chief of naval operations

Navigation
Plan
2022

Content
P. 1

Why a navigation plan update?

P. 2

INTRODUCTION

P. 4

Security environment

P. 6

our response

P. 8

FORCE DESIGN IMPERATIVES

P. 9

FORCE DESIGN 2045

P. 12 Navigation plan PRIORITIESP. 13

ACHIEVING NAVIGATION PLAN PRIORITIES

P. 16 READINESS
P. 18 CAPABILITIES
P. 20 Capacity
P. 22 sailors
P. 24 CONCLUSION

Why a Navigation Plan Update?
The CNO Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN), released in January 2021, focused the Navy’s efforts acrossfour foundational priorities: Readiness, Capabilities, Capacity, and Sailors. This update builds
upon that foundation, leveraging our progress to further strengthen the United States Navy’s
warfighting advantage.
Three key developments led to this update:
First, the 2022 National Defense Strategy (NDS) clarified America’s national security objectives,emphasizing the need to address long-term competition with China and sustain militaryadvantage against Russia. It also introduced integrated deterrence as a unifying principle forthe Department of Defense and supporting U.S. Government agencies.
Second, the development of the Joint Warfighting Concept aligned complementary capabilities
and missions across all U.S. military services.
Third, through a rigorous campaign of learning, we recognized that the Navy needs a more
continuous, iterative Force Design process to focus our modernization efforts and accelerate
the capabilities we need to maintain our edge in this critical decade and beyond.
This Navigation Plan update drives a Fleet-wide movement to strengthen our learning culture
and advances a framework to accelerate our warfighting advantage.
Our Navy team is the most capable in the world. However, we have identified unacceptablevariability in our performance—the gap between our best and worst performers is too great.
History shows that the navy which adapts, learns, and improves the fastest gains an enduring
warfighting advantage. The essential element is fostering a healthy ecosystem—a culture—that assesses, corrects, and innovates better than the opposition. This is the essence of our
Get Real, Get Better call to action, aimed at advancing a culture of excellence and accelerating
our warfighting advantage in this critical decade.
Leveraging NAVPLAN 2021, the Navy built a framework for producing and sustaining our
Readiness, Capabilities, Capacity, and Sailors. This is the Navigation Plan Implementation
Framework (NIF) and its coordinated lines of effort.
Ultimately, we must deliver the most capable force possible to our Navy’s Numbered Fleets.
Together with the U.S. Marine Corps and Coast Guard, these Fleets deliver integrated alldomain naval power to the Joint Force in competition, crisis, and conflict. Our allies and partners
recognize U.S. naval forces as their on-scene partner for building combined maritime strength.
Navigation Plan 2022 plots a sustainable course for the Navy as we continue implementing theSecretary of the Navy’s Strategic Guidance and the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy to strengthen
America’s advantage at sea. This guidance supersedes last year’s NAVPLAN and will inform
annual guidance for the Navy’s Program Objective Memorandum and other annual budget
documents.

1

introduction
America has always been a maritime nation. The seas are the lifeblood of our economy, ournational security, and our way of life.
After World War II, America and its allies ushered in an era of great power peace and sharedprosperity around the globe, establishing an international rules-based order. As a result,global trade fueled economic growth and raised standards of living across the nation. The
benefits of this prosperity spread around the world: child mortality declined, life expectancy
lengthened, poverty plummeted, and literacy skyrocketed.
This progress and prosperity did not happen by accident. American sea power, combinedwith the dedication of our allies and partners, guaranteed freedom of navigation, maintained
peace, and fostered a rules-based order grounded in fairness for all.
America remains a global leader with global interests. Households and businesses throughout
the United States benefit from the steady flow of resources and goods across the oceans. Our
modern economy depends on access to the internet, which rides upon undersea fiber-optic
cables. As we look to the future, our economic and national security will continue to rely uponunrestricted seaborne trade, unimpeded access to markets, and a free and open rules-basedorder.

America has always been a maritime nation. The seas are thelifeblood of our economy, our national security, and our way of life.

2

Today, for the first time in a generation, we face strategic competitors with the demonstrated
intent to unravel the free and open order.
The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is building all-domain military capabilities to challenge
the United States. Its aggressive behavior is threatening U.S. interests, undermining alliancesand partnerships, and undercutting the rules-based system. Russia invaded Ukraine,
shattering the post-Cold War peace in Europe and creating new security challenges on that
continent and beyond. Meanwhile, the world is entering a new age of warfare, one in which
the integration of technology, concepts,
partners, and systems—more than fleet size
alone—will determine victory in conflict.
The U.S. Navy will build, maintain,

train, and equip a combat- credible,

Maintaining the world’s best Navy is an
Dominant naval force to keep the sea
investment in the security and prosperity
lanes open and free, deter conflict,of the United States, as well as the stability
and when called upon, decisively winof our world. Since our Nation’s founding,through peace, war, and every challenge in
our Nation’s wars.
between, the U.S. Navy has stood the watch toprotect America’s economic vitality, sustain
our influence, support our allies and partners, deter conflict, and when called upon, win in
combat.
This is a critical decade. As global challengers rise to threaten U.S. interests, America must
maintain maritime dominance.
The U.S. Navy will build, maintain, train, and equip a combat-credible, dominant naval force
to keep the sea lanes open and free, deter conflict, and when called upon, decisively win our
Nation’s wars.

Global maritime shipping lanes and key geographic choke points.

