Naval

aviatioN

ENtErprisE

2014 - 2019

Strategic Plan
“If we are smart about 

how we manage and lead 

during this difficult time...

“If we are smart about how we manage and lead during this difficult 

time we will continue to be the most formidable military force on the 

planet.”

The Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy 
Table of Contents

E N T E R P R I S E

N AVA L AV I AT I O

N

N AE

Leadership Intent ______________________________ 1

NAE Mission __________________________________ 2

Enterprise Principles __________________________ 3

NAE Strategic Plan Alignment to Leadership __ 6

Strategic Objectives _________________________ 7

Strategic Objectives and Initiatives – SO1 ____ 8

Strategic Objectives and Initiatives – SO2 ___ 11

Strategic Objectives and Initiatives – SO3 ___ 13

Leadership Commitment ______________ 15
Leadership Intent 

Our Navy and Marine Corps team is an essential 

element of our national security strategy. It must 

be able to operate forward, safeguard our citizens, 

support our allies and deter and defeat our 

enemies. Naval Aviation is a critical component of 

that force, essential to achieving those objectives. 

However, its ability to meet that role rests on its 

sustained capability, capacity and wholeness. 

These are the underpinnings of an integrated and 

interoperable Naval Aviation second to none. 

As the nation strategically rebalances, we project 

the demand for Naval Aviation will increase. This will happen as the 

resources available to support this demand will decrease, challenging 

Naval Aviation to maintain its wholeness. To overcome this mismatch, we 

must reduce Operations and Support (O&S) cost, while ensuring forces 

suffer no loss in readiness. Doing so will require innovation, resourcefulness, 

prioritization, smart decisions and teamwork across all of Naval Aviation. 

The Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) will play an integral role in Naval 

Aviation achieving these objectives in this challenging environment. It’s 

time to take the NAE back to its roots. We will confront these challenges 

head-on. The initiatives outlined in this plan will drive actions ranging from 

aggressive cost analysis to extensive and increased simulator usage. The 

end result is cost-effective combat readiness consistent with service specific 

requirements. Unique to the Navy, applying the Readiness Kill Chain (RKC) 

methodology will ensure wholeness across readiness pillars.

Back in 2004, our NAE predecessors foresaw the resource-constrained 

environment we are experiencing today. This fiscal eventuality served as 

the motivation for creating the NAE. Over the ten years since inception, 

the Enterprise has delivered results, efficiencies and unprecedented 

transparency of information. We must leverage the collective power 

of the NAE membership even more over the next ten years to ensure 

Naval Aviation capability, capacity and wholeness. We will adhere to the 

principles that have served us well, redouble our efforts to break down 

internal and external barriers that limit effectiveness and maintain a clear 

focus on what matters most in producing and sustaining Naval Aviation 

readiness.

This strategic plan is our framework for action, to ensure we achieve and 

sustain the right balance of readiness and cost. Our fiscal and security 

environment make this more important today than ever before. It is 

incumbent upon all of us on the Naval Aviation team to commit to this 

game plan. We will work collaboratively, be innovative, prioritize our 

resources and make the hard choices to ensure Naval Aviation is ready 

now and tomorrow. Let’s get to it!

Vice Adm. David Dunaway

Commander

Naval Air Systems Command

Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, Jr.

Deputy Commandant for Aviation

U.S. Marine Corps

Vice Adm. David Buss

Commander

Naval Air Forces
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NAE Mission

Mission: Advance and sustain Naval Aviation warfighting capabilities at an 

affordable cost...today and in the future.

The mission of the Naval Aviation Enterprise is unchanged. Naval Aviation is a warfighting 

force. It brings to bear the right capabilities, capacity and wholeness for fighting and 

winning. Advancing and sustaining these core functions at an affordable cost is smart, 

prudent and responsible.

Naval Aviation with an enterprise approach ensures a team effort dedicated to working 

together and committed to open information sharing and process improvement across 

Naval Aviation stakeholder organizations. This way of doing business must be ingrained 

throughout Naval Aviation. It significantly and measurably improves our ability to deliver 

warfighting readiness more efficiently. It leads to a better understanding of our operational 

costs and readiness degraders from the deckplate to the Flag and General Officer level. It 

facilitates better informed resource decisions for the overall good of Naval Aviation.

