Volume 2
March 2016 Edition
Sea Services Face Future of Change
Heidi Buck, left, an engineer at the Space and Naval
Warfare Systems Center Pacific (SPAWAR), shows
CNO Adm. John Richardson a 3-D training
environment on display at the Navy Information
Warfare booth during WEST 2016. AFCEA-USNI
WEST 2016 speakers acknowledge need for strategic
agility
Sea Services Face Future of Change
The book on establishing and maintaining naval
supremacy may need wholesale revision as planners
confront the challenges facing the U.S. maritime forces.
What worked in the past might be, at best, obsolete and, at
worst, counterproductive, as the U.S. Navy deals with two
potential peer rivals and possible conflicts ranging from
asymmetrical sparring to overt maritime control.
These were among the topics panelists and keynote speakers discussed at WEST 2016 in San Diego last week. The threeday sea-services-centric conference, cosponsored by AFCEA International and the U.S. Naval Institute, centered on the
theme, “ How Do We Make the Strategy Work?” Experts examined issues through that lens, but suggestions outweighed
conclusions.
During the conference’s opening keynote address, former Supreme Allied Commander Europe Adm. James G. Stavridis,
USN (Ret.), said the threat picture largely influences the U.S. Navy’s strategy. The strategy, “ A Cooperative Strategy for
21st Century Seapower,” was published in March 2015. Adm. Stavridis, who is now the dean of The Fletcher School of
Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, described North Korea as the most dangerous country in the world.
Yet other threats loom large on the international stage. China continues to flex its muscle building islands to claim territory in
the South China Sea. China’s claim to the South China Sea is unsupportable, Ad. Stavridis offered, adding it will lead to
conflict not just between the United States and China but also with other Pacific partners.
The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) also poses a new type of threat. Along with its viciousness, ISIL has access
to considerable resources. “ The Islamic State is different because they raise money like a machine,” Adm. Stavridis
stated.
Rear Adm. Lorin Selby, USN, commander, Naval Surface Warfare Center, bluntly stated the need to look forward instead of
back for solutions. “ We’re playing a 21st century game with a 20th century rule book,” he told the audience during a panel
discussion. “ We’re going to get our clock cleaned.” The admiral’s long-term assessment reflected this sentiment. “ The
nation that can find and implement innovations quickly will lead this century.”
Information warfare (IW) is one area that is defined by technology, and the Navy is focusing on it across the entire breadth of
operations. Vice Adm. Ted N. Branch, USN, deputy chief of naval operations (CNO) for IW and director of naval intelligence,
explained that the Navy is looking to incorporate greater IW capabilities on existing platforms.
“ Information is a warfare domain and cyber is as important as the next missile or platform ...it’s now commander’s business,
requires an all-hands effort and a cultural change throughout the Defense Department,”
the admiral stated. “ If an
unmanned system does ISR [intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance], you should think IW,” he said.
The strength of the U.S. military lies in the ability to combine forces across domains; the key to success in that endeavor is
effective use of information.
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