ADM GARY ROUGHEAD, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS

Ahhhhhh................it feels so good. Mmmmmmmm Don't mind me, I'm just savoring victory. It's like having a mouthful of M&Ms melting on my tongue, as I sink into the jacuzzi at the Spa in Foxwoods while I wait for my body polish........it feels good.

This was in my inbox this morning, with a note "Let the bragging begin!"

FM CNO WASHINGTON DC//N00//
TO NAVADMIN
UNCLAS//N05060//
NAVADMIN 248/07
MSGID/GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/N00/SEP// SUBJ/CNO MESSAGE TO THEFLEET// GENTEXT/REMARKS/
1. THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONTINUE TO SERVE AND TOLEAD OUR NAVY IS THE HIGHEST HONOR FOR ANY NAVAL OFFICER. ASSUMING THELEADERSHIP OF OUR NAVY FROM ADMIRAL MIKE MULLEN IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE.HIS VISION, DRIVE, AND COMMITMENT TO THOSE WHO SERVE HAVE POSITIONED USWELL TODAY AND FOR TOMORROW. I KNOW ALL OF YOU JOIN ME IN WISHING HIMAND DEBORAH EVERY SUCCESS AS HE TAKES UP HIS NEW RESPONSIBILITIES ASCHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF.
2. I AM OF THE FLEET. IT IS WHERE I BEGAN AND WHERE, FOR THE PAST FOURYEARS, IN THE ATLANTIC AND PACIFIC, I HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF LEADINGOUR OPERATIONAL FORCES, NAVY AND JOINT. I HAVE WATCHED OUR SAILORSPERFORM MAGNIFICENTLY FROM THE HIGH END OF WARFARE TO THE MOST EXTENSIVEHUMANITARIAN OPERATION EVER UNDERTAKEN BY OUR MILITARY. I AM INSPIREDBY OUR INDIVIDUAL AUGMENTEES AND OTHERS ON THE GROUND. THEY ARE A NEWDIMENSION OF OUR NAVY AND ONE IN WHICH WE CAN ALL TAKE PRIDE. WE ARETRULY A READY, AGILE, AND GLOBAL NAVY.
3. MY PRIORITIES HAVE BEEN AND WILL REMAIN, MAINTAINING OUR CURRENTREADINESS, BUILDING A NAVY FOR TOMORROW, AND THAT WHICH UNDERPINS ALL WEDO, OUR PEOPLE ? OUR SAILORS, OUR CIVILIANS AND OUR VERY SPECIALFAMILIES, WHOSE HALLMARKS ARE SACRIFICE AND SELF-RELIANCE.A. CURRENT READINESS. MAINTAINING OUR WARFIGHTING READINESS WILLENSURE WE ARE AN AGILE, CAPABLE, AND READY FORCE. WE ARE CONTINUALLYGENERATING FORCES FOR THE CURRENT FIGHT AND ARE DEPLOYING AND EMPLOYINGOUR NAVY MUCH DIFFERENTLY THAN IN YEARS PAST. WE ARE SIMULTANEOUSLYPROVIDING READY NAVAL FORCES AND PERSONNEL FOR JOINT FORCE COMMANDERS,SUSTAINING FORWARD PRESENCE, FULFILLING COMMITMENTS TO ALLIES, ANDRESPONDING TO INCREASING DEMANDS IN REGIONS WHERE WE HAVE NOT ROUTINELYOPERATED, SPECIFICALLY SOUTH AMERICA AND AFRICA. OUR GLOBAL BLUE-WATERNAVY, CENTERED AROUND CARRIER STRIKE GROUPS, EXPEDITIONARY STRIKEGROUPS, AND SUBMARINES IS UNMATCHED, AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE OURCORNERSTONE. OUR FLEET RESPONSE PLAN WILL INCREASE OUR OPERATIONALAVAILABILITY AND ALLOW US TO OPERATE WITH MORE FLEXIBILITY.B. A NAVY FOR TOMORROW. THE MEANS AND METHODS OF CONFLICT AND THESECURITY ENVIRONMENT UNDERGO CONSTANT CHANGE. TECHNOLOGY AND NEWAPPROACHES ARE ADVANCING RAPIDLY. OUR SHIPS, SUBMARINES, AIRCRAFT,WEAPONS, AND NETWORKS MUST OUTPACE POTENTIAL ADVERSARIES. THE COST OFFUTURE SYSTEMS AND THE ABILITY OF OUR OVERALL ACQUISITION PROCESSES TOPACE THE SPEED OF TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION WILL CHALLENGE OUR ABILITY TODELIVER A BALANCED FORCE. ACCORDINGLY, WE MUST BE EXACTING INDEVELOPING REQUIREMENTS, MINDFUL OF THE FACTORS THAT INCREASE COST, ANDDISCIPLINED IN OUR PROCESS TO BE EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, AND TIMELY INDELIVERING FUTURE CAPABILITY.C. PEOPLE. OUR PEOPLE ARE THE FOUNDATION FOR ALL WE DO. ALL WEACQUIRE IS OF LITTLE WORTH WITHOUT THE PEOPLE WHO GIVE IT VALUE. OURPOLICIES AND PRACTICES MUST ENABLE US TO ATTRACT, RECRUIT, RETAIN ANDFULFILL THE MEN AND WOMEN OF AMERICA, AND OUR NAVY MUST REFLECT THEDIVERSITY OF OUR NATION. THE DEMOGRAPHICS, ATTITUDES, AND EXPECTATIONSOF OUR POPULATION ARE CHANGING AND WE MUST UNDERSTAND THAT DYNAMIC. OURPOLICIES MUST ADVANTAGE US AND ADDRESS THE MANY REWARDS OF SERVICE, ANDWE MUST BE UNWAVERING IN OUR OBLIGATION TO TAKE CARE OF THOSE WHO SERVEIN OUR NAVY AND THE FAMILIES WHO SUPPORT THEM. THIS IS PARTICULARLYIMPORTANT TODAY FOR THOSE SERVING IN INDIVIDUAL AUGMENTATIONASSIGNMENTS.
4. THOSE ARE MY PRIORITIES, BUT THERE IS ANOTHER DIMENSION TO OURFUTURE. WE HAVE A UNIQUE HISTORICAL, ORGANIZATIONAL, AND OPERATIONALRELATIONSHIP WITH THE U.S. MARINE CORPS. OUR FORCES TRAIN, DEPLOY, ANDFIGHT TOGETHER. OUR CAPABILITIES, PROGRAMS AND PERSONNEL ISSUES AREINEXTRICABLY LINKED. I AM COMMITTED TO THE NAVY AND MARINE CORPSPARTNERSHIP AND TO MAKING IT EVEN STRONGER AND MORE RELEVANT FOR THEFUTURE. WE CAN DO MUCH FOR OUR COUNTRY AS A NAVY-MARINE CORPS TEAM.
5. ALTHOUGH WE ARE AT WAR, I SEE MORE OPPORTUNITY THAN CHALLENGE ANDMORE IN OUR FUTURE THAN IN OUR PAST. I LOOK FORWARD TO LEADING OURNAVY. I AM EAGER TO MEET ALL THAT IS BEFORE US, AND TO SERVING WITH YOUAS WE FACE THE FUTURE AND SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITIES AHEAD.
6. RELEASED BY ADM GARY ROUGHEAD, CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS.//

Bravo Zulu, sir! Congratulations from the Swabbie Doxie who won the CNO Pool.