II MIG and the New Battlespace

08/02/2021

The Marine Expeditionary Force Information Group (MIG) provides dedicated functions within the information environment to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force.

Utilizing the interconnectedness of troops and automated systems allows the MIG to operate effectively across this new battlespace.

U.S. Marine Corps video by Cpl. Peter G. Fillo & LCpl. Henry V. Rodriguez II)

CAMP LEJEUNE, NC.

07.16.2021

Amphibiosity on Display in Talisman Sabre 2021

07/31/2021

Soldiers from the ADF, U.S. Marines, Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, and Royal Marine Commandos participated in a combined joint amphibious landing and air assault as part of Exercise Talisman Sabre 2021 (TS21).

The troops took to the beaches and streets of Bowen, Queensland as part of simulated battles between two opposing forces.

Scenarios included a beach landing, securing of airfields and strategic areas and storming of positions at various locations.

Held every two years, TS21 is the largest bilateral training activity between Australia and the United States, aimed to test Australian interoperability with the United States and other participating forces in complex warfighting scenarios.

In addition to the United States, TS21 involves participating forces from Canada, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Re-Shaping the USMC as a Crisis Management Force: Working Naval Integration

07/30/2021

By Robbin Laird

The Marines are re-focusing their efforts from the Middle East land wars to shaping their way ahead to build a purpose-built force to facilitate sea denial and assured access in support of fleet and joint operations against potential adversaries.

One way they are doing this is working with the U.S. Navy in new ways to operate together.

Because the U.S. Navy is itself undergoing fundamental change as they return to a clear priority on blue water operations and littoral engagements, this means that the Marines are changing with a sense of urgency while the Navy is itself.

It is really an interactive engagement exploring ways to shape more effective crisis management and combat capabilities to deal with strategic competition.

During my visit to 2nd Marine Air Wing in July 2021, I had a chance to discuss the evolving approach with the G-3 or operations team at 2nd MAW.

I met with Col. Eilertson, the head of G-3, Maj. Barnes, the G-3 Future Operations Officer which involves the planning and engagement in exercises, and Col. (Ret.) Michael Watkins, the newly appointed senior civilian advisor in G-3.

We focused most of our discussion on the upcoming Naval exercise to be held in August. 

This exercise will focus on a variety of operational vignettes testing out a variety of ways the Navy and the Marines can work together in enhance joint maritime littoral warfare capabilities.

Maritime power is an essential element of the National Defense Strategy, in light of increasingly capable maritime adversaries it is absolutely critical to the success of our nation.

During the past two years, I have asked a number of Naval officers what they considered to be contributions which the Marines might make to the maritime fight and one of the most often capabilities highlighted was the possibility of deploying sensors as part of an inside force to facilitate sea denial and sea control in support of fleet operations and the joint force.

And this is going to be done in the August exercise.

They referred to the Marine Corps side of this as training to deliver maritime capabilities “far from the sea.”

A case in point is bringing the major sensor deployed by the Marines and setting up a sensor expeditionary base.

There they will be strategically postured to provide counter-air situational awareness for the Navy and operate from an expeditionary base within an enemy’s Weapon Engagement Zone.

Another example is refueling Navy aircraft from Forward Aerial Refueling Points or FARPS or expeditionary refueling points.

But here they are testing the ability of Marine Corps AAVs to do refueling of rotorcraft for the Navy.

A third example is training with P-8s.

One clear trajectory of change I have seen over the past two years is the Navy realizing that the capabilities onboard the P-8 in terms of sensors can be used more broadly for the joint force.

In terms of works with the Marines, this means working ways for what have been different data management and communication systems to be worked to become more integrated.

In the exercise, the Marines will work with P-8s in a variety of ways, including FARP refueling that will optimize sustainment of land operations ashore.

This is about Marine-Navy cross training which has not been done with regard to the P-8.

As one participant put it: “It’s a data sharing experiment.

“The Marines deploy in the littorals with our unique capabilities.

“And they integrate with the fleet in order to provide data which the fleet might not otherwise have access to.

“By so doing, we can paint a more accurate picture for the commander and joint force, so better targeting decisions can be made.”

As one participant noted: “We will have 2 TACRON representatives onboard on a ship and two deployed to the expeditionary base.”

As one participant noted: “The biggest thing with that exercise and that experimentation and training is working the targeting process.

“How do you speed up the process of target identification using machine aided decision making tools.”

In short, as the Marines undergo modernization in preparation for strategic competition, a key part of the effort is working more effective integration with the Navy and leveraging innovation being generated within the joint force.

US Navy Virtual Medical Operations Center

A video of Navy Medical Readiness and Training Command (NMRTC) San Diego’s Virtual Medical Operations Center.

NMRTC San Diego’s mission is to prepare service members to deploy in support of operational forces, deliver high quality healthcare services and shape the future of military medicine through education, training and research.

NMRTC San Diego employs more than 6,000 active duty military personnel, civilians, and contractors in Southern California to provide patients with world-class care anytime, anywhere.

