Lessons from the U.S. Navy on Building a Culture of Learning

Five years ago, U.S. Navy leaders faced a massive strategic challenge: to get more of its fighter aircraft ready for takeoff.

The F/A-18 strike fighter is one of the U.S. military’s most important aviation assets, but during the 2010s, it faced a consistent problem: Too many of them were unavailable due to maintenance needs or other reasons. By 2018 almost half of the F/A-18s in operational squadrons were “down” at any time. In financial terms, that represented billions of dollars of assets sitting in hangars around the world. In military terms, it meant that many F/A-18 squadrons were not fully mission ready.

In 2018, Secretary of Defense Mattis directed the Navy to increase the number of ready F/A-18s from 260 to 341 jets within one year, citing a clear mission-driven requirement. Many military leaders didn’t think that improvement was possible. Yet by bringing a renewed focus on organizational learning and embracing different behaviors, problem-solving tools, and collaboration approaches, the Navy not only achieved that goal but exceeded it — and sustained the gains.