Visiting MAG-26: The Perspective of Col. Spaid

01/04/2021

By Robbin Laird

During my visit to 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, and to New River Marine Corps Air Station, I had a chance to visit Marine Aircraft Group 26. Over the years, I have had a chance to come often to MAG-26 and to discuss the MV-22B Osprey, its introduction, its evolution and its progress. Each time I have come, I have had a chance to meet with the MAG and its commanding officer, who have been without exception, experienced, very competent leaders.

This visit proved no exception.

Col. John Spaid’s biography can be read below, but he has been with the Osprey since 2005. Indeed, he was part of the first Osprey deployment to Iraq in 2007, under Lt. Col. Rock (now Maj. Gen. Rock) and then with the first MEU deployment in 2009.

And we went back in history to discuss his initial experiences with the introduction and initial maturation of the Osprey.

Indeed, my first exposure to the Osprey was in a 2007 visit to MAG-26. In that discussion, we focused on how what was referred to me early on, as the Osprey Nation, was stood up and shaped a core group of combat warriors who brought such an innovative plane into combat and reshaped really how the Marines have operated since then.

In a discussion earlier this year with Lt. Gen. (Retired) George Trautman, the Deputy Commandant of Aviation when the Osprey was introduced into combat, he underscored that the approach was to introduce the Osprey into Iraq through an 18-month period with three groups of Marines each operating in Iraq for a six-month period. The first was head by now Maj. Gen. Rock, the second was by the current head of I MEF, and by Col. (Retired) “Mongo” Seymour.

Col. Spaid was part of that first squadron and indeed, with his co-pilot were the first to enter Iraq flying from the Middle East. His CH-46 squadron transitioned to Ospreys and he flew with that squadron to Iraq. He had flown with the HMM-263 in Iraq and was aware of its limitations and vulnerabilities, and saw the Osprey as providing capabilities for a different operational approach in Iraq.

“We could now operate at altitude with speed and range and able to circumnavigate the battlespace and then insert in a favorable point into that battlespace. We also had a more survivable aircraft with the new materials used for the air frame as well.”

The airplane was so different from legacy aircraft, that he jokingly compared his transition to the Osprey as equivalent for him of being inconceivably selected for the space program, with new technologies, new capabilities, and very different operational possibilities.

The tiltrotor capabilities were certainly and still are revolutionary, but the maneuverability side of the aircraft was also a challenging part of the Osprey revolution.

“The fly by wire capability and unique flight control system of the aircraft was new for the legacy rotary-wing community. And learning to fly it and get used to what it could do was exciting and a challenge to transition from the old ways of doing things. When I started working precision landings, it took a couple of days to adjust. It was not a normal aircraft and doing precision landings was different as well.

“Indeed, when I was first learning how to fly the aircraft in the simulator and even first flights in the aircraft, I believed that it was going to be an area weapon. There’s no way I’d be able to land precisely where I wanted to, but soon learned to do so with ease.

Then there was the tactical adjustment.

“Being able to operate high and fast while minimizing our time in the climb and dive then coming in unexpected, that was a tactical advantage that no one else had or seen.”

As the Marines were learning to use the aircraft in combat, my own observation was that Inside the Beltway, the aircraft started to get support from top leaders because it could take them around all of Iraq for inspections in a day, rather than having to operate over longer time within the limitations of how far a helicopter could fly.

Col. Spaid noted that indeed he had that experience of flying senior military around Iraq and doing so as I described it. For example, “On Christmas Day in 2007, we flew General Petraeus around to three or four different FOBs in a single day, and he loved the plane.”

Col. Spaid described the operational difference from a CH-46 in these terms: “A year and half earlier, I would fly a CH-46 from al-Assad out to al-Qa’im once a week. For rotary wing assets, you are going out West and the weather could be bad, and it was just a long-legged journey. With the Osprey, we did it daily.”

The Osprey started small in terms of deployment numbers for sure, but there was an esprit de corps to the team that would lead them to call themselves the Osprey Nation. It started by bringing back lessons learned from operations to then shape the TTPs for the follow-on squadrons.

As Col. Spaid put it: “In Iraq we spent a lot of time in the dust doing reduced visibility landings. We worked some initial tactics and procedures and brought those back to the squadrons. And that started an earnest process of refining tactics.

“We were a small community, but we came from a variety of aviation settings and platforms. And that mix of different experiences informed our approach on how best to operate the Osprey. We had a very good mix of healthy work ethics which drove innovative thinking.

“It was a melting pot of Marine Corps aviation. We all brought our best professional military aviator qualities into this effort, which means we had a unique opportunity to filter out bad habits that may have been lingering in our previous communities. We were working objective area mechanics and tactics for the aircraft and learning to fly the aircraft in those settings.”

But as the community grew, standardization needed to be shaped. “In the period from 2010-2012, we focused heavily on standardization as West Coast squadrons were standing up.”

Then in 2009, he deployed with the first MEU for the Osprey. Col. Paul “Pup” Ryan was their squadron commander. They operated in the CENTCOM area with Fifth Fleet. They were in Bahrain, Kuwait and Iraq during the first MEU tour for the Osprey. This was the first time the aircraft operated from the sea base to project power from the sea.

Col. Spaid served as the Aviation Maintenance Officer for that deployment. Among the 29 aircraft assigned to the composite squadron, 12 Ospreys were deployed with eight on the LHD and four on the LPD.

This was a learning challenge for the Navy as they had to adjust to Osprey operations and learn how it could operate from the ship, just as the Marines were learning how to maintain the new aircraft afloat. Eventually, the Navy officers onboard learned, in Spaid’s words, that “we could fix it faster, we could launch it faster, we could fold it faster than originally expected. In the end, the confidence of the Navy officers and crew grew.”

This experience clearly impacted CENTCOM leadership for it set in motion what would become known as Special Purpose MAGTFs, and in EUCOM and AFRICOM is now called the North Africa Response Force, the NARF. Combatant Commanders learned, in Spaid’s words: “that we could offload in Kuwait but operate all throughout Iraq. That was an eye opener for them.”

