'A global force of good'

COEUR d'ALENE - There's more to the U.S. Navy than you know. Some days sailors might be countering piracy, halting toxic waste dumping or providing humanitarian relief in Haiti and the Gulf of Mexico. Vice Admiral Bruce Clingan calls it a global form of good.

COEUR d'ALENE - There's more to the U.S. Navy than you know.

Some days sailors might be countering piracy, halting toxic waste dumping or providing humanitarian relief in Haiti and the Gulf of Mexico.

Vice Admiral Bruce Clingan calls it a global force of good.

"We're not just at sea steaming around," Clingan said at The Press office on Friday. "We're doing all these other things around the world. We were doing them before Iraq and Afghanistan, and we'll be doing them long afterward."

Few know better than Clingan, deputy chief of naval operations for operations, plans and strategy, who conducted a PR tour in Coeur d'Alene and Spokane last week for Spokane Navy Week 2010.

Clingan's chief goal was discussing the mission of the Navy to boost recruitment.

Many aren't aware of some of the Navy's current efforts, Clingan said, like the 14,500 soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan to help in restructuring the countries.

Clingan is confident that an end is in sight, even if it is a distant sight.

"At this point, Iraq has reached a mature phase," Clingan said. "We're working hand in glove to turn over security responsibilities to that government."

Afghanistan, on the other hand, is still in a build-up phase, he said, where troops are aimed at increasing stability to help the government establish an Afghani form of democracy.

"We are encountering resistance from the Taliban who don't want that effort to succeed," he said. "We expect that will succeed over time."

Even as the number of offensive troops are reduced in the Middle East, he added, soldiers will still remain to establish social services and secure a safe environment.

The Navy is also scattered around the world providing maritime security, Clingan said, addressing illicit activities like drug trafficking, piracy and illegal dumping.

With so many opportunities to serve in different ways, the vice admiral said, he anticipated a draft would not be necessary to attract sailors.

"There's a call among young men and women to serve, to be part of something bigger than themselves," he said.

Recruitment has been high, Clingan added, both because of the nation's patriotic reaction to 9/11 and the diminishing workforce opportunities during the economic downturn.

The Navy hopes to maintain its appeal by enhancing its compensation package, he said, which might soon include a measure allowing servicemen and women to take time off to start a family.

"We want them to have a balanced lifestyle," he said.

The Navy is also fixed on improving providing benefits for disabled veterans, Clingan added.

"Our understanding of related challenges of veterans coming out of conflict has expanded in leaps and bounds," he said. "We're addressing these with real solutions."

Clingan, who acted as deputy director of operations during operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom, said he has seen the results of the Navy's global policy firsthand.

Like when he was touring the less secure areas in Iraq during the ongoing battle in Anbar Province.

Although the fight was only a few days away from a U.S. victory, he remembered, he watched a Navy general give the message to stop fighting and pursue a non-violent solution.

"It was a powerful moment, even though we would have preferred to go on to a military victory," Clingan said. "In the Navy we call ourselves a global force of good. That includes demonstrating basic principles of democracy."