3

Security Environment
Today, our Navy operates in a battlespace that is quickly growing in lethality and complexity.
We face many challenges across the globe, but they largely stem from three significant
trends:•••

The erosion of credible military deterrence, particularly due to China’s rapidly
increasing military capabilities.
Increasingly aggressive Chinese and Russian behavior that undermines theinternational rules-based order.
The accelerating pace of technological change and the expanding impact of theinformation environment.

Over the past three decades, the PRC aggressively leveraged its economic power to growand modernize its military. China tripled the size of its Navy, expanded its strategic
nuclear capacity and capability, advanced its cyber and space capabilities, and constructeda system of sophisticated sensors and long-range precision weapons to intimidateneighbors, challenge free and open access to the seas, and hold U.S. naval forces at risk.
These investments in offensive warfighting systems—across all domains—are aimed at theheart of America’s maritime power. China designs its force for one purpose: to reshape thesecurity environment to its advantage by denying the United States military access to thewestern Pacific and beyond.
Under the cover of its growing military capabilities, China is conducting a variety ofincremental, malign activities, carefully calculated to take place in the gray zone—below thethreshold of triggering armed conflict. Using a multi-layered fleet of naval ships, maritime
militia and coast guard vessels, China is undermining international norms by staking
illegal maritime claims, militarizing geographic features in the South and East China Seas,and attempting to intimidate its neighbors out of their offshore resources. This aggressive
behavior threatens U.S. interests and destabilizes the rules-based system.
Beyond the Indo-Pacific, additional challenges
persist around the globe, demanding continued
U.S. maritime strength. Russia remains anacute threat, seeking to fracture NATO andreestablish its sphere of influence throughmilitary force, disinformation, and economic
pressure. Russia’s unprovoked invasion of
Ukraine ended the post-Cold War peace on
the European continent. Russia also further
risks the broader global peace with threats ofnuclear escalation, submarine deployments
close to American shores, and sophisticatedcyber-attacks. At the same time, Iran andNorth Korea are developing their nuclear andmissile programs, and violent extremism
remains a dangerous threat.

4

Decisive naval power is essential in thissecurity environment; America cannot
cede the competition for influence. This isa uniquely naval mission.
A combat-credible U.S. Navy—forwarddeployed and integrated with allelements of national power—remains
the Nation’s most potent, flexible,
and versatile instrument of military
influence. As the United States responds
to the security environment throughintegrated deterrence, our Navy must
deploy forward and campaign with aready, capable, combat-credible fleet.

Today’s security environment is also characterized
by the rapid pace of innovation. Strategiccompetitors and non-state actors are gaining
access to cutting-edge technologies that enable
them to threaten American interests and national
security. Artificial intelligence, ubiquitous sensors,
unmanned systems, and long-range precision
weapons are proliferating globally, making
contested spaces more transparent and morelethal, and transforming how navies will fight in
the future.

Artificial intelligence, ubiquitous
sensors, unmanned systems, andlong-range precision weapons areproliferating globally, making
contested spaces more transparent
and more lethal, and transforming
how navies will fight in the future.

As the world becomes more interconnected and dependent on the oceans’ resources,
trans-regional challenges will significantly impact the maritime domain. Climate change
threatens coastal nations with rising sea levels and more extreme weather. Melting sea
ice opens the Arctic to growing maritime activity and increasing competition. COVID-19
demonstrates how rapidly some threats can become global in scope, generating worldwide
political and economic instability. Competition over offshore resources, including protein,energy, and minerals, fuels international tensions. All these trends create vulnerabilities
for adversaries to exploit and volatility that can erupt quickly into crisis.
Decisive naval power is essential in this security environment. America cannot cede thecompetition for influence. This is a uniquely naval mission. A combat-credible U.S. Navy—
forward-deployed and integrated with all elements of national power—remains our Nation’s
most potent, flexible, and versatile instrument of military influence. As the United States
responds to the security environment through integrated deterrence, our Navy must deploy
forward and campaign with a ready, capable, combat-credible fleet.

Key maritime regions and geographic choke points under increased threat.

5

our response

Strengthen integrated deterrence. Integrated deterrence is a cornerstone of the 2022 NDS.
This concept leverages the Joint Force’s combined capabilities in all domains—in concert
with our allies, partners, and the entire U.S. Government—to make the costs of aggression
against our vital national interests prohibitive.
The ultimate backstop of integrated deterrence is a secure and reliable strategic nuclear
deterrent. Our Navy operates and maintains the most survivable leg of the Nation’s
nuclear triad, representing approximately 70% of America’s deployed nuclear arsenal. The
Navy will deliver Columbia -class submarines on time to replace the retiring Ohio -class,refresh supporting infrastructure, and continue
to modernize our nuclear command, control, and
The Navy operates and maintains thecommunications systems to ensure the United States
most survivable leg of the Nation’s
can deter nuclear coercion and nuclear employment
nuclear triad.
in any scenario.
Forward-deployed, combat-credible conventional
forces further strengthen integrated deterrence. Employing information warfare, special
operations, and a host of weapons launched from all domains, naval forces deploy
globally to deter aggression, support diplomacy, and protect American interests acrossthe spectrum of conflict. Operating far from U.S. shores, naval forces also provide the firstphysical line of U.S. Homeland Defense, preventing potential adversaries from using theoceans to threaten the American homeland. No other element of national power can fulfill
this role.
The naval service’s ability to control the seas and project power—from both land and sea—
has underpinned America’s national defense and economic vitality for generations. It iscentral to integrated deterrence in the future. Sea control provides freedom of maneuverto the Joint Force and our allies while denying it to our enemies in conflict. Our ability
to project power deters aggression by convincing rivals they have no viable means ofachieving their objectives through force.

