APRIL 11, 2025 – Acting Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jim Kilby attended the Navy League’s Sea-Air-Space exposition at National Harbor, Maryland, April 7-9.
Sea-Air-Space is an annual maritime exposition that brings together defense industry leaders and military decision-makers to discuss advancements in the maritime domain. The theme of this year’s exposition, “From Seabed to Space,” covers the broad scope of maritime security, addressing threats and operations from underwater to outer space. It emphasizes the need for integrated defense strategies to address all maritime challenges.
“I’m encouraged by the national focus on the importance of the maritime industry,” said Kilby. “The Navy is laser-focused on warfighting and our warfighters to ensure the most lethal, combat-credible, and ready force possible.”
During the exposition, Kilby moderated a panel titled “Ready Our Platforms,”which included key Navy leaders responsible for manning, training, and equipping the force. He discussed strengthening the integration between the U.S. Navy and the industrial base which he said is a key requirement for the Navy to achieve and sustain an 80 percent combat surge-ready (CSR) posture for ships, submarines, and aircraft by 2027.
ACNO indicated the CSR posture will be met by ensuring platforms are brought in and out of maintenance on time and adopting new approaches to training, manning, modernization, and sustainment.
“We have scaled our efforts across all aviation platforms and are pushing forward in the surface and submarine communities,” said Kilby. “We are thinking, operating, and acting differently to achieve our goals.”
At Sea-Air-Space, Kilby also met with many Allies and partners and held formal bilateral meetings with his counterparts from Denmark, Chief of the Royal Danish Navy Rear Adm. Soren Kjeldsen; and Spain, Chief of Staff of the Spanish Navy Admiral Antonio Piñeiro Sánchez to reaffirm their shared commitment to maritime security and discuss opportunities to enhance interoperability.
Kilby concluded his time at Sea-Air-Space meeting with industry leaders where he reaffirmed the Navy’s commitment to achieving peace through strength, and discussing their mutual focus on ensuring the U.S. Navy remains the greatest fighting force in the world.