{"id":83896,"date":"2018-01-25T22:41:21","date_gmt":"2018-01-25T22:41:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2018\/01\/25\/us-navy-top-officer-to-new-surface-boss-unite-the-clans\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T00:01:19","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T00:01:19","slug":"us-navy-top-officer-to-new-surface-boss-unite-the-clans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/01\/25\/us-navy-top-officer-to-new-surface-boss-unite-the-clans\/","title":{"rendered":"US Navy\u2019s top officer to new surface boss: Unite the clans"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The Navy\u2019s top officer wants the surface community all moving in the same direction after a pair of collisions that claimed the lives of 17 sailors last summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adm. John Richardson said Jan. 18 that his directions to the new top surface warfare officer, Vice Adm. Richard Brown, was to synthesize the various groups within surface warfare and get them all on the same page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is just such tremendous talent in the surface warfare community and they\u2019ve been through some tough times recently,\u201d Richardson told a group of reporters. \u201cNot just physically tough times, but culturally as well. So bringing that team together and unifying that talent \u2013 unifying the clans<\/a> \u2013 so we can line up those vectors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Adm. Brown is the perfect person to take that handoff from Adm. Rowden<\/a>. If we get that team unified and together, that talent will lift us up beyond our expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brown took over the top surface warfare job from the outgoing Vice Adm. Thomas Rowden, who is set to retire. Rowden left weeks early after a recommendation from the Navy\u2019s independent review authority recommended he be relieved<\/a>. Rowden, who had announced his retirement months ago, stepped down early instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a follow-up statement to Defense News, Richardson reiterated that Brown was the right person for the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to congratulate Vice Adm. Rich Brown on his new command assignment,\u201d Richardson said. \u201cHe has my complete confidence to lead our talented and professional surface warfare force at this critical time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a leader who knows how to ensure our crews are ready for high-end war fighting. He\u2019s a leader that will improve operational safety. He\u2019s a leader that knows how to build winning teams. I strongly believe that he\u2019s the exact right person to move the surface community forward in meaningful ways to become stronger than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tribes<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The SWO community has seesawed back and forth between focus on readiness and material condition of its ships under Vice Adm. Thomas Copeman \u2013 who preceded Rowden \u2013 to a focus on increasing lethality and reach of its ships under Rowden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rowden sought to reinvigorate surface warfare by giving the community a unifying goal of \u201cdistributed lethality,\u201d a concept that sought to put as many missiles and systems on as many surface platforms as possible so that every ship on the surface was a potential threat to an enemy. <\/p>\n\n\n\t