Should conflict arise, the Navy/Marine Corps team is consistently positioned forward tofight alongside the Army, Air Force, Space Force, our allies, and our partners to deny enemy
objectives, destroy enemy forces, and compel war termination. Naval forces will leverage
warfighting concepts—including the Joint Warfighting Concept (JWC), Distributed
Maritime Operations (DMO), the concept for Stand-In Forces (SIF), Expeditionary Advanced
Basing Operations (EABO), and Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE)—
to persist forward, prevail in conflict, and end hostilities on favorable U.S. terms.
Campaign Forward. Naval forces provide the United States strategic advantages inposition, influence, and flexibility, independent of access to overseas land bases. Our
forward posture guarantees our Nation the ability to respond to crisis, blunt gray-zone
activities, and preserve a stable and secure global maritime order. The Navy’s global
maneuverability supports diplomacy, reassures our allies, and generates favorable
influence and access in key regions.
Our alliances and partnerships remain our
key strategic advantage. Every day, the Naval forces provide the United States
Navy operates forward alongside allies and strategic advantages in POSITION, influence,
partners through combined operations, and flexibility, independent of access totheater security cooperation, and capacity- overseas land bases.
building initiatives. These activities strengthen
our strategic partnerships , increasing
interoperability, information sharing, and capacity for resilient, integrated logistics.
Working together, we strengthen our ability to prevail in conflict and further bolster
integrated deterrence by demonstrating a united front against potential adversaries.
The Navy is also uniquely equipped to contest gray-zone incrementalism and maligninfluence by our adversaries. Many gray-zone activities occur in the global commons—particularly in the maritime domain and cyberspace. Gray-zone aggression thrives
on non-attribution. The best way to oppose these activities is to deny our adversaries
anonymity with persistent domain awareness, the effective leveraging of intelligence,and the agile application of sea power. Together with whole-of-government partners, theNavy denies the obscurity that our rivals exploit. Contesting, exposing, and attributing
malign behavior imposes reputational costs, diminishes the effectiveness of propaganda,
and galvanizes international resistance.
Build enduring warfighting advantages. To maintain our advantage at sea, America needsa larger and more capable Navy. Faced with peer competitors and emerging disruptive
technologies, the Navy needs to become more agile in developing and delivering our
future force. Above all, our naval forces must be combat credible —measured by our ability
to deliver lethal effects in contested and persistently surveilled battlespaces.

7

FORCE DESIGN IMPERATIVESIn close collaboration with the other Armed Services, the Navy has prioritized the future capabilities
we need to employ our warfighting concepts and maintain credible deterrence. As we build thefuture force, we can group these capabilities into six overarching Force Design Imperatives.
Expand Distance: Long-range precision fires across all domains and platforms with greater reachenable naval forces to strike hostile targets while increasing our own survivability.
Leverage Deception: Deceptive measures—including stealth, concealment and maneuver,emissions control, and electronic warfare—degrade enemy surveillance and increase adversary
uncertainty, enabling naval forces to operate effectively in contested battlespaces.
Harden Defense: Integrating directed energy with hard-kill and soft-kill defensive systems
disrupts attacks and keeps naval forces survivable when targeted by adversaries.
Increase Distribution: Distributing forces geographically and in all domains enables them tothreaten an adversary from multiple attack axes. Smaller, lethal, and less costly platforms—
including manned, unmanned, and optionally-manned—further complicate threat targeting,generate confusion, and impose dilemmas for our adversaries.
Ensure Delivery: Resilient logistics connecting the foundry to the fleet—enabled by securecommunications and information technology—refuel, rearm, resupply, repair, and revive
distributed naval forces down to the last tactical mile.
Generate Decision Advantage: Naval forces will out-sense, out-decide, and out-fight any adversary
by accelerating our decision cycles with secure, survivable, and cyber-resilient networks, accuratedata, and artificial intelligence. Connecting sensors, weapons, and decision-makers across all
domains enables naval forces to mass firepower and influence without massing forces.
Together, these six force design imperatives enable DMO, the Navy’s foundational operating
concept. Our priority investments are delivering on these imperatives. For example:•

Investments in hypersonic weapons, space-based capabilities, unmanned tanking, andlong-range precision fires deliver capabilities for effects at an expanded distance.

•

Investments in undersea platforms, weapons, and systems, next-generation aircraft
and surface platforms, cyber capabilities, counter-surveillance, and integrated weaponssystems deliver increased deception and defense.

•

Investments in smaller, lethal platforms, autonomous systems in all domains, artificial
intelligence, resilient logistics, and integrated combat systems and networks enable amore distributed fleet, the delivery to sustain it, and expand our decision advantage.

8

Our adversaries are investing heavily in emerging
technologies. In response, the Navy will adopt a more agile
approach to experimentation and force modernization,leveraging partnerships with industry and academia.
We will promote a culture that embraces new concepts
and prioritizes critical areas for investment, while
also preparing to rapidly adapt—fast follow—in others.
Working closely with allies and partners, we will expand
our partnerships across the entire technology ecosystem.
We will include Sailors early in the development process,listen to their ideas, and drive healthy feedback loops
with the industrial and innovation base.

