Perspectives on the Coming of the CMV-22B to the Large Deck Carrier

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10/01/2020

By Robbin Laird

I first viewed an CMV-22B in person when attending the Reveal ceremony in Amarillo, Texas held on February 6, 2020.

But I am not stranger to the Osprey having seen my first Ospreys at Second Marine Air Wing in 2007.

At that time there were four Ospreys on the tarmac.

The plane has come a long way since then with the Marines taking it in to every clime and place with the transformational aircraft having a significant change on how the Marines operate.

Now the plane is coming in a modified form to the US Navy, and it is technically replacing the C-2 Greyhound in its carrier support role. The CMV-22B is no more a replacement for the C-2 Greyhound, than the MV-22 was for the CH-46.  The MV-22 covered the functions of the CH-46 for the Marine Corps but represented a disruptive change which has transformed the USMC and its operations.

The CMV-22B will provide the functionality of the C-2 for the carrier strike group but is entering the carrier strike group at a time of profound change, and it will contribute to it.

Over the past few months, I have had a chance to discuss the coming of the CMV-22B to the large deck carrier with a number of people knowledgeable about the transition and would like to share those findings.

I have travelled to Pax River, San Diego, Naval Air Station Fallon, and Amarillo, Texas over the past few months, and would like to share what I have learned from those visits for these findings form a baseline with regard to the importance of the coming of the CM-22B to the fleet.

Pax River

I went last Fall to Naval Air Station Patuxent River and to meet with Col Matthew Kelly, who is in charge of the V-22 Joint Program Office (PMA-275). I first met “Squirt” when he was an F-35B test pilot and indeed was selected as test pilot of the year in 2011.  Having come from the F-35 world, where the entire command and control (C2) and intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) infrastructure is being reworked, is a perfect community for the new head of the V-22 Program to come as that aircraft is undergoing a fundamental transformation.

It is often overlooked that the US Air Force Special Forces Command (AFSOC) and Marine Corps are still the only tiltrotor forces in the world. And the Osprey from the outset has demonstrated a speed and reach capability which traditional rotorcraft simply have not replicated.

At Pax River, we discussed the next phase of the evolution of the Osprey of which now the US Navy’s carrier community would become a key player as well as the Marines and the US Air Force.

The US Navy is joining Osprey Nation at the same time as the Japanese. As Col. Kelly commented: “There is no other air platform that has the breadth of aircraft laydown across the world than does the V-22. And now that breadth is expanding with the inclusion of the carrier fleet and the Japanese.

We currently have a sustainment system which works but we need to make it better in terms of supporting global operations. With the US Navy onboard to operate the Osprey as well, we will see greater momentum to improve the supply chain.”

Discussions with the US Navy’s Air Boss

After Pax River, my next discussion of the coming of the CV-22B was with the Navy’s Air Boss, Vice Admiral Miller. In a meeting in his office in San Diego a week before attending the reveal ceremony in Amarillo Texas we discussed how the Ari Wing was changing, and the impact of the coming of new platforms, like the CMV-22B.  As we discussed the future of the air wing, we agreed that a way to look at the way ahead was not so much the integrated air wing, but the shaping of the integratable air wing.

What is being set in motion is a new approach where each new platform which comes into the force might be considered at the center of a cluster of changes.

The change is not just about integrating a new platform in the flight ops of the carrier.

The change is also about how the new platform affects what one can do with adjacent assets in the CSG or how to integrate with adjacent U.S. or allied combat platforms, forces, and capabilities.

We then focused on the case of the U.S. Navy replacing the C-2 with the CMV-22 in the resupply role. But the Navy would be foolish to simply think in terms of strictly C-2 replacement lines and missions. So how should the Navy operate, modernize, and leverage its Ospreys?

For Miller, the initial task is to get the Osprey onboard the carrier and integrated with CVW operations.

But while doing so, it is important to focus on how the Osprey working within the CVW can provide a more integrated force.

Vice Admiral Miller and his team are looking for the first five-year period in operating the CMV-22 for the Navy to think through the role of the Osprey as a transformative force, rather than simply being a new asset onboard a carrier.

The Reveal Ceremony

After my visit with the Air Boss, the following week I travelled to Amarillo Texas for the reveal ceremony. My assessment at the time was that I was the only outsider in attendance and had a chance while at the ceremony to talk with a wide range of attendees from the USMC, the US Navy, industry and the acquisition community. But I will highlight here three interactions which highlight the way ahead for the US Navy and its CMV-22B.

The first interaction was with Capt. Dewon “Chainsaw” Chaney, the Commander of COMVRMWING (or Fleet Logistics Multi-Mission Wing) who command three squadrons of CMV-22Bs as they are stood up. At the ceremony, Captain Chaney highlighted the coming of the new capability and what it meant for the US Navy.