In effect, with the Osprey the Marines were finally demonstrating what a long range shipboard assault support asset could do while the entire concept of an ARG-MEU was transforming.

Then in 2010, the squadron took the Osprey to Afghanistan, where Lt. Col. “Buddy” Bianca was the commander, and I interviewed him prior to Afghanistan and after the first operations of the Osprey in Afghanistan as well.

This initial experience clearly has made Col. Spaid a plank holder in Osprey nation.

As Spaid put it: “Being a plank owner and setting up a squadron is one thing but taking that aircraft with the first squadron and doing the first MEU, doing the first combat deployment in Iraq, you’re not just the plank owner, you’re driving the ship that you built the plank on. It is liking being a plank owner for a revolutionary military advantage.”

But he noted that at the time you really did not focus on that.

“We were just doing our jobs. You focus on mission accomplishment; you don’t really understand the historical significance of the event at the time. There were some really significant contributions there from the whole team, but I don’t think you really appreciate it until later.”

When I first visited the flight line at New River in 2007, there were four aircraft on the tarmac. When looking at the tarmac, now there are a large number of Ospreys at rest, at least for a brief period of time between flights and operations. 13 years has brought significant change both to the Marine Corps and to the airplane and now will do so for the Navy as they introduce their variant of the Osprey.

As Col. Spaid put it: “All our Marines are smarter.  You still have hard working maintainers fixing the planes, but they are better armed with experience. Baseline pilot intellect is now through the roof. We’ve normalized what we thought was creative thinking and training.

“And now we’re asking them to be even more creative and train for the next strategic challenge.”

I asked him, what was a primary focus during his time as CO of MAG-26 with regard to the aircraft itself?

For Col. Spaid the answer to that question is sustainment, sustainment, sustainment. “a good number of the software upgrades we are making are with regard to reliability and benefit the maintainer and the maintenance process.   We are working hand in hand with the program office and with industry to find the best way to keep this aircraft reliable.”

We then discussed the decision by the Navy to buy the Osprey for its resupply role.

Col. Spaid highlighted several advantages.

First, there was enhanced prioritization to sustainment of the aircraft throughout the entire Naval Aviation Enterprise.

Second, was the benefit of training, as the Navy pilots are trained at New River and as the West Coast squadrons are stood up, there will be refresher training opportunities for Marines on the West Coast as well.

Third, with the Osprey deployed to both the carrier and amphibious fleets, there will be greater opportunity for parts availability across the fleet.

Fourth, there will be shared opportunities for upgrading the aircraft as well.

One area where I think this is clearly the case will be with regard to passive sensing on the aircraft and having the new MISR officers involved will bring benefits to both Marine Corps and Naval operators.

The initial training for USAF Osprey pilots and maintainers is at New River as well, but because the specialized mission and equipment on the USAF variant, there is less impact from commonality than will occur with regard to the Marines and the U.S. Navy working together, notably with the new emphasis on ways to shape enhanced Navy-Marine Corps integration as well.

But one area of partner training has occurred as the Japanese have acquired the Osprey and their pilots and maintainers trained at New River.

For Col. Spaid, the Japanese maturation at New River has been very significant and prepares the future for new FMS partners.

“As new FMS opportunities arise, we’ll be able to leverage off the great success we have had with our Japanese allies. We’ll change some things up a little bit, but it was a really good experience.”

In short, Col. Spaid was on the ground floor with the birth of Osprey nation.

And he is driving change as the next phases of Osprey operations unfold.

Colonel John Wesley Spaid, CO of MAG-26

Colonel John Wesley Spaid VI is a native of Louisiana and Texas.  He attended Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in May 1994. Colonel Spaid subsequently reported to Marine Corps Combat Development Command, Quantico, Virginia for initial officer training at the Basic School. Following graduation in June 1995, he reported to Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida for initial flight training. Colonel Spaid was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1997 and reported to Marine Corps Air Station New River for initial training in the CH-46E in December, 1997.

In April 1998, he reported to Marine Aircraft Group 16, Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, California and was subsequently assigned to HMM-164 then re-assigned to HMM-161. From August 2000 to February 2001, Colonel Spaid deployed with HMM-161(Rein) and the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit. Colonel Spaid attended the Tactical Air Control Party course at EWTGPAC and was designated as a Forward Air Controller in May 2001. He then reported to Third Battalion, Fifth Marines, Camp Pendleton, California to serve as the Battalion Landing Team (BLT) Air Officer.

From December 2001 to June 2002 Colonel Spaid deployed with BLT 3/5 and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit. Following his tour with 3/5, Colonel Spaid reported to Quantico, Virginia to attend the newly designated Expeditionary Warfare School from August 2002 to February 2003.

Prior to completing the academic year, Colonel Spaid was re-assigned to 3/5 to serve as the Battalion Air Officer during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM I from February to May 2003.

In June 2003, Colonel Spaid reported to HMM-263 at Marine Corps Air Station New River. From June 2004 to February 2005, Colonel Spaid deployed with HMM-263(Rein) and the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM II and served as the Aviation Combat Element Administration Officer.

He subsequently served as the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing Deputy A/CS G-1 and MV-22 Liaison Officer from May to October 2005, while HMM-263 stood down for the MV-22B transition.

In October 2005, Colonel Spaid reported to VMMT-204 at Marine Corps Air Station New River and designated an MV-22B pilot in April 2006. As a VMM-263 “plankowner”, he served as the Intelligence Officer and Assistant Operations Officer.

From September 2007 to April 2008, Colonel Spaid deployed with VMM-263 during Operation IRAQI FREEDOM 06-08.2.  He then served as the Marine Corps’ first Aviation Maintenance Officer for a composite Osprey squadron from April 2008 to February 2010, while deploying with VMM-263(Rein) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit.

During the summer of 2010, Colonel Spaid executed orders back to Marine Aircraft Group 16 at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and assumed the duties as the Tiltrotor Training Unit Officer in Charge and was responsible for all initial MV-22 pilot transition training for the West Coast.