FORce design
imperatives
1. Distance
2. Deception
3. Defense
4. Distribution
5. Delivery
6. Decision Advantage

Force Design 2045
Force design defines the surface, subsurface, and aviation platform types—paired with theright concepts, capabilities, information systems, and networks—to meet the Navy’s national
defense commitments in a rapidly evolving strategic environment. This complements the
Navy’s 30-year shipbuilding plan and Force Structure Assessments with a long-term strategic
vision that leverages organizational learning across the Navy, including war-gaming, analysis,
and research and development into emerging technologies. Strategic competition with China
is both a current and long-term challenge. Focusing our force design on 2045 will inform themost consequential decisions and investments the Navy needs to make in the critical decadeahead.
Past and ongoing threat-informed analysis, both inside and outside the Department of
Defense, underscores the need for a more capable, larger Navy. The Navy must set a sustainable
trajectory now to ensure we remain the combat-credible maritime force our Nation needsin the future. Retiring legacy platforms that cannot stay relevant in contested seas—andinvesting in the capabilities we need for the future—is essential for our national security.
The Navy’s force design reinforces the need to shift to a larger, more capable, more distributed
fleet to support NDS and JWC priorities:•

The Navy must defend the Homeland with an assured nuclear deterrent from beneaththe sea to deter nuclear and non-nuclear strategic attacks.

•

The Navy must be capable of controlling the seas to deter aggression against our allies
and partners, and project power ashore as an integral part of the Joint Force.

•

The Navy will incorporate our force design imperatives—distance, deception, defense,
distribution, delivery, and decision advantage—to effectively integrate with the Joint
Force, deliver effects across all domains, and defeat adversary forces in conflict.

To accomplish this, the Navy must become a hybrid fleet. Manned, multi-mission platforms
will remain at the core of our future fleet, but augmented with new platforms and newcapabilities. We will add to our current fleet a host of manned, unmanned and optionallymanned platforms operating under, on, and above the seas. This future fleet will deliver anassured strategic deterrent; greater numbers of undersea capabilities; a mix of large andsmall modern surface combatants; and a resilient logistics enterprise that can sustain our
distributed naval force.

9

FORCE DESIGN 2045 (Continued)
This hybrid fleet will support the Joint Force with responsive options in competition, crisis,and conflict against rapidly evolving peer competitors. In the 2040s and beyond, we envision
this hybrid fleet to require more than 350 manned ships, about 150 large unmanned surface
and subsurface platforms, and approximately 3,000 aircraft. As the security environment
evolves, we will continue to iteratively refine our capacity goals through force structureassessments, analysis, war-gaming, and experimentation to ensure the most capable, costeffective future force possible. We forecast the future fleet to consist of:•Columbia-class ballistic missile submarines to provide America with an assured
deterrent to any strategic attack on the Homeland. (Capacity goal: 12)•

Nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, which will remain the most survivable and versatile
airfields in the world, to provide long-range, persistent sea control, power projection,and organic sensing in contested seas, as well as flexible options across the spectrumof conflict. (Capacity goal: 12)•

Nuclear-powered fast-attack and large payload submarines to hold adversaries at risk
in both contested seas and open oceans. We will continue to build the Virginia-classat a sustainable rate while developing the SSN(X). (Capacity goal: 66)•

Large and small surface combatants to sustain free and open seas, including DDG(X)next-generation guided-missile destroyers and Constellation-class frigates, capableof defending the fleet, striking adversary forces in all domains, and expanding
interoperability with allies and partners. (Capacity goal: 96 Large and 56 Small)•Amphibious ships, including a core of amphibious assault ships to support Marine
Expeditionary Units, and light expeditionary ships to provsde maritime maneuverfor Marine Littoral Regiments. (Capacity goal: 31 amphibious assault and 18 Light
Amphibious Warships)•

Unmanned surface and subsurface platforms to increase the fleet’s capacity for
distribution; expand our intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance advantage;
add depth to our missile magazines; supplement logistics; and enhance fleet
survivability. This transition will rebalance the fleet away from exquisite, manpowerintensive platforms toward smaller, less-expensive, yet lethal ones. (Capacity goal:
Approximately 150)•

Combat logistics ships and auxiliary vessels to include replenishment ships,
submarine and unmanned platform tenders, repair ships, salvage ships, and hospital
ships. The combat logistics force, including the next-generation logistics ships, will be
sized to ensure the appropriate capacity to refuel, rearm, and resupply a maneuvering,
distributed fleet at sea. (Capacity goal: 82)•

Expeditionary logistics in sufficient capacity to provide in-theater sustainment
capabilities to a distributed expeditionary shore infrastructure, including forward
damage repair, mobile construction, cargo handling, and medical services.

•

Flexible, long-range, and lethal carrier-based aircraft, consisting of a mix of 5thGeneration manned aircraft and Next Generation Air Dominance Family of Systems.
(Capacity goal: Approximately 1,300)

10•

Aircraft for anti-submarine and anti-surface warfare, to include helicopters andmaritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, all augmented by unmanned aviation
systems. (Capacity goal: Approximately 900)•

Support aircraft, including intra-theater lift, training, and research and development.
(Capacity goal: Approximately 750)•

Information Warfare capabilities to counter adversary forces, complete kill chains,connect fleet platforms, and persistently cover the battlespace to ensure decision
advantage.