“What is the status of the CODs? Every Carrier Air Wing Commander and Carrier CO has received that question numerous times from the Carrier Strike Group Commander while on deployment. And for good reason…

“The COD, or Carrier On-board Delivery, aircraft is the only long-range aerial logistics platform providing logistical support for the Carrier Strike Group, ensuring its time sensitive combat capability. Sure, there are ways to get some items to the carrier but that time lag in most cases is at the cost of readiness for the warfare commander.

“The Navy saw the need to replace the aircraft providing this critical capability years ago and embarked on multiple efforts to inform that decision. The Navy selected V-22 as the future COD platform. The first aircraft is being delivered today (well actually a week ago but who is counting). And our first deployment will be here in a blink of an eye!

“But the devil in the details with this particularly accelerated program is making sure that the fleet can man, train, and equip those at the tip of the spear potentially in harm’s way.

“As of October, last year as the Wing Commodore, I have the honor, privilege and responsibility, given to me by Vice Admiral Miller, to be the lead for the Navy’s CMV-22 community along with our partners at well into the 2040s. Delivery of this aircraft is a major milestone on the path to initial operational capability in 2021.

“The CMV-22 has the capability to internally carry the F-35C engine power module. This capability is a game changer for the Air Wing of the Future and drove the need to match up the F-35C and CMV-22 operational deployments. The first CMV-22 deployment is now less than a year from initial delivery of N3, which is scheduled for late June of this year.

“Its success is key to maintaining combat lethality for the Air Wing of the future and our Navy. CMV-22s will operate from all aircraft carriers providing a significant range increase for operations from the Sea Bases enabling Combatant Commanders to exercise increased flexibility and options for warfare dominance.

“If you’re in a fight, it’s always good to have options! Every month following the first initial deployment, there will be a CMV-22 detachment operating with a US aircraft carrier somewhere in the world….”

The Perspective of CAPT (ret.) Sean McDermott

The second interaction was with CAPT (ret.) Sean McDermott who currently  iss a commercial airline pilot who served in the US Navy for 26 years. He was involved with the C-2 during the majority of his career, starting as a Greyhound pilot and eventually commanding one of the Navy’s two fleet logistics squadrons. In the final years of his service, McDermott was involved in working through options for the Navy as they considered C-2 replacements, with an eventual Osprey selection.

McDermott highlighted the potential for the CMV-22B to expand the envelope significantly for what a COD aircraft could do for the fleet.

“With the C-2 we did one thing – Carrier On-board Delivery. With the Osprey, Combatant Commanders already know the multi-mission capability of the V-22 and will be tempted to utilize them for a variety of other missions.

“This is not something that would happen with a C-2. Carrier leadership will eventually struggle to fence off their logistics assets from outside tasking.”

In other words, there is an anticipated operational demand that they will want to leverage fully the new versatile capabilities of the Osprey.

He noted that with the new platform being introduced to carrier aviation, it will be possible to leverage it to shape a greater range of capabilities for the COD asset. He noted that as the Marines began to get comfortable with the MV-22, they shaped the unique Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SP-MAGTF), which has become a highly demanded asset.

He argued that such innovation was certainly possible for the Navy as it worked with its new COD aircraft.

One area he noted were forward deployed locations that would benefit like operations in Bahrain. Ospreys deployed to these locations could not only better support logistics but would also have the flexibility to support other mission sets for combatant commanders.

“With the coming of the new platform into the fleet, one innovation which might be considered is how to use the new Navy Osprey as part of a broader sustainment effort encompassing Marine Corps and Navy Ospreys. It also is an area where the multi-mission capabilities of the aircraft for the Navy can be explored as well.

“In other words, where the Marines leveraged their Ospreys to build and equip SP-MAGTF, perhaps the US Navy can leverage the Bahrain anchor from which to build regional sustainment and explore ways to build out the multi-mission capabilities it would want from its CMV-22s.”

This clearly might require the Navy to consider from the outset ways to ramp up the buy and to prepare for ways in which the fleet commanders will employ it to leverage fully the aircraft capabilities, and, at the very least, utilizing its capability to provide improved logistics to Navy and Maritime Sealift Command ships.

The Perspective of the Mayor of Amarillo

The third interaction of note I had in Amarillo was with its Mayor. Neglected in any discussion of new capabilities is the contribution of the workforce which builds such a capable aircraft as the Osprey. And I asked the Mayor, why is Amarillo, Texas capable of doing so.

To be blunt, I asked here the following question: From where are these skilled workers coming from, and why is Bell here?

Mayor of Amarillo, Ginger Nelson, provided a spirited response:

“Because we want Bell here, because we have a tremendous workforce here in the Texas Panhandle,” Nelson said. We are a city fed by the small-town rural communities that surround our region. Our people are only one or two generations from having grown up on a farm or having owned their own small business. And the work ethic for our people is simply: if you are not doing it, it is not going to get done. Our work ethic is strong; and patriotism is a core value in the Texas Panhandle.”