He then assumed the duties of Executive Officer for VMM-165 from March 2011 to March 2012.  Colonel Spaid then deployed on a Joint Individual Augmentation billet to Kabul, Afghanistan in support of Operation ENDURING FREEEDOM to serve as the Deputy Director for Operations for NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan.

In June 2013, he returned to Marine Corps Air Station New River and assumed the duties of Marine Aircraft Group 26 Operations Officer.  From April 2014 to April 2016, Colonel Spaid served as Commander of VMM-365, quickly went composite, and deployed with the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit from which the squadron was recognized as the Tiltrotor Squadron of the Year.

Post command, Colonel Spaid served as Marine Aircraft Group 41 Executive Officer stationed at NAS-JRB Fort Worth, Texas from July 2016 to July 2017. In July 2017, Colonel Spaid reported to Naval Striking and Support Forces, NATO in Lisbon, Portugal and served as the ACOS J7 for Education, Training, Exercises and Evaluation.

In July 2018, Colonel Spaid graduated from the United States Army War College Distance Education Program with a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies. In July 2019, Colonel Spaid served as Commanding Officer, Marine Aircraft Group-26 at MCAS New River, Jacksonville, North Carolina.

Colonel Spaid has logged over 2,700 total mishap-free hours. His personal decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal with one gold star, Strike/Flight Air Medal with numeral “10”, Navy Commendation Medal with combat “V” and 3 gold stars, Navy Achievement Medal with one gold star.

Featured Image: An MV-22 Osprey with Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365, Marine Air Group 26, flies behind the lead aircraft after conducting a confined landing area exercise aboard Camp Lejeune, N.C., Aug. 4, 2015. Marines with VMM-365 rehearsed different drop off and extraction scenarios at Landing Zone Bluebird and Landing Zone Bat aboard Camp Lejeune to maintain skills and standards within the squadron. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Alexander Mitchell/released)

Seawahk Deliver Payload to USS Henry Jackson

01/01/2021

An MH-60R Sea Hawk, attached to the “Easy Riders” of Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 37, delivers a payload to the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Henry M. Jackson (SSBN 730) in the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands. Underway replenishment sustains the fleet anywhere/anytime.

This event was designed to test and evaluate the tactics, techniques, and procedures of U.S. Strategic Command’s expeditionary logistics and enhance the overall readiness of US strategic forces. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Michael B. Zingaro/Released)

PACIFIC OCEAN

10.20.2020

Video by Petty Officer 1st Class Michael B Zingaro

Commander, Submarine Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Exercise Deep Water: Working the Integrated Distributed Insertion Force

12/31/2020

By Robbin Laird

Last July, North Carolina-based Marines organized an exercise in which they called Deep Water.

In a press release from November 5, 2020, this is how II Marine Expeditionary Force described the exercise:

“Marines with 2nd Marine Division, 2nd Marine Logistics Group, and 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing are conducting Exercise Deep Water at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, N.C., 29 July 2020.

“II MEF conducts these training events on a consistent basis. This year, Exercise Deep Water will see two battalions conduct an air assault in order to command and control many of the various capabilities organic to II MEF in preparation for major combat operations.

“Exercise Deep Water 20 is a great opportunity for the Division to work with aviation units from Marine Corps Air Station New River and the Logistics Combat Element, as well. 2nd Marine Regiment will be the provide command and control over the 2nd battalion, 2nd regiment, and 3rd battalion, 6th regiment, the logistics and aviation units.”

Additionally, 2nd Marine Division provided further details about the exercise in a press release dated November 5, 2020:

“A Regimental Combat Team (RCT) commanded by 2d Marine Division’s 2d Marine Regiment undertook a two-battalion air assault to commence Exercise Deep Water today on Camp Lejeune (CLNC). At nearly double the size of last year’s Exercise Steel Pike, Exercise Deep Water is the largest exercise of its type conducted on Camp Lejeune in decades.

“Exercise Deep Water is a 2d Marine Regiment-planned and led event that incorporates elements from across the II Marine Expeditionary Force Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF). The participating Marines and Sailors will be engaged in a dynamic force-on-force scenario against a “peer-level adversary,” as simulated by 2d Marine Division’s Adversary Force Company.

“Exercise Deep Water, a regimental air assault that utilizes the whole of CLNC and the outlying training areas, will allow us to sharpen our spear and help make us more lethal,” said Col. Brian P. Coyne, commanding officer, 2d Marine Regiment.

“With Marine air (2d Marine Aircraft Wing) serving as part of a robust team that incorporates every element of the MAGTF, this exercise provides an opportunity to display the unparalleled lethality of a well-orchestrated Marine fighting force. As ‘RCT-2’ takes on an independent-thinking adversary, the ability of our squads to shoot, move, communicate, evacuate and employ effective combined arms with excellence will be put to the test.”

“In addition to the air assault, 2d Marine Regiment will be conducting offensive, defensive, and stability operations in multiple urban training settings where both conventional and hybrid adversary forces will be acting against them.

“Exercise Deep Water continues to build upon 2d Marine Division’s priority to build readiness against peer threats, in accordance with both the National Defense Strategy and the Commandant’s Planning Guidance.

“Accepting and embracing the challenge of such a highly-complex event in these trying times is a reflection of our unit’s commitment to remaining prepared for major combat operations or unexpected contingency operations, Coyne said, adding, “Along with the rest of the world, our adversaries are watching to see if we drop our guard; the visible enhancement of 2d Regiment’s combat readiness during Deep Water will help assure our enemies that they should not test our Corps.

“This training event will improve our warfighting proficiency and prepare us for tomorrow’s battles. ‘Tarawa’ (2d Marines call sign) Marines will fight and win if called,” he concluded.”

During my visit to 2nd MAW in the first week of December 2020, I had a chance to discuss the exercise and its focus and importance with Major Rew, the exercise’s air mission commander.

