USA: CJCS Senior Enlisted Advisor Discusses Joint Force 2020

More than 150 Sailors attended an all hands call with Marine Corps Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia, senior enlisted advisor to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Naval Base Kitsap March 14.

Battaglia’s main focus during the discussion was the development of the Joint Force 2020 and the Total Force Fitness initiatives.

According to Gen. Martin Dempsey’s, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, strategic direction of Joint Force 2020, they are developing the joint force  the US nation will need in the year 2020. Battaglia said keeping our military the best led, trained, and equipped in the world is a non-negotiable imperative.

 “There is going to be some creativity in working around our budget constraints,” said Battaglia. “You may see some distance learning education through online, instead of sending Sailors [temporary assigned duty]. This will cut down on paying per diem, and help save money that way.”

Dempsey said the forces will need to be even more joint, advancing interdependence and integrating new capabilities.

 “We are going to use some innovative ways to control the budget,” said Battaglia. “We may combine schools from different services that teach the same thing. We are going be smarter in the way we work. The money just isn’t there to maintain three schools teaching the same thing.”

Total Force Fitness is a framework for building and maintaining health, readiness, and performance in the Department of Defense. It views health, wellness, and resilience as a holistic concept where optimal performance requires a connection between mind, body, spirit, and family/social relationships.

“This is about resiliency,” said Battaglia. “Having the toughness to ease the blow and be able to maneuver and navigate through some kind of crisis and return your body and your mind back to an optimal level of performance.”

Following the presentation, Battaglia answered questions and passed out coins to some of the NBK outstanding Sailors.

“I thought this all hands call was great. It was very informative,” said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Tara Gonga, assigned to NBK security. “It helps clarify things, and I am leaving today more confident that our leadership has our backs. They are doing things to help better us as Sailors and as people.”

During Battalgia’s tour of Navy Region Northwest he also visited Naval Base Kitsap Bangor, Coast Guard District 13, and Coast Guard Base Seattle.

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Naval Today Staff, March 18, 2013; Image: US Navy