The demand for Naval Aviation forces will increase. Our resources will decrease. The security 

environment will continue to pose a threat to our national interests. Within the Naval Aviation 

Enterprise, it is our mission to intelligently balance demand and resources to meet that threat.
Enterprise Principles

Naval Aviation with an enterprise approach is a team sport and is predicated on a clear set of 

values essential to ensuring Naval Aviation remains effective and efficient. The team includes 

Sailors, Marines, civilians and contract employees – more than 190,000 strong – working together 

and deliberately placing the well-being of Naval Aviation ahead of individual community or 

self-interests. Every leader within Naval Aviation is committed to these principles which serve as a 

guide to our everyday decisions: 

Consistently focus on improved readiness and increased efficiencies. Attacking readiness 

degraders, removing barriers and maintaining a financial management view is imperative to 

balancing risk and meeting operational requirements.

Systemically apply cross-functional process thinking. Creating and sustaining readiness requires 

dedicated and coordinated efforts from multiple organizations. That coordination rests on every 

member of each organization adhering to established processes which will in turn lead to process 

improvements and superior outcomes.

Establish and maintain process discipline. The processes of developing readiness must be 

optimally defined at the appropriate user level and then consciously followed. This commitment 

will reinforce alignment and minimize variation in pursuit of goal accomplishment.

Use consistent, integrated and hierarchical metrics that allow fact-based analysis to facilitate 

superior performance. Consistent data and integration ensures that everyone in the Enterprise 

operates with the same information across all facets of the NAE, so that decisions made can lead 

to the best outcomes for Naval Aviation. Hierarchical metrics are developed at multiple levels in 

the organization and are available in the level of detail relevant to the user.

Ensure full and consistent transparency of data, information and activities. Transparency enables 

collaboration and helps prevent organizational stovepipes, enabling leaders at all levels to 

optimize decision making for Naval Aviation. Collaborative solutions lead to superior outcomes 

over independent actions. There must be a willingness to openly challenge past practices and 

assumptions. 

Establish and maintain accountability for actions and results. Accountability drives ownership for 

actions accepted and fosters personal and organizational commitment to achieving targeted 

results.

Understand the Single Fleet Driven Metric. It is important to tie our efforts to a single, overarching 

metric in order to measure success. The single fleet driven metric is: Naval Aviation forces 

efficiently delivered for tasking. 

Commit to active participation in scheduled events and tasks as a priority. Personal leadership 

commitment engenders organizational buy-in and alignment.

These principles outline the basis for participation and how members will work together to assist 

Naval Aviation in achieving and sustaining warfighting capability at an affordable cost. The 

foundation that underpins these principles and makes them successful is universal commitment to 

the greater good of Naval Aviation.
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“Combat-ready Naval Aviation forces are 

critical to our national security strategy. 

Today’s budget environment compels us to 

deliver those forces with the utmost efficiency, 

and makes our enterprise approach to costwise readiness more important than ever. 

As leaders, we will work as an enterprise--

across service branches and commands--to 

maximize combat capability for every dollar 

we spend.”

Vice Adm. David Buss,

Commander, Naval Air Forces

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Alignment of NAE Strategic Plan to CNO/CMC Strategic Priorities

Naval Aviation is a vital element of the Naval force that will protect our nation’s security interests. 

It operates in synchronization with every other warfighting community. The fiscal upheaval 

happening today and into the foreseeable future reinforces the need for alignment and common 

effort within Naval Aviation. This strategic plan is fully aligned with Chief of Naval Operations 

(CNO) and Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC) priorities, as set forth in their strategic 

guidance. It will ensure a consistent and sustained focus on maintaining readiness through the 

integrated application of enterprise principles across all of Naval Aviation. 
Strategic Objectives and Initiatives

The NAE Strategic Plan is a proven template for supporting Naval Aviation’s near-term and 

long-range priorities. The strategic planning process is flexible, and allows leadership to 

respond and make adjustments in priorities and effort as the environment changes. The 

strategic objectives and initiatives were developed to direct finite energy and resources 

toward those areas that most strengthen Naval Aviation.