The often-forgotten enabler of the US military is the industrial worker. But Ginger Nelson certainly has not forgotten their importance.  “Bell relies on us to supply dedicated, competent workers who are ready to meet the responsibilities that include the defense of our nation.”

Visiting NAWDC

After my visit to Amarillo, my next visit involving discussing the way ahead with regard to the CMV-22B was at Fallon Naval Air Station, the home of the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC).  Here this key training center is hooked up with other Navy and warfighting centers to generate the kind of innovative combat force which can defend the nation’s interests.

And new Navy air platforms coming into the force are vetted into NAWDC to shape their maximal contribution to a lethal and effective combat force. The C-2 never was a plankholder in NAWDC, but the CMV-22B will be.

According to CO of NAWDC< Rear Admiral Brophy, they will work the  tactics, techniques, procedures (TTPs) for the CMV-22Bs along with Captain Chaney, as it will enter into NAWDC through the rotary wing school in NAWDC, but its ultimate location for cross-platform training, in a command increasingly focused on such training with a kill web focus, will be determined.

Visiting the North Island Air Station, San Diego

After my visit to NAWDC in early July 2020, I went to San Diego and met with the Naval Air Boss on the morning of July 13th and in the afternoon with “Chainsaw.” During my visit with the Osprey squadron, I had a chance to see the third Osprey on the tarmac, and visit the hangar being used to stand up the squadron.

In my discussion with “Chainsaw” at North Island on the 13th of July 2020, we discussed the standup of the CMV-22B squadrons.

The first squadron VRM-30 was stood up prior to the creation of the wing and its first aircraft arrived in June 2020.  Captain Chaney noted that there is a two-year timeline to get a fully qualified maintenance technician or officer for the force, so that has been underway.

That training has been generated with the Marines in North Carolina, Hawaii, Kuwait, or working side by side with Marines in various locations or in the Bell-Boeing teams at the Maintenance Readiness Team in Miramar.

Captain Chaney then noted that this October, the fleet replacement squadron, VRM-50, will be stood up. It will take this squadron two years until they will be able to train new pilots. As he explained: With VRM 30, they need to get pilots ready to go fly and go on deployment.

“Whereas with VRM 50, they have to get pilots and maintainers qualified, but then they also have to figure out how to train other pilots and aircrewman in other words to establish the Navy training cycle for the aircraft.”

He noted that the Navy will approach operating its Osprey in some ways differently from the Marines, but because of the interactive working relationships any learning on the Navy side can be easily be transferred on the Marine side. “I see it as a very symbiotic relationship between the Marine Corps and us, all under the Department of the Navy.

“Clearly with the Marine Corps having the bulk of the experience right now in MV-22s, I welcome any of their lessons learned and comments about maintaining the airplane, flying the airplane, fighting with the airplane. I’m all ears, because I know that my team is still in their infancy.”

But one example of cross learning might be with regard to how the Navy will operate the load outs and off-loading of the aircraft. They are looking to have a rapid unload capability with new containers for the CMV-22B and Navy experience with the new kit might well prove of interest to the Marine Corps as well. The counterpart to VRM-30 will be VRM-40 but all three squadrons are under the Wing. The third squadron will be on the East Coast.

And as the Osprey comes to the fleet, building appropriate infrastructure is a key priority facing the Wing in the next few years. At North Island, San Diego, their first simulator will come next year, and a new hangar is being built and will be ready in 2023. But the East Coast basing solution remains to be resolved.

With regard to the standup, the Wing Commander comes from the rotary wing community; his Deputy from the C-2 community.

The challenge is blending the two into a tiltrotor force which operates at a different altitude from the C-2, can fly night shipboard missions (which the C-2 did not), and rapid, efficient shipboard operations, which has not been the core focus of the USMC and their use of the aircraft.

In short, it is clear that the CMV-22B needs to prepare for carrier operations but equally the carrier community needs to get ready for the coming of CMV-22B.

 

The F-35 in the Way Ahead for USMC-US Navy Integration

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09/29/2020

By Robbin Laird

During my visit to MAWTS-1 and to NAWDC, one clear instrument of their enhanced integration in the contested battlespace was rather obvious: The F-35 and its evolution as a global enterprise.

With the F-35 coming to the large deck carrier, the strike syllabus has changed. With the F-35 pioneered by the USMC, with its naval aviators leading the way, new capabilities have been brought to the force in terms of integratability, mobile basing, and combat power from the sea on a wider variety afloat asset than simply the large deck carrier.

With MAWTS-1 this year, I have discussed two sets of related questions: What is the way ahead with regard to mobile and expeditionary basing?

And how can the USMC provide greater support for the maritime battle?

Specifically, during my visit to MAWTS-1 in September 2020, we focused on two core questions:

How is the Marine Corps going to contribute most effectively to the Pacific mission in terms of Sea Control and Sea Denial?

And how to best contribute to the defensive and offensive operations affecting the SLOCs?

