The new Chief of Naval Operations says he’s going to think differently about naval strategy. Adm Michael Gilday takes over the role during a period of uncertainty, where China and Russia are positioning their fleets as near-peer competitors. Seth Cropsey, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, says that the Navy needs to improve development speed considerably.
“As you look across the board, the Navy needs to move a lot faster to adapt to the changes that are taking place, especially with China and to a certain extent with Russia. That is something that the Navy traditionally has not been a leader at,” Cropsey said. “I mean, issues like defending against hypersonic missiles, protecting submarines against non-acoustic detection, the growing size and capabilities of the Chinese fleet… the Navy has not been a leader in adapting to new circumstances.”
Jeff Eggers, senior fellow at New America, says that the Navy’s had a rough time over the last decade, and a new perspective might be something they need.
“I think it represents a need for change. For an institution that has that kind of legacy, that has been through the period of tumultuous scandal and mishaps and so forth over the last decade that between that and the changing nature of warfare broadly, it is time for change. I think that is what it represents.”
