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performance, and to support the precision required to hit the 

 target while avoiding collateral damage to non-military 

 structures. 



Throughout much of the last half century, Navy concentrated 

 its efforts on the open ocean, or "blue water, " battlespace of 

 the Cold War. But, as reflected in Department of the Navy 

 landmark white papers, "... From the Sea" and "Forward ... From the 

 Sea," the era ushered in by the end of the Cold War requires a 

 new focus on the more complex and rapidly changing littoral 

 regions of the world. 



CNO Exec utive Board 



The Chief of Naval Operations Executive Board (CEB) , a Navy 

 leadership group which analyzes Navy requirements, convened last 

 June to review the status of Navy's Oceanography program and to 

 examine new requirements and directions for the future. The 

 review by the CEB reaffirmed the continuing -- and increasing -- 

 importance of oceanography to naval operations. To emphasize 

 this point, a Chief of Naval Operations policy statement was 

 issued that underscores the new focus on Naval Oceanography: 



"Understanding the oceans is fundamental to our 

 national security as well as to global economic and 

 environmental well-being. A robust competency in 

 oceanography is a core requirement and responsibility 

 of the U.S. Navy, one so vital to the success , of our 

 operations that we must lead in focusing national 

 attention on ocean policy and programs." 



The CEB also highlighted another important point. In 

 retrospect when we concentrated our efforts away from the 

 littorals, understanding the open oceans was relatively simple 

 -- with operating areas that are deep, distant from land, ruled 

 by large-scale, fairly simple physical processes, and comprised 

 of features that change slowly, over days and weeks. Decades of 

 high quality science and technology, together with operational 

 experience, resulted in development of impressive proficiency in 

 forecasting and adapting to the deep water environment. Navy 

 became a world leader in the field. 



Naval operations in the world's littoral areas, however, 

 present a host of new challenges: complicated terrain above and 



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