Photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Rossman
Across the U.S. Navy enterprise, we are in an era of transformation. It is an exciting time that is driven by, and driving, a broad spectrum of factors, from the lightning speed of technological change and the revolutionary impact of the Internet, to an uncertain global political landscape and asymmetric threats to our security. The pace of our transformation continues to accelerate. And by necessity, it will continue to accelerate, conceivably throughout the careers of every Sailor and officer who reads this article. Nowhere within the Navy is the pace of transformation more evident than within the Naval Oceanography Program. This multi-disciplinary effort provides naval, joint, and coalition warfighters with environmental understanding of the air, surface, and subsurface maritime battlespace to ensure knowledgeable decision-making, to assure safety and readiness for unencumbered global operations, and to enable dominant Sea Power. Supporting all facets of naval warfare, the Naval Oceanography Program is, of necessity, on the leading edge of Navy transformation efforts.
by Rear Adm. Fred Byus, USN
The Naval Oceanography Program
A prototype of a new atomic clock, currently under development at the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington, D.C. When completed, this clock will provide more precise positions for weapons targeting, more reliable digital data transfer, and enhanced integrated voice and data capabilities across the Department of Defense.
Photo by Chief Warrant Officer 4 Seth Rossman
The U.S. Naval Observatory, Washington, D.C., serves as the headquarters for the Oceanographer/Navigator of the Navy. Its missions include maintaining a precise time reference and a celestial reference frame for the Department of Defense.
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