I learned from Major Rew that this exercise combined forces from pickup zones in North Carolina and Virginia.

The exercise consisted of a force insertion into a contested environment, meaning they used air assets to clear areas for the Assault Force, which included both USMC (AH-1Z, UH-1Y, F/A-18A/C/D, and AV-8B) and USAF aircraft (F-15E and JSTARS). Once air superiority was established, the assault force was inserted by USMC MV-22Bs and CH-53Es.

The exercise also included support aircraft such as the KC-130J and RQ-21.

The planning and execution focused on bringing a disaggregated force into an objective area that required integrated C2 with Ground, Aviation, and Logistics Combat Elements.

This C2 functionality was delivered in part by an Osprey operating as an airborne command post with a capability delivered by a “roll-on/roll-off” C2 suite, which provided a chat capability and can be found at a mobile or static command post or even in an airborne C2 aircraft.

The use of MAGTF Tablets (MAGTAB) provided a key means of digital interoperability that allowed for real time information sharing to ground elements and aviators. The MAGTAB provided the visual representation of the integrated effects and outcomes to the command element.

ISR was provided by USMC assets and by a USAF JSTARS aircraft. They used their Network-On-The-Move Airborne (NOTM-A) system to provide interoperability for the commander and assault force.

As Major Rew put it, “I think having the NOTM-A kit on the Osprey is a big win because it provides so much situational awareness. With the Osprey as a C2 aircraft, there is added flexibility to land the aircraft close to whatever operational area the commander requires. There are many capable C2 platforms across the DoD but not all of them also have the ability to immediately land adjacent to the battlefield like the Osprey does.”

One aspect of mission rehearsals the Marines are developing is to leverage Joint assets in support of an assault mission and be able to provide information to that mission force as well.

To be clear, the Marines did not march to the objective area; they flew to their objectives in various USMC lift assets accompanied by USMC rotary wing and fixed wing combat aircraft.

They were moving a significant number of Marines from two different locations, hundreds of miles apart, to nine different landing zones.

As Major Rew explained it, “We were working with a lot of different types of aircraft, and one of the challenges is trying to successfully integrate them to meet mission requirements.”

He added, “As the air mission commander, I was co-located with an infantry colonel who was the overall mission commander. We were in an Osprey for a significant period of time leading the operation from a C2 perspective.”

“In the exercise we sometimes had to solve problems during execution that required rapidly sending information to an asset so that they could complete a crucial battlefield task. We work with commander’s intent from the outset of an operation and this is especially critical during distributed operations.”

The coming of the F-35 to both Air Assaults and Distributed Operations is crucial as well.

According to Major Rew, “They’re an incredible sensor and they have the capability to be able to see what’s happening on the battlefield, assess things real time, and then send that information to the individual who needs to make a decision. Incorporating them into future exercises of this magnitude will be value-added to the entire Marine Corps.”

In effect, the Marines are working on an ecosystem for integrated and distributed force insertion.

As they build out that ecosystem, new ISR, C2 and, strike capabilities that enter the force can be plugged into the ecosystem that will allow for a continued evolution of that system. In that sense, the future is now.

MCSC: NETWORKING ON THE MOVE (NOTM) FAMILY OF SYSTEMS (FOS)

By Concepts and Programs | Marine Corps Systems Command | December 13, 2018

Description

NOTM FoS is a Satellite Communications (SATCOM)-based on-the-move command and control (C2) combat capability for all elements of the Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).

Initially fielded in 2013 in response to urgent Marine Corps Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) requirements, NOTM is an Acquisition Category (ACAT) IV(M) program with a budget of $509 million across the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) and a total life cycle cost of $1.7 billion.

NOTM provides robust C2 wideband SATCOM capability, three external network enclaves (Secret Internet Protocol Router (SIPR), Non-secure Internet Protocol Router (NIPR) and Coalition) with access to the Global Information Grid (GIG), Next Generation Enterprise Network (NGEN), full motion video, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), and Voice over Secure Internet Protocol (VoSIP) integrated onto United States Marine Corps (USMC) tactical vehicles.

Ruggedized laptops with a full suite of Combat Operations Center (COC) tactical software (Joint Tactical Common Operational Picture (COP) Workstation (JTCW)/Command and Control Personal Computer (C2PC), Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) Effects Management Tool (EMT)) and chat are connected between NOTM Point of Presence (PoP) vehicles to Staff Vehicles via Type 1 encrypted wireless local area networks.

A force multiplier on the battlefield, NOTM provides forward and main integrated C2 capabilities for bounding assaults to the edge of the battlespace; commanders are no longer geographically tethered to the COC. The NOTM capability is currently employed both in ground and air platforms.

Operational Impact

A force multiplier on the battlefield, NOTM provides forward and main integrated C2 capabilities for bounding assaults to the edge of the battlespace; commanders are no longer geographically tethered to the COC. The NOTM capability is currently employed both in ground and air platforms.

Deepwater Assault Insertion Exercise, July 2020 from SldInfo.com on Vimeo.

Europe, China and Australia: How Far Apart?

By Robbin Laird

With the European Commission spearheaded a closer relationship with China, the gap — not just geographical — between Australia and Europe is clearly growing.

My own recently published book on the evolution of Australian defence strategy highlights the shift from the away game to the home game for the Aussies. The focus is clearly upon the Indo-Pacific and the Chinese reworking of the global rules of engagement and stepping up a wide ranging challenge to the liberal democracies.

As Ross Babbage has recently argued:

Current tensions between Australia and the Chinese regime are often described as a trade war.

It is much more than that.

What we are actually seeing is a far-reaching sovereignty war.

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is using a vast arsenal to coerce Australian governments to cede key parts of our political independence. Trade pressure is just part of a larger offensive.

This type of coercion has been a feature of the CCP’s campaigns to defeat domestic and international opponents for over a century.

They used it during the long-running struggles against the nationalists and the imperial Japanese Army in the 1920s, 30s and 40s and in every campaign since, including their current struggles against Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia in the South China Sea, with Japan over the Senkaku Islands and with Taiwan over its sovereign status.

