Yesterday, SECDEF Mattis published a Memorandum on “Implementation Guidance for Budget Directives in the National Security Presidential Memorandum on Rebuilding the U.S. Armed Forces.” Take some time and follow the link to read the whole thing above or embedded below.
On the Navy side of the house, navalists are very focused on the stated goal of a fleet of 350 ships. Like the guy that wants to hit the town with a new set of clothes but has yet to shower and brush his teeth that day, Mattis outlines a few things we should focus on first before we assault our ultimate objective.
Mattis sees the “build” as Phase-3 of a three phase operation. His Phase-1 and Phase-2 are exactly the right approach.
The three phases are
1. Improve warfighting readiness
2. Achieve program balance by addressing pressing shortfalls
3. Build a larger, more capable, and more lethal joint force
You can’t argue with that.
How is Phase-1 defined?
…address urgent warfighting readiness shortfalls … new requirements driven by acceleration of the campaign against ISIS. … offsets from lower priority programs where appropriate, but will be a net increase over the FY 2017 topline requested by the previous Administration.
I think we all have a few suggestions for the “lower priority programs” – but let’s look at Phase-2;
…buying more critical munitions, funding facilities sustainment at a higher rate, building programs for promising advanced capability demonstrations, investing in critical enablers, and growing force structure at the maximum responsible rate.
Phase-3 will be the build portion. Nothing happens fast in this process, so when is the earliest we could see this hit?
…we will begin to produce the 2018 National Defense Strategy (NDS), which will be closely coordinated with and complementary to the new National Security Strategy. … To this end, the FY 2019-2023 Defense Program will also contain an ambitions reform agenda…
Building and reforming. This will be a very interesting time for both the program people and the process people. Complicated, a bit esoteric, but oh so important.