Prior to my visit, I discussed the mobile basing piece with Major Brian “Flubes” Hansell, MAWTS-1 F-35 Division Head. A key aspect of what we discussed was the capability which the F-35 to both empower their expeditionary bases as well as contributing to the wider integration in the fleet approach being worked.

As Major Hansell put it: “By being an expeditionary, forward-based service, we’re effectively extending the bounds of the kill web for the entire joint and coalition force.”

During the visit, I continued the discussion first with the Col Gillette, CO of MAWTS-1, an experienced F-35 pilot, whom I first met at Eglin AFB who then returned to YUMA and transitioned in the first F-35 operational squadron deployed to Japan.

My colleague Ed Timperlake once characterized the coming of the F-35 global enterprise, or the ability of a wide range of U.S. service and allied air forces to integrated together over the extended combat space as the 21st century “big blue blanket.”

The “big blue blanket” for the US Navy in World War II referred to the very large fleet deployed throughout the Pacific to deal with the tyranny of distance.

Such a fleet does not exist today, nor will it. Airpower is the key to shaping today’s “big blue blanket,” with the F-35 global enterprise as a key enabler.

As Col. Gillette put it: “It is not only a question of interoperability among the F-35 fleet, it is the ability to have common logistical and support in the region with your allies, flying the same aircraft with the same parts. And the big opportunity comes with regard to the information point I made earlier. We are in the early stages of exploiting what the F-35 force can provide in terms of information dominance in the Pacific, but the foundation has been laid.

“And when we highlight the F-35 as the 21st century version of what the World War II Navy called the big blue blanket with the redundancy and the amount of information that could be utilized, it’s pretty astonishing if you think about it.

“The challenge is to work the best ways to sort through the information resident in the F-35 force and then how do you utilize it in an effective and efficient way for the joint force. But the foundation is clearly there.

During my visit, I met with Major Shockley, an F-35 instructor pilot at MAWTS-1, whose most recent F-35 experience has been in the Pacific with the squadron in Japan.

He reinforced Col. Gillette’s point in terms of the ability of USMC F-35s to work with allied, USAF and US Navy F-35s as well to shape a situational awareness and strike force which expanded the reach of the joint or coalition force.

Indeed, Major Shockley highlighted the impact of F35-B thinking on base mobility. The F-35As and F-35Cs have some advantages in terms of fuel, and then range and loitering time with regard to the B, notably with regard to the C. Because the force is so inherently integratable, how best to work the chessboard of conflict with regard to where the various F-35 pieces move on the chessboard.

From this standpoint, he argued for the importance of shaping a “rolodex of basing locations” where F-35s could land and operate in a crisis.

Here he had in mind, not only what the very basing flexible B could provide, but thinking through deployment of “expeditionary landing gear” to allow the As and Cs to operate over a wider range of temporary air bases as well.

Here he was referring to preparing locations with the gear to enable landing on shorter run “airfields” as well as the kind of modifications the Norwegians have done with their F-35s enabling them to land in winter conditions in the High North as well.

With the F-35B as well, a much wider range of afloat assets are being used to enable the F-35 as a “flying combat system” to operate and enable ISR, C2 and strike capabilities for the joint and coalition force. This is being demonstrated throughout the amphibious fleet, a fleet which can be refocused on sea contrail and sea denial rather than simply transporting force to the littorals.

As Col. Gillette put it: “The traditional approach for the amphibious force is move force to an area of interest. Now we need to look at the entire maritime combat space, and ask how we can contribute to that combat space, and not simply move force from A to B.

“I think the first leap is to think of the amphibious task force, as you call it, to become a key as pieces on the chess board. As with any piece, they have strengths and weaknesses. Some of the weaknesses are clear, such as the need for a common operational picture, a command and control suite to where the assets that provide data feeds to a carrier strike group are also incorporated onto L-Class shipping. We’re working on those things right now, in order to bring the situational awareness of those types of ships up to speed with the rest of the Naval fleet.”

A key consideration when highlighting what the F-35 as a wolfpack can bring to the force is deploying in the force multiples that make sense for the force.

This rests upon how the combat systems are configured on that force. In simple terms, the integrated communications, navigation and identification systems operate through a multiple layer security system, allowing a four ship F-35 force to operate as one.

With the Block IV software coming into the fleet, now an eight ship F-35 force can operate similarly.

This allows for wolfpack operations and with the ability of the reach of the F-35 into other joint or coalition F-35 force packages the data flowing into the F-35 and the C2 going out has a very significant reach and combat impact.

This is not widely known or understood, but provides a significant driver of change to being able to operate and prevail in denied combat environments. Leveraging this capability is critical for combat success for the US and allied forces in the Pacific.

And my visits to NAWDC and MAWTs-1 certainly underscore that these warfighters get that.

With regard to the CNI and wolfpack enablement, see the following:

Crafting Effective C2/ISR in the Contested Battlespace: The Impact of the CNI System

 

“The ability to share C2 decision making data across the F-35 global enterprise and make that data available other key elements of a task force operating in contested multi-domain operational area of interest is essential to its ability to work at the higher end of the fight.”

