NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. — The 2024 Sea-Air-Space Exposition (SAS) hosted by the Navy League of the United States brought together defense industrial base, private-sector U.S. companies and key military decision-makers for an innovative, educational and professional maritime-based event at the Gaylord National Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland, April 8, 2024.

Day one of the SAS Expo started with a Chiefs Leadership Panel where Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti spoke alongside Gen. Christopher Mahoney, Assistant Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Adm. Linda Fagan, Commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Rear Adm. Ann Phillips (ret.), administrator for the Department of Transportation Maritime Administration. The panel discussed how the nation’s forces work with industry partners under the National Industrial Defense Strategy and operate in order to meet the requirements of the National Security Strategy. The sea services are focusing on fulfilling the mission of those documents within the constrained budget requirements.

“It’s pretty clear that we need a bigger Navy and every study since 2016 has said we need a larger Navy,” said Franchetti. “The more important thing right now is having a ready Navy. When you talk about more players on the field, that really is ready players on the field.”

The Navy’s top officer focused on manning every platform and its importance to fielding lethal and capable units at sea.

“In this decisive decade we are focused on readiness as we continue to invest in the infrastructure that is going to set the conditions to accelerate our shipbuilding,” Franchetti said.

In the following panel, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy James Honea spoke more in depth on readiness focused on prioritizing the culture of service. He was joined by Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Heath Jones, Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Carlos Ruiz, retired 13th Force Master Chief of the Navy Reserve Ronney Wright, and retired Air Force Major Michael Kelly.

“My first priority is to make sure that our Sailors are the best warfighters they can be,” said Honea. “Since October 13, 1775 the mission of the Navy has not changed. We’re going to put our Sailors on warships, sail them into harm’s way, and they’re going to fight and win.”

Honea said beyond warfighting, he wants to ensure the Navy is invested in Sailors’ professional character development and education. He described that today’s Sailors are expected to solve problems that leadership anticipates and fostering professionalism and critical thinking skills in the fleet leads to effective responses to threats not yet seen.

“I’m very confident that we’re heading in a good direction,” said Honea. “We continue to make our warfighters the best that they can be, to make sure they’re the best humans they can possibly be and that they understand they’re valued and invested in to be part of this organization.”

At a panel focused on empowering the next generation of leaders, Rear Adm. Brett Mietus, director of Navy Culture and Force Resilience Office, spoke about how the next generation of leaders can break the mold of their predecessors and use readiness to create collaborative engagement to propel the Navy into the next generation.

“Today leaders have to focus on people,” said Mietus. “Build them individually, and their strength and resilience of their mind, body, and spirit.”

Mietus added that transparency is key to modern leadership, challenging today’s leaders to show their teams what right looks like and explaining reasoning behind decisions when appropriate. Rear Adm. Amy Bauernschmidt, 7th Fleet deputy commander, also spoke at the panel, reflecting on positive leaders she encountered during her career.

“Most of the good leaders I’ve watched communicate much more frequently,” said Bauernschmidt. “They talk a lot more about the mission. They build that connective tissue between really important work that everyone’s doing whether it’s on the deck plates or in the shipyard.”

Prior to day one, the Navy League also held a day-long STEM Expo where different exhibits demonstrated different areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

“STEM is important because it is the foundation for tomorrow,” said Capt. Randy C. Cruz, executive officer of U.S. Naval Research Laboratory. “On a day-to-day basis, everything tech related goes back to STEM. How we fight, how we live, and how we communicate are all directly tied to STEM as well.”

The SAS Expo is scheduled to continue through April 10th and attendees can expect to experience networking opportunities, guided VIP tours, professional development opportunities and keynote speakers at session panels on several significant topics of technology, policy education and sea service support.