In every case the CCP has launched sophisticated operations to penetrate, divide, corrupt, weaken and incapacitate their opponents and to force their collapse or capitulation.

The Chinese see these forms of comprehensive coercion as a type of warfare because their goals are the same as violent combat – to overwhelm opponents and deny them their independence.

How would one reconcile this trade and political war of China against Australia with the current efforts of the European Commission efforts to more fully engage China?  Well you could, but only if you were a European diplomat, of the old school, perhaps the 1938 vintage.

A measure of the gap can be provided by the perspectives of Senator Jim Molan on the need for a comprehensive national security strategy for Australia.

In this article, I have focused on the final episode in a podcast series looking at the way ahead and how Australia might address the challenges which its faces which he generated.

This is the final podcast in his series and I have now gathered the transcripts of those podcasts — with selected parts of the broadcasts — and put them into a single report which can be found at the end of this article,

We Stress Test Banks, Why Not National Security?

We started off by saying that most Australians thought that we were doing enough on defense on our national security, because we’ve been aiming to spend 2% of our GDP on defense. I’ve made the point that national security is far broader than just defense and covers every aspect of government and society. We also spoke about the fact that major wars, unlike the small ones I fought in, are not a thing of the past and could still happen.

And healthy paranoia is very, very wise. And I did say that, and we’ve discussed the appalling nature of modern war. And it’s such an awful proposition that everything we do must be focused on stopping it. Australia’s view on our security has been shaped by the fact that market forces and globalization have delivered great prosperity to this country over the last 75 years. And this has been facilitated by the strength of our great ally the U.S. but that’s now changed. US power is not what it was, and challenges have risen.

And we’ve also spoken about the vulnerabilities. We have vulnerabilities. Some, we create ourselves internally by allowing ourselves to become overly dependent on foreign supply chains. And some are forced on us from overseas, such as the illegal occupation of maritime areas or regional border disputes that threaten sea lines of communication.

But all is not really gloom and doom. Australia has an extraordinary defense potential, far greater than most Australians realize. And we spoke about that in the last podcast. But until you organize it through security, through strategy, it’s all just potential.

We need to bring all this together in the form of a strategy that makes us secure and prepares us for the future. Prepared for conflict and war for the first time in our history, what a revolution. And a strategy is only ever 10% of the task, but it’s a critical 10%. And with the other 90% of the journey towards a truly secure nation, being the implementation of the strategy we decided on.

And if it’s good enough for us to regularly stress test our banks, because they’re so important to us, why is it that we don’t ever stress test something as important as national security?

What do I want is for Australia for the first time in its post Federation history, to be prepared for our uncertain future? By being prepared, perhaps we will not have to endure the appalling possibilities that lie before us. Given what we have endured in the past, it could be an awful lot worse than what we have just come through.

Now, I don’t advocate irrational preparation. I don’t advocate panic. I don’t say we should do this at the expense of our freedoms or our economy, or even globalization. I’m not denying particularly what this government has done brilliantly since 2013 in the field of national security. The preparation I want is the logical calm preparation based on facts and knowledge rather than doing it just whatever we can too late in a crisis as we’ve done for most of our existence as a nation.

I don’t even want the implementation to start now because priority for the Morrison government must go to getting the economy back on its feet. And the greatest thing that we can do for this nation and for national security right at this moment is to recover the economy. The economy is the basis of our national security because it gives us the funds to prepare and it maintains that critical social cohesion.

But the thinking, the preparation, the examining of processes must start now, and it can start now. The Morrison government has proven during the pandemic that it can do many things at the same time. And thinking to produce a comprehensive strategy, not just for the military, but for the entire nation, doesn’t cost a cent and should not compete for critical government brain space. And as I’ve argued, none of us how much time we have to prepare. So let’s start as soon as possible….

Deriving a strategy is an essentially intellectual process, but it does require a few decisions and it does require a few resources. And those particularly are of smart people. I want Australia as the very first step to acknowledge that we face markedly changed strategic circumstances, which is a way a politician talks about the threat towards us. And we need to acknowledge that there are implications for this nation of that change.

The threat that I see is emerging now, and we need to act now. Not when the wolf is at the door. And that’s been our historical reaction to crisis. We need to act now. Many countries that share our national philosophy are threatened by a rising power that is hostile to everything we are. Free, democratic, prosperous, occupying a full continent, and an ally of the United States.

We haven’t seen anything like this since 1945. This is what the prime minister means when he talks about the twenties and the thirties. Perhaps he’s not saying that war is going to break out in the modern equivalent of 1939, although that may happen, but a serious shifting of power relativities is what he’s talking about.

Who is the big boy on the block?

The power relativity, the strength in our region is changing from an ally of ours, the United States, to an authoritarian power who is very assertive and even aggressive. And that power Sarah, the pair of China has proven it has no respect for international laws as has been shown in many ways.

Most markedly, I guess, in the South China Sea. In full view of a weak US president, the West did nothing in the South China Sea. China saw our weakness and has taken lessons from that.

History might be echoing from the twenties and the thirties. It may never repeat itself, but as people say, sometimes it echoes. And Australia must accept that tension may lead to war between the U.S. and China. And the result of that war will shape the world and particularly Australia. And it will shape us for decades to come. We need to be prepared and we are not prepared….

Primarily we need to build a self-reliant Australia. Not just militarily, but across the entire nation, which can secure our future. But we must also build alliances, be protected by them and be a significant contributor to them. The days of mindlessly and selfishly hoping the U.S. will be our savior in national security have gone, if they ever were there. The days of being complacent about national security are over, and it’s time for some constructive paranoia, as we’ve discussed.

The world has changed. We must accept that this is our responsibility, and we must act. And when it comes down to what specifically we must do to achieve the aims of self-reliance, my suggestion to everyone is that we leave that for those who are going to write the detailed national security strategy.