Featured photo: U.S. Marines with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 (VMFA-211) and U.S. Marines with Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1) conduct a hot load on the F-35B Lightning II during Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course (WTI) 2-17 at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Ariz., March 30, 2017.

The ordnance loading exercise focused on loading the aircraft while the pilot is onboard and the engine is running which provides the Marine Corps with a capability to project Marine air power forward on the battlefield while decreasing aircraft turnaround time and increasing sortie generation. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Staff Sgt. Artur Shvartsberg/MAWTS-1 Combat Camera)

March 30, 2017

 

MAWTS-1 Training: WTI 1-20

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An end of course video featuring the highlights of Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) course 1-20 in Yuma, Arizona, Oct. 28, 2019.

WTI is a seven-week training event hosted by Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron One (MAWTS-1), which emphasizes operational integration of the six functions of Marine Corps aviation in support of a Marine Air Ground Task Force.

WTI also provides standardized advanced tactical training and certification of unit instructor qualifications to support Marine aviation training and readiness, and assists in developing and employing aviation weapons and tactics.

(U.S. Marine Corps video by Staff Sgt. Marcis Pereda).

YUMA, AZ, UNITED STATES

10.28.2019

Regional Presence Deployment: An Australian Perspective

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09/28/2020

By Lieutenant Commander Todd Fitzgerald

HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta sailed in company with ships from Japan, South Korea and the United States in the Pacific Ocean this week.

Commanding Officer Arunta Commander Troy Duggan said he welcomed this opportunity to continue close and effective cooperation with key partners in the region.

“RAN remains committed to strengthening longstanding security partnerships across the region,” Commander Duggan said.

“Our relationships are based on mutual respect, trust and a shared vision for a secure, open, prosperous and inclusive Indo-Pacific.”

Participating US units included Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Barry, a Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine and fleet replenishment oiler USNS John Ericson.

Commanding Officer Barry Commander Christopher A. Gahl said every opportunity to train alongside Australia, Japan, and South Korea was mutually beneficial.

“Our ability to seamlessly integrate for advanced warfare training is a testament to each navy’s professionalism and commitment to international maritime norms and regional stability,” Commander Gahl said.

Participating units from the Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) included JS Ise and JS Ashigara.

Commander Escort Division Two, of the JMSDF, Captain Kitagawa Keizo, said it was an honour to train together as one team.

“JMSDF is and will remain committed towards the peace and stability of the Indo-Pacific region with allies and partner navies, and it is the fundamental strategic end state of JMSDF,” Captain Keizo said.

South Korea Ships Chungmugong Lee Sunshin and Seoae Ryu Seong-Ryong also took part.

Commodore Maritime Task Squadron 71 Captain Kim Sung Hwan, of the South Korean Navy, said the passage exercise provided opportunities that could enhance steadfast and flexible coordination.

“It will also serve as an opportunity to strengthen joint-response capabilities for various security situations by building up the friendship and coordination system between participating nations,” he said.

The multinational group exercise was part of the RAN’s regional deployment to South-East Asia and the Pacific.

HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta are continuing a regional deployment through South-East Asia after completing Exercise Rim of the Pacific in Hawaii.

The Regional Presence Deployment demonstrates Australia’s commitment to sustaining strong and positive defence relationships with regional nations as well as the security and stability of the Indo-Pacific region.

This article was published by the Australian Department of Defence on September 11, 2020.

 

 

HMA Ships Stuart and Arunta have joined a multinational group sail with warships from the United States, Japan and the Republic of Korea in the Pacific Ocean.
JS Ise (right) and ROKS Seoae Ryu Sung Ryong conducting Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres exercise during the Regional Presence Deployment 2020 in the Pacific Ocean.
(L-R) HMAS Stuart, ROKS Chung Mu Gong Yi Sun Shin and JS Ashigara executes an Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres exercise during the Regional Presence Deployment 2020 in the Pacific Ocean.
HMAS Arunta (foreground) executes Officer of the Watch Manoeuvres exercise with ROKS Seoae Ryu Sung Ryong (left) and JS Ise during the Regional Presence Deployment 2020 in the Pacific Ocean.

MRZR System and the CRW

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The 621st Contingency Response Wing employs many pieces of equipment that are critical to the CRW mission.

In this video, our subject matter expert, Senior Airman Mason Anderson, 921st Contingency Response Squadron defender and MRZR master drivecoach, describes how the MRZR is critical to the mobility of all Devil Raiders.

06.26.2020

Video by Tech. Sgt. David W. Carbajal

621st Contingency Response Wing Public Affairs

Shaping Combat Architecture for Blue Water Expeditionary Operations

Posted on | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment on Shaping Combat Architecture for Blue Water Expeditionary Operations
09/27/2020

By Robbin Laird

As the USMC focuses on how it can best help the US Navy in the maritime fight, two key questions can be posed:

“How is the Marine Corps going to contribute most effectively to the Pacific mission in terms of Sea Control and Sea Denial?

