Shaping a Way Ahead for Nordic Cooperation: July 2020

08/09/2020

In a news story on the Norwegian government website published on June 7, 2020, the release of a new report on Nordic cooperation was announced.

Last week the Nordic Foreign Ministers received the report “Nordic Foreign and Security Policy 2020: Climate Change, Hybrid & Cyber Threats and Challenges”.

On 30 October 2019, the foreign ministers of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden decided to task Mr. Björn Bjarnason of Iceland to prepare an independent report with non-binding proposals on how to further develop Nordic cooperation on foreign and security policy. This tasking marked ten years since Mr Thorvald Stoltenberg of Norway drafted a similar report presenting a range of recommendations of which a large share have already been implemented.

In the mandate, delivered to Mr. Bjarnason on 2 December 2019, he was requested to specifically focus on the scope for cooperation in addressing global climate change, addressing hybrid threats and cyber issues, and strengthening and reforming multilateralism and the rule-based international order. The mandate moreover stipulated that the report and the proposals should be ready by mid-year 2020. In his work he enjoyed the support of a reference group of experts and analysts from each of the five Nordic countries.

The Nordic Foreign Ministers express their appreciation to Mr. Bjarnason for his important work and look forward to studying the report’s recommendations. They will formally discuss the concrete proposals at their meeting in Copenhagen in September during Denmark’s presidency of the N5 cooperation.

The report can be read below but one of the more interesting sections is on cyber and hybrid threats.

Part of that section reads as follows:

Hybrid threats, including cyber-attacks and disinformation/influence operations, pose a serious and increasing challenge to the Nordic countries. By taking advantage of the vulnerabilities of democratic and open societies, hybrid threat actors undermine Nordic security, prosperity, and values.

Hybrid threats are ambiguous and designed to allow deniability. Therefore, it is difficult, but even more important, to address them. In all the capitals, interlocutors emphasized that the Nordics could meet these challenges more effectively together

While countering cyber-attacks and other hybrid threats is first and foremost a national responsibility, the Nordic countries must work closer together to keep up with ever more determined and sophisticated adversaries. Without duplicating existing structures and means of cooperation, such as NORDEFCO, there is potential for strengthened Nordic cooperation on several aspects of hybrid threats and cyber issues.

The importance of multilateral cooperation of like-minded states in fighting cyber and hybrid threats is undisputed.

All Nordic countries recognize the importance of The European Centre of Excellence for Countering Hybrid Threats (Hybrid CoE) in Helsinki, which supports participating states’ individual and collective efforts to enhance their capabilities, resilience, and preparedness to counter hybrid threats. Hybrid CoE is a bridge between the EU and

NATO. The Nordics, except for Iceland, are active members of the Centre. The Nordics equally recognize the importance of the work of the EU STRATCOM.

There are three key terms often used in connection with hybrid threats: situational awareness, resilience, and deterrence. Going beyond this, developing countermeasures against aggression, is increasingly needed.

Cyber has been described as an abstract realm with its high-speed communication lines, data collections and processing capabilities. The results of these virtual world processes are felt when they hit the real world. Hybrid warfare happens in the real and the virtual world.

The real-world’s segment is in principle well observed and understood, while the virtual segment operates stealthily in the invisible world of computers and networks until it shows effects in the real world.

State and non-state actors deploy hybrid means to challenge countries and institutions that they see as a threats, opponents or competitors to their interests and goals.

The range of methods and activities is wide, including: espionage; influencing information; meddling in elections; intellectual property theft; exploiting logistical weaknesses like energy supply pipelines; economic and trade-related blackmail; undermining international institutions by rendering rules ineffective; terrorism or increasing the sense of insecurity; threatening civilian air traffic, maritime communications, energy cables and causing maritime incidents.

Strong arguments have pointed out that one should actually not talk about “hybrid threats” but rather “hybrid warfare” as at least some Nordic countries are under constant attack.

It is of utmost importance to share experiences, not only to learn from one another but also to better realize whether there is a pattern to irregularities that might be part of a larger, strategic hybrid action directed against some or all of the Nordic countries. Being up to speed when it comes to tactical and technological trends in the field is crucial.

While attribution is a national responsibility, multinational solidarity is a vital part of hybrid and cyber deterrence. The Nordic countries should join hands in condemning those conducting hybrid warfare where part of the game is to deny any culpability.

The two state actors most often mentioned as posing a threat to the Nordics in this regard are Russia and China.

