from the editor

Positive Outlook

No one can predict the future, but understanding past struggles can shed light on how to proceed. From storm forecasting to the future of the Navy, we take a look at where the military is headed.

Writing this column should have been one of the easiest tasks I had to complete this month. After all, one of the features in this edition of Military Officer is about the weather, and everyone knows, when you are looking for something to say, just talk about the weather. It is one of the only experiences everyone has in common, is ever-changing, and is something about which most everyone has an opinion.

Thankfully, talking about the weather is much simpler than the science of studying and forecasting storms, especially those that can turn destructive and deadly. The importance of being able to accurately forecast the weather can be the difference between success and disaster, as was the case for Navy Adm. William Halsey when he steamed into Typhoon Cobra with Task Force 38 in 1944. In “Typhoon Watch,” page 58, Don Vaughan looks at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, an organization that can trace its roots back to Halsey’s experience on the rough seas.

Facing a storm of a different sort, Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Jonathan Greenert has the unenviable task of moving the U.S. Navy forward in a volatile atmosphere brought on by sequestration, tighter budgets, a smaller force, and an uncertain world. For our cover story, “Navigating Rough Seas,” page 52, Contributing Editor Tom Philpott sat down with the CNO to discuss a wide range of topics. From the immediate impact sequestration and the budget have had on the fleet to building and sustaining a Navy for the future, Greenert talks about the challenges of ensuring his force is ready, capable, and equipped despite fiscal uncertainty.

Military Officer also is pleased to bring you the best of MOAA’s 2014 patriotic photo contest*. Judges have sorted through the entries and selected the images they feel best reflect the themes of the four categories — camaraderie, military family, on duty, and vintage. See this year’s winning images in “Through the Lens,” page 62.

In the June edition of Military Officer, we provided a recap in Washington Scene of MOAA’s annual Storming the Hill legislative blitz and, in Chapters in Action, the Council Presidents’ Seminar. One important element of that week’s events is the Col. Arthur T. Marix Award ceremony, during which MOAA recognizes those who have been strong supporters of the uniformed service and defense communities. Read about the 2014 recipients of MOAA’s highest awards in “Marix Awardees Exemplify Service,” page 27.

With help from leaders like these, MOAA is working to secure a future in which servicemembers and their families receive the benefits they earned through service. You can help, too. Visit www.moaa.org/action to learn how to make your voice heard.
— Capt. Gordon J. Hume, USN (Ret)

*online: Enter MOAA’s 2015 patriotic photo contest. Learn more at www.moaa.org/photocontest.