During her keynote remarks for the opening of the WEST 2024 conference, Admiral Franchetti emphasized her priorities for America’s Warfighting Navy and discussed how leaders at all levels need to think differently about how the Navy operates in uncertain, complex and rapidly changing environments. She expressed her pride in the Navy team, noting that no other Navy is capable of deploying and sustaining forces at such a global scale – from seabed to space, cyberspace and in the information environment. Looking to the future, she shared that the Navy is acting with purpose and urgency to leverage technological breakthroughs that are redefining conflict. She then highlighted her focus on expanding the reach, depth, and lethality of the Fleet through manned-unmanned teaming.
“We’re building on the many successes with unmanned systems that you’ve read about in 4th Fleet, 5th Fleet, and 7th Fleet. These are real-world laboratories of learning.” said Franchetti. “I think unmanned and autonomous systems have an enormous potential to multiply our combat power by complementing our existing fleet of ships, submarines and aircraft.”
Xavier Vavasseur, Naval News: You became the 33rd CNO in November last year, can you please first start by sharing with us what your key priorities are for America’s Warfighting Navy?
ADM Franchetti: Yes, well, thank you. And it’s really an honor to be the 33rd, chief of naval operations. And I’m really proud of our Navy team, and all the great work we’re doing all around the globe alongside our allies and partners. You know, my real priorities are to make sure that our Navy can do its job every day. We exist really to preserve the peace to respond in crisis, and if necessary, win decisively in war. So I’ve made my three priorities really to focus on warfighting warfighters, and the foundation that supports them.
Xavier Vavasseur: In your keynote this morning, you mentioned the “hybrid fleet”. Can you tell us more about that concept and how it is one of the tenets of your warfighting priorities.
ADM Franchetti: When you think about, you know, the navies of today, we really want to see going forward a series of manned conventionally manned platforms integrated with hybrid platforms, whether they’re manned or autonomous. And it’s not just on the sea, it’s under the sea and above the sea. Because we really need to have a big warfighting ecosystem that we can put together. I think if you look at the promise of unmanned, it really extends the reach, it extends the lethality of our manned platforms. And unmanned platforms can do things that other platforms can’t do. When you think about doing work that’s dangerous, dirty or dumb. Those are things that we can use unmanned platforms for, and save our people for the things we really need them to do.
Xavier Vavasseur: Looking at current events in the Red Sea, like right now, are you happy with the levels of interoperability with your international partners?
ADM Franchetti: Yes, I am incredibly proud of our Navy team. But as importantly, all of the navies that we get to operate with there in the Red Sea, and really all around the world. I think we made big investments, all of the likeminded Navy’s to be able to work together, whether we come to see just for an exercise, and we build that interoperability, then we can really use it when we need to. So again, I’m very happy with the interoperability and all the efforts that people have made.
Xavier Vavasseur: As you mentioned, a couple of weeks back, you were at the Paris Naval Conference where you discussed the importance of carrier strike groups and aircraft carriers. Would you agree that carriers today are key enablers of interoperability and interchangeability with your closest allies, namely the French Navy and Royal Navy?
ADM Franchetti: Yes, aircraft carriers are critically important to our mission. And I think if you think about them in terms of 100,000 tons of American diplomacy, if you think about them as something that can provide support, flexibility, Mass Effects, they really give our decision makers a lot of options because of that flexibility, and because of the Reach they bring, as far as the interoperability and interchangeability. It’s absolutely critical. When you think about using the carrier power, the more carriers you have that you can integrate, the more effectiveness you’re going to have. So at that conference, of course, we had the French that UK, we had Italy, and we had India, all the like minded navies to work together and be able to figure out how to integrate that power. And it’s great to see
Xavier Vavasseur: My last question is about the joint force. In your view, what is the US Navy’s contribution to the joint force?
ADM Franchetti: Well, as I said earlier at the conference today, you know, the Joint Force is really our strategic advantage. If we can bring to bear the power of the Navy which operates on under and above the sea in space and cyberspace, and when we put those capabilities together with those of our sister services, we’re just unbeatable.
