Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday visited San Diego to meet with Sailors and see first-hand the work they are doing, Aug. 23-24.
CORONADO, Calif. - Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday visited San Diego Aug. 23-24 to meet with Sailors and see first-hand the work they are doing.
During the visit, Gilday met with Sailors and leadership at Naval Information Warfare Systems Command (NAVWAR) and Naval Special Warfare (NSW) Command, as well as spoke at the Surface Warfare Officer Flag Officer Training Symposium.
"The work our Navy Team - uniformed and civilian - accomplishes here in San Diego is remarkable," said Gilday. "From Special Warfare to Information Warfare to the Waterfront, I'm impressed by the way Sailors are contributing to our Navy's readiness each and every day."
While at NAVWAR, Gilday received updates on Project Overmatch from Rear Adm. Douglas Small, the NAVWAR commander, and other pillar leads.
"One of the key challenges for a hybrid fleet is the ability to command and control it," said Gilday. "What Project Overmatch really comes down to is information dominance, and putting the United States Navy - and the joint force - in a position where we can decide and act faster than any adversary. We are well on our way to achieving that objective."
At NSW, Gilday spent time with operators and Rear Adm. H. W. Howard, III, commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, to discuss how they assess and select NSW leaders, integrate into maritime operations, and strengthen both their force and families' resiliency.
"Without a doubt, readiness is all about our people. We know that diverse teams outperform those that are not. And we know esprit de corps, particularly within small units, is incredibly important to our combat effectiveness," said Gilday. "The high-performing Naval Special Warfare teams I've met here place great emphasis on core values of warfighting - character and ethics, and that makes me proud."
During remarks to the SWO Flag Officers Training Symposium attendees, Gilday stressed the need to develop capabilities for the future, train in live, virtual and constructive environments like Large Scale Exercise 2021, and employ our surface force using distributed maritime operations.
"What we do is hard; there is no getting around that," Gilday said.. "From employing today's force to designing our future one, it's all tough work, made harder in a global pandemic. But we can't afford to slow down. America is counting on us every single day."
This was Gilday's third trip to San Diego since becoming CNO.