• We will augment the force with an evolving complement of thousands of small, rapidly
adaptable, and attritable unmanned platforms. These enablers will increase our sensing
resilience, persistence, and coverage, provide cross-domain kinetic and non-kinetic
effects, and enhance the survivability and sustainability of the future fleet.
We will build future platforms withmodernization in mind—hardware
We will build future platforms with
upgradeable and software updateable
modernization in mind—hardware
at the speed of innovation. We must
upgradeable and software updateablebuild adequate space, weight, andpower into our large long-life capitalat the speed of innovation.
investments to support evolving
sensors and weapons systems. Thisagility will keep our forces combat credible, resiliently networked, increasingly autonomous,and adaptable to evolving threats—making them more capable on their last day of service
than on their first. They will seamlessly operate with the Joint Force, support Marines incontested areas, and will be complemented by the Coast Guard to generate integrated alldomain naval power. They will also be interoperable with our allies and partners to address
threats to our collective security.
The Navy will better leverage the full potential of its academic, analytic, intelligence, research,development, and war-gaming enterprises to optimize our future Total Force. To ensure ourForce Design guidance is focused, iterative, and informs Navy budget decisions, the Deputy
Chief of Naval Operations for Warfighting Development (OPNAV N7) will be the supported
commander for developing and maintaining the Navy’s Force Design vision.

11

navigation plan Priorities
The Navy’s unique roles and responsibilities
require a larger, more ready, more capable,
and more lethal fleet. To deliver that fleet
today, tomorrow, and in the future, wewill continue to focus on four priorities:
Readiness, Capabilities, Capacity, and our
Sailors.
•

Prioritize readiness to keep combatcredible forces forward to deter conflictand protect the free and open system
underpinning American security andprosperity.

•

Modernize capabilities to credibly deter
war and, if necessary, win in conflict.
Platforms that are ineffective or overly
vulnerable in contested environments are
decreasingly relevant to the future fight.

•

Generate cost-effective capacity toachieve warfighting advantage withacceptable risk, bolstered by unmanned
technologies, operational concepts,
and the strategic depth of our reserve
component.

•

Invest in trained, resilient, and educatedSailors that can out-think, out-decide, and out-fight any potential adversary.

Our central challenge is balancing our
We must deliver a Navy designed to deter
investments in the future fleet while
sustaining a forward posture thatconflict and help win our nation’s wars as
keeps America safe and prosperous.
we maintain a global posture to assure our
Manpower, operations, and maintenanceprosperity. Our national security depends on it.
costs continue to grow above the rateof inflation. Meanwhile, we face thesimultaneous task of recapitalizing
our strategic nuclear deterrent, our century-old dry dock and ship repair facilities, and ourstrategic sealift capacity. To simultaneously modernize and grow the capacity of our fleet,the Navy will require 3-5% sustained budget growth above actual inflation. Short of that,
we will prioritize modernization over preserving force structure. This will decrease the sizeof the fleet until we can deploy smaller, more cost-effective, and more autonomous force
packages at scale.
The Nation cannot afford to cede influence to China or Russia. Nor can it afford to lose combat
credibility. We must deliver a Navy designed to deter conflict and help win our Nation’s wars
as we maintain a global posture to assure our prosperity. Our national security depends on it.

12Achieving Navigation Plan Priorities
Get real, get better
Building enduring advantages in a complex, rapidly changing threat environment demands a
warfighting culture focused on continuous improvement. Our Navy team is the most capable in
the world. However, over years of study, we have identified pockets of unacceptable variability
in our performance; the gap between our best and worst performers is too great. To address
this, we must standardize and incentivize Navy-proven best practice leadership behaviors andproblem-solving throughout the force to reduce this variability and unleash our full potential.
This is a foundational movement based upon an environment of inclusion, transparency, andhonest assessment. In simple terms, this is our Get Real, Get Better call to action.
Get Real requires Navy leaders to ruthlessly self-assess; be honest, humble, and transparent
about their capabilities and limitations; challenge their beliefs using data, facts, and diverse
input; and “embrace the red”—acknowledge shortcomings—by being curious and taking pridein finding and fixing problems.
Get Better requires Navy leaders to deliberately self-correct; find and fix small problems before
they become larger, systemic issues; fix the root causes, not just symptoms; apply criticalproblem-solving tools and best practices to shift from more activity to better outcomes; set
clear accountability; work collaboratively; and quickly identify and remove barriers to progress,
elevating problems to higher leadership, if necessary.
A learning mindset is essential. Get Real, Get Better requires Navy leaders to share what theylearn to help make others more successful; to be courageous and aim high even if it means
initially falling short; to build trust among their teams; to recognize and reward those who adopt
Get Real, Get Better principles; and to experiment frequently to find better solutions, adjustingplans based on learning.
The Charge of Command reflects this new set of expectations for our commanding officers to
be more self-assessing and self-correcting. It is a clear statement of what the Navy values in
our leaders and what we expect our teams to embody to win the future fight.
Get Real, Get Better leadership behaviors, tools, and systems are the key to empowering ourpeople and accelerating our warfighting advantage. We will adjust our leadership educationand training to incorporate these principles as fundamental to how we develop our Sailors andbuild our teams. We will also reform our talent management systems to incentivize Get Real,Get Better behaviors, rewarding leaders for the outcomes they achieve and the culture theycreate.