The strategic objectives and initiatives have been reduced and streamlined to better 

reflect the essential and core functions of the Enterprise. This simplification is both a return 

to the roots of the Enterprise and an appropriate response to the strategic and fiscal 

landscape. As VADM David Buss, Commander, Naval Air Forces (CNAF) stated in an 

email to Naval Aviation leaders, “Simply attempting to reduce platform cost-per-flighthour alone will be insufficient to bridge expected budgetary shortfalls.” This strategic plan 

outlines objectives and initiatives that address cost-per-flight-hour reduction but also go 

well beyond that single outcome. There are three strategic objectives the NAE seeks to 

achieve:

• Cost-Wise Current Readiness

• Cost-Wise Future Readiness

• Collaborative Environment

“The Naval Aviation Enterprise empowers us to fully leverage our resources 

to support the warfighter by modernizing and increasing the reliability of our 

weapons platforms. Through the NAE we will ensure Naval Aviation is postured 

to meet current and future mission requirements effectively and efficiently.”

Lt. Gen. Robert Schmidle, Deputy Commandant for Aviation, U.S. Marine Corps
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Strategic Objective 1 - Cost-Wise Current Readiness

Deliver combat-ready forces to meet current operational requirements at the optimal 

Operations and Support (O&S) cost

Naval Aviation supports Combatant Commanders by providing combat-ready aviation forces 

that are properly manned, fully trained, well maintained, interoperable and sustainable. It is 

imperative that Naval Aviation focus on achieving this goal in a cost-wise manner. Operating 

in an austere budget environment requires Naval Aviation to examine readiness and capability 

demand signals from the fleet to clearly define requirements, find methods to enrich and shape 

the workforce and identify and understand total ownership costs (TOC) to positively affect 

budgeting and programming decisions. 

To achieve this, the NAE applies enterprise principles to engage readiness stakeholders to 

efficiently deliver combat-ready forces - Navy Units Ready for Tasking and Marine Corps Core 

Competent Units. This engagement spans all readiness resource areas including People, 

Equipment, Supply, Training and Ordnance (PESTO) and all aspects of O&S costs. The challenge 

is producing the required level of readiness in a cost-wise manner. 

The NAE will address this challenge through several key initiatives. It will help stakeholders define/

understand the relationships and interaction between Readiness, Resources, Provider Processes 

and Costs. Once this complex relationship is understood, the NAE will support stakeholders by 

developing, maintaining and advancing cross-functional analytic tools and processes to resolve 

gaps between desired and actual performance. The NAE will help stakeholders use these 

processes, tools and strategies to focus on advancing and sustaining warfighting capabilities. 

These efforts will be focused on the ability to man, train and equip Type/Model/Series (TMS) 

aircraft, aircraft carriers and weapons communities. Additionally, NAE efforts will positively 

impact the maintenance and supply chain by developing innovative logistics strategies to meet 

equipment and supply readiness requirements with a focus on doing so at an affordable cost. 

1.1 Define, understand and codify the relationship between Readiness, PESTO 

Resource Requirements, and O&S costs

The NAE must understand how readiness is produced in order to deliver required readiness at an 

affordable cost. This process will begin with defining required readiness. Once this is determined, 

the NAE will establish the contribution of resource inputs, PESTO, necessary to meet this level of 

readiness. Finally, provider processes required to produce these resources and their associated 

O&S costs will be identified and documented. This understanding will support the ability to 

ensure required resources are provided to enable Navy and Marine Corps aviation commands 

to meet and sustain readiness requirements at an affordable cost.
1.2 Implement a cost and performance management framework from which to 

manage O&S costs 

When completed, this cost and performance management framework will provide the 

NAE with a fully burdened cost element structure which includes all aspects of Naval 

Aviation operations and support cost. The framework will document current financial 

processes (stakeholders, roles & responsibilities, functions & tasks and stakeholder 

interaction) within the NAE and will propose changes to the process to improve 

efficiency and visibility. Program financial risks will be incorporated into the framework 

and will provide insight into funding recommendations across NAE equities and for 

program seams issues ensuring holistically prioritized funding. The process mapping will 

identify inputs, outputs and mechanisms that transform the input to meaningful outputs. 

