SUMMARY

The Navy operates the Military Sealift Command for all armed services. The command consists of ships, tankers, and commercial vessels manned by civil service and contract personnel. The prime mission of the Military Sealift Command is to provide immediate sealift capability in an emergency. The ships of this command transport service personnel, their dependents, combat troops, and material throughout the world. Operating forces may command shore activities that are outside the jurisdiction of an area coordinator or that provide support only to units of operating forces. Such activities may include naval air facilities, communicantions facilities, naval and submarine bases, ship repair facilities, and supply depots. The operating forces carry out naval opera- tions needed to support the DON’s role in upholding and advancing the national policies and interests of the United States. SUMMARY Organization is not a new concept. Initially, you learned that in its simplest form, organization is the orderly arrangement of assets. As a person approaching middle management, you must understand the organization of our Navy. Our Constitution authorized the building and supporting of our Navy as well as the Army. The Constitution also stated that the President of the United States would be the Commander in Chief of the Army and Navy. You have read the examples of Presidential acts that show the power of the Commander in Chief. In 1949 the National Security Act (NSA) was amended, thus setting up the Department of Defense as we know it today. The NSA set up the position of SECDEF and gave the position presidential cabinet rank. The NSA also set up the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The Joint Chiefs of Staff are the top individuals from each service who advise the Secretary of Defense and the President on all military matters. The naval representative to the Joint Chiefs of Staff is the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The CNO is a member of the Department of the Navy, and so are you. The Department of the Navy is composed of three major parts: the Navy Department, the Shore Establishment, and the operating forces. This chapter discusses these major activities. REFERENCES Organization of the U.S. Navy, NWP 2, Depart- ment of the Navy, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, DC, March 1985. Organization of the Department of the Navy, Headquarters Organization Branch, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, Washington, DC, October 1985. Unified Action Armed Forces, JCS Pub. 2, The Joint Chiefs of Staff, Washington, DC, December 1984. 1-16