Robbin Laird, Author at Second Line of Defense

Maritime Remotes and Maritime Kill Webs: The Case of an Integrated Counter Mine Autonomous System

Posted on July 28, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/28/2020

By Robbin Laird

During my recent visits to Jax Navy, Mayport, Fallon Naval Air Station and to North Island Naval Air Station, I had a chance to meet with a wide range of Navy officers focused on reshaping air-maritime capabilities to have a more effective and lethal combat force.

The re-shaping of the fleet into an integrated distributed force over the decade ahead, will see a new chapter written about the role of maritime remotes within the fleet as well.

The challenge will be to work through how the evolving sensor networks will inform C2, rather than overwhelm it. As solutions are worked, the way will be opened for new innovative ways to expand the contribution of sensors to enhancing the effectiveness, agility, lethality and survivability of the air-maritime combat force.

One way ahead with regard to the introduction of maritime remotes into the fleet could well be the introduction of autonomous mine detection and destruction systems introduced into the fleet.

The advantage of counter-mine autonomous package is rather straightforward: it can be deployed from a variety of ships in the fleet, rather than having to be managed by a specialized ship which will have to be present to execute the mission.

It is clear that the challenge of dealing with mines is a major one for any fleet, and that adversaries have focused on the use of mines as part of the package of capabilities which they are building and shaping to challenge the maritime forces of the United States and our allies.

As Greg Mapson has noted: “With China’s expansion into the South China Sea and its militarization of several reefs far from its shores, its minelaying forces have a more expansive role to play. The People’s Liberation Army Navy has a fleet of ships and conventional submarines with crews that are well practised, and indeed lauded, for their minelaying skills.

“They also possess very capable minelaying aircraft. The exercise demonstrated China’s commitment to mine warfare as a pillar of its naval strategy.

“Notwithstanding China’s potent capabilities in laying mines, many strategists wrongly believe they’ll be used in offensive operations, but they’re more versatile than that.

“One possible scenario is that China will use its growing mine stocks in a period of tension to further control access to areas surrounding its South China Sea claims by laying protective minefields—or even just claiming to.”

The threat is clear; the response less so.

There is significant interest and focus on shaping maritime remote capabilities in this area for sure.

And my discussions with Australian, British and US Naval officers has underscored the importance of leveraging new maritime remote capabilities as part of the solution set.

During my July visit to San Diego, I had a chance to view and be briefed on one approach to shaping a way ahead.

At the Trident Warrior 2020 exercise, I had a chance after landing from my visit to Fallon Naval Air Station, to visit the MARTAC team working their solution to the mine warfare challenge.

My colleague, George Galorisi, has introduced our readers and myself to the MARTAC solution as well as highlighting a number of ways in which maritime remotes can significantly enhance fleet capabilities and security.

In later articles, I will discuss with Galorisi his experience and thoughts on the way ahead in this area as well as more comprehensive look at my visit with the MARTAC at the end of their time at Trident Warrior.

Teledyne Technologies is the system integrator for the autonomous countermine systems carrier onboard MARTAC’s catamarans.

The team is using two key platforms carrier onboard the MANTAS which have significant operational experience in allied navies.

The first remote platform is SeaScout.

It is described the Teledyne Brown Engineering brochure as follows: “SeaScout is an advanced subsea imaging system designed for min hunting, change detection, and routine surveys of strategic ports and waterways. Founded on Kraken’s high-speed Synthetic Aperture Sonar Towfirsh and combined with ThayerMahan’s remote operations and communications system. SeaScout enables high resolution, real-time intelligence to mission planners over the horizon from both manned and unmanned platforms.”

The second remote platform is Pluto Plus.

It is described the Teledyne Brown Engineering brochure as follows: “Pluto Plus is a remote operated underwater vehicle (ROV) primarily used for heavy duty mine identification and mine disposal. PLUTO PLUS is capable of countermining missions in strong current and lack of visibility conditions, A smart combination of medium power high speed vehicle with the smallest communications capable and special purpose acoustic camera makes PLUATO PLUST the top mine hunting vehicle.”

My picture of the PLUTO PLUS at the Trident Warrior exercise can be seen below:

The two autonomous platforms operate from the MANTAS catamaran and the vessel can operate independently but is also connected to the host ship via data links which enables collaboration between the host ship and the autonomous counter mine vessel.

