Tom Clancy: Taking the Haiti example a bit further, it is fairly clear that since the end of the Cold War, the Navy has been used for a wide variety of roles and missions-everything from blockades and strike warfare [Persian Gulf] to rescues and humanitarian relief [Balkans and Somalia]. Given that you already do such a wide variety of things so well, what else do you want the Navy to be capable of doing in the 21st century?
Admiral Johnson: You're right, the Navy's pretty flexible! In the future, I think that you're going to see us doing some new things with the Marine Corps. We're finding new ways to organize and structure our forces to accommodate new roles and missions. One specific area that I know we'll be developing is Theater Ballistic-Missile Defense [TBMD], using our Aegis cruisers and destroyers. That's new and exciting stuff that ten years from now will be everyday business, though today it's all leading-edge technology.
Tom Clancy: Especially in the absence of a "blue water" threat, has the Navy gotten down to developing a real doctrine to go with the move to littoral warfare?
Admiral Johnson: The answer is yes, but I qualify that answer by saying that we're just at the leading edge of getting it done. At the Naval Warfare Doctrine Command, they're looking at how we can take the earlier "blue-water" doctrine of the Cold War, and embed it in a very solid way into this new reality of littoral warfare. We're trying hard to build new linkages with our various Naval academic institutions like the War College [in Newport, Rhode Island], the Postgraduate School [in Monterey, California], and even the Naval Academy [in Annapolis, Maryland], as well as in the tactical and operational sides of the fleet.
Tom Clancy: Once upon a time, not so long ago, the Navy was seen as not being a good partner in the joint warfare arena. Can you tell us, from the Navy point of view, how you view your corporation and participation in joint warfare these days?
Admiral Johnson: Frankly, I don't see any friction today. I think that's old news. As far as I'm concerned, the Navy is on the leading edge in the joint warfare business these days. In fact, we're committed to it at all levels. Here's a case in point. When we do our carrier battle group [CVBG] and amphibious ready group [ARG] workups, that's all joint. What we used to call a FLEETEX [Fleet Exercise] in the old days is now the JTFEX [Joint Task Force Exercise]. Of course, we still work within our fundamental core sea service [Navy and Marine Corps] competencies during training. But once we get into the JTFEX, it's units like the 2nd Fleet CVBG, the II MEF [Marine Expeditionary Force] MEU [SOC], the XVIII Airborne Corps, the 8th Air Force, and our allies all together. So we are absolutely committed to the joint warfare arena, right down to training within the Joint Training Matrix. This is not the way it was during Desert Storm where the Navy was still "fighting the feeling."That does not mean that we have solved all of our challenges. Full utilization of CTAPS [the joint theater air planning tool] and distribution of the ATO [Air Tasking Order] is still giving us problems, but by and large, we're on board in the joint arena. I might add that we're proud to be part of it, because that's the way that we're going to be fighting in the future as a nation.
Tom Clancy: One of the most interesting joint training exercises that has been run recently is Operation Tandem Thrust, down in Australia. Can you tell us about it?
Admiral Johnson: You have to remember that we have a "special" relationship with Australia, one that has been critical to both countries in this century. Tandem Thrust is just another classic example of that relationship. We just came back from Operation Tandem Thrust. It was huge, involving over 22,000 U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force personnel. We accomplished our objectives and I think everybody learned a great deal.When you are running a large military exercise, one of the biggest considerations is the matter of finding new range spaces for the joint forces to exercise and train in. If you talk with Chuck Krulak, he'll tell you about his interest in using some of the range facilities in Australia. They are beautiful! And the Royal Australian Navy and the rest of their forces are just superb to work with. They are wonderful allies. Australia is an amazing country-just eighteen million people on a land mass the size of the continental United States. You see that when you fly over the place. You just fly for hours and hours and see nothing but open space.
Tom Clancy: Talk a little more about modernization if you will. Every couple of generations, there seems to be a CNO who, because of timing and circumstances, defines the U.S. Navy for a period of decades. Elmo Zumwalt filled that role in the 1970's, since so much of what the Navy uses today was defined, designed, or built during his tenure. You seem to be in a similar situation today in the 1990's. Given this notion, what kinds of things do you want this Navy to do?
Admiral Johnson: I think that what we're trying to cast for tomorrow and the future is to be able to say five, ten, twenty, even twenty-five years from now, that this Navy is really relevant. We need to know that the Navy is giving the country a presence force that can still respond across the full spectrum of crises or requirements that the country asks them to respond to. We don't even know for sure what kinds of crises we'll be facing in that distant future. But the decisions we make today will have a direct impact on our readiness tomorrow.In general terms, we know exactly where we're going. The new equipment we're building and the new shaping of the force that we are currently going through are very important to us, as is the way we push ourselves into the next century. It's very exciting, though somewhat daunting, to be in this job at a time when the infrastructure is under development to this degree, but I think we're building a marvelous future for the Navy. In my opinion, the future Navy will still be anchored in the carrier battle group with its air wing, in the amphibious ready group and the embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit. These are the two core assets that the sea services give to the country. I want that to be clearly conveyed as we move forward into the next century.
Tom Clancy: Let's talk a little more about that issue of "forward presence." Several years ago when we interviewed General Krulak [the current Commandant of the Marine Corps], he described it as: "A native in a canoe is able to reach out and touch the gray-painted hull of an American warship in his territory." How does that match up with your vision for American presence in the 21st century?
Admiral Johnson: The strength of our forward presence is exactly that. The recent Quadrennial Defense Review provided for a strategic vision that carried with it the three elements or phases of military power that our nation requires. These are shaping, responding, and preparing. We've talked a lot in this interview about responding and preparing. So let's take a little time to talk about shaping the world's military situation.That's what we do every day. That's why we have 350 ships afloat in the world's oceans right now. That's the guy in the canoe who touches the side of our gray-hulled ships. We believe that's a tremendously powerful mission, both for our Navy and the country, because of what it means to the rest of the world. You know, even if that man in the canoe can't touch our ship, but can only see it and watch it come and go as it pleases, then that sends a message of great strength to him and to all the other people who see what we can do. Because we're out there, the world is changed every day.