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Table of Contents

Section 1 – Introduction 

Leadership Intent 

Vision and Mission

Enterprise Principles

1 

2 

3

Section 2 – Strategic Objectives and Initiatives

Strategic Objectives and Initiatives

Objective 1: Enterprise Culture and Communication 

Objective 2: Readiness 

Objective 3: People 

Objective 4: Future Readiness

4 

7 

9 

11

13

Section 3 – Leadership Commitment and Call to Action 15

NAVAL AVIATION ENTERPRISE STRATEGIC PLAN 2010-2017

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NAVAL AVIATION ENTERPRISE STRATEGIC PLAN 2010-2017

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Section 1 

Introduction

Leadership Intent

Naval Aviation is an essential element of the enduring 

Cooperative Strategy for the 21st Century Seapower. 

We are assigned and we accomplish a prominent role in 

every identified core capability – forward presence, 

deterrence, sea control, power projection, maritime security, 

and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. Providing 

and affording the demands inherent in each core capability 

is challenged by the fiscal realities that our nation faces today 

and for the foreseeable future. The appetite for Naval Aviation 

forces is constant and shows no sign of abating while available 

resources have become more constrained. As such, the Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) has never been more 

relevant or more important.

Our mission is to support Naval Aviation readiness requirements with transparent cross-functional processes 

that inform risk-balanced decisions. The NAE is uniquely positioned to provide a holistic view of Naval

Aviation that can identify risks, efficiencies and opportunities. Resourcing decisions will be made and it is 

the responsibility of the NAE leadership to provide the insight and the integrated view to ensure the right 

resources are available to provide our country with the warfighting readiness necessary and expected to meet 

national policy and priorities. It is a responsibility and obligation that this strategic plan meets head on. 

The Naval Aviation Enterprise Strategic Plan provides strategic objectives and initiatives that provide the 

foundation for Enterprise actions in support of Naval Aviation readiness requirements. It focuses on 

achieving a powerful and accountable enterprise culture; engaging all elements/functions to facilitate and 

drive efficient and effective delivery of ready forces to meet current and future operational requirements; 

driving efficient and effective delivery of a diverse, technically superior total force to deliver the right 

readiness which meets current and future requirements; ensuring future capabilities are developed 

considering the Enterprise’s prioritization of new and existing assets; influencing total ownership costs; and 

inspiring wholesale ownership in enterprise behavior to accomplish our collective goals. This strategic plan 

has a multi-year focus, but it will be reviewed annually to ensure it continues to meet the challenges facing 

Naval Aviation as well as the requirements demanded of it. 

We are a nation at war and we are a nation balancing budgetary priorities. Tough choices have already been 

made and there are many more to be made. The Naval Aviation Enterprise Strategic Plan is the framework by 

which Naval Aviation will be prepared to make the best possible decisions. This strategic plan is not 

intended to be a bookshelf or coffee table decoration. It is a template for execution and a guidance resource 

for your own strategic plans. It is our collective duty to meet the demands made of Naval Aviation and there 

is little tolerance for coming up short. Together we will cooperatively provide the requisite warfighting 

readiness and address the fiscal imperative our nation confronts. We must and we will.

VADM Thomas J. Kilcline, Jr. USN

Commander, Naval Air Forces

LtGen George J. Trautman III, USMC

Deputy Commandant for Aviation

VADM David J. Venlet, USN

Commander, Naval Air Systems Command
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Vision Statement

The NAE will be the preeminent partnership of operators, 

sponsors and providers who champion the

efficient delivery of the right force, 

with the right readiness at the right time. . .

 today and in the future.

Mission Statement

To support Naval Aviation readiness requirements 

with transparent, cross-functional processes 

which inform risk-balanced decisions.

The NAE is an established construct supporting the readiness requirements of Naval Aviation. While more 

mature than all other enterprises, the NAE continues to evolve. Changes to both the vision and mission 

statements are examples of growth in the Enterprise. 

The new vision statement captures what the NAE will be in the future; what future state the NAE will achieve. 

It emphasizes the partnership of operators, sponsors and providers and an even greater level of engagement and 

commitment of the partners. As well, it stresses that each partner will champion the efficient delivery of 

readiness which is to take a personal stake in this mission and appropriately prioritize this focus.