I could come up with a whole range of ideas, but that means nothing. What I’m trying to say to people is let’s be self-reliant, let’s pull together an organization can analyze this and look at it and come up with a really specific actions that we need to take….

For the first time in our history, since Federation, we will be successful in fact, and in the eyes of the people, if we secure our sovereignty by being prepared for the uncertain future we face through a policy of national self-reliance based on a comprehensive nationwide strategy. Implemented through a modern national security organization, the equivalent of the national intelligence organization, which can both prepare Australia for high levels of tension as well as advise and manage all levels of crisis and war. To me, that’s success….

If the need for a self-reliant approach to national security was acknowledged before the end of 2020 for example, a national security organization might be set up in 2021, able to produce a basic national security strategy. Addressing the security obligations of defense, cyber, manufacturing, diplomacy, health, energy and fuels, society, finances, education, borders, intelligence, food, and infrastructure, and anything else that I can’t think of at the moment.

This could then be submitted to cabinet by the Prime Minister and considered by cabinet. So it shouldn’t be a long period of time. As I’ve said, time and time again, we should aim to have this process in train within three years.

Visiting HMLA-269 and 167: Shaping a Way Ahead for Marine Corps Light Attack Helicopters

12/30/2020

Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 (HMLA-269) is currently commanded by Lt. Col. Short and is a squadron consisting of the AH-1Z Viper attack helicopter and the UH-1Y Venom utility helicopter. They are known as the Gunrunners, and next door within the same hangar are the Warriors of Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 167 (HMLA-167), commanded by Lt. Col. Hemming.

They are part of Marine Aircraft Group 29 within the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing.

The “Gunrunners” operate what they refer to as “attack utility teams.”

What that means is that they operate the Viper (AH-1Z) and the Venom (UH-1Y) as an insertion and support package. They share 80% commonality of parts, operate from a small logistical footprint and are extremely maintainable in the field which make them a significant expeditionary warfare asset.

Recently, both squadrons retired their last AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter in favor of the AH-1Z Viper.

Lt. Col. Hemming noted in the interview, “The hydraulics, the engines, and some of the systems on the aircraft and the air frame, are significantly more durable and reliable than the old AH-1 Whiskey in terms of the amount of hours you can put on before you have to conduct maintenance on it. These significant upgrades result in your ability to operate the aircraft for an extended periods of time compared to the legacy Cobra and Huey.”

The Viper brings significant firepower to an expeditionary unit with the Venom providing lift and support to that unit as well.

The helicopters have evolved from their legacy ancestors to be more capable as well.

As Lt. Col. Short put it, “We are the most expeditionary and resilient attack helicopter platform there is in terms of the scale and the ability to survive in the field or operate forward.

“Our hydraulics, our control systems, our powertrain systems are the most expeditionary maintainable as an attack utility team in operation today.”

Lt. Col. Short added, “we are the, as somebody described it, ‘The punchy little friend in the overhead that’s there when no one else is.’”

Marines and Sailors with Marine Light Attack Squadron (HMLA) 269 participate in a change of command ceremony at Marine Corps Air Station New River, North Carolina, June 6, 2019. Lt. Col. Dale R. Behm transferred command to Lt. Col. Thomas F. Short after serving two years as commanding officer. HMLA-269 is a subordinate unit within Marine Aircraft Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Damaris Arias)

In the counter-insurgency environment, the attack utility team could operate in a distributed environment to support Marines fighting toe-to-toe against insurgents.

Lt. Col. Short argued that their attack utility team was very “risk worthy” in terms of the “logistical, the manpower, the cost investment for the capability gain, you would give a ground force, or you would give a supported force by putting them forward, putting them into a position to offer support.”

The Viper is adding Link-16 and full motion video so that it can be even more supportable for or supported by an integratable insertion force.

It is also very capable because of its relatively small footprint able to land in a variety of ground or ship settings and get refueled. If one focuses on the ability to operate virtually in any expeditionary setting, at sea or on land, the Viper is extremely capable of refuelability for an insertion force. They can do this onboard virtually any fleet asset at sea or at a Forward Air Refueling Point or FARP.

From a concept of operations perspective, notably with regard to an ability to operate from multiple bases, the attack utility package certainly can keep pace with the “pacing threats” facing the Marines.

The Commandant has asked the Marines to rethink how to do expeditionary operations, and to promote tactical innovations to do so.

HMLA-269 has been focused on this effort.

Notably, they have been exercising with the Ground Combat Element (GCE) at Camp Lejeune to work small packages of force able to be inserted into the combat space and able to operate in austere locations for a few days to get the desired combat effect and then move with the GCE to new locations rapidly.

HMLA-269 has been working closely with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marines to shape innovative ways to deploy expeditionary force packages.

“We are working ways to work distributed force operations with the battalion.” They have a security mission currently with regard to II MEF in reinforcing Norway.  The question being worked is: how, in a multi-basing environment, can one provide the kind of firepower that the maneuver force would need?

The Gunrunners took a section of aircraft to work with a ground combat unit and to live together in the field for a period of time and sort out how best to operate as an integrated force package. They operated in the field without a prepared operating base and worked through the challenges of doing so. They worked with an unmanned aircraft ISR feed as part of the approach.

Obviously, this is a work in progress, but the strategic direction is clear.

And there are various ways to enhance the capability of the force to be masked as well. Movement of small force packages, operating for a limited period of time, moving and using various masking technologies can allow the attack utility team which is operational now to be a key player in shaping a way ahead for Marine Corps expeditionary operations.

In short, the attack/utility team of 2nd MAW are taking the force they have, and their significant operational experience and adapting to the new way ahead with the next phase of change for expeditionary warfare.

Black Sea Air Policing

Seven US Air Force F-16 Fighting Falcon jets are used to help Bulgaria police Alliance airspace in and around the Black Sea region.

The multirole fighters, based at Aviano Air Base in Italy, are flying training missions and patrols alongside Bulgarian Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum fighter jets in early autumn 2020.