Building enduring advantages in a complex, rapidly changing
threat environment demands a warfighting culture
focused on continuous improvement.
13

Achieving Navigation Plan Priorities
NAVigation PLAN Implementation Framework
The U.S. Navy has built a framework for strengthening our Readiness, Capabilities, Capacity, andSailors to deliver the most capable force possible to our Numbered Fleets. This is the Navigation Plan
Implementation Framework (NIF), which enables the Navy to employ powerful problem solving
methods across 18 coordinated objectives. Each objective is assigned a supported commander,
accountable for collaborating with supporting commanders, to accelerate progress and deliver theoutcomes the Navy needs for the future.
Over the past year, the NIF’s collaborative, holistic approach broke through traditional stovepipes
and turned priorities into tangible action. The NIF provides structure, focus, and alignment acrossthe Navy to inform our budget, institutionalize our goals, and sustain our efforts.
In support of our Force Design Imperatives, we have prioritized four Capability objectives foralignment, integration, and acceleration: Long-range Fires (how we shoot), Counter-C5ISRT (howwe maneuver), Terminal Defense (how we defend), and Contested Logistics (how we resupply).
These NIF Capability efforts are critical to delivering a fleet that can win decisively against a nearpeer adversary. Supporting these NIF objectives are four enabling objectives: Live, Virtual andConstructive Training; Naval Operational Architecture; Artificial Intelligence, and Unmanned
Systems. This ‘4+4’ central effort allows supported commanders of the NIF to work cross-functionallyto deliver optimal warfighting advantage in the near term.
The following sections discuss our progress in advancing all 18 NIF objectives, what we havelearned, and where these continued efforts are going next.

Navigation Plan priorities and objectives
readiness

capabilities

Capacity

sailors

Terminal
DefenseAffordable
Force Structure

Ready
Relevant
Learning

MaintenanceEnd-to-End
Supply Chain

Naval
Operational
Architecture

Manpower
CriticalReadiness
Infrastructure16
14

Requirements
Analysis

Inclusive andDiverse ForceCounter-C5ISRT
Unmanned
Systems

Live Virtual
Constructive
Training

Long-Range
Fires
Contested
Logistics

Education

Artificial
Intelligence

Total Sailor
Fitness

15

readiness
Readiness remains the Navy’s top priority. Today’s security environment demands ships,
aircraft, submarines, expeditionary forces, special operations forces, and Sailors that are
ready to fight and win. Readiness is generated across the Navy, from our shipyards andaviation depots, to our global network of bases and stations, to the steaming and flying hours
our Sailors need to hone their skills. We measure the expected service lives of our platforms
in decades, not years; supporting our Sailors with fully
Readiness remains the manned, maintained, and sustained platforms throughout
their expected service lives is critical for credible deterrence.
Navy’s top priority.
We will not field a hollow fleet that cannot provide for the
Nation’s defense.

our progress•

Maintained over the threshold Mission Capable Rate for mostType-Model-Series Aircraft, including the F/A-18E/F, E/A-18G,
E-2D, P-8A, MH-60R, and MH-60S.

•

Reduced maintenance delay days on regular CNO availabilities inour private shipyards by 58% since 2019.

•

Continued work to reduce overall gaps at sea while adding
additional manpower to reach full validated work requirements.

•

Improved repair turnaround time and parts reliability in the
supply chain, realizing millions of dollars in savings to reinvestand deliver critical parts to the fleet faster.

What We Have Learned•

Performance-to-Plan (P2P) remains the key driver to Get Real on our baseline readinessperformance, identify the most consequential levers that move the needle on outcomes,
and communicate performance barriers to accountable supported commanders.

•

The Naval Sustainment System (NSS), our Get Better engine, brings world-class solutions
and best practices to improve readiness outcomes.

•

Improving on-time completion in our public shipyards remains a challenge. While wehave improved our ability to predict repair time for our submarines and aircraft carriers,
further progress requires implementing the right shipyard production controls to makethe artisan the center of all shipyard efforts.

•

We are taking a holistic, analytical approach to our critical shore infrastructure, making
necessary once-in-a-century investments to overhaul our Nation’s shipyards throughthe Shipyard Infrastructure Optimization Plan (SIOP), ensuring our footprint ashore can
support fleet operations.

16

Where we are going•

Ship/Submarine/Aviation Maintenance: Continue todrive maintenance delays down to zero. Work withnaval shipyards and industry partners to improve
performance. Accelerate gains made in aviation
readiness to reinvest in other areas of the Naval Aviation
Enterprise.

		•Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Integration of 		
Capabilities and Resources (OPNAV N8)

Manpower: Continue to close manning gaps at sea
through more robust recruitment, retention, andcontinuum of service opportunities. Focus on flexible,
streamlined, and responsive community and career
management with reduced friction points. Evaluate
expanding personnel readiness metrics to include theexperience and proficiency of Sailors to determine
whether units are getting the right fit of personnel.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Manpower, Personnel,
Training, and Education/Chief of Naval Personnel (OPNAV N1)•

End-to-End Supply Chain: Through better use of data,
improve the resilience and responsiveness of theNavy Supply System by improving parts reliability,
allowancing, time in transit, and wholesale procurement.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Fleet Readiness andLogistics (OPNAV N4)•

Critical Readiness Infrastructure: Enable critical fleet
operations by more accurately understanding the costs
and impact of infrastructure requirements through data
analytics.

		•

Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Fleet Readiness andLogistics (OPNAV N4)

Requirements Analysis: Through the Analytic Master
Plan, develop an aligned, cohesive, and data-enabledvision of future warfighting and readiness requirements
to improve our combat readiness with rigorous research
and analysis.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Warfighting 		Development (OPNAV N7)

17

Capabilities
We will modernize the fleet for the full spectrum of conflictby delivering capabilities that can achieve lethal andpersistent effects inside adversary weapon engagementzones, generate advantages to create off-ramps in crisis,and decisively win should crisis escalate into conflict.
Developing and strengthening interoperability with allies
and partners will be fundamental to our success.

our progress•Completed first F-35C and CMV-22B Carrier Strike Group
deployment.

•

Achieved key milestones in delivering Naval Operational
Architecture (NOA) Increment 1, connecting platforms,
weapons, and sensors in support of DMO.