The mission of any organization is essentially what that unit does and, in that unit’s absence, what would not 

get done. The NAE does not deliver readiness. Readiness was delivered before there was an NAE, and it will 

be delivered should the NAE not exist. The NAE supports Naval Aviation to ensure that decision-making 

organizations are better informed to make decisions that benefit all of Naval Aviation, improve the warfighting 

readiness and effectiveness of our forces, and generate the greatest possible efficiencies. This mission statement 

is a new paradigm and far more precise in describing the Enterprise’s role. 
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Enterprise Principles

Enterprise behavior is a commitment to openly share information in order to allow respectful dialogue and 

make joint decisions that place the interests of Naval Aviation ahead of individual community or self 

interests. We commit ourselves to these principles.

• Consistently apply cross-functional process 

thinking. Joint decisions vice independent 

action will lead to superior outcomes. 

• Establish and maintain process discipline. 

The process of developing readiness cannot 

be accomplished by a single functional 

organization; it takes dedicated and coordinated efforts from many organizations to accomplish the goal.

• Utilize a set of consistent, integrated, and hierarchical metrics. Fact-based analysis facilitates superior 

performance. Consistency means everyone in the Enterprise operates with the same information. Integrated 

means we operate with information about all facets of the NAE so we can make decisions leading to the 

best outcomes for Naval Aviation. Hierarchical means the 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. Full disclosure, sharing of 

information and joint actions allow leaders at all levels to make better decisions for the NAE.

• Establish and maintain accountability for actions and results. This is essential to all organizations, 

but is particularly important to the NAE. Full commitment and accountability go hand-in-hand.

• Apply an integrated governance structure. An effective governance, architecture and integration process 

is adaptable to opportunities, inclusive, and well-suited to work across boundaries and seams to sustain 

current and future readiness. 

• Total Ownership Costs perspective. It is a strategic imperative that the NAE manage current and total 

ownership costs. A strategic financial management view provides the ability to understand and manage 

affordability, while balancing risk and meeting operational requirements. 

• Single Fleet Driven Metric. It is important to tie our efforts to a single, overarching metric in order to 

measure success. In the case of the NAE, that single Fleet driven metric is Naval Aviation forces efficiently 

delivered for tasking.

Tenets of Enterprise Membership

The NAE is a behavioral model. Members commit to principles in behavior and also subscribe to tenets that 

form the basis for participation and decision-making. These tenets are the cornerstone to NAE success:

• Cross-functional process improvement 

• Dedication to effectiveness and efficiency 

• Active participation in scheduled events and tasks as a priority 

• Transparency in process and data 

• A willingness to challenge past practices and assumptions 

• A commitment to the greater good of Naval Aviation

" Having the right data, making it transparent and 

 making decisions for the greater good of Naval 

 Aviation readiness and capability - these are the

 fundamentals of Enterprise operation every day."

 - VADM Dave Venlet
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Section 2 

Strategic Objectives and Initiatives

The role of Naval Aviation continues to evolve to meet the challenges of a complex and unpredictable 

global environment. It is being pressurized by an increasing demand signal from the Combatant

Commanders and a decreasing defense budget. It is imperative that the Naval Aviation Enterprise assist and 

facilitate the efforts of leadership to provide a holistic solution set to the resource-to-requirement mismatch.

As an art of war, Naval Aviation has been 

innovative from its origin. It continues as such 

today. The NAE is a partner in that innovation 

and serves to collaborate with decision makers 

to ensure the combat lethality and relevancy of 

Naval Aviation well into the future. These 

strategic objectives and initiatives have been 

carefully developed to ensure that once achieved, 

they provide the most benefit to the health and effectiveness of Naval Aviation.

The single most visible metric of the relevancy of Naval Aviation is combat-ready Navy and Marine Corps 

aviation forces efficiently delivered for tasking. Delivering this readiness is essential to executing our 

National Security Strategy and the Enterprise is dedicated to providing the processes that contribute to that 

end. Readiness is and will continue to be an enduring strategic objective. 

Inseparable from the readiness of our aviation assets are the men and women who operate them. Arguably 

more important than any equipment, the people of Naval Aviation must be the right mix of leaders who 

possess the right skills to achieve the right warfighting capabilities and capacity that the USN and USMC 

demand from the NAE.