(U.S. Navy video by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Luke Cunningham)

SAN DIEGO, CA.

07.16.2021

An Update on 2nd Marine Air Wing: July 2021

07/29/2021

By Robbin Laird

The Marines are undergoing a change with a sense of urgency associated with the strategic shift from the Middle East land wars to being effective in strategic competition. The Marine Corps exists to provide a globally deployable Naval Expeditionary Force in readiness, this means preparing for initial engagements in contested areas of operation and working within the Joint Force and our alliances to support the high-end fight if called upon to do so.

This is a strategic shift, but in many ways, it is a strategic shock moving away from the combat conditions and training associated with the Middle East to a wider variety of mission engagements in the Pacific and North Atlantic areas of operation. One noticeable constant is II MEF never stopped training to fight in any clime and place, to include spending more time training in the Nordic region with the Nordic allies.

But the blunt fact is that this generation of Marines have been engaged in the Middle East in counter-terror and related operations, not focused largely on operations in the littoral against strategic competitors. And to be clear, this requires crisis management skill sets specific to a wide diversity of situations which are likely to occur dealing with competitors in any region.

There have been new phrases coined suggesting how the Russians or Chinese operate in the new strategic environment such as hybrid war and operations in the gray zone. Clearly, the reset of the USMC involves being able to dominate in those situations as well as enabling the Joint Force and our allies to ramp up escalation capabilities as required.

During my July 2021 visit to 2nd MAW, I discussed this shift and its challenges with Marines, and with the CG of 2nd MAW, Maj. Gen. Cederholm. When I met with him last December, he highlighted the importance of increasing readiness for the force, and we started the July meeting by focusing on the Wing’s success in readiness over the past few years.

According to Cederholm, “We are in the process of approaching readiness levels that have not been seen in decades. On some days, our readiness rate has approached 73% of all our assets being flown. Marines at all levels have contributed to this success, one which is critical to enable us to meet our mission of being able to fight today.”

He then indicated that this was one of four key priorities being pursued by the Wing going forward. “Our first priority is to continue increasing our readiness rates by adding more combat depth through our formations. The second is to drive more lethality into our training and readiness (T&R) manuals. The third one is a combination of force preservation and force development, ensuring that we are training Marines, protecting Marines, and understanding risk, both organizational and institutional risk. The fourth is alignment to the future, or alignment to the 2030 force design effort.”

2nd MAW is clearly focused on the training piece as a key part of the way ahead. Major General Cederholm highlighted the need to train to fight today but to find ways in reshaping training and the T&R manuals to better position the Wing for the future fight.  What he argued is that even though the Marine Corps continues to clearly have capabilities to engage with peer competitors, the T&R manuals over the years of engagement in the Middle East appropriately focused largely on the operations in support of CENTCOM.

This clearly needs to change going forward. The Wing leadership is focused on finding ways to do this more effectively going into the future. “What types of missions do we need to do for the evolving peer fight? How can we write T&R manuals that train to those missions, and not just what we have done over the past twenty years?”

He argued that there is a clear need to shape an understanding of predictive readiness to be able to do the evolving missions which are required for the peer fight, something the Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chief of Staff of the Air Force have written about. “If we take our target as 2030, and we plan back from that, we can better inform our force design and development efforts.”

“2D MAW currently has planners in the EUCOM AOR who are looking to smooth out any inhibitors or barriers that would hinder our ability to operate in and around the European continent, but they’re also eyeballing the future to fall in alignment with our priorities, which is alignment to force design in the future.”

“How do we plug into the 2030 operating concept, what tools do they need, and what missions do they need to train to?   How do they integrate more effectively with the Joint Force and our alliances? How do they integrate into the kill web? We are working on that roadmap right now, and it will require a significant shift in how we educate and train our formations.”

“We are retooling for the future fight. At the same time, we’re prepared to answer the phone, time now, takeoff, and beat any and all potential adversaries out there.”

Although F-35s are in 2nd MAW, they are there as part of the training effort. 2nd MAW will be receiving its F-35s over the next five years, and will see the CH-53K as the latest USMC aircraft come to 2nd MAW prior to the rest of the USMC. Given that the VMX-1 detachment working the operational testing is actually at New River this makes a great deal of sense.

But given the approach which Maj. Gen. Cederholm outlined, he clearly thinks the Marines need to look at their new platforms in a specific way. That way was highlighted in a quote he cited from an individual he described as an “incredible defense leader” who asked him several years ago: “Why do we stuff the F-35 into our current operating concepts? Why don’t we take our current operating concepts and revise them based on the capabilities which the F-35 brings?”

Ed Timperlake and I would certainly agree with this point as we have been arguing such a point for more than a decade. I would quickly add, that the ability of an 8-ship F-35 wolfpack to fight as one, is not appreciated for the impact it could have if multi-domain warfare con-ops change.

But the Wing is receiving a new aircraft soon into the operational force, namely, the CH-53K and the CG had recently flown on the aircraft. He underscored: “I was amazed at the automation that’s built into the aircraft. To be honest with you, I can’t stop thinking about what the different possibilities are of how we can make this platform support our operating concept on the battlefield of today; but not just today, but on the battlefield of the future.”

