LEXINGTON PARK, Md. – Over 200 attendees gathered on May 29 for the Naval Aviation 3-Star Summit, themed "Advancing Naval Aviation Readiness for the High-End Fight," in Lexington Park, Maryland. The event, hosted by The Patuxent Partnership, the Association of Naval Aviation, and the Marine Corps Aviation Association, marked a significant gathering of key leaders from the Naval Aviation Enterprise.
For the first time, NAVAIR Commander Vice Adm. Carl "Chebs" Chebi, Commander of Naval Air Forces Pacific Vice Adm. Daniel "Undra" Cheever, Director of the Air Warfare Division (N98) Rear Adm. Michael "Buzz" Donnelly, and Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lt. Gen. Bradford "Gilla" Gering assembled to discuss critical issues facing naval aviation.
During the 90-minute panel, topics ranged from recruiting and retention challenges to budget constraints, joint capability development, accelerating capability delivery, unmanned aviation, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), and Live Virtual Constructive Training.
Vice Adm. Chebi initiated the conversation by addressing improvements to the requirements process to enhance flexibility within the naval aviation community. Rear Adm. Donnelly acknowledged the need for a more agile approach, stating, "There is a recognized shortfall in the speed we need to move with innovation…to take advantage of what industry can do. The current process cannot keep up with the way we are doing things right now."
Chebi emphasized leveraging existing authorities and flexibilities to enhance warfighting capabilities and platform availability, despite the long and laborious process involved.
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The Patuxent Partnership, Association of Naval Aviation and Marine Corps Aviation Association hosted a Naval Aviation 3-Star Summit in Lexington Park, Maryland. The evening's theme was "Advancing Naval Aviation Readiness for the High-End Fight." Panelists included NAVAIR Commander, Vice Adm. Carl Chebi; Commander, Naval Air Forces Pacific, and "Air Boss" Vice Adm. Daniel Cheever; Director, Air Warfare Division (N98) Rear Adm. Buzz Donnelly; and Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Aviation Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering.
Addressing retention and recruiting, Vice Adm. Cheever highlighted gaps in the enlisted ranks and the need for more young apprentices to ensure smooth transitions to journeyman and supervisory roles. He noted, "In the officer ranks, we're mitigating department head shortages, as well as junior officer shortages, by assigning temporary duty in key billets. The flexibility and standard of excellence in naval aviation ensures even those who didn't train with the team can seamlessly join the team."
Lt. Gen. Gering provided the Marine Corps perspective, noting that while recruitment and retention goals are being met, balancing crisis response with modernization remains a challenge. He stated, "Crisis response is a must pay bill; we must look for trade space in modernization with a fixed top line."
The panel also discussed collaboration with other services on future launch weapons solutions, with Donnelly noting increased cooperation, particularly with the Air Force, in developing long-range and penetrating weapons, as well as air-to-air capabilities. He also highlighted the importance of industry partnerships and legislative support for multi-year procurements.
A key topic was the replacement of the T-45 Goshawk training aircraft. Donnelly emphasized a holistic approach to the undergraduate training system, incorporating virtual reality and simulation to adapt to modern learning methods. He explained, "We recognize with the precision landing mode we expect in future fighters… landing on a carrier may not be the most difficult portion of the mission. We can reduce some of the workload we're putting into carrier landings, freeing up time to focus on more complex tasks such as information processing and decision making."
Automation and AI were also significant discussion points, with Chebi urging the audience to provide input on potential improvements. Gering noted the potential of AI and ML to enhance aviation safety and address logistical challenges in high-end combat scenarios.
The summit concluded with reflections on a video teleconference with leadership from the deployed Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group, highlighting the real-world application and effectiveness of naval aviation capabilities. Chebi remarked, "My takeaway is, it's really impressive to see the capability employed today in the Red Sea. We provided that capability by working together toward an outcome that matters – delivering the capability the fleet needs, when they need it, so they can deter, fight, win and return home safely."
Donnelly added, "The operations conducted in the Red Sea validate decades of planning, development, and investment that we've gotten out of the fleet. It validates our ability to react very quickly to recognize the gaps and get solutions back immediately to the fleet to give them the advantage we require."
The 3-Star Summit served as a follow-up to the TPP-hosted Defense Summit in March, enhancing dialogue with industry members and educating the public on the critical role of naval aviation in national defense.
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