In his role at NAVSEA, Sullivan oversees the construction and maintenance of all of the Navy’s ships, submarines, and aircraft carriers, and the sub-systems that comprise those vessels.

Sullivan discussed plans to build a new class of destroyers and cruisers and the possibility of implementing an electromagnetic launch system on aircraft carriers.

‘‘How do we move from a 278-ship Navy to a 313-ship Navy?” Sullivan asked, noting that the wonders of such technology are impressive, but they come with the heavy engineering price of increasing power demands.

Sullivan explained that a major challenge with building these new, technologically advanced ships is devising a way to power them and all of their complex subsystems. Furthermore, as these new plat-forms are integrated into the active Fleet, the Navy runs the risk of making its current force obsolete. Sullivan emphasized the need for continual maintenance and modern-ization of the afloat Navy.

The Raouf Memorial Lecture Series is held in honor of Dr. Raouf Ali Raouf, a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Mechanical Engi-neering Department from 1990 until his passing from cancer in 1997. Raouf is remembered as an extra-ordinarily gifted individual who managed an exceptional balance between the demands of a teacher and the rigors of a researcher. Raouf’s enthusiasm and his many research accom-plishments earned him the distinction of the 1996 Faculty Research Award.