And that is the real advantage of the reset which Maj. Gen. Cederholm is highlighting and working with his team at 2nd MAW: focusing on evolving missions, leveraging new capabilities to expand their capabilities to execute those missions, and to build out the Marines so they continue to be able to be a highly-effective and lethal contributor to the defense wherever and whenever our Nation may need.

An Update on Dassault: July 2021

07/28/2021

By Pierre Tran

Paris – Industry and government are still in contract talks for studies on a technology demonstrator for a European fighter jet, Dassault Aviation said in a July 22 statement on first-half financial results.

“The contract for phase 1B (under negotiation) is still to be signed,” the company said.

“This will cover all the work carried out jointly between France, Germany and Spain until 2024.”

The contract for phase 1B studies includes a demonstrator for a New Generation Fighter, a core element in the planned Future Combat Air System, backed by the three partner nations. Dassault is prime contractor on the planned fighter, which will effectively compete with the planned Tempest fighter jet, to be built by Britain, Italy and Sweden.

The companies on the Tempest project are in pursuit of a contract for concept and assessment work in the next few weeks, business daily Financial Times reported June 18, with a signing marking the first big step in launching the fighter, led by the UK and BAE Systems.

Meanwhile, talks “are being finalized” with the Direction Générale de l’Armement procurement office on intellectual property rights on FCAS, Dassault  said.

The German parliamentary budget committee approved last month Berlin’s share of an overall budget of €4.5 billion (US5.3 billion) for the phase 1B studies on the FCAS, just in time before the Bundestag closed for the summer recess and before general elections to be held in September.

The phase 1A studies on the FCAS demonstrators and the new fighter are continuing, Dassault said, with the focus on aerodynamics. The first wind tunnel tests are due to be held in September. The phase 1A studies began in February last year.

The joint concept study for FCAS, launched in January last year, is due to end soon, the company said.

Meanwhile, Airbus has negotiated a contract with the OCCAR European arms procurement office for a European medium-altitude, long-endurance drone, and that is due to be signed in the second half of the year, Dassault said, with the French company leading work on flight controls and mission communications.

On an Egyptian order for a further 30 Rafale fighter jets, that deal was excluded from the first-half financial results as Cairo has yet to pay the down payment, the company said. That order, once confirmed, will bring the Rafale fleet to 54 units for the Egyptian air force.

Egypt is expected to pay a 15 percent down payment on the latest deal, worth €3.95 billion, website Disclose reported. That deal includes the fighters and weapons from MBDA and Safran Electronics and Defense.

Greece took delivery July 21 its first of an order for 18 Rafales, with the Greek defense minister, Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, attending a ceremony at Istres flight test center, Dassault said in a statement. That was the first of 12 secondhand Rafales  to be sent from the French air force, to be followed by six new units to be built by Dassault.

The company delivered 13 Rafales for export, split between Egypt and Qatar.

Dassault reported operating profit rising to €175 million from €55 million a year ago, boosted by lower spending of own funds on research and development and higher net sales. The Covid 19 pandemic hit profit and sales in the first half last year.

The margin of operating profit over sales rose to 5.6 percent from 2.1 percent.

Net profit rose to €265 million from €87 million, with the contribution from its stake in Thales rising to €146 million from €85 million. Dassault holds a 25 percent stake in the electronics company.

The net profit margin rose to 8.5 percent from 3.3 percent.

Sales rose to €3.1 billion from €2.6 billion, with exports accounting for 87 percent. Orders rose to €3.9 billion from €984 million, raising the order book to €16.7 billion from €15.9 billion. Exports accounted for 82 percent of orders.

Cash holdings rose to €3.5 billion from €3.4 billion.

Dassault has sought to protect its intellectual property rights on technology to develop the fighter demonstrator –  the background – but is ready to share technology on building the fighter – the foreground.

The company maintained a forecast of delivery of 25 Rafales and 25 Falcon business jets for the full year. The R&D bill on development of the Falcon 6X and 10 X jets had weighed on the balance sheet.

Sub Readiness Squadron

Naval Submarine Support Centers changed their names to Submarine Readiness Squadrons (SRS), July 15.

The commands will be known as SRS 31 (Bangor), 32 (Groton), 33 (Pearl Harbor), and 36 (Kings Bay) and will continue to provide excellent support to submarine squadrons.

NORFOLK, VA.

07.15.2021

Video by Petty Officer 2nd Class Alfred Coffield

Commander, Submarine Force Atlantic

MAG-16 Readiness Training

07/26/2021

Aircraft with 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW), prepare to take off at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, July 14, 2021.

In a dynamic display of combat power that featured over 40 aircraft in MAG-16’s mass flight, the aircraft showcased the tactical capabilities that 3rd MAW uses to remain lethal and deployable on a moment’s notice.

MIRAMAR, CA.

07.14.2021

Video by Cpl. Nicolas Atehortua

3rd Marine Aircraft Wing