Naval Aviation is not provided a blank check to provide readiness in people and assets. There is a 

substantial cost to delivering this readiness and optimizing that cost is an “above the fold” headline issue for 

the NAE. Future Readiness as a strategic objective is the bridge between current execution and acquiring 

the forces for tomorrow. The NAE is uniquely situated to ensure that this bridge is fiscally sound and fully 

covers the span. 

Finally, the Enterprise construct is a necessity. It delivers a return on investment beyond quantifying, but it is 

not 100 percent a part of the services’ culture. It is still new and represents change to many. Developing a 

culture of enterprise behavior is an important objective of the NAE. It will ultimately help to build and 

sustain a responsive and effective warfighting force.

The Navy and Marine Corps are often the first to be called upon in a crisis and the most versatile and 

effective arm of these services is Naval Aviation. This is a characterization we have earned and enjoy. 

The following four strategic objectives and accompanying strategic initiatives are the basis for the Naval 

Aviation Enterprise’s role in sustaining the preeminence of Naval Aviation.

“The NAE is a powerful force. It’s important that our 

 strategic objectives stay focused on what is important, 

 what pays off, and what we do well. These strategic 

 objectives do that.”

 - LtGen George J. Trautman III
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Total Ownership Cost – NAE Perspective

Operations and support costs consume a significant portion of the defense budget and, as a percentage, 

they are rising. The result of these growing costs is less funding available for new systems or existing system 

upgrades. The importance of managing Total Ownership Cost (TOC) within the Department of the Navy, 

including the fully burdened cost of fuel, is a function of the realization that the cost to procure a weapon 

system extends well beyond the acquisition phase of the program life cycle. Analyses show the majority of 

TOC is expended during the sustainment phase, but as much as 90 percent of operations and support costs 

are determined before a weapon system enters production. The Secretary of the Navy recognizes energy 

reform as a strategic initiative, and has declared that the lifetime energy cost of a system will be a mandatory 

evaluation factor used when awarding contracts. Managing TOC and considering energy efficiency 

throughout the weapon system life cycle is critical to maintaining readiness and procuring future systems.

 

The Naval Aviation Enterprise focus on TOC seeks to achieve desired readiness while 

optimizing costs through two approaches. The first approach is to develop a process 

where the NAE can provide data and help the Provider Enterprise identify and optimize 

TOC drivers in the early weapon system milestone phases. Second, the NAE will take 

a more active role as systems reach production milestones to achieve visibility into and 

plan for all costs required to support and sustain existing aircraft, carriers, weapons and 

support equipment. The NAE will track program performance, cost drivers, 

and develop recommendations which can improve system reliability 

or efficiency and drive intelligent investment decisions.

Strategic Objectives 

Enterprise Culture and Communication

Achieve a culture that emphasizes and rewards collaboration, accountability 

and transparency among Enterprise stakeholders and partners in support of Naval Aviation readiness. 

Readiness 

Engage all Naval Aviation readiness stakeholders and stakeholder organizations to drive efficient delivery

of combat ready forces to meet current and future operational requirements. 

People 

Develop and manage enterprise-wide processes that maintain a diverse, cost effective, and technically 

superior total force to perform all of the functions required for Naval Aviation to fight and win in combat. 

Future Readiness 

Engage stakeholders to effectively produce required levels of future readiness while optimizing costs.

“Total Ownership Costs have to be understood and 

 aggressively managed starting now. Left unchecked, 

 the result is a smaller, less capable, older and more 

 expensive force. The NAE has a vital role in 

 managing actionable areas of Total Ownership Costs.”

 - SES Jim Beebe
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NAE Strategic Plan Alignment to CNO/CMC Strategic Goals

This graphic depicts the alignment of the NAE’s Strategic Plan to the strategic guidance provided by the 

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) and Commandant of the Marine Corps (CMC). (Per the CNO Guidance 

for 2010: Executing the Maritime Strategy and the Commandant of the Marine Corps' guidance in the 2006 

Commandant Planning Guidance.)
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Strategic Objective 1: 

Enterprise Culture and Communication

 Achieve a culture that emphasizes and rewards collaboration, accountability 

 and transparency among Enterprise stakeholders and partners in support of 

 Naval Aviation readiness. 