Transparency in cost and investment decision-making is imperative for all NAE accounts; 

this initiative will develop a process map for the NAE budget and execution process to 

deliver value to the NAE throughout the budget process while continuing to emphasize a 

cost-wise approach and sensitivity from the highest levels down to the flight line.

1.3 Optimize the O&S cost of generating training readiness

The NAE will assess budgetary pressures and develop analytical modeling tools to assist 

in identifying and validating various strategies to improve Flying Hour Program efficiency. 

The NAE will develop a family of decision-quality tools/models/business simulations to 

address a wide range of “what-if” scenarios generated by NAE leaders to more efficiently 

manage aircrew safety, proficiency and readiness in a declining budget environment.

SIs 1.4, 1.5 & 1.6

The need to identify and resolve readiness barriers, while working to reduce O&S costs 

applies across the breadth of Naval Aviation. Developing and advancing improved 

processes for both is critical to delivering warfighting capability affordably. Improving 

analytical effectiveness is a cornerstone of removing barriers to performance for all NAE 

teams. The following three initiatives are intended to achieve these results, but will be 

executed differently within each respective team.

1.4 Identify barriers to readiness and O&S cost reduction within Type/Model/Series 

Teams and execute initiatives to resolve or escalate barriers to Naval Aviation 

leadership

TMS Teams will leverage the Current Readiness reporting process to identify barriers 

and work collaboratively with providers and staffs to resolve them. Improving data 

flow, while providing TMS Teams with analytical tools and the training to use them, is 

critical to effectively identifying and eliminating barriers at the lowest possible level.

When barriers cannot be resolved at lower levels, teams will work with appropriate 

organizations to escalate them to higher headquarters for resolution. Executing these 

processes effectively is critical to improving the ability to produce the prescribed levels of 

warfighting readiness at an affordable cost.

“In this fiscally constrained environment, the Naval Aviation Enterprise remains 

committed to training and deploying operationally ready, forward deployed 

forces while continuing to develop the future of Naval Aviation. To do so, we 

must be as efficient as possible with the resources we are provided. This requires 

us to continuously analyze and improve upon our processes to ensure that we 

remain responsible stewards of our taxpayer’s dollars.”

Rear Adm. Mike Shoemaker, Commander, Naval Air Force Atlantic
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1.5 Identify barriers to readiness and O&S cost reduction within the Carrier Readiness Team 

and execute initiatives to resolve or escalate barriers to Naval Aviation leadership

The Carrier Readiness Team (CRT) works within the CVN community 

to identify and address common barriers to readiness, and 

then shares their findings as best practices across all ships. The 

CRT will work to improve data flow, refine analytical tools and 

provide training for their use, in order to maximize barrier removal 

capabilities at the lowest possible level within the CVN force. 

The team will help to identify and share best practices for barrier 

removal across all platforms, while coordinating escalation to 

higher headquarters for resolution when warranted. The desired 

outcome of this initiative will be enhanced ability to produce the 

prescribed levels of warfighting readiness at an affordable cost for 

all CVNs. 

1.6 Identify barriers to readiness and O&S cost reduction within 

the Air Launched Weapons Team and execute initiatives to 

resolve or escalate barriers to Naval Aviation leadership

The Air Launched Weapons Team (ALWT) will work across weapons 

systems life cycles to identify gaps and barriers to readiness, and 

facilitate actions to address them. The ALWT will develop and apply 

readiness metrics in order to improve analytical effectiveness. It will coordinate with all Air Launch 

Weapons program stakeholders to improve sharing of data and the application of analytical tools, 

in order to identify areas for improvement. The ALWT will support implementation of barrier removal 

processes early in the weapons system life cycle, as well as escalation to higher headquarters for 

resolution when required. The desired outcome for this initiative will be the ability to meet required 

levels of air launch weapons availability at optimized cost. 