These states have developed effective subversive means that go much further in weakening their targets than fake news and disinformation do. Such means have been used before to prepare the ground for illegal annexation, as seen in the Crimea
in the spring of 2014.

That event represented a swift culmination of prolonged Russian efforts to destabilise Ukraine. Russia’s denial of any responsibility characterised the aftermath. Apart from the illegal incursion in the South China Sea, China conducts lower key hybrid operations than Russia.

Social engineering and economic espionage are Chinese trademarks having social, economic, and financial aims, mirrored in their efforts to gain access through strategic investments and research projects.

It is important to conduct foreign investment screening with special emphasis on security, i.a. in 5G systems and critical infrastructure.

The leading role of Nordic companies like Ericsson and Nokia in this field is often highlighted as important for ensuring a high-tech competition edge

nordicreport_2020

And an e-book version can be read below:

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US and Australian Joint Task Force Exercise in Guam: July 2020

08/08/2020

By Australian Defence Business Review

The ADF has deployed 150 personnel and 10 aircraft to Anderson AFB on Guam to participate in multi-national joint-force exercises with the USAF, US Navy, and Royal Australian Navy.

The air task unit comprises six F/A-18A/B classic Hornets, two EA-18G Growlers, an E-7A Wedgetail, and a KC-30A MRTT. The two week deployment will see the aircraft conduct air-sea integration exercises with the RAN task group which is on its way to the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercises in Hawaii, as well as surface and airborne elements of the US Navy and USAF.

The RAN task group – comprising the LHD HMAS Canberra, DDG HMAS Hobart, ANZAC class frigates HMA Ships Stuartand Arunta, and the oiler HMAS Sirius – transited through the South China Sea in mid-July, before conducting sailing and helicopter cross-decking exercises with the USS Ronald Reagan carrier strike group (CSG) in the Philippine Sea.

“Some of our most advanced capabilities including the EA-18G Growler and the Guided Missile Destroyer, HMAS Hobart, will be able to integrate in a combined air and sea environment,” Defence Minister Senator Linda Reynolds said in a statement. “This deployment demonstrates Defence as a capable force, with an ability to conduct complex and extended deployments at sea and in the air organically and with our regional partners.”

The Guam exercises will help fine-tune the RAN’s preparation for RIMPAC, but also allows the ADF to develop its Air-Sea integration with our own and allied forces for future joint operations.

“Exercising as a joint force across air and sea allows the Navy and Air Force to understand each other’s warfighting activities, to fight better in the maritime environment, make decisions quickly and fully employ their forces across multiple domains,” Minister Reynolds said.

This article was published by ADBR on July 24, 2020.

The Coming of MISR to the Fleet: The Perspective of the First Deployed MISR Officer

08/05/2020

By Robbin Laird

Earlier this year, in a visit with Vice Admiral Miller, the US Navy’s Air Boss, I was introduced to the coming of MISR, or the Maritime ISR Officer.

MISR officers are trained as ISR subject matter experts to operate at the fleet or CSG level and to work the sensor fusion for the integratable CVW.

According to the Air Boss: “I think of MISR as additive, not lessening of TOPGUN, but instead akin to a new phase which builds upon our historical experience in the development of TOPGUN in the first place.”

In effect, these are “6th generation officers” in the sense of working the C2/ISR capabilities which enable an integrated and distributed fleet to have its maximum combat impact.

I followed this introduction to MISR up over the past two months with discussions with officers from the Naval Aviation Warfighting Center or NAWDC with regard to how the focus on training for the integrateable air wing was shaping the way ahead. Two new warfighting training courses reflect the change.

The first is the information warfare training course which is focused on dynamic targeting.

And the second is MISR which is focused on providing the connective tissue between the operational platforms working as a integrated force to deliver the dynamic targeting effect.

The MISR effort is clearly a work in progress, but is laying the foundation for what is clearly ongoing innovations with regard to connectivity among platforms and how C2 is delivered at the tactical edge and aggregated into strategic decision making as well.

MISR is both a capability here now, but a dynamic driver for how to change the force as new ISR capabilities are added to the force, such as Triton and the upcoming revolutions in maritime remotes.

If one does not learn how to change the culture of how ISR is used and C2 redesigned then adding new ISR rich platforms or new ISR capabilities will not have the desired combat effect.