•

Accomplished Conventional Prompt Strike (CPS) testing
and tech development, including milestones in rocket
motor testing.

•

Aligned NIF objectives to inform budget decision-making.

•Intercepted and destroyed a threat-representative
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) during a flighttest demonstration of a weapon co-developed with allies.

What We Have Learned•

Modern naval warfare requires integrated systems to manage
the information necessary to generate decision advantage, closecomplex kill chains, and logistically sustain a distributed, forwarddeployed force. We must design every platform, weapon system,and support facility with this in mind.

•

To build the dynamic kill chains required for DMO, we must
modernize and integrate current capabilities for Long Range Fires,aligning our analysis, prototyping, experimentation, requirements
documentation, and capability development.

•

Terminal Defense is maturing from a constellation of kinetic, Directed
Energy (DE) and Electronic Warfare (EW) weaponry to a Hard-Kill,
Soft-Kill, and DE system-of-systems that is fully integrated with ourplatforms and the future Integrated Combat System.

•

Through the NIF, in conjunction with fleet priorities, we are bringing
clarity and cohesiveness to our warfighting requirements within
the budget process and in operational planning.

18

Where we are going•

Terminal Defense: Pursue a fully-integrated combat
capability that employs lethal and sustainable effects to
defend naval forces against complex raid scenarios.
Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Warfighting 		Requirements and Capabilities (OPNAV N9)•

We will modernize
capabilities to credibly
deter war and, if
necessary, win in conflict

Naval Operational Architecture: Remain on schedule tooperationally test the NOA Increment 1 in 2023 within a
Carrier Strike Group, working closely with international
partners and Joint Force companion efforts to build
cyber-secure information technology.

		Supported Commander: Commander, Naval 				Information Systems Warfare Command (NAVWAR)•

Contested Logistics: Recapitalize our logistics fleet
through used sealift buys in 2022, achieving T-AO
205 Initial Operational Capability by 2023, delivering
Next-Generation Logistics Ship by 2030, andrecapitalizing C-130s by 2030. Continue war-gamingand experimentation to inform how a survivable Navylogistics construct supports the sustainment of military
operations in a contested environment.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Fleet 			Readiness and Logistics (OPNAV N4)•Counter-C5ISRT: Continue to develop capabilities that
support naval units operating inside adversary weapons
engagement zones, focusing on full-spectrum sensing
and signature management.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Information 		
Warfare/Director of Naval Intelligence (OPNAV N2/N6)

		• Long Range Fires: Develop and integrate joint, alldomain capabilities to project power at increasing ranges
through contested maritime environments. Pursue a
mix of weapons with required enablers, including CPS
development and all-up-round testing.
		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Warfighting 		Requirements and Capabilities (OPNAV N9)•

Artificial Intelligence (AI): Leverage AI to support otherelements of the Capability NIF, including both warfighting
and corporate applications. By 2023, launch a framework
to identify gaps and accelerate delivery of AI-enabledcapabilities to the Fleet and Navy enterprises.

		Supported Commander: Chief of Naval Research (CNR)

19

Capacity
The Navy will build a combat-credible, hybrid fleet to ensure our Nation’s success acrossthe continuum of day-to-day competition, crisis, and conflict. The future fleet will becapable of distributing and delivering larger volumes of kinetic and non-kinetic effects
across all domains to meet the strategic and operational demands of the Joint Force. We
must deliver the Columbia -class program
The Navy will build a combat-credible,
on time; expand our undersea advantage;
hybrid fleet to ensure our nation’s
develop a resilient logistics enterprise; andsuccess across the continuum of day-to- field a host of manned, unmanned, andday competition, crisis, and conflict.
optionally-manned platforms—under, on,
and above the sea.

our progress•

Released the Unmanned Campaign Plan (UCP) Framework.

•

Established the Unmanned Task Force (UTF), a cross-functional team focusing on
rapid experimentation and solving operational problems.

•Established Task Force 59 (CTF-59) to accelerate unmanned and AI solutions,demonstrating the importance of partnering warfighters with industry in operational
experimentation with available technologies.

•

Following Integrated Unmanned Battle Problem 21, conducted a series of analyticalsprints to identify opportunities and better inform recommendations on what toaccelerate or reprioritize.

•

Completed over 4,000 hours and 46,000 nautical miles of USV operations.

•

Completed MQ-25A in-flight refueling of Navy carrier-based aircraft and completed
the first aircraft carrier demonstration of the platform.

•

Continued work with allies and partners in events such as NATO Maritime Unmanned
Systems Initiative Exercises and International Maritime Exercise 2022.

What We Have Learned•

The traditional, platform-centric approach to developing new capabilities is, by itself,
insufficient to support the force design we need in this critical decade.

•Taking a “limiting factor” approach to technology maturity will help us make optimal
investment decisions about the types of unmanned investments we should make.

•Speed is a factor, driven by transparency and knowledge sharing.

20

Where we are going•

Unmanned Systems: Accelerate innovation
effortsbyaligningtheacquisition,requirements,
financialmanagement,
and operational communities supporting
unmanned technology. Strengthen a culture ofaccountability and measurable progress. Focus
on adopting enabling technologies that bothprovide near-term capability and help lay thefoundation for the future hybrid fleet.

The future fleet will be capable of
distributing and delivering larger
volumes of kinetic and non-kinetic
effects across all domains To
meet the strategic and operational
demands of the Joint Force.

Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities (OPNAV N9)•

Affordable Force Structure: Improve budget, requirements, and acquisition processes
with a cost estimating dashboard to better project risk in cost, schedule, andperformance.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Integration of Capabilities and Resources (OPNAV N8)

21

Sailors
The Navy’s enduring asymmetricadvantage is our workforce—both
uniformed and civilian—across ouractive and reserve components. We
owe it to our people to create an
ecosystem that recruits and retains
diverseandtechnicallyskilledpersonnel, educates them to out-think
our adversaries, trains them to workwith new technologies, and provides
them with the resources to prevail incompetition, crisis, and conflict.

our progress•

Leveraged Large Scale Exercise-21 and other fleet exercises to connect eight
Maritime Operations Centers, three Marine Force Operations Centers, eight Carrier
and Expeditionary Strike Groups, and 30 ships into a single Live Virtual Constructive(LVC) training environment.

•

Updated 11 enlisted ratings from legacy instructional methods—and are updating
another 26—to incorporate immersive and interactive technology, improving learner
experience and skill attainment.

•

Completed a top-down review of the education needs of the future force, establishing
key warfighting competencies that will guide future education development.

•

Launched 48 Task Force One Navy initiatives,
which remain on track for full implementation,with further Navy Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
efforts underway.

The Navy’s enduring asymmetricadvantage is our workforce—both
uniformed and civilian—across ouractive and reserve components.

What We Have Learned•

Progress toward a more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and stronger Navy is difficult
and requires sustained commitment. Given how diverse each community is
within the Navy, tailored approaches are more successful than one-size-fits-all,prescriptive measures. We are developing a Navy methodology to measure diversityof representation and equity of opportunity to make progress toward essential
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion goals across the Total Force.

•

We holistically evaluated Navy efforts focused on building a stronger, tougher, andmore resilient Navy. We found that we risk creating gaps in supporting the physical,
psychological, spiritual, and social needs of our force without an integrated framework
focusing on optimizing the performance of our Sailors. We will better align thisconstellation of programs so that Sailors, with the support of their commands, canreach their optimal potential.

22•

The Navy Leader Development Framework remains the linchpin for assessing thesegoals in order to develop leaders who demonstrate operational excellence, strong
character, diverse perspectives, and resilience through our different communities at
every level of seniority. Through this structure, community leads will share ideas andadvocate for talent management reforms that unleash the power of our people.

•

The Ready, Relevant Learning (RRL) initiative continues to modernize Navy training
and accelerate new delivery methods, supplementing our traditional brick-and-mortar
schoolhouses with modern, multi-media, multi-platform solutions. In addition, RRL
will develop Career-Long Learning Continuums for Navy ratings to map out technical,
professional, and leadership training requirements for apprentice, journeyman, andmaster level milestones in a Sailor’s career.

•

LVC training continues to be a game-changer in training our combat leaders in the
Fleet. From the Fleet Commander, to the pilot in the cockpit, to the First Class Petty
Officer on the radar scope, LVC allows us to train together in one environment at
unprecedented levels of integration and complexity.

Where we are going•

Inclusive and Diverse Force: Through the Navy Leader Development Framework,
continue to measure the results of initiatives to ensure the Navy is becoming amore diverse, inclusive, and equitable force, making stronger teams and stronger
warfighters.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Manpower, Personnel, Training, and Education/Chief ofNaval Personnel (OPNAV N1)•

Live Virtual Constructive Training: Through unit, strike group, joint, and large-scale
exercises, continue to invest in and test LVC to ensure it meets fleet training needs.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Warfighting Requirements and Capabilities (OPNAV N9)•

Ready, Relevant Learning: Convert four additional Sailor ratings to modernized
delivery models in 2022, begin the process for an additional six ratings, and complete
development for 14 Career-Long Learning Continuums.

		Supported Commander: U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF)•

Education: By the end of the decade, align talent management, professional militaryeducation, and Navy research to advance warfighting competencies.

		Supported Commander: Deputy CNO for Warfighting Development (OPNAV N7)•

Total Sailor Fitness: Implement a holistic and prevention-based Total Sailor Fitness
framework to maximize Sailor performance and set the conditions for optimal
unit performance while driving progress in Sailor trust, toughness, mental health,connectedness, and positive behavior.

		Supported Commander: U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFF)

23

Conclusion
Sea power forged our nation. For
generations, a strong Navy has ensured
American influence across the world,
expanded economic opportunities for
the American people, and guaranteed therules-based order underpinning global
security and prosperity. Today, thissecurity and prosperity is under threat.
The U.S. Navy embraces our position on
the world stage as a partner of choice,a partner to be emulated and trusted,
and a partner fully capable of credibly
deterring our adversaries. We mustmove decisively to modernize U.S. naval
power, while maintaining readinessand sustaining a forward posture thatkeeps America and our allies safe andprosperous.
Capable ships, submarines, and aircraft
are no doubt expensive instrumentsof national power, as are the costs ofmaintaining them. But history showsthat without a ready, powerful Navy, theprice tag is much higher. By deliveringa modern, capable, integrated, andincreasingly hybrid fleet—on, above,and below the seas—we will prevail
across the continuum of day-to-day
competition, crisis, and conflict. The
investments we make now will shape
the maritime balance of power for the
rest of this century.
This is an important voyage. The Navyis committed to accelerating America’s
advantage at sea. Every one of us has animportant role to play and our successdepends on executing this Navigation
Plan as a team. Together, we must deliver
the naval power America needs.

24

M.M. Gilday
Admiral, U.S. Navy
Chief of Naval Operations

27

Chief of naval operations

navigation plan
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