 Champions: CNAF, DC(A), NAVAIR

An enterprise culture of shared priorities, goals and benefits supports 

delivering increased Naval Aviation readiness. That culture is not easily 

matured or sustained. To encourage Enterprise decisions, the 

right vectors must be applied. Naval Aviation Enterprise 

leadership is committed to more deeply embedding a culture 

of collaboration, accountability and transparency throughout the 

NAE partnership of operators, sponsors and providers. True 

enterprise behavior crosses service lines, overrides unique 

organizational interests, and challenges the status quo. NAE 

leadership will make a conscious effort to stress the importance 

of and recognize stakeholders for expanding the overlap of billet 

and Enterprise work. The NAE will mature this culture so 

that stakeholders hold their organization accountable 

to the greater Enterprise goals and universally share best

processes and standard practices. 

The tools the NAE employs in this endeavor include 

executive example, recognition, communication, and 

codification of the Enterprise architecture. The Air Board 

leadership acknowledges its responsibility to achieve a 

culture and an enterprise environment that encourage people to identify and 

eliminate organizational barriers to readiness, create the right incentives, and 

improve understanding of the Enterprise and its value to Naval Aviation. 

 

1.1 Identify and eliminate organizational barriers to synchronizing 

 warfighting readiness delivery processes. 

 Leads: CNAF, DC(A), NAVAIR

The NAE mission is to support Naval Aviation readiness requirements with 

transparent, cross-functional processes that inform risk-balanced decisions. 

Accomplishing this mission depends on stakeholder buy-in, active participation 

and dedicated alignment of effort. Organizational barriers still exist within the 

NAE that challenge mission accomplishment and create a perceived conflict 

between billet and Enterprise responsibilities. Transparency of activities and 

results, decision-making by fact (metrics), and accountability for outcomes are 

essential to synchronizing warfighting readiness delivery processes. Any systemic

barriers to an organization need to be analyzed and eliminated or mitigated to 

create and sustain an effective enterprise culture.
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1.2 Create incentives for Enterprise stakeholders to further institutionalize enterprise behavior. 

Leads: CNAF, DC(A), NAVAIR

The enterprise construct benefits and accelerates increased Naval Aviation readiness, but it must also 

incentivize individual stakeholders in order to be both individually motivating and organizationally

enduring. Each member of the NAE must perceive the value in exhibiting enterprise behavior and 

derive clear benefits from their participation. We will sustain existing incentive and recognition 

programs for individuals while simultaneously creating broader organizational incentives to motivate 

stakeholder units. An organization’s measured success must link directly to its support and furtherance 

of Enterprise goals. 

1.3 Implement Enterprise communications and outreach strategies to move the Enterprise across 

the communications spectrum from awareness to ownership. 

Lead: NAE Strategic Communications Coordinator

The strategic communications spectrum begins with awareness, progresses through understanding, 

ability, and willingness, and finally peaks with ownership and operating in the desired model. 

The NAE has succeeded in creating awareness of the goals and functions of the Enterprise among the 

majority of internal and external stakeholders. To varying degrees, we have achieved understanding, 

ability and willingness with some audiences, yet more active engagement is required. 

It is time to redouble our strategic communications efforts in order to accelerate true enterprise 

ownership. Communications between stakeholder commands and within each command is the vehicle 

by which understanding, consensus and compliance is achieved. The Air Board membership commits 

to developing diverse communications initiatives and ensuring robust support for outreach opportunities 

to advance the Enterprise toward full ownership as part of the broader communications effort. 
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Strategic Objective 2: Readiness

Engage all Naval Aviation readiness stakeholders and stakeholder organizations 

to drive efficient delivery of combat ready forces to meet current and future

operational requirements. 

Champions: CR CFT Co-Leads

 Naval Aviation supports Combatant Commanders by providing 

 combat-ready USN and USMC aviation forces which are 

properly manned, fully trained, well maintained,

interoperable, and sustainable. To more effectively and

efficiently achieve this purpose, the Enterprise engages 

stakeholders through cross-functional process techniques. The goals 

are to better understand the relationship between readiness and 

resource preparation and to more efficiently deliver ready aviation 

forces to meet global operational requirements. 