1.7 Reduce inefficiencies within the aviation manpower and manning supply chain

The NAE works across the aviation manpower and manning supply chain to optimize personnel 

inventories for current/near term readiness requirements. Under this initiative, the NAE will conduct 

targeted Continuous Process Improvement projects, programmatic enhancements, and training 

initiatives to assist stakeholders in aligning resources in order to build capability efficiently, reduce 

cost, and maintain Naval Aviation as the preeminent warfighting force. Representative actions 

under this initiative will include identifying and mitigating training gaps, assessing the adequacy 

and alignment of A and C school schedules to support FY-14 accession plan revisions and 

facilitating coordination between TMS production and training triads to meet training requirements.

1.8 Execute Maintenance and Supply Chain strategies to reduce Equipment Pillar readiness 

gaps and O&S costs

Understanding the basis for equipment pillar gaps, while maintaining required levels of readiness, 

is essential to sustaining aircraft and weapons’ affordability. The NAE Provider community will 

develop tools and conduct forums focused on decision making to better provide ready forces 

while managing O&S costs. The Provider community will coordinate and integrate proven process 

efficiency methods, logistics and engineering expertise to maintain required levels of readiness and 

lower O&S costs.
Strategic Objective 2 - Cost-Wise Future Readiness

Drive actions to achieve required levels of future readiness at optimized cost

Naval Aviation’s ability to meet future operational requirements rests on our taking action 

now. The “resource gap” that exists between the expected demand for combat ready 

forces and the resources available to develop, field and train those forces will continue to 

present a significant challenge in the future. 

The introduction of new capabilities and transition of current platforms will require 

constant and sustained focus on identifying and implementing reliability and sustainability 

initiatives to resolve potential readiness gaps before they occur. To ensure Naval Aviation 

remains both affordable and supportable, we must seek initiatives to reduce projected 

ownership costs of current and planned systems. These are the outcomes that the CostWise Future Readiness Strategic Objective will achieve.

Initiatives under Strategic Objective 2 will facilitate and coordinate efforts of cognizant 

organizations to find and fix degraders that will have an impact on future levels of 

readiness and capabilities across all PESTO pillars. Additionally, this objective will facilitate 

initiatives to develop realistic life cycle reliability, maintainability and affordability goals 

and promote efficient and effective logistics practices.

The desired end state is the projected ability of Naval Aviation to meet future demands 

within available resources. This will require initiatives to reduce out-year costs of current 

systems, while maintaining their effectiveness, as well as initiatives to ensure fielding and 

deployment of new capabilities on time and within budget.

2.1 Aggregate, prioritize, elevate, champion and track POM issues for fielded 

systems and sustainment infrastructure to address aviation future readiness 

degraders and reduce total ownership cost

Through cross-enterprise participation, systemic issues driving documented aviation 

readiness degraders and cost drivers are identified and addressed. This approach applies 

to sustainment infrastructure as well as fielded and developmental aviation systems. The 

fundamental processes to achieve this are to identify initiatives with potential to optimize 

the availability and ownership costs of Naval Aviation systems; prioritize, elevate and 

champion them for funding consideration; and then track their investment and return 

on investment (ROI). This proven methodology for identifying and evaluating initiatives 

is established as a routine process. NAE leadership will champion these future readiness 

issues throughout the integrated budget process by taking proactive funding support 

actions and issuing guidance in the Program Objective Memorandum

(POM) serial and the Type Commander Priority List. The Future Readiness

Team will help define how, where, and when NAE leadership can

engage to support future readiness initiatives.
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2.2 Facilitate the reduction of inefficiencies and the remediation of risk within the Naval 

Aviation manpower and manning supply chain in support of future readiness requirements

In the future, new aircraft and unmanned systems, and a new aircraft carrier class will

provide increased capabilities while changing Naval Aviation manpower and manning

requirements. The NAE will assess risks to unit manning associated with platform transitions and

support development of mitigation strategies. Through formulation of risk mitigation plans for

squadrons and CVN-68 and 78 class aircraft carriers, the NAE will support shaping of manning

policies, refinement of manpower requirements, and implementation of training strategies for

future platforms.