From this perspective MISR is an innovation, a new foundational element, and a plank holder in the strategic shift for force structure integratability, notably to deliver the desired political and combat effects necessary to prevail in the new strategic environment of engaging in full spectrum crisis management and escalation control and dominance.

Recently, I interviewed CDR Pete “Two Times” Salvaggio, Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), Maritime ISR (MISR) Weapons School, Department Head (DH), MISR & EP-3E Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI).

The career of this officer spans the period prior to MISR, the creation of MISR and the maturation of the MISR and Minotaur initiatives.

The officers involved in the MISR Weapons School are the seed corn for the strategic change which MISR is introducing.

And during my visit to Jax Navy during the week of June 14th, I had a chance to talk with the first MISR officer deployed to the fleet, LCDR Tracy Maddox.

Her call sign is “Mad Dog” and is as she described herself a “VQ” person by trade and an EP-3 operator.

She became a MISR officer through her engagement at NAWDC and worked with “Two Times” there as well.  She was involved in the standing up of the MISR cell at NAWDC which has now become a full warfighting course. She now is with VPU-2, a heralded squadron in the US Navy involved in “special projects.”

An October 2, 2018 article by Richard Burgess of Seapower Magazine highlighted the squadron as follows:

The Navy has established a new unit to sustain a special mission capability in its maritime patrol community with the coming retirement of the P-3 Orion aircraft.

A Sept. 10 internal directive from the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations directed the establishment on that date of Fleet Support Unit One at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida, one of two sites that serve as home bases for the Navy’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrols aircraft.

According to the directive, Fleet Support Unit One “will configure and operate P-8 aircraft to provide a follow-on special mission capability in place of [special] projects patrol squadron (VPU) P-3 aircraft due to sundown in 2019.”

The mission of the unit will be to provide “oversight, training, operations, maintenance, and configuration management for the P-8 quick reaction capability aircraft,” according to the directive.

Fleet Support Unit One will have an officer in charge rather than a commanding officer, who will report to commander, Patrol Reconnaissance Wing 11, at Jacksonville.

The Navy’s sole VPU squadron, VPU-2, operates several specially configured P-3C Orion aircraft from Marine Corps Air Station Kaneohe Bay, Hawaii. The squadron is scheduled for deactivation in fiscal 2019 in concert with the phase-out of the P-3C from operational active-duty patrol squadrons.

LCDR Maddox noted that the EP-3 community works closely with the USAF, so this has carried over for the MISR community and in terms of NAWDC working with Nellis as well.

But she clearly highlighted the challenges to getting the USAF and the USN to work fully together in shaping enhanced integratabilty but clearly the MISR standup was an important step in moving in that direction.

LCDR Maddox was posted to the USS George H. W. Bush CSG-2 under the command of Rear Admiral Kenneth Whitesell, now Deputy Commander of the US Pacific Fleet and soon to be the next commander of Naval Air Forces and and commander of Naval Air Force Pacific

During that deployment, the Admiral explored ways that a MISR approach could enhance the lethality of the fleet.

The experience shaped a demand side as well where as Vice Admiral Miller put it, there is desire to have MISR officers in every carrier strike group and at the fleet level as well.

And technology needs to be shaped to allow for this kind of innovation.

A case in point is Minotaur.

As Rear Admiral Garvin put it: “The Minotaur Track Management and Mission Management system was developed in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.

“Minotaur was designed to integrate sensors and data into a comprehensive picture which allows multiple aircraft and vessels to share networked information.

“It is basically a data fusion engine and like many software capabilities these days, doesn’t physically have to present on a platform to be of use.

“These capabilities ride on a Minotaur web where, if you are on the right network, you can access data from whatever terminal you happen to be on.”

LCDR Maddox underscored from her point of view that bringing the various wave forms into a single screen via Minotaur allows those data streams to come together and to shape a common operating picture.

She underscored that with different assets using different operating pictures the full value of the ISR streams was not being realized.

“With the Minotaur web everyone has access to the same COP regardless of whether you are airborne or onboard a ship.”

In my view, the MISR incorporation in the fleet, plus the coming of Triton are opening the aperture in understanding of how to widen the scope of what a fleet can achieve within the extended battlespace.

And this is clearly a cultural shift as well.

As LCDR Maddox put it: “It’s a very different mindset shift.”

With regard to the carrier strike groups, the core focus has been upon the fast jets and kill chains.

But with the ISR/C2 revolution and the ability to do third party targeting, the kill web is becoming a reality.

