Sea Services Chiefs: Cuts Could Create Opportunities

The sea services’ three top military leaders believe the sharp cuts in spending under sequestration actually could pay dividends someday. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, Marine Corps Commandant James Amos, and Coast Guard Vice Commandant Adm. John Currier delivered the message during a roundtable discussion at the Navy League of the United States’ Sea-Air-Space exposition at National Harbor, Md., on April 8. Greenert and Amos said the service chiefs should be given a firmer hand in the acquisition process, to make better use of existing funds. "Too many people are touching acquisition who don’t have any responsibility" for operating the systems being developed, Greenert said. They also iterated the need to rein in personnel-related costs, such as pay and benefits, health care, and retirement. Greenert emphasized that both the Navy and Marine Corps would remain committed to development of the F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. "There is no alternative for the Marine Corps for the F-35," Amos said.