2.3 Leverage Science and Technology (S&T) for the benefit of future readiness at 

optimized cost

One of the keys to sustaining future readiness while reducing TOC is to fully engage the S&T 

community in developing potential solutions. In conjunction with the NAE Chief Technology Office 

(CTO), the NAE will engage the S&T, acquisition, requirements and fleet communities to ensure 

future readiness and TOC objectives are emphasized at every stage of S&T including objectives, 

technology and program roadmaps, S&T project selection, S&T project transition, and fielding of 

new technologies that show the greatest potential to improve readiness and/or reduce life cycle 

cost.

2.4 Ensure trade-off/bill paying decisions consider long-term cost implications

The NAE will develop a decision analysis support tool that will leverage budget and execution 

databases to track financial data for the analysis of the NAE’s budget and O&S costs. This analysis 

support tool, and the associated databases, will be used in developing cost management 

process performance metrics and products which will provide the insight into cost and execution 

tradeoffs and trends, while supporting the effort of reducing legacy and transitioning weapon 

systems TOC. This in-depth and detailed statistical analysis of budget and execution data will be 

intended for use by programmers, planners and budget managers in the Planning, Programming, 

Budgeting and Execution process.

“Naval Aviation investments must continue to provide the maximum value 

possible at the best cost to the Navy. Our Future Readiness Initiatives process 

plays an important role—helping 

Naval Aviation leaders identify 

the best initiatives to champion 

now in order to realize the greatest possible return on 

investment over time.”

Rear Adm. Michael Manazir, Director, Air Warfare 

(OPNAV N98)
Strategic Objective 3 - Collaborative Environment

Achieve an environment that drives and rewards collaboration, meaningful 

participation and engagement in enterprise activity, and training at formative 

career stages while effectively communicating enterprise goals and results to 

Naval Aviation stakeholders.

Naval Aviation gains its power, flexibility and global reach from the integration of a 

complex network of providers, sponsors and operators. The ability of this network to 

remain fluid and effective hinges on shared commitment to the long term needs of 

Naval Aviation over shorter term organizational agendas. Creating and sustaining an 

environment that fosters collaboration is critical to instilling this mindset throughout Naval 

Aviation.

A collaborative environment within Naval Aviation is an enabler for achieving cost-wise 

current and future readiness. It is foundational and of critical importance. Collaboration 

creates cross-functional thinking and discipline while building transparency, trust and 

accountability.

Naval Aviation leadership is committed to maturing this environment. They will participate 

individually and direct consistent engagement within their authorities, support training 

Enterprise-wide, promote communication efforts to advance a collaborative culture and 

reward the individuals and organizations that embrace and support collaboration.

Our desired end state is an environment in which teamwork and collaboration apply 

not only to warfighting, but to all our actions. By highlighting success and rewarding 

commitment to enterprise principles, we will instill and reinforce this mindset so it becomes 

synonymous with our Naval Aviation ethos of Fly, Fight and Win.

3.1 Strengthen and advance the cycle of NAE events and activities

Meaningful forums to inform and drive decisions with proactive leadership engagement 

form the cornerstone pairing that will foster and encourage results-oriented collaboration. 

Leadership participation and accountability in drumbeat events are critical to their 

effectiveness. Myriad opportunities and venues exist for Naval Aviation leadership to 

engage and interact as decision-makers. Naval Aviation Enterprise leadership will identify 

opportunities to combine efforts, engage leaders at all levels across Naval Aviation and 

promote an effective collaborative environment.

3.2 Define, document and distribute governance (processes, policies, guidance, 

decision-making) within the Enterprise teams

NAE Leadership will ensure that enterprise documents, such as the Organizational 

Structure and Governance document and the Current Readiness Handbook, are 

complete, accurate and up-to-date. This initiative will result in clear guidance 

and procedures, readily accessible to all stakeholders, to ensure consistency and 

standardization across the NAE.