But this means that the Admirals who have come through the fast jet community are facing the challenge of changing their approach as well to incorporate MISR and dynamic targeting, ultimately in a joint capability environment.

In my view, the standing up of MISR is significant in and of itself, but lays a foundation for the way ahead.

And quite an honor to meet the first MISR officer assigned to a carrier strike group.

This is also a significant generational change as the digital natives become more prevalent within the fleet, and who experienced rapid apps upgrades and want to see the same being delivered in terms of knowledge to the fleet operating in a dynamic combat environment.

NATO Focuses on Maritime Unmanned Systems

08/04/2020

A recent article published by NATO on July 29, 2020 highlights the growing focus of attention within NATO on maritime remote systems.

Michael Brasseur is a naval warfare expert at the US Mission to NATO. This former captain of two warships who has sailed and served all over the world, now works at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. Together with experts from other NATO Allies, he is working to help enhance the Alliance’s technological edge on critical maritime capabilities. 

“It’s my job to leverage NATO’s vast innovation ecosystem to ensure Allied sailors have the very best technology to accomplish their mission of keeping the seas free,” says Michael.

Michael and his counterparts in NATO member countries are looking for cutting-edge capabilities that can give Allied sailors a tactical advantage at sea.  They have recently focused on the rapid advancements underway in maritime unmanned systems. “We are only just beginning to realise the game-changing capabilities these systems offer and I am focused on accelerating their development and integration into Allied navies,” explains Michael.

In October 2018, Michael helped launch a Maritime Unmanned Systems (MUS) initiative. Today, 14 Allies1 are working together to develop and procure maritime technology that will increase operational effectiveness, limit risk to human life and reduce operational costs, and Michael is at the heart of this initiative. Several other Allies have recognised the value of this fast-paced initiative and have expressed intent to join.

Ensuring free access to the seas

Maritime unmanned systems are drones above, on and below the water.  Allied navies use them on many different occasions to enhance the capabilities of manned platforms. Working alongside traditional naval assets, these unmanned systems can also improve situational awareness, which is critical in ensuring free access to the seas.

“Seventy per cent of the planet is covered by water,” explains Michael. “Maritime unmanned systems are important because these systems, if harnessed correctly, can greatly improve our ability to understand the maritime environment, and thus ensure the seas remain open for commerce.”

At sea, mines, terrorist activities, smuggling and piracy are threats to NATO Allies’ ability to operate freely in maritime commons. The use of unmanned systems will enable Allies to be more effective in crucial capability areas, such as finding and tracking suspicious submarines or detecting mines.

“MUS, when teamed with manned systems, offer a means to detect, localise and neutralise a mine, without putting the operator in danger,” comments Michael. 

Cherishing work and life

Michael loves his job for many reasons. “First, the opportunity to work with friends and Allies every day is a true joy,” says Michael.  “On this project, I have developed strong professional and personal relationships that I will cherish for my entire life.  I also really enjoy discovering new technologies and I get a lot of energy when I engage with academia and industry.” 

Michael, a father of four, with two teenage sons who love physics, computers and artificial intelligence, think their dad is pretty cool working on all this high-tech. “My boys also think NATO is very cool!”

Many of Michael’s colleagues don’t know that he is also a survivor. “In 2016, following my tour as captain of USS Forth Worth, I was diagnosed with stage 2, classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma.  It has certainly given me a completely different outlook on life.  I cherish every single second, like these wonderful experiences at NATO, living in Brussels and working with friends and Allies across Europe.” 

Testing drones in real-life scenarios

Each year in Portugal, Michael participates in testing Allied innovative maritime unmanned systems in scenarios such as search and rescue operations, harbour protection, and anti-submarine and naval mine warfare during exercise Recognized Environmental Picture, Maritime Unmanned Systems (REP (MUS)).

“REP (MUS) is the largest maritime unmanned systems exercise of its kind in Europe and achieved last year many critical firsts for NATO in terms of interoperability,” explains Michael.

Over 800 personnel from the Portuguese Navy, as well as from Belgium, Italy, Poland, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the NATO Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation contributed to the exercise.

Michael feels that we are at a key inflection point in history.  “The pace of innovation has become exponential and our institutions need to move faster. We have made significant progress, but we have much more work to do, to improve, accelerate and scale this important initiative.”

Visiting the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC): July 2020

08/03/2020

By Robbin Laird

The US Navy is in the throes of reworking its capability to prevail in the high-end fight while ensuring its ability to engage in full spectrum crisis management.

