There are many resources that are readily available to gain a deeper understanding of the Navy’s systems, terminology, and many abbreviations. Here are some of the most important to review:
The Navy Program Guide provides a detailed overview and description of the Navy platforms, payloads, systems, and technologies (POR/Non-POR) already fielded, and those being developed in the fleet. Some of the program highlights the commissioning of the first DDG 1000, the USS Zumwalt; continued production of Virginia-class nuclear-powered fast attack submarines; sea trials for the Gerald Ford, our next nuclear aircraft carrier class leader; and continuing progress in capabilities such as Aegis Ashore in Romania, NIFC-CA From-The-Sea, SM-6 missiles in multiple modes, F-35 Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter, P-8A Poseidon multi-mission maritime patrol aircraft and many others. Emphasis on those systems with fall primarily under the C4I, C4ISR, C5I and IW readiness under Section 5 in the NPG, 2017.
The National Defense Strategy (NDS) sets the strategic direction of the Department of Defense to support U.S. national security priorities, and flows directly from the President’s National Security Strategy. It includes the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) and the Missile Defense Review (MDR). The 2023 NDS should be released in the coming weeks.
The Tri-Service Maritime Strategy, consisting of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, is a strategy for Integrated All-Domain Naval Power, with an emphasis on combating Chinese and Russian influence at sea.
The Chief of Naval Operations Navigation Plan builds upon the National Defense Strategy, The Secretary of the Navy’s Strategic Guidance (See One Navy-Marine Corps Team Section Below), and the Tri-Service Maritime Strategy and continues to focus on the Navy’s priorities on Readiness, Capabilities, Capacity, and Sailors to maintain maritime dominance.
Secretary of the Navy, Year 3 strategic vision, goals, and implementation guidance FY2020-2023, focusing on investing in human capital, prioritizing learning as a strategic advantage, developing a fully integrated POM process, modernize business operations, elevating information management, and designing an integrated naval force structure.
Department of the Navy Business Operations Plan for fiscal years 2021-2023 that guides the Department to deliver optimized business operations.
The "Naval Aviation Vision, 2016-2025" presents a unified U.S. Navy and Marine Corps roadmap to deliver the current readiness and future capability required of Naval Aviation in support of national strategy. This document provides a discussion of how Naval Aviation leadership intends to support readiness, capability and capacity, and spans all aviation-related platforms and weapons. The Navy Aviation Vision 2030-2035 reflects key concepts to meet CNO’s vision of a Navy that swarms the sea, delivering synchronized lethal and non-lethal efforts from near and far, on every axis and in every domain.
The Commandant’s Planning Guidance (CPG) provides the strategic direction for the Marine Corps and mirrors the function of the Secretary of Defense’s Defense Planning Guidance (DPG). It also serves as a roadmap of where the Marine Corps is going and why.
Force Design 2023 is a Marine Corps document that is updated annually to share progress and direct follow-on action for the Marine Corps organization, training, and equipping to face global challenges.
One of the most recently released documents, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro released his updated strategic Guidance on Friday, October 27, 2023. It informs activities within the Department of the Navy to include planning, investments, budgeting, and prioritization of personnel and resources.
The Navy’s Strategic Library provides a logical, one-stop location for hosting all the key Strategic Library resources of the Navy. You can find these documents in the Strategic Library, among many other useful resources.