2.1 Identify and institutionalize readiness stakeholders’ roles, responsibilities,

 and processes within the Enterprise. 

 Leads: CR CFT Co-Leads 

 Effective engagement by all readiness stakeholders is essential to the Enterprise’s 

 success. Passionate involvement and commitment are vital in the NAE because 

 of its collaborative nature and complexity. The NAE will identify and engage 

 stakeholders and stakeholder organizations and include them in enterprise 

 processes to ensure understanding, consensus, and compliance. 

 The NAE will formalize roles and functions for Enterprise positions within standing 

 member commands, staffs and agencies through revision of current directives as 

 well as issuance of new ones. The Naval Aviation Enterprise was founded on the

 critical principles of purposeful process formulation, transparency of activities and 

 results, decision-making by fact (metrics), and accountability for outcomes and 

 behaviors. NAE principles must be codified in policy so that they are consistent, 

 enthusiastically shared with new people and organizations joining the Naval

 Aviation environment and, most importantly, so that they become an enduring 

 part of our Navy and Marine Corps tradition and culture. This codification will take 

 the form of instructions and/or other policy documents that support and enhance 

 enterprise behavior. 

2.2 Link readiness requirements as measured in the readiness reporting system 

 specified by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, to People, Equipment,

 Sustainment, Training and Ordnance (PESTO) resource pillar entitlements

 and to Operations and Support costs. 

 Leads: CR CFT Co-Leads 

 Understanding how resource inputs — expressed as People, Equipment, 

 Sustainment, Training and Ordnance (PESTO) — and their associated Operations

 and Support (O&S) costs, enable Navy and Marine Corps aviation commands to

 meet and sustain readiness requirements is critical to the Enterprise’s ability to

 inform risk-balanced decisions and recommend proper courses of action. It is

 important for the NAE to conform to readiness requirements as defined by the 

 Office of the Secretary of Defense readiness reporting system. Leaders will 

 use metrics to assess PESTO contributions to readiness requirements and

 associated O&S costs, identify performance gaps, and measure gap closure. 
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2.3 Develop and drive improved processes to identify, validate and eliminate gaps in the ability 

 to produce prescribed levels of warfighting readiness. This will meet adjudicated operational 

 requirements as measured against PESTO pillar entitlements. 

 Leads: CR CFT Co-Leads

The NAE must ensure that all stakeholders remain engaged and continuously review their processes to

ensure that readiness requirement gaps are being effectively identified and closed. This will ensure the

continued ability to efficiently produce the USN Units Ready for Tasking and USMC Core Competent 

Units required to fulfill global operational requirements. Units Ready for Tasking and Core Competent 

Units are defined as those that have been appropriately equipped with PESTO resources and that meet 

published readiness standards.

2.4 Provide a comprehensive view and improved processes to manage Operations & Support 

 costs to enable production of prescribed levels of warfighting readiness. 

 Leads: CR CFT Co-Leads

Understanding and managing TOC, including current and future O&S costs, is a Naval Aviation strategic 

imperative. The NAE will provide an overarching perspective to assess and manage O&S costs. There 

will be a significant demand to sustain legacy platforms while affording the new capabilities required to 

deter and defeat the threat. The Enterprise will bring stakeholders and process improvement techniques 

together to optimize O&S costs today and in the future. 

2.5 Optimize availability and TOC for fielded systems by developing and implementing holistic

 sustainment strategies focused on reliability, service life management and logistics process.

 Leads: M&SCM Co-Leads and PEO (Carriers)

Developing strategies to manage TOC while maintaining or improving operational availability is 

essential to sustaining aircraft and weapons systems affordability. NAE stakeholders will develop and 

execute strategies that focus on program decision-making to better manage O&S costs and manpower, 

and sustain the continued supremacy of the U.S. industrial base. These strategies should integrate 

proven process efficiency methods and logistics and engineering expertise. This will improve their 

efficacy and should be a key goal for all process owners. 

2.6 Improve the management of transitions from legacy to new weapons systems across all

 readiness and logistics resource areas. 