“And how to best contribute to the defensive and offensive operations affecting the SLOCs?”

The focus on sea control and sea denial can be seen in the current Black Widow ASW exercise where the USS Wasp is participating.

But skill sets associated with sea control, sea denial, SLOC offense and defense do not translate easily from the Middle East land wars.

How then to shape the new skill sets?

And what is the underlying combat architecture which shapes the approach around which skill sets can be identified?

These are not easy questions to answer or even to frame properly.

But if you are the center for excellence for Marine Corps air enabled operations you clearly need to find some sound answers, and to shape an effective way ahead.

Currently, this is what MAWTS-1 is doing.

As the discussions this year with officers at MAWTS-1 have highlighted, there is a major focus on how to do expeditionary and mobile basing in new ways to support the maritime fight.

A key element for an evolving combat architecture clearly is an ability to shape rapidly insertable infrastructure to support Marine air as it provides cover and support to the Marine Corps ground combat element.

This clearly can be seen in the reworking of the approach of the Aviation Ground Support element within MAWTS-1 to training for the execution of the Forward Air Refueling Point mission.

Earlier this year, I discussed how this was changing with Maj Steve Bancroft, Aviation Ground Support (AGS) Department Head, MAWTS-1, MCAS Yuma.

In that discussion, Major Bancroft highlighted the impact of the new tactical air-ground refueling system on the enhanced mobility of a FARP and its ability to deliver fuel more rapidly which, in turn, enabled a more rapid execution of the FARP mission.

We continued the discussion during my visit to MAWTS-1 in early September 2020.

In this discussion it was very clear that the rethinking of how to do FARPs was part of a much broader shift in in combat architecture designed to enable the USMC to contribute more effectively to blue water expeditionary operations.

The focus is not just on establishing FARPs, but to do them more rapidly, and to move them around the chess board of a blue water expeditionary space more rapidly.

FARPs become not simply mobile assets, but chess pieces on a dynamic air-sea-ground expeditionary battlespace in the maritime environment.

Given this shift, Major Bancroft made the case that the AGS capability should become the seventh key function of USMC Aviation.

He argued that the Marine Corps capability to provide for expeditionary basing was a core competence which the Marines brought to the joint force and that its value was going up as the other services recognized the importance of basing flexibility,

But even though a key contribution, AGS was still too much of a pick-up effort. AGS consists of seventy-eight MOSs or military operational specialties which means that when these Marines come to MAWTS-1 for a WTI, that they come together to work how to deliver the FARP capability.

As Major Bancroft highlighted: “The Marine Wing Support Squadron is the broadest unit in the Marine Corps. When the students come to WTI, they will know a portion of aviation ground support, so the vast majority are coming and learning brand new skill sets, which they did not know that the Marine Corps has. They come to learn new functions and new skill sets.”

His point was rather clear: if the Marines are going to emphasize mobile and expeditionary basing, and to do so in new ways, it would be important to change this approach.

“I think aviation ground support, specifically FARP-ing, is one of the most unique functions the Marine Corps can provide to the broader military.”

He underscored how he thought this skill set was becoming more important as well.

“With regard to expeditionary basing, we need to have speed, accuracy and professionalism to deliver the kind of basing in support for the Naval task force afloat or ashore.”

With the USMC developing the combat architecture for expeditionary base operations, distributed maritime operations, littoral operations in a contested environment and distributed takeoff-vertical landing operations, reworking how to execute FARP operations is a key aspect.

FARPs in the evolving combat architecture need to be rapidly-deployable, highly mobile, maintain a small footprint and emit at a low-signature.

While being able to operate independently they need to be capable of responding to dynamic tasking within a naval campaign.

In my language, they need to be configured and operate within an integrated distributed force which means that the C2 side of all of this is a major challenge to ensure it can operate in a low signature environment but reach back to capabilities which the FARP can support, and be enabled by.

This means that one is shaping a spectrum of FARP capability as well, ranging from light to medium to heavy in terms of capability to support and be supported.

At the low end or light end of the scale one would create an air point, which is an expeditionary base expected to operate for up to 72 hours at that air point.

If the decision is made to keep that FARP there longer, an augmentation force would be provided and that would then become an air site.

Underlying the entire capability to provide for a FARP clearly is airlift, which means that the Ospreys, the Venoms, the CH-53s and the KC130Js provide a key thread through delivering FARPs to enable expeditionary basing.

This is why the question of airlift becomes a key one for the new combat architecture as well.

And as well, reimagining how to use the amphibious fleet as Lilly pads in blue water operations is a key part of this effort as well.

In effect, an ability to project FARPs throughout the blue water and littoral combat space supporting the integrated distributed force is a key way ahead.