With regard to the MANTAS, the MARTAC web page describes it as follows:

“Maritime Tactical Systems, Inc. (MARTAC™) has patented a unique class of MANTAS™ next generation unmanned vessels. Our unmanned surface and hybrid vessels are accompanied with a robust Command and Control (C2) system known as TASKER™. Our MANTAS USV enables the coverage of open ocean and littoral waterways with extended on-station persistence capability. Our product line of unmanned vessels can range from 6′ (2m) to 50′ (15m) and capable of extreme high surface speeds.

“Our patented catamaran hull is suitable for surface, subsurface and unaided air drop operations.”

Together, the C2 links, the ROVs and the catamaran make up the mine hunting ecosystem.

A key focus of the program has been to build a system which can be operated from any ship with an 11 meter RHIB space onboard.

The system as well could easily fit into a transport helicopter to be brought to a fleet which would need the capability or have their capability enhanced as well.

Recently, I had a chance to talk about MARTAC and their approach to shaping a way ahead with their integrated systems for the U.S. and allied navies with the CEO of MARTAC, Bruce Hanson.

In a teleconference conducted on July 24, 2020, we discussed a number of issues.

A core theme in the discussion was how the MANTAS ecosystem could fit nicely into the evolved integrated distributed force.

Hanson underscored the variety of ways an autonomous maritime counter mine system can be deployed throughout the fleet, and the keen interest which allies have in the system as well.

My own experience, notably in Australia, has underscored that the counter-mine mission is of significant short to mid-term significance.

And with the OPV program on track, certainly Australia will be looking for such an autonomous counter mine capability as well,

It is clear as well that getting operational experience with remote systems is crucial to the way ahead.

It is not just about endless R and D; it is about getting operational experience with a novel system.

We have certainly seen that with Triton whereby the system is being deployed earlier than its IOC which led to the coining of the term EOC or early operational capability.

Perhaps this is a new way ahead for software defined and operated autonomous systems.

According to Hanson, the package which has been developed is available now and can enhance fleet capabilities in the near to mid-term.

With regard to the vessel, the history of the firm goes back to Hanson’s father he launched the catamaran innovations.

And according to Hanson, they recently found his father’s original work on autonomous maritime systems back to the 1960s, in which his father was using what would be considered a primitive IBM card system to operate the vessel. They found both his father’s original drawings and the original vessel to test the concepts.

During his own career, Hanson brought together design work from a colleague on high speed vessels with his own experience in aerospace.

The result was to build autonomous vessels and to then test those vessels and their ability to operate safely and effectively at sea.

Small vessels are exactly models of the bigger ones.

“We ran our six-foot boat on a wide variety of maritime environments and ran that T6 over 5000.”

“The product line we have now has its heritage from the six-foot ship and we have built out to a 70-foot length.

“And the boat you were on a 44-foot variant.”

Hanson underscored the working relationship with Teledyne Brown Engineering.

As Hanson described it, they had already done a first round of integration with regard to the MANTAS, but by partnering with Teledyne Brown Engineering they have been able to build a more effective integrated platform.

Teledyne Brown Engineering has engaged the global market to find off the shelf solutions which can deliver capability now and at low risk.

Hanson concluded with an explanation of how the MANTAS solution was quite unique.

“What this integrated platform is capable of doing is a single sortie mission.

“With a fairly small platform, and reduce the counter-mine task to be done in hours what used to take days.”

“The catamaran design is very stable and because you can drop it directly into the water you do not have to have a complicated crane system to get the ship in the water.

“This design means that we can operate from a wide variety of ships.

“The MANTAS itself is extremely light which means the payload goes up relative to vessel size.

“This allows us to be able to put more sensors on the vessel at one time and to integrate them onboard.

“We are very stable in a variety of sea states.

“The data that is collected onboard the vessel, gets interpreted for the anomalies back to the professionals onboard the fleet.”

In short, there is an interesting new option for the integrated distributed fleet which participated in this year’s Trident Warrior exercise.

The photo below shows Hanson aboard the vessel they brought to Trident Warrior before several of us went on the boat for a spin in the North San Diego Bay.