There is no clearer proof of this judgment than the latest efforts at the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC).

Most people know this as TOPGUN and envisage Tom Cruise-type characters preparing for air combat somewhere in global conflict.

But today’s NAWDC is focused not simply on training for the integrated air wing, but the integratable air wing engaging in leveraging and enhancing fleet-wide operations and working closely with joint and coalition force partners.

As the center of excellence for Naval aviation training and tactics development, the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center or NAWDC works to ensure an effective, integrated, and lethal force to prevail against increasingly sophisticated adversaries.

In a way, with the coming of a new generation of aircraft, Advanced Hawkeye, Triton, P-8, MQ-25 and F-35, the reach of the carrier air wing is beyond the range of the integrated air wing.

And NAWDC is an epicenter of practical ways to build out today’s navy into an effective integrated distributed force capable of operating as interactive kill webs delivering effective strike, defense, and deterrence against adversaries in the global “commons,” as it used to be called.

Over the past few weeks, I have had the chance to have a series of teleconferences with the department heads at NAWDC prior to my visit to the desert-based air wing during the week of July 5th. I will provide articles based on discussions during that week later this summer.

But in this article, I would like to focus on my discussion with the CO of NAWDC, Rear Admiral Richard Brophy.

I would note that after my time in the desert, I flew to San Diego where I had a chance to meet with the Navy’s Air Boss, Vice Admiral Miller, and to talk with the new commander of the Osprey squadrons coming into the Navy as well as to a senior Romeo commander as well.

The discussion with Rear Admiral Brophy started with a simple question: “Obviously, NAWDC is in significant change, and your job seems to be to expand the dialogue between NAWDC and the rest of naval warfighting centers as well as the USAF and the USMC and with allies. How would you describe your job?”

Rear Admiral Brophy: “Admiral Miller gave me the following charge when I took command: ‘Snap’, when you go there get us in a great power competition mindset. From a wholly-integrated perspective, look at what we need to do at NAWDC in order to win the next fight.’”

“And to do this he emphasized that my job was to pursue holistic training with the Navy and to work with other U.S. warfighting centers and key allies.”

In other words, NAWDC is focused on training the integratable air wing.

And as my earlier interviews have highlighted, the platform-centered warfighting courses have focused more broadly on the coming of new capabilities and integratability as well as two new non-platform centric warfighting courses having been established, namely, MISR and Information Warfare.

During my visit, several key developments stood out.

First, there is a re-imaging of the carrier going on associated with the return to blue water operations and rethinking how the carrier works with the fleet to deliver enhanced expeditionary reach that the carrier air wing can support.

This has meant a growing working role with the Marines, who in Rear Admiral Brophy’s words “have significant experience and expertise with expeditionary operations, and with whom we can collaborate to develop new concepts of operations.”

Rear Admiral Brophy underscored that there was clearly an enhanced working relationship with MAWTS-1 at Yuma MCAS going on as a result.

Second, this has meant that the US Navy and the USAF are establishing new ways to work more effectively together.

Earlier this year, the USAF sponsored WESTPAC.

As we noted earlier about WESTPAC: “The USAF led a joint exercise in January 2020 focused on the Western Pacific. The exercise had the stated purpose of distributing airpower throughout the operational area and working integratability to shape the desired combat effect.”

Rear Admiral Brophy noted about WESTPAC: “The USAF invited NAWDC to the exercise to represent the Navy, and we went with a full complement which included surface and subsurface officers.

“The co-chair of the WESTPAC working group was a Surface Warfare Officer who had a clear notion that we need to look beyond what the Navy brought to the fight in order to be effective in our Pacific mission.”

Third, the theme of integratability beyond the carrier air wing is a key one being worked at NAWDC.

As Rear Admiral Brophy put it: “From a training standpoint, we work from the perspective of ‘it is not going to be a carrier strike group that wins the next fight on its own, it’s going to be an integrated joint force that wins the next fight.’

“We’ve really broadened our aperture.

“Everything we do here now is based off of a single lens: does it move the needle for great power competition or not?”

Fourth, an integrated training center has been built from the ground up to support the integratable air wing to train in the kill web space.

After the interview we toured the new facility which consists of two buildings.