Featured Photo: A CH-53E helicopter with Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 466, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, supplies fuel to Marines with Marine Wing Support Squadron 171, 1st MAW, setting up a Forward Arming and Refueling Point in preparation for Field Carrier Landing Practices on Ie Shima island, Jan. 7, 2020. The ability to set up a FARP in austere locations significantly improves the operational flexibility, survivability, and lethality of 1st MAW. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Ryan Persinger)

IE SHIMA, OKINAWA, JAPAN

01.07.2020

 

Surface Warfare Officers and Training for the High-End Fight

Posted on | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment on Surface Warfare Officers and Training for the High-End Fight
09/26/2020

By Robbin Laird

I have argued that the shift from the land wars to the new strategic environment is best described as the shift to full spectrum crisis management.

The return to great power competition and to an ability to dominate the high-end fight is the usual description of the shift, but for me, the focus is upon full spectrum crisis management in a contested environment.

The U.S. services and our allies are focused on reshaping the land war engagement force to becoming an effective integrated distributed force which can operate as interactive kill webs to shape the kind of combat effect essential to support the political objectives necessary in a wide range of combat settings.

For the surface warfare community, this is a significant shift from functioning as flexible mobile bases able to deliver lethal precision effects ashore in relatively low-threat sea environments to operating in highly contested, multi-domain, and distributed environments  in order to achieve new National Defense Strategy objectives.

Both the excellence of the surface warfare community to operate in delivering decisive precision effects ashore and its ability to contribute to crisis management was demonstrated in recent years in Syria.

Ed Timperlake highlighted this dramatic event in an article published March 5, 2019.

“The surface Navy can also undertake independent offensive operations, as the Russians in combat support for the President of Syria recently found out, after the Syrian President used chemical weapons on his opponents:

“When President Trump gave the go order to attack Shayrat Air Base Syria, where a chemical attack had been launched, two US Navy surface warships stood ready to implement the order.

“In one shining moment with Tomahawks fired from USS Porter and USS Ross, the world knew a new Commander-in Chief was at the helm.

“It was reported that 59 of the 60 Tomahawks hit the intended target. Our way of war was to actually warn the Russians to minimize any chance of Russian’s being hit or killed — how nice for them.

“The USS Porter and USS Ross successful attack showcased the command structure of the 21st Century Navy. No finer complement can be given to the 21st Century navy and the dynamic and extremely successful contribution’s being made by the admission of women to the US Naval Academy than seeing the Commanding Officer of USS Porter have her crew earn an historic famous Flag Hoist “Bravo Zulu” for Job Well Done.  Cmdr. Andria Slough graduated from the academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in ocean engineering. She serves as the commanding officer of the USS Porter, a Navy destroyer in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.

“Performance counts from day one regardless of how one earns a commission. The Skipper of the USS Ross, Commander Russell Caldwell, hails from Johannesburg, South Africa. Commander Russell Caldwell graduated the University of Kansas with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science and was commissioned on January 10, 1998.”

A key enabler for such combat success is the shaping of the new warfare training capabilities set in motion in 2014 by the CNO, Adm. Johnathan Greenert. 

Recently, I visited the epicenter of the way ahead for advanced training for surface warfare, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC), located in San Diego, California.

According to a recent press release by the Navy:

“Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) paused to celebrate the command’s fifth birthday, June 9, and reflected on the many milestones and achievements completed since standing up the command in 2015.

“SMWDC was established with a small staff that came from Commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, into its current form, with a headquarters and four divisions, located in California and Virginia, focused on anti-submarine warfare/surface warfare (ASW/SUW), mine warfare (MIW), integrated air and missile defense (IAMD), and amphibious warfare (AMW).

“SMWDC has produced nearly 400 Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTI)to date and we are continuing to recruit exceptionally talented junior officers into one of four existing warfare programs,” said Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, commander of SMWDC. “The continued increase in our surface force lethality is directly tied to consistent recruitment and subsequent mentoring of sharp officers into the WTI program.”

“SMWDC accomplishes its four lines of effort – advanced tactical training; doctrine and tactical guidance development; operational support; and capability assessments, experimentation, and future requirements – by leveraging Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTIs) and support staff to increase the lethality and tactical proficiency of the surface force across all domains.

“Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) is the surface forces’ premiere warfighting exercise. In the lead up to SWATT, warships complete SMWDC-led advanced tactical training such as Advanced Mine Countermeasure (MCM) Evaluator Course, Air Missile Defender Course, Force Air Defense Commander Course, and Sea Combat Commander Course in preparation for certification and deployment.

“Through hard work, innovation, and thoughtful approach, SMWDC has grown and continues to mature into the organization that will continue to drive Fleet lethality, readiness and confidence,” said Robertson.

