Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro on Monday evening asked for input and solutions across the Navy and Marine Corps for program and process fixes that would eliminate inefficiencies and strengthen the service overall.
The “Running Fix” initiative, outlined in a Jan. 7 memorandum, includes a Phase I effort that seeks ideas for inclusion in developing the fiscal year 2026 budget in two areas, programmatic and organizational.
“Programmatic issues are programs, particularly acquisition programs, whose function or execution (cost, schedule, or performance) do not reflect current DON priorities, or have layers that can be removed without creating undue risk,” Del Toro wrote in his ALNAV memo. “Organizational issues are processes or organizations that do not reflect current DON priorities. In line with change management best practices, these issues will be limited to a small number of issues reflecting prioritization and probability of successful implementation.”
The new initiative will be co-chaired by two assistant Navy secretaries, Nickolas Guertin, who heads research, development and acquisition, and Russell Rumbaugh, financial management and comptroller. The co-chairs will sift through the ideas, what Del Toro calls “nominations,” and present a select list to the secretary by mid-December.
The Navy has created a portal (https://portal.secnav.navy.mil/orgs/FMC/Lists/RunningFix/ccs_NewForm.aspx.) for individuals with a rank equivalent of commander or higher to submit nominations for review. Organizations with cost saving ideas will have the chance to “retain those savings,” Del Toro said.
In February, a Navy-wide Phase II working group will convene to review programs that are related to the nominations and present findings for implementation at the end of the month.
“The DON will evaluate the timeline base on the development of Phase 1 of the Running Fix initiative and any adjustments to the schedule will be made accordingly,” a Navy spokesperson told Defense Daily.
A third phase will refine issues for inclusion in the FY ’26 budget process and Phase IV will be the implementation of selected ideas in existing processes, the secretary said.
Del Toro said Running Fix will allow for transparency accountability to best use taxpayer dollars and strengthen the Navy.