Bruce Hanson, Chairman & CEO, MARTAC

Mr. Hanson is a technology development executive who combines a unique blend of business acumen, perceptive entrepreneurial savvy and technical insight to create innovative solutions. Prior to founding MARTAC, Mr. Hanson was a founder and CEO of The Software Specialists, Inc. (TSS), an aerospace corporation that provided sophisticated engineering services to major defense, aerospace and avionics companies. Most of this work involved state of the art communications, navigation, surveillance, inertial and control systems that are in service throughout the world.

Under Mr. Hanson’s direct leadership, TSS developed a number of innovate approaches to develop mission critical technology systems. Mr. Hanson has a track record of converting innovative ideas into long-term income generating products supported by accomplished solution-based teams. His areas of expertise with advanced technology systems combine practical business operations with the development and implementation that span strategic planning and execution, business development, operations management, sales and revenue growth, cost, schedule and quality optimization and engineering.

Mr. Hanson has a deep passion for high performance vehicles of all kinds which led him to invest in, then design and build state of the art computer and control systems for the world’s fastest offshore racing boats. Bruce has been on the design team for some of the world’s most technologically advanced and powerful street cars. This passion led to the formation of MARTAC which is the culmination of the years of aerospace experience coupled with the high-performance offshore powerboat technology. This resulted in the development of the family of MANTAS Unmanned Surface and Undersea Vehicle platforms.

Bruce has been involved with a number of startups as part of the management team and as an investor. Bruce’s background as an investor in startups gives him a keen sense of investor concerns in his approach to management. Bruce holds degrees in Physics, Mathematics and Master of Electrical Engineering attending SUNY Potsdam, Clarkson College and Binghamton University School of Engineering.

https://martacsystems.com/bruce-hanson/

See also, the following:

Maritime Remotes and the Evolving Surface Fleet: An Element of the Integrated Distributed Force

Enhancing Expeditionary Logistics with Emerging Technology: The Impact of Unmanned Surface Vessels

Defeating “Weapons That Wait” With Unmanned Systems

The Australian Approach to Developing and Deploying Remotes Systems in the Maritime Environment: The Perspective of Cmdr. Paul Hornsby

Supporting Expeditionary Force Logistics with USV Technology

Shaping an Australian Navy Approach to Maritime Remotes, Artificial Intelligence and Combat Grids

The Navy-Marine Corps Team Looks to Unmanned Surface Vehicles to Enhance ISR Capabilities

https://defense.info/maritime-dynamics/2020/02/unmanned-systems-take-the-sailor-out-of-the-minefield/

https://defense.info/defense-systems/uk-mod-adds-to-its-maritime-unmanned-capabilities-acquires-mantas-t12-usvs/

Indian Air Modernization Takes a Significant Step Forward: First Rafales Depart France for the Indian Air Force

Posted on July 27, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/27/2020

By Pierre Tran

Five Rafales took off July 27 from Mérignac, southwest France, with Indian air force pilots starting a 7,000 km flight to India, with a further five units staying in France for pilot training, the Indian embassy said in a statement.

“India took a significant step in strengthening air power and defence preparedness with the first five Rafale fighter aircraft, built by Dassault, flying from Mérignac airbase in Bordeaux, France to India today,” the embassy said.

That was the dispatch of the first batch of the 36 Rafales ordered by India in September 2016 in a deal worth some €7.9 billion ($9.3 billion). Dassault had met contract requirements for handing over to the client nation, and the fighters needed to be flown to the Indian subcontinent to join the air force.

The expected arrival of those Rafales comes just weeks after heightened tension between India and China, with 20 Indian soldiers being killed and an unknown number of Chinese casualties over a contested border in the Himalayas.

The French air force was supporting that Indian Rafale flight, with two A330 multirole tanker transport jets flying with the fighter jets, the French armed forces ministry said in a statement. One Airbus A330 MRTT was providing inflight refuelling, while the second unit carried medical equipment and a 10-strong team of military medical staff to help India in the struggle against the Covid 19 pandemic.

That batch of fighter jets was delivered on time and the remaining 26 units were due to be delivered by the end of 2021, the embassy said. The Rafale flight was due to land in India July 29, and included a stop over in the United Arab Emirates.

Dassault trained Indian pilots and support personnel on the aircraft and weapons, and further batches of air force staff will be trained over the next nine months, the embassy said.

French hopes of selling a further 114 Rafales to India in a €12.2 billion tender may be fading, due to the coronavirus, afternoon daily Le Monde reported May 20.