 Leads: CR CFT Co-Leads

There will be approximately 23 community/platform transitions within the Navy and Marine Corps 

over the next 15 years. These transitions will require close coordination and improved planning across 

all readiness stakeholders to ensure legacy platforms remain viable until the new capability is fully 

delivered. The Navy and Marine Aviation Plans seek to synchronize future capabilities with current 

readiness; however a deliberate approach is required to ensure a comprehensive transition roadmap 

exists in each instance. As new platforms and capabilities are produced and introduced to the Fleet, 

the NAE will coordinate across all stakeholders to ensure manpower and sustainment funds are aligned 

to transition milestones.
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Strategic Objective 3: People

Develop and manage enterprise-wide processes that maintain a diverse, cost effective, 

and technically superior total force to perform all of the functions required for 

Naval Aviation to fight and win in combat. 

Champion: TF CFT Lead

People are the strength and character of Naval Aviation. Sailors and Marines operate weapon 

systems to support the full range of military operations. These systems are most effective when 

in the hands of a well-trained force in the right numbers at the right time and place. Civilians 

and contractors contribute to developing, fielding, and maintaining that equipment and are 

equally important to mission success. Recruiting, training, motivating, and retaining an 

excellent workforce is essential to successfully execute the National Security Strategy. 

3.1 Design and drive efficient and effective integrated processes to produce a Naval 

 Aviation total force that delivers the readiness required in the Navy and Marine Corps. 

Lead: PERS-4 

The NAE will engage with Navy Total Force, Marine Corps Manpower and Reserve 

Affairs, and Office of Civilian Human Resources to respond to the Naval Aviation demand 

signal to recruit, train, educate, and assign Sailors, Marines and Government Civilians to 

deliver the right personnel, with the right skills, at the right time, and in the right place. 

3.2 Develop the tools by which personnel readiness can be measured and 

evaluated for all USN and USMC aviation commands. 

Lead: PERS-4 

The NAE Total Force CFT will develop and utilize metrics that align to the Office 

of the Secretary of Defense readiness reporting process and support personnel 

readiness reporting under the PESTO pillars. The NAE Total Force CFT will 

supplement these with additional metrics that measure and manage the training 

and proficiency of Sailors, Marines and Government Civilians in order to provide 

a total force that individually and in the aggregate have the right skills, in the right 

place, and at the right time to produce the required warfighting readiness.

3.3 Develop and implement a comprehensive Naval Aviation total force forecasting 

model for aircraft and weapons system Total Ownership Cost estimates to 

support Naval Aviation program decisions. 

Lead: NAVAIR 7.0

Develop models and processes to define the total force billet structure, community 

attributes, promotion rates, time to train, and time to qualify to produce total force 

future manpower plans and forecasts that incorporates TOC. 
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3.4 Deliver a total force that is second to none by developing and retaining diverse, high performing, 

competency-based and mission-focused Sailors, Marines, and Government Civilians. 

Lead: NAVAIR 7.0

The NAE will work within existing personnel processes to develop a workforce that is competencybased, high performing, and diverse. Sailors, Marines, and Government Civilians motivated to stay 

in Naval Aviation will have opportunities to achieve their full potential, and gain the knowledge, 

skills, and abilities to fight and win in combat and/or through combat support roles. 
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Strategic Objective 4: Future Readiness

Engage stakeholders to effectively produce required levels of future readiness 

while optimizing costs. 

Champion: FR CFT Lead

Over the coming years, the Naval Aviation Enterprise Total Obligation Authority will 

continue to be pressurized to lower levels which will have an adverse impact on Fleet 

readiness, operations, modernization, and recapitalization. In order to prepare for this 

environment, the NAE will engage stakeholders to effectively produce required levels of 

future readiness while optimizing costs. 

Through cross-enterprise participation, systemic issues rooted in aviation degraders 

and logistics infrastructure will be surfaced and recognized. With identification, we 

can champion opportunities for reductions in total costs of ownership and improvements 

to overall effectiveness of sustainability resulting in positive impacts on availability, 

maintainability, adaptability, and reliability. While accentuating total affordability, 

the NAE will emphasize proactive, holistic solutions, and work to integrate them into 

the appropriate life cycle processes - from program inception to disposal.

4.1 Aggregate, prioritize and elevate issues for fielded systems and 

 sustainment infrastructure. 