As the pilots acquaint themselves with each other and their nations’ operating procedures, they improve their ability to keep the skies safe in the region as part of NATO’s enhanced Air Policing mission. Pilots and aircrew practised social distancing on and off the air base in accordance to COVID-19 prevention measures.

Allied fighters first deployed to Bulgaria in 2016, when the US Air Force sent F-15 Eagle fighters to Graf Ignatievo Air Base, near Plovdiv. In 2017, the Italian Air Force deployed Eurofighters to fly alongside the Bulgarian MiGs.

BULGARIA

10.13.2020

Natochannel

The Next Phase of Australian National Security Strategy: Noise Before Defeat 5

12/28/2020

In the release of the new Australian defensce strategy on July 1, 2020, Prime Minister Morrison highlighted the important role which Senator Jim Molan plays in his thinking about defence.. Recently, Senator Molan has launched a podcast series looking at the way ahead and how Australia might address the challenges which its faces.

He starts each podcast with this introduction:

“Sun Tzu, the Chinese strategist tells us that strategy without tactics is the slowest route to victory.

“But tactics without strategy is just noise before defeat.

“My name is Jim Molan and welcome to our Noise Before Defeat podcast.”

This is the fifth podcast in his series.

A regional superpower – economically, militarily, diplomatically

An alliance is not a substitute for Australia being strong itself and being self-reliant. By being self-reliant within an alliance, we can bring strength to that alliance when we stand some hope of deterring conflict. So let’s not hang one by one. We always need to go back to recognize that the threats to our sovereignty are very, very real. We’re not just making this up.

The threat is coming to us initially by way of tensions due to the assertive or aggressive behavior of China. And the threat may then develop, as we discussed, intentionally or accidentally into actual war. The whole basis of this podcast is that Australia must guard its sovereignty by becoming self-reliant across the necessary parts of the nation so that we are for the first time in our history, prepared for what might happen.

And we can do it by ourselves given the right national security strategy and a bit of time. At the moment, we have no national security strategy that covers all aspects of the nation, and we don’t know how much time we have. And it’s not a good start for the most demanding period in our history since 1945….

Before COVID, we had the 12th largest GDP in the world. Here we are a country of 25 million people, the 12th largest GDP in the world, but even more astonishing, Russia had the 13th largest. Russia’s GDP is smaller than Australia’s.

We were prior to COVID, first, second or third in personal wealth in the world, depending on how you measure it. We had made a national decision that prosperity, we made this decision for the last 75 years, we had made a national decision that prosperity is more important than security, and that was a logical decision over that period of time because the U.S. looked after our security, but unfortunately, it’s not a logical decision now.

And as I said, Russia, with a smaller GDP than ours, really impoverishes its people to provide an exorbitant, a really disproportionate size of military and a nuclear capability.

But on the other side, I’d say that Israel is almost a perfect example of a small nation which is self-reliant. It’s democratic, it’s prosperous, and increasingly, it’s becoming much more secure. It’s not just because it has a big military, which it does, but because it has spread security across its entire nation….

My exposure to Israel is extensive working as a consultant to the Israeli government through various organizations.

And I really came to the conclusion that Israel is an example that if you have the will over time, a small nation can defend itself against massive odds. Israel’s got a small population of six to 8 million people. We have 25 million. They have borders with most of the once enemies, and we have a full continent. They are a very high technology country, and so are we. They have the strength of a democratic society, and so are we. We have far better alliances, probably more friends and vast strategic depth. Their country is only at its narrowest, a few kilometers wide….

The strengths that we have to work with are many, but I’ll try to group them as much as I can. And I guess the first is geography. And geography in relation to security is still very, very important, regardless of the advances in technology. We have our own continent, as I said before, and our close border region between us and our neighbors is relatively secure. And by that, I mean, we don’t share land borders with an assertive neighbors. And that’s a real advantage.

At the moment, we tend to dig them up and export them, receive money and buy the things that we need to contribute to our security. If we are to be self-reliant, we need to plan to use more of them ourselves if we are cut off from overseas sources of manufacturing goods.

And of course, we should do that anyhow because that creates prosperity and it creates jobs, and it’s certainly the Morrison government’s policy on coming out of COVID. To use those is a vastly more complex operation than just digging them up and putting them in shifts. And of course, our government, as I said, is moving very impressively to start doing this, and we should peak in that in some way at the start of next year.

Our people are our resource, not just because they might fulfill certain functions, but because a government in a crisis needs the support of its people. So our people are a key strength. Our population is well and truly large enough to defend this nation if we had to. It’s well-educated as a population and we have an education and training system, the envy of the world, so we can adapt if we need to adapt.

We might read about tensions in our newspapers and on our TV every single day, but the degree of social cohesion amongst our people is relatively high. Sometimes we might think otherwise, but I think it is high.

And I guess this is due to the tradition of the rule of law, where our rights as individuals are strongly protected, we have a settlement history which is different from other countries, and of course, we’re a liberal democracy where an individual has great importance.

And our people really know, I reckon, that they have a defined constitution, and their rights are protected by that, although in crisis, we normally surrender some of our rights for the security that we want. And we also have this extraordinary tradition of individuality in Australia. And again, that is something which is very, very valuable in a crisis….

I reckon that our federal system is a strength. People may not think that as we go through tensions between states and federal government related to COVID, but we are used to our constitution and people are becoming more knowledgeable about it.

We’re used to also to the limited places on the federal government, but what we do know is that the kind of powers a federal government might want to use to prepare the nation in a national security sense are either there as formal powers, or we can achieve the aims that we as a federal government want by paying for it as we write most of the taxes.

Our financial ability to pay and to even borrow is very, very high. In a well-governed federal system, that’s a real bonus. And this is really assisted by a highly capable public service. Everyone stands around and knocks the public service, but they are a highly capable public service in most cases. And we have a highly capable diplomatic capability.

And given, as I say, that diplomacy through alliances is our first line of defense, that’s very, very important. And although we don’t see much of it, we also have a very, very capable intelligence community. And I guess that Australians have a deep understanding of alliances. And this is something which many other countries don’t have. We have never fought in a war outside of an alliance. So we know what alliances do, the difficulty of alliances, and how to use alliances to our own benefit….

