The Navy’s top admiral yesterday underscored the imperative for the nation’s sea service to continue to meet the demands of an evolving technology and national security landscape.

Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa M. Franchetti discussed her recently released Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy 2024 during a discussion hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a public policy think tank in Washington.  

Franchetti’s plan outlines her guidance to the fleet to meet future challenges and expand the Navy’s contribution to the joint warfighting ecosystem. 

She noted the key role the Navy will play in maintaining the United States’ military advantage amid a changing geopolitical environment and increasing competition with China. 

“China is clearly the pacing challenge,” she said. “They are on […] a wartime footing.” 

The CNO added that China presents a multidomain challenge encompassing not only military, but also economic competition. She noted China’s lack of transparency about its actions around the globe, and their affinity for use of dual-use technologies to accomplish its aims.

Franchetti also noted the changing nature of war and the imperative to adopt robotic and autonomous technology and the reach and lethality of the fleet as key guide rails for the strategy going forward.  

Domestic fiscal and industrial base constraints add to the Navy’s challenge, she said, as the service recognizes the need to grow its fleet. 

Franchetti released the plan earlier this week. It identifies two overarching strategic ends: readiness for the possibility of war with China by 2027 and enhancement of the Navy’s long-term advantage.  

The plan also includes seven, core fleet readiness targets under Project 33, a reference to Franchetti serving as the 33rd CNO. Those targets include: 

• Ready the force by eliminating ship, submarine and aircraft maintenance delays  
• Scale robotic and autonomous systems to integrate more platforms at speed
• Create the command centers our fleets need to win on a distributed battlefield  
• Recruit and retain the force we need to get more players on the field
• Deliver a quality of service commensurate with the sacrifices of our sailors 
• Train for combat as we plan to fight, in the real world and virtually
• Restore the critical infrastructure that sustains and projects the fight from shore 

Franchetti said the navigation plan captures how the Navy can think, act and operate differently with the resources it has to make the most gains in the shortest time possible.

“If you look at the ways we’re trying to do that through implementing Project 33, which are really seven areas that as I worked with my team, with our four-star fleet commanders, these are areas that I can put my thumb on the scale,” she said. “We could make a difference in those areas, and it will make a meaningful contribution to our ability to be more ready by 2027. 

The plan also lays out the Navy’s plan to expand its contribution to the joint warfighting ecosystem, building upon the implementation framework for fielding key capabilities outlined in the 2022 Navigation Plan, with an additional focus on scaling robotic autonomous systems.  

The implementation framework focuses on five capabilities ranging from long-range fires to contested logistics. It also focuses on four key enablers ranging from artificial intelligence to robotic and autonomous systems.  

For further information visit the CNO Navigation Plan 2024 website.

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