IWO JIMA and her embarked Sailors and Marines have been called upon once again to further the Navy’s mission of being a “Global Force for Good.” These two commands are just two of the 22 Navy-Marine Corps ships and units that immediately responded to the call for help from Haiti.
Even with new missions such as humanitarian assistance and low-intensity operations, the Navy is still the United States’ premier conventional and nuclear deterrent. The Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines remain the only American asset with a 100 percent survival rate against nuclear attacks and the ability to remain permanently on call. Beyond the nuclear deterrent capabilities of the Ohio-class, the submarines also represent a remarkable return on investment for the U.S. taxpayer; the last Ohio-class submarine is expected to be retired in 2080, a total service lifetime of almost 99 years for the class. Furthermore, a select number of Ohio-class submarines have been converted to guided missile submarines. In this role, they will carry 154 Tomahawk cruise missiles as well as specialized delivery systems for special warfare units (SEALS). This unprecedented capability will make the Ohio-class one of the most capable vessels in the Navy’s history.
It is an exciting time for the U.S. Navy. Budgetary constraints, asymmetric warfare and a dynamic world are all obstacles, but also opportunities. We will see an increasingly versatile force capable of changing to different mission requirements while at the same time retaining core competencies. In this ever-changing world, as Roughead stated, there will always be a “need for the undeniable good a global Navy delivers everyday in every ocean to support our nation’s vital interest and promote security and prosperity across the globe.”
Grant Parks is a junior at Rice University and an intern with the Baker Institute Transnational China Project. Additionally, he is a Midshipman Second Class in the Rice Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps unit. Grant is majoring in Asian studies and history.