The first building is a meeting center with areas for working groups to meet at various levels of security within a global teleconferencing framework, as the need demands. This building can allow for scenario generation, assessment of findings and evaluations from the physical test range, or utilization of the simulated test range that is contained in the second building

The second building houses multiple simulators for different platforms being flown by the fleet. As Rear Admiral Brophy put it: “We’re going to put in an entire Air Wing’s and strike group’s worth of simulators.”

The focus is not only on platform learning, but significantly, working in an integratable environment. Those specific simulators, continued in various rooms in the building, can be linked with outside simulation facilities as well.

As Rear Admiral Brophy put it about the new facilities and their contribution: “The Integrated Training Building will be the future of virtual and constructive training for the majority of naval aviation.

“Not only will we provide cutting-edge training in Fallon, but fleet concentration areas will be able to train remotely with the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) at NAWDC in a virtual, constructive environment at any time, day or night.”

Fifth, even with the new facility, changes are necessary with the physical ranges to adjust to the high-end training of fifth generation warfare.

There are requests in to adjust the ranges to accommodate the kind of targeting challenges which the high-end air arm needs to train for to prevail in the high-end fight.

“Fallon is the only United States Navy facility where an entire air wing can conduct comprehensive training while integrating every element of air warfare.

“While aircraft and weaponry have evolved substantially in the last several decades, the ranges at Fallon have not changed significantly in size since 1962.

“Our naval aviators use the desert skies to learn critical warfighting skills necessary to defend our nation and preserve our way of life from those who would want to cause us harm.

To that end, we are working with the local community, as well as natural and cultural resource experts, to find a way forward together to expand the range.”

Sixth, a measure of the change at NAWDC has been the generation of working groups based at NAWDC that reach out to the fleet to devise and implement new ways to operate in the evolving strategic situation. COVID-19 has slowed down this process, but the trajectory is clear.

For example, in the first quarter of this year, NAWDC sponsored work with the other Navy warfighting centers to address the question of fleet-wide TTPs to execute maritime strike.

The purpose here is clearly to think beyond the classic airwing focus to a wider integratable air wing in support of fleet-wide operations.

Clearly, the new infrastructure highlighted above would be a key asset in shaping such new TTPs for the fleet and its integratability into the joint and coalition force.

Seventh, the new MISR or Maritime ISR warfighting center is managing an important new Navy exercise, Resolute Hunter, which is focused on the evolving role of ISR and sensor networks in guiding C2 and integrated operations going forward.

The second such exercise will be held in November of this year, and will include Australians, Brits, Marines, and the USAF.

As Rear Admiral Brophy put it: “In the Resolute Hunter exercise, we are really looking hard at the Kill Web aspect and focusing on utilizing every asset that’s out there to ensure that we’re the most effective warfighting force we possibly can be.”

Taken together, the work of MISR, the Information Warfare program, Resolute Hunter, and the work with the Marines and the USAF, highlights the challenge and opportunity for shaping a Maritime Squadron Targeting Concept.

This is a clear expression that NAWDC and the Navy are focusing on ways to leverage an integratable air wing for the fleet, and for the joint and coalition force.

As Rear Admiral Brophy put it: “What exactly do 21st century fires look like from a Maritime perspective?”

Eighth, Rear Admiral Brophy underscored how important it was to ensure kill web capabilities and effectiveness.

A distributed fleet without integratability delivered by interactive kill webs would weaken the force.

It is crucial to ensure that a distributed force has ready access to fires across the joint and coalition force to ensure combat dominance.

A kill web approach is not about having distributed orphans across the extended battlespace, but an integrated honeycomb force.

In short, NAWDC is a key epicenter where the current force is becoming more capable and lethal, and the aperture of the integratable air wing has been opened to provide a key venue for the kind of force transformation needed for full spectrum crisis management dominance.

Note: I should note that I closely adhered to the CDC COVID guidelines during my travels and would note that in both the airports and on the airplanes, the travelling public and the airlines staff clearly were concerned to do so as well.

This is a good sign for the recovery of air travel for sure.

But I would not that with air traffic at around 50% at most of pre-COVID-19 levels, don’t expect some of your favorite direct flights to be available.

26th MEU

Reconnaissance Marines assigned to the Maritime Raid Force, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), refine various mission capabilities during their pre-deployment training program and deployment.

The 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and Pacific through the Western Indian Ocean and three critical chokepoints to the free flow of global commerce.

U.S. 5TH FLEET AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

06.10.2020

Video by Cpl. Gary Jayne III

26th Marine Expeditionary Unit