SEAPOWER

Volume 58, Number 3, April 2015

THE OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NAVY LEAGUE OF THE UNITED STATES

http://www.navyleague.org

PHOTO OF SAILORS ASSIGNED TO EXPLOSIVE ORDNANCE DISPOSAL MOBILE UNIT 8, DETACHMENT ROTA, CLIMBING A ROPE LADDER ONTO A UH-60 BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER

MARCH 5 DURING A JOINT TRAINING EVOLUTION WITH SPANISH MARINES IN ROTA, SPAIN, BY U.S. NAVY MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 1ST CLASS BRIAN DIETRICK.

COVER DESIGN BY LAUREN EMERITZ, PENSARÉ DESIGN GROUP LTD.

DEPARTMENTS

3 President’s Message

4 Editor’s Note

74 Program Snapshot

76 Seapower International

78 Historical Perspective

80 Ship’s Library

84 Navy League News

88 Council Digest

6 Maritime Matters:

McCain wants clarification

on Navy’s requirements,

role for upgraded LCSs

50

SPECIAL REPORT: THE 2016 BUDGET PROPOSAL

12 Navy Department’s Funding Plan Exceeds Budget Cap by $13 Billion

16 Request Would Allow the Corps ‘to Pause the Recent

Drawdown Path’

20 Coast Guard Acquisition, Improvements Request is Lower,

Overall Budget Would Rise

SPECIAL REPORT: PARTNERS IN GLOBAL PRESENCE

28 INTERVIEW : VADM JOSEPH W. RIXEY

Director

Defense Security Cooperation Agency

36 China and Russia Present Unique Engagement Challenges for

the United States

42 NATO Center Trains Naval Forces for Maritime Interdiction

Operations

46 Canada’s Deployment Strategy Would See Ships at Sea Longer,

Crews Rotated

50 Engaging, Interacting with Allies During Bold Alligator

54 I MEF Exercises its Ability to Fight a Conventional War

58 Size, Capabilities of the LCS Make it an Ideal Platform for

Developing Naval Relationships in Southeast Asia

FEATURES

3 President’s Message: International Engagement

BY JAMES H. OFFUTT

24 Commandant’s Guidance Looks at Improving Warfighting

Capabilities, Quality of the Marine Corps

62 The Navy is Changing the Way it Flies Cargo to Carriers

66 DoD, DoN Are Embracing, Executing the Public-Private

Partnership Model

72 Coast Guard Aims to Beef Up Information System Security

96 In My Own Words

BY NAVAL AIR CREWMAN (HELICOPTER) 1ST CLASS JOEL JAMES

HELICOPTER SEA COMBAT SQUADRON TWO