Lead: NAVAIR 6.6

The fundamental process behind this undertaking is to identify potential initiatives 

that will optimize the availability and cost of future readiness across the NAE domain, 

prioritize these initiatives, and then elevate them for funding consideration. A business 

case analysis methodology will be utilized to identify initiatives that yield a positive 

 impact on both future readiness and TOC with an acceptable return on 

 investment. This approach will be applicable to both fielded systems and 

 sustainment infrastructure. Improvements will be seen when funded initiatives 

 succeed as a result of the efforts of the Future Readiness CFT. 

 4.2 Champion future readiness issues. 

 Leads: OPNAV N43 and OPNAV N88

 Committed and effective championing of selected future 

 improvement initiatives is critical to the success of those 

 initiatives. The NAE leadership will champion future readiness 

 issues throughout the integrated budget process by utilizing 

 proactive funding support actions and issuing specific guidance 

 in the POM/PR serial and the Type Commander Program Objective 

 Memorandum Priority list. The Future Readiness CFT will help 

define how, where, and when the NAE leadership can best engage 

to leverage their support for the benefit of the future readiness initiatives 

to be pursued. 
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4.3 Identify stakeholders and engage them in required culture changes. 

Leads: OPNAV N88 and OPNAV N43

A thorough, NAE-wide cultural change will be necessary to effect the implementation of future 

readiness initiatives and the continuation of their long-term success as well as that of the overarching 

Strategic Objective. Buy-in and supportive actions by the appropriate stakeholders are essential to 

permanently change the manner in which we do business and support the implementation of future 

readiness benefits. We will create and execute an NAE level strategic communications plan that will 

support and initiate these cultural change actions with documentation of roles, responsibilities and 

tasks for key stakeholders. 

4.4 Engage in the development level program gates and reviews to ensure readiness issues 

and TOC are championed. 

Leads: PEO (respective) and OPNAV N88

It is important for NAE leadership to actively engage in program gates and milestone reviews in order 

to ensure that new development programs are started properly, with realistic considerations of both 

future readiness and TOC impacts. Furthermore, the program gates and milestone reviews are an 

opportunity for the NAE leadership to periodically reengage throughout the life of all programs to 

ensure those areas with future readiness implications continue to be funded, implemented, and that 

TOC remains under control.

4.5 Incorporate relevant sustainment objectives in requirements documentation. 

Lead: PEO (A)

It is important that both future readiness and TOC concepts are included in the acquisition requirements

documentation, so that programs are compelled to appropriately consider availability, affordability,

reliability, maintainability and sustainability. The NAE leadership will maintain a close, vested interest 

in the development of all program requirements documentation, looking for appropriate opportunities 

to incorporate sustainment objectives during program progression, and ensure that both future readiness 

and TOC are adequately addressed.

4.6 Leverage Science and Technology for the benefit of future readiness. 

Lead: NAVAIR 4.0

One of the keys to the long-term effectiveness of both future readiness and TOC initiatives is to fully 

engage the Science and Technology (S&T) community in the development of potential solutions. 

The NAE will seek to incorporate future readiness and TOC objectives into the S&T roadmap, make 

future readiness life cycle costs a priority of interest in S&T project selection, and track the outcome 

of related S&T projects. 
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Section 3 

Leadership Commitment and Call to Action

The Naval Aviation Enterprise includes over 180,000 people. If you work on aircraft, fly them, resource 

them or provide a service that makes it possible for them to be more effective, you are a member of the NAE. 

This strategic plan articulates principles and tenets that we live by and that distinguish each of us as 

dedicated members in the Enterprise. It also describes the four most important objectives that we must 

accomplish to sustain the combat effectiveness expected of and associated with Naval Aviation.

We expect you to understand and be familiar with this strategy. Knowing the objectives and initiatives 

detailed herein provides each of us the insight and skills to assist Naval Aviation leaders in making better 

informed decisions that benefit Naval Aviation.

The NAE leaders will review this strategic document annually in the context of naval, defense and 

national security policies. The contents will be updated as needed to ensure that the NAE vision and 

mission are pursued aggressively and continue to support the goals of Naval Aviation. All of us in the 

NAE have this as a responsibility and there has not been a time in recent history when this has been 

more important.