PITTSBURGH — Butler-native Adm. Jonathan Greenert, who will retire from his post as chief of naval operations in September, says the future of the U.S. Navy is strong.

Greenert, the Department of the Navy's most senior officer, was in Pittsburgh Wednesday. He spoke about accountability at the Riverside Community Correction Center before speaking about the status of the Navy at the Pittsburgh Athletic Association.

He said global communication and trade relies heavily on the ocean.

“It makes the world go around,” he said.

Greenert said the increasing use of international waters means a stronger demand for a naval presence.

“We need to keep those crossroads open” he said. “If there is an area we need to get to, we need to get to it quickly.”

The Navy has 273 ships. Greenert said that number will grow to 300 by the year 2020.

While several new ships and carriers are under construction, Greenert said he has concerns about how the government will pay for new submarines with price tags of $6 billion each.

Greenert said the Navy's budget is about $130 billion.

“But most of that is for payroll,” he said.

The Navy gets about $15 billion per year to upgrade its fleet.

Diplomatic relations

Greenert said maintaining diplomatic relationships with other countries is a key part of his job.

He said those relationships can change quickly.

“Only 2½ years ago, I had the current chief of the Russian Navy in my house,” he said. “We toasted to meeting up in St. Petersburg. Now we have no naval relationship with Russia.”

He said advancing a working relationship with China is one of the most important tasks for the United States.

“I'm actually a little jealous,” he said of the Chinese Navy. “They have a lot of money and a lot of support.”

The country is rapidly increasing its navy, he said.

“They are modernizing very quickly,” he said. “They are re-creating their navy and building a lot of new ships.”

Greenert called the country a superpower, but said its navy still lacks the training and tradition of the U.S. Navy.

“They don't have the training processes to keep up with their production,” he said. “They're building faster than they can support.”

Greenert said it is up to the U.S. to engage in conversations with China to assist it in becoming part of the global community.

“They need to be a responsible navy of the world,” he said.

Recruitment, training

Greenert said Navy recruiting is steady, but said retention is an area in need of improvement.

He said women in the Navy are leaving in their early 30s, often to start a family.

Greenert said the Navy would like to be 25 percent to 30 percent women. It's currently about 23 percent female.

He said he would like to see great development in how the Navy trains — specifically using advancing technologies in the classroom.

“We need more cyber warriors,” he said.

Retirement pending

Greenert admitted he never thought he would make a career in the Navy.

He said that limited funding for college pointed him in the direction of the military academies.

He applied to the U.S. Military Academy, the Coast Guard and the U.S. Naval Academy.

“The Coast Guard rejected me because I wore glasses,” he said.

He attended the U.S. Naval Academy because his uncle was a member of the Navy.

“Other than that there was no real legacy of service,” he said about his family. “We had no career Navy people.”

Greenert graduated in 1975 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Ocean Engineering and completed studies in nuclear power for service as a submarine officer.

“I had no desire to stay there long term,” he said.

He said he was ready to leave in 1980, but the Iranian hostage crisis prolonged his deployment.

“Because of that, I missed a job opportunity I had set up,” he said.

He took a second tour of duty and was stationed in Hawaii. It's there where he met his future wife, Darleen, who also was serving in the Navy.

“We got married,” he said. “She liked the Navy life.”

Opportunities kept presenting themselves to Greenert, who advanced his career while being stationed all around the world, including Guam, Japan, the Pacific Northwest and San Diego.

He said his background in nuclear power and administrative finances separated him from other disciplines.

“It made me a commodity,” he said.

Greenert said one highlight of his career was taking command of a submarine.

“It is the ultimate responsibility,” he said.

He said his time in Japan also stood out when reminiscing.

He said he accepted a promotion to admiral in 1998. Before he knew it, he was being considered as a candidate for chief of naval operations.

The position is appointed by the president and approved by the U.S. Senate.

He admitted he was nervous when he was interviewed by President Barack Obama.

“I was very nervous,” he said. “But he has an ability to calm you down before transitioning to your thoughts on the Navy. In the blink of an eye, the 30-minute interview was over.”