And I talk about our industrial base, and sometimes it can be a vulnerability, but it’s still relatively broad in its expanse across the skills needed, but it’s just very, very small. And we need scale. We have so much to build on in this country. We’ve got some fabulously advanced elements in our industry.

We’re advanced in setting up a ship building industry, both military and civilian, a commercial ship building industry. We serve as an aviation sector that is very large and we have solid government policies that are moving us forward on manufacturing, and in fact, moving us into outer space as well in a very high technology approach…

pulling it all together is the big challenge. And that’s why I talk about the need for an overall strategy. And we’re seeing from the Morrison government almost every day of the week, new policies, innovative policies, innovative ways of achieving them.

And I must admit that I have never seen anyone better than the prime minister in implementing policies, turning policies into real effects. You’re right, though, we are very competently solving problem after individual problem, not just related to COVID, but looking a long way into the future.

And that’s to our credit as a government. Australia has a Western approach to security and to planning. And that is very, very good. We just need to decide to do it, to focus on it as national security, and then the resource it….

By my assessment, we are a regional superpower now in many aspects of our economy, certainly. And we’re very effective diplomatically while our military is a fine base for expansion. We just need to pull it all together to prepare this nation for the future. And it’s my obligation, I guess, in the final episode of the six-part series, to offer you my solution. I’ll try and do that in the next part, which is titled, interestingly and strangely enough, it’s titled We Stress Test Banks, Why Not National Security?

We have just published our latest book which is entitled, Joint By Design: The Evolution of Australian Defence Strategy.

As one senior RAAF officer put it: “The Prime Minister of Australia, the Honorable Scott Morrison, has launched the Defense Strategic Update, which moved Australia’s defense policy away from a globally-balanced approach under our Defense White Paper of 2016, towards a more regionally focused posture, founded in the principles of shape, deter, and respond. The new policy approach places great emphasis on the need for our forces to be well integrated, both internally to Australia, and across our strategic partners. ”

Joint by Design is focused on Australian policy, but it is about preparing liberal democracies around the world for the challenges of the future.

The strategic shift from land wars to full spectrum crisis management requires liberal democracies to have forces lethal enough, survivable enough, and agile enough to support full spectrum crisis management.

The book provides an overview of the evolution of Australian defence modernization over the past seven years, and the strategic shift underway to do precisely that.

Although this is a book about Australia, it is about the significant shift facing the liberal democracies in meeting the challenge of dealing with the 21st century authoritarian powers.

In this sense, the volume is very complimentary to our book the return of direct defense in Europe, a book that concludes with a chapter that highlights the Australian contribution to the rethinking going on in Europe about direct defense.

The book is based on the bi-annual Williams Foundation seminars held since 2014, and include insights and presentations by Australians and several key allies of Australia.

In that sense, the book provides an Australian-led allied rethink with regard to how to meet 21st century defense challenges.

The two books read together provide a good overview of where key allies are with regard to rethinking defense certa 2020.

As Anne Borzycki, Director of the Institute of Integrated Economic Research – Australia, has highlighted:

“Dr Robbin Laird brings a unique perspective to his analysis of the journey the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has been on over the last six years.  As an American, and also a European resident, he understands the military and strategic realities of Europe and the United States and is therefore able to place Australia, as a modern middle-power, into the spectrum of Western Liberal Democracies. And importantly, this book highlights the lessons that Europe and the United States could learn from Australia as the first quarter of the 21st century draws to a close.

“This book is a modern history that begins in 2014.  The year 2014 might seem recent – however given the upheavals wrought upon the world by changing global power dynamics, national domestic political challenges, military transformations and finally, the pandemic – it could just as well be 60, not 6, years ago.”

This book was released on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Kobo on December 22, 2020 in e book form with the paperback and hardback to be released in two months.

And in Australia on amazon Australia:

Or you can buy it directly through our website for 10% off if you use the code: Joint2020

Book Cover Image

Australians Launch New Naval Sustainment Approach

In a press release on December 1, 2020 by the Australian Department of Defence, a new regional sustainment approach for the Royal Australian Navy was announced.

Defence is looking for an Australian industry partner to deliver a new, innovative approach to the sustainment of Navy’s fleet, which will boost defence industry in the regions through the establishment of Regional Maintenance Centres.

A tender has opened for a Regional Maintenance Provider for Defence’s first Regional Maintenance Centre – Regional Maintenance Centre North East in Cairns.

Regional Maintenance Providers will ensure sustainment capability in strategic Navy homeports and over time will be able to conduct maintenance on a range of vessels.

Head Maritime Systems, Rear Admiral Wendy Malcolm said the new approach will ensure delivery of complex naval capability and will increase opportunities for local small and medium businesses.

“The new approach, as outlined in Defence’s Plan Galileo, is part of the Australian Government’s investment of over $170 billion in naval shipbuilding announced in the 2020 Force Structure Plan.  This will result in the fleet doubling in tonnage and significantly increasing in complexity,” Rear Admiral Malcolm said.

“Regional Maintenance Providers will coordinate the delivery of maintenance and build resilient local and regional supply chains on behalf of the Commonwealth.

“This will provide more stable work packages and remove barriers to entry for local small and medium businesses, enabling the opportunity for increased participation.”

Regional Maintenance Centre North East is the first of four to be set up, and will be in place by the end of 2021 to initially sustain Navy’s new Evolved Cape Class Patrol Boats.

This will be supported by the Australian Government’s Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry Grants program, which provides businesses servicing the defence sector with upskilling and training opportunities

It also aligns with the Australian Government’s recently announced $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy which will build resilient supply chains.

The tender opened on 27 November 2020 and will close on 12 March 2021.

This new approach was discussed during the Sydney Naval conference held in October 2019.

Re-setting Sustainment for the Royal Australian Navy Fleet (Updated)