For over six decades, Sea Air Space has been bringing together the top innovators and leaders in the space and defense sectors. The Sea Air Space 2025 Exposition is the leading maritime exposition in the U.S. and featured key themes such as contested logistics, navy information warfare, and drone warfare and unmanned systems. With a dynamic mix of technology showcases, thought leadership panels, and interagency collaboration, the exposition plays a crucial role in shaping the future of global security and enhancing the U.S. Sea services readiness.
At this year’s expo, a major focus was placed on operational readiness. Top U.S. Navy leaders came together at the opening panel, “Ready Our Platforms,” to discuss one of the most pressing goals: achieving 80 percent Combat Surge Readiness (CSR) across submarines, aircrafts, and ships. Daniel Cheever, Vice Admiral of Naval Air Forces; Robert Gaucher, Vice Admiral of Naval Submarine Forces; Brendan McLane, Vice Admiral of Naval Surface Forces; Carl Chebi, Vice Admiral of Naval Air Systems Command; and James Downey, Vice Admiral of Naval Sea Systems Command, were members among the panel. Cheever highlighted the impact of CSR: “If we got to war, we have everything we need.”
According to Kilby, CSR-certified units must meet critical requirements in terms of training, munitions, manning, and material condition. While current CSR rates for carriers are between 67 to 70 percent, the panelists described significant efforts being made to close the gap. The aviation community was able to boost its F/A-18 Super Hornet readiness from 250 to 341 mission-ready aircraft in under a year, Cheever highlighted. This accomplishment inspired other communities to revamp their own maintenance and logistic strategies.
Chebi stressed the importance of using data, not anecdotes, to drive progress and added that the effort has since expanded to 22 other aircraft types. Each panelist emphasized the need for tighter planning, improved workforce alignment, and industry partnership to meet the goal of achieving 80 percent CSR and ensure that the fleet is prepared for any potential conflict.
Driving this readiness is a powerful mix of public and private sector innovation. The recent partnership between Intelsat and the U.S. Space Force is a notable example. Under the proliferated Low Earth Orbit (pLEO) program, Intelsat was awarded a contract to supply the Department of Defense (DoD) with maritime satellite connectivity.
“As a trusted provider of resilient satellite communication services to the U.S. Government for 60 years, Intelsat is uniquely positioned to offer value-added solutions to the Defense Department through this important program,” said David Broadbent, President of Intelsat Government Solutions. “Our partnerships with LEO operators, combined with our fleet of more than 55 GEO satellites and global infrastructure, position us to provide strong but flexible communications during critical missions.” The growing demand for cutting-edge communication capabilities to support global operations highlights the critical role of public-private innovation in defense.
Sea Air Space continues to be critical for aligning innovation, collaboration, and operational readiness. From establishing innovative industry partnerships to tackling the challenges of fleet surge capability, the expo showcased how the U.S. Sea services, and their partners are enhancing operational readiness to meet the demands of modern warfare.
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