Surface Force Holds Culture of Excellence 2.0 Summit
31 May 2024
Norfolk, VA -- Commander, Naval Surface Forces (CNSF) hosted a Culture of Excellence 2.0 Summit May 29-30 in Norfolk.
Vice Adm. Brendan McLane, commander, Naval Surface Forces kicked off the event by speaking about the mission of the U.S. Navy, the Surface Force strategy, and emphasized the opportunity for the attendees to learn.
“We are here to discuss our warfighting culture, learn from each other, learn from those up and down the chain of command… and the wisdom is going to be broad and deep,” said VADM McLane. “Leaders, warriors, mariners, and managers… that’s the number one line of effort of our Competitive Edge strategy, because that’s the most important thing… so it’s no mistake that we’re going to be talking about people and the culture that supports them.”
More than 500 Sailors, civilians, and family members attended the two-day event, hearing from a host of keynote speakers, that included Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby, as well as dozens of active, reserve, and retired Navy leaders across a variety of panels, all centered around this year’s theme of Warfighting, Warfighters, and the Foundation that supports them.
Launched in early 2024, and rooted in the Navy’s “Get Real, Get Better” (GRGB) call to action, COE 2.0 is focused on building Great People, Great Leaders, and Great Teams, with the knowledge that this is the best way to prepare for victory in combat, innovate and solve hard problems, and prevent harmful behaviors.
Panel topics included:
• Developing and Leading a Culture of Warfighters
• Leveraging Tools to Perform Under Pressure
• Answering the Tough Questions
• High Pressure Decision Making
• Advancing Climate and Culture
• Combatting Destructive Behaviors
• Fostering a Warfighting Environment of Inclusion
The event was designed to serve as a drumbeat for the commitment to excellence as a Force and empower the Fleet to achieve warfighting excellence by fostering mental, physical, and emotional toughness; promoting organizational trust and transparency; and ensuring connectedness among every Sailor, family member and civilian.
“I think this Summit was an excellent start to elevate Culture of Excellence initiatives across the surface force, and having junior Sailors, the Chiefs Mess, and the wardroom all participate definitely opened up the conversation on a number of important topics,” said Command Master Chief Joezette Julien, assigned to USS Tortuga (LSD 46). “Throughout the event, I felt engaged, and it’s inspired me to be a better CMC, person, and leader and address areas where I may have blind spots and can better serve my Sailors.”
As the event concluded, McLane provided closing remarks, where he expressed the need to inculcate the tenets of the Culture of Excellence across the Surface force.
“What I love about COE 2.0 is it’s going to give us warfighting advantage… when we get into the fight, whoever adapts faster, learns quicker and can make the adjustment is the one who’s going to be able to win,” McLane said.
COE 2.0 aims to simplify, streamline, and align many Navy programs that share the same objectives, including: Get Real, Get Better, Warrior Toughness, Suicide Prevention, and Quality of Service. A full list of resources is available at: https://www.mynavyhr.navy.mil/Support-Services/Culture-Resilience/Culture-of-Excellence/
The mission of Commander, Naval Surface Force is to man, train, and equip the Surface Force to provide fleet commanders with credible naval power to control the sea and project power ashore.