3.3 Communicate Enterprise efforts and advance a collaborative culture

A collaborative environment requires communication that crosses organizational lines. 

The NAE drives this communication through processes and forums for information-sharing 

and cross-functional coordination. The NAE Communication Team works to ensure 

information, such as common problems, best practices, and success stories, is shared 

among Enterprise stakeholders. Through the NAE’s Communication Strategy and Toolkit, 

the Enterprise provides a common framework for communication that supports the 

achievement of the NAE mission and strategic objectives.
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3.4 Develop and implement an Enterprise-wide training strategy

Effective collaboration requires an informed partnership, which begins with a solid understanding 

of enterprise principles and processes. NAE leadership will sponsor an effective and engaging 

training approach, aligned with formative career stages for officer and enlisted communities. 

This initiative will result in a baseline understanding of enterprise principles and activities and will 

influence practical application of Enterprise processes in daily work performance.

3.5 Recognize and reward Enterprise engagement

The ability of the enterprise construct to enhance Naval Aviation readiness is dependent upon 

stakeholders that are motivated through appropriate incentives. Members of the NAE must be 

able to recognize the value in enterprise principles and benefits to be derived from their own 

participation. The NAE will continue to support existing incentive and recognition programs for 

individuals while exploring additional opportunities to reward those who actively promote an 

enterprise approach within Naval Aviation.

“Naval Aviation’s enterprise approach drives collaboration across stovepipes, 

and that type of cross-functional cooperation is what will enable us to continue 

providing our Sailors and Marines with the tools they need to be successful in 

their missions.”

Vice Adm. David Dunaway, Commander, Naval Air Systems Command
Let’s get 

to work. 

Together. 

Fly

Fight

Win

Leadership Commitment and Call to Action

The Naval Aviation Enterprise has long been a path to increased readiness 

and efficiencies. The fiscal challenges and national security uncertainties 

facing our country and the military in particular have elevated the 

importance and relevance of the Enterprise. This partnership of warfighters, 

providers and resource sponsors was created over ten years ago in 

anticipation of these times. Each stakeholder member of the NAE has a 

responsibility to individually and organizationally contribute to the successful 

accomplishment of the NAE mission to “Advance and sustain Naval Aviation 

warfighting capabilities at an affordable cost...today and in the future.”

Naval Aviation is a team sport. We work well together inside of Naval 

Aviation and just as seamlessly with other warfare communities. There 

will be competition for resources that could threaten the collaborative 

nature of the Enterprise. Don’t let it. Resources will be tight, but we have a 

game plan which includes reducing O&S costs, extensive simulator usage, 

achieving “should cost” optimization and employing aggressive cost analysis 

—to include the Navy’s RKC methodology—to actively resolve readiness 

degraders. These integrated efforts are part of this larger strategic plan which 

will serve as a road map to ensure we deliver what is expected of us as a 

preeminent warfighting force.

This strategic plan describes three objectives and their underlying initiatives. 

They are laser-focused on doing what matters most to support the daunting 

task of producing combat ready and effective forces today and into the 

future in a severely constrained resource environment. To be successful, these 

objectives must be actively worked and their progress regularly assessed by 

our Naval Aviation leaders – from senior military and executive leaders to the 

deckplate Sailors and flightline Marines making it happen every day. It is what 

we will do to ensure Naval Aviation answers the call and meets our nation’s 

expectations of it today and tomorrow.
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“...this is a time of unsettling change for our military...we will use this 

situation as an opportunity to shape the future naval force to sustain its 

relevance and affordability...We both see a future naval force that thinks 

together, plans together, trains together, and deploys together...Like 

today, our future naval force will be where it matters, when it matters, by 

maintaining a robust forward presence and appropriate readiness.” 

Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Chief of Naval Operations and 

Gen. James Amos, Commandant of the Marine Corps 
For additional information,

visit the NAE Web page at

http://www.nae.navy.mil

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Distribution is unlimited.