The Navy League of the United States remained vigilant in 2014 in its efforts
to educate the public and lawmakers in
Washington on the importance of strong
sea services and about the impact spending
cuts are having on the U.S. Navy, Marine
Corps, Coast Guard and U.S.-flag Merchant
Marine as they continue to be asked to do
more with less across the globe.
As Navy League National President
James H. Offutt noted in his April 2014
President’s Message in Seapower: “Without
the ways and means to realize or bring to
fruition a strategic plan, it becomes a hol-
low strategy. If we are cutting forces and
capabilities, then the American people
need to be accurately apprised of what its
military can and cannot do. The truth is
that less really is less.”
Through hosting sea service leaders as
speakers for the Special Topic Breakfast
series or at Navy League Council meetings
and events; Grass Roots Legislative Affairs
presentations for members of Congress;
and participation in community events
such as ship commissionings, port visits
and Navy Weeks, Navy Leaguers were able
to help get the message across.
But with the threat of full sequestration
returning for fiscal 2016 — which service
leaders say would cut force structure and
readiness to levels that would add significant risk to their ability to meet commitments — and a changing political landscape in Washington following the
November elections, these efforts will be
more critical than ever in the year ahead.
The Navy League’s other core mis-
sions are to enhance the morale of active-
duty personnel and their families, and
support youth through programs such as
the Naval Sea Cadet Corps, Navy League
Cadet Corps, Junior Reserve Officers
Training Corps and Young Marines that
expose young people to the values of our
sea services.
Navy Leaguers engage within communities and with sea service members in
myriad ways, from Pearl Harbor commemorations at the local level across the
country that involve veterans, active-duty
personnel and Sea Cadet units, and gala
events and balls to mark the respective
birthdays of the Navy, Marine Corps and
Coast Guard, to large-scale events that
bring all of the stakeholders together at
the national level, such as the annual Sea-Air-Space Exposition. For example, at the
U.S. Navy Birthday Ball in Washington,
hosted by Navy League National Headquarters, more than 1, 100 uniformed and
civilian military personnel, families and
friends gathered at the Washington Hilton
Hotel Oct. 3 to celebrate the Navy’s 239th
birthday. Offutt welcomed attendees to
officially kick off the annual event, and
introduced ADM Jonathan W. Greenert,
chief of naval operations, and Deputy
Secretary of Defense Robert O. Work, the
evening’s keynote speaker. Both noted
that support of organizations like the
Navy League throughout the year means a
great deal to the men and women in uniform and their families.
The Navy League concluded 2014
with the selection of a new president-elect at the annual Board of Directors
meeting at the Conference Center at the
Maritime Institute in Linthicum, Md.,
Nov. 12-15.
Florida Region President Skip
Witunski became president-elect after a
floor vote by the board members. He will
succeed Offutt at the 2015 National Convention June 16-21 in Tampa, Fla.,
Witunski’s hometown. He was serving as
chairman of the convention committee
at the time of his election.
A Navy League National Director
since 2007, Witunski noted in his plat-
form that his main focus will be on mem-
bership, communications and finances,
stating, “I feel these areas can reinforce
the idea of what we can accomplish with
our mission by pulling together to find
new ways to reach out to our members
and sea service partners.”
During the National Convention in
San Diego, a new slate of Navy League
officers was named. National Vice
Presidents include: Maria-Isabel Dickey,
Communications & Marketing; Mark
Heinrich, Sea Services; Lisa Gallinat,
Membership & Council Operations;
Thomas Jaffa, International Affairs;
Joseph Lissenden, Business Operations
and Investments; Max Miller, De-
velopment; David Reilly, Field Opera-
tions; Jack Ritter, Legislative Affairs; Tina
Swallow, Corporate Affairs; and David
Todd, Strategic Planning & Training.
Stewart Reuter is national treasurer,
Hugh O’Neill is national judge advocate
and Pamela Ammerman is national cor-
porate secretary.
The following is a status report on the
principal activities, events and accomplishments by the Navy League’s various
departments during the past year and a
look at what’s in store for 2015.
The Navy League:
Advocacy, Education & Support
NAVY LEAGUE
OF THE UNITED STATES