“SMWDC is one of five Navy warfighting development centers (WDCs) – Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), Naval Undersea Warfighting Development Center, Naval Expeditionary Warfare Development Center, and Naval Information Warfighting Development Center – stood up when the Chief of Naval Operations, Adm. Johnathan Greenert, approved the transition of Warfare Centers of Excellence to WDCs in 2014 to enhance Fleet warfighting capabilities and readiness across the theater, operational and tactical levels. Each of the WDCs are modeled after NAWDC’s ‘Top Gun,’ taking the top talented warfighters and developing them into experts – warriors, thinkers, teachers.”

My visit to SMWDC was hosted by Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, commander of SMWDC.

The key focus of the visit was to discuss with the team how they were preparing officers and the ship combat teams they lead, for the high-end fight in the challenging maritime threat arena.

The first contributor is the recent addition of high-fidelity shore based training simulator and exercise engagement working areas – called Combined Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) and Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) Trainers, or CIAT, managed and run by the Center for Surface Ship Combat Systems.

The Navy has built two has two CIATs, one at San Diego and one at Norfolk.

What I saw going on in San Diego was an entire Aegis Cruiser combat crew training together in a scenario-based operation able to tap into other elements of the task force to deliver the desired combat effect.

It also greatly enhanced the ship combat team’s warfare readiness and ability think dynamically before heading to sea to continue exercises or deploy for real-world requirements.

The second element in preparing for the high-end fight is to increase the challenge and scope of at-sea training conducted by SMWDC. 

Rear Adm. Robertson described the upcoming shift of Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) to SWATT 2.0.

The training destination is moving from a ‘crawl, walk, run’ methodology into more complex and evolved scenarios in a ‘walk, run, sprint’ methodology.

“SWATT 2.0 will include night life-fire events, Live Virtual Constructive integration into at-sea events, and increased complexity of all warfare training events,” said Robertson.

“We will also include offensive action and maneuver aspects during Live Fire with a Purpose, a re-introduction of other Warfighting Development Center support to SWATT.

“It will also include a culminating Capstone event – a multi-domain, multi-warfare free-play event designed to challenge Warfare Commanders, unit COs, and watch standers alike in stressful conditions, with the inclusion of assessed battle damage and opportunities for integration of shipboard training teams and toughness training.

“The capstone event will be a game-changer for the Advanced Phase of Training and build readiness for both distributed and reconstituted task force level employment.”

A key element of kill web training is for the surface warfare officer to understand what he or she can contribute to the fleet or the integrated distributed force and what that force can deliver to that particular surface ship or task force in which that surface ship is participating.

Clearly, this is a work in progress, but it is about moving in the direction of enhanced full spectrum crisis management capability for the fleet, for the joint and coalition force and for the nation.

Appendix: Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training Creates Combat-Ready Warships, Battle-Minded Crews

Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center Public Affairs | April 21, 2020

SAN DIEGO — Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) led U.S. Navy warships through Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWATT) exercise, March 30 through April 17, in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

Units included in the training were the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8), amphibious transport docks ships USS Somerset (LPD 25) and USS San Diego (LPD 22), and the littoral combat ship USS Freedom (LCS 1).

“This advanced tactical exercise was the most demanding we’ve had to date for the Surface Force as we navigated being able to safely execute this critical training amidst the challenges presented by COVID-19,” said Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, Commander, Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center. “The ultimate intent was to increase the lethality and combat power of naval surface forces by preparing our units to do what warships are designed to do-fight and win at sea- and that’s exactly what was accomplished here.”

SMWDC facilitated the advanced level training to increase the tactical proficiency, lethality, and interoperability of amphibious and littoral combat ships within U.S. Third Fleet.

“It was exciting to witness the strength of our ships and Warfare Tactics Instructors (WTI) during the SWATT exercise. The team was united, maximized force readiness, and minimized exposure to the harmful conditions the world is experiencing. They were ready and leaned forward into SWATT, which is an exercise dedicated to improved warfighting skills, increased lethality, and overall tactical proficiency across multiple warfare disciplines” said Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Downing, SMWDC lead SWATT planner. “During this unprecedented time the ships, with embarked WTIs and supporting teams, employed their combat and weapon systems across several live-fire and complex training events during the at-sea period. The result was as expected, a sharpened and more lethal ARG and LCS force.”

The warships conducted several training exercises, including anti-submarine warfare, surface warfare, air defense and amphibious warfare. Complex live-fire events included missile exercises, torpedo exercises and gunnery exercises.

The Navy evaluates all exercises and operations on a case-by-case basis during the coronavirus pandemic. Prior to ordering crews to sequester on board and continuing with a planned evolution, commanders of all our units, and at all levels, carefully balanced the need to maintain unit readiness and the health of the force with the impact to families and the Sailors.

SMWDC and each ship followed all CDC and Navy guidelines regarding COVID-19 during the evolution. The training provided essential and vital tactical training and proficiency to the operational fleet, in order to ensure that units remain lethal and ready.

Featured Photo:

The amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) fires a rolling airframe missile as part of a training exercise. Makin Island is conducting routine operations in the eastern Pacific. (Photo by (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Harry Andrew D. Gordon))