Q & A - ADM. JONATHAN W. GREENERT, USN

Navigating ROUGH SEAS

Interview by Contributing Editor Tom Philpott

IN AUGUST 2011, A MONTH BEFORE NAVY ADM. JONATHAN W. GREENERT became the 30th chief of naval operations (CNO), Congress and President Barack Obama made his job harder by negotiating and enacting the Budget Control Act (BCA) with its budget sequestration mechanism. ■ Part of that law had Congress establish a committee of lawmakers to find $1.5 trillion in entitlement cuts and tax reforms. When it failed, the law inflicted its own deficit-reduction formula: automatic cuts of $1.2 billion over a decade, half from defense, to be imposed under an across-all-accounts “sequester” mechanism, unless Congress provides relief. ■ Greenert, a nuclear power-trained submariner, describes the challenges the Navy faces today, even as the facts on budget shortfalls and fleet readiness raise alarms.