The health crisis has hurt the Indian economy, slashing the means for New Delhi to spend on foreign suppliers and raising the need for local production, prime minister Narendra Modi is understood to have said in April, the report said.

That may boost the prospects of the Tejas light combat aircraft built by state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, based in Bangalore, southern India, the report said. The defense ministry ratified March 18 an order for 83 of the single-seat Tejas, in a deal worth €5.5 billion. That order promoted a “Make in India” industrial policy and heavily undercut the price of foreign fighter jets proposed by Boeing, Dassault, Lockheed Martin and Saab.

However, the Indian air chief, general Rakesh Kumar Singh Bhadauria, said May 18 the light combat aircraft failed to meet the requirement set out for for the 114 fighters, as the need was “in the middle weight and is in the Rafale class,” Asian News International agency reported. That requirement could be met with increased foreign direct investment and support for the private sector, the air chief said.

The Rafales are due to be based in the northern and western borders of India, ANI reported.

There were 70 ventilators and 100,000 test kits in the A330 MRTT carrying medical assistance, the defense ministry said. The medical aid mission was decided with the foreign ministry and aimed to share lessons learnt by the military in helping civil hospitals in France.

There was also a political signal of bilateral links between New Delhi and Paris.

“This also marks a new milestone in the strong and growing India-France defense cooperation,” the Indian embassy said.

India is seen as a key arms market for France. New Delhi has ordered a powered smart bomb built by Safran Electronics & Defense, the Times of India reported July 23. The weapon bears the brand name Hammer and is an export version of the armement air-sol modulaire, a bomb which Safran previously lobbied France to boost orders to keep the line open.

The Indian air force flies a 51-strong fleet of upgraded Mirage 2000H fighters and the navy is receiving six Scorpene attack submarines. Naval Group signed up to compete in an Indian tender for six more submarines in the P-75 (I) project.

There had been media reports a first batch of four Rafales was due to be flown in May, but that flight was delayed by the health crisis, which led to French facilities being temporarily closed.

The featured photo: The twin-engine fighter jets took off from Dassault Aviation’s facility in Merignac, France. Indian Ambassador to France speaks to pilots at an airbase in Merignac in France. (Image: IAF)

The source for the photos in the slideshow:

five-rafale-fighter-jets-leave-for-india-see-pictures-5604061-6.html

The twin-engine fighter jets took off from Dassault Aviation’s facility in Merignac, France. Indian Ambassador to France speaks to pilots at an airbase in Merignac in France. (Image: IAF)

The Rafale fighter aircraft was flagged off on July 27 by the Indian Ambassador to France from an airbase in Merignac in France as part of the two countries' 36 fighter jet deal that was signed by the two countries in September 2016. (Image: IAF)

The new Rafale jets add strategic depth and strength to India’s air combat capabilities. (Image: Twitter @Indian_Embassy)

All the pilots have been trained on the aircraft by the French Dassault Aviation company as per the agreement signed for the biggest ever defence signed by India in 2016 for acquiring 36 Rafale jets for over Rs 60,000 crore. (Image: IAF)

Indian Ambassador to France visited the Rafale Assembly line, training facilities and interacted with officials from Dassault Aviation. (Image: Twitter @Indian_Embassy)

The fighter jets will be refuelled on the way by a French Air Force tanker aircraft and take a stopover at UAE Al Dhafra airbase after which India will receive them on July 29. (Image: IAF)

The five aircraft flying to India includes seven Indian pilots including the commanding officer of the 17 Golden Arrows squadron. (Image: IAF)

Navigating the COVID-19 World: Shaping a Way Ahead for the International Fighter Conference 2020

Posted on July 27, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

By Robbin Laird

I have attended the International Fighter Conference for the past two years in Berlin. I provided several analytical pieces on presentations and discussions at those two events as well as reports covering the events as well.

I was certainly looking forward to coming to Berlin and seeing my German friends and colleagues in the air combat community this Fall when the conference is scheduled to be held. But having left Australia prematurely in March and having returned to the United States in the world of COVID-19 that will not be.

But thankfully, the hosts for the conference, Defence iQ, have been working a way ahead for the conference which holds promise for providing an interesting venue for the conference which be held from the 18th through the 19th of November.

It will be a virtual conference but one which the Defence iQ team has come up with a way ahead which can make it more valuable than what many of us have experienced while living in the Zoom world.

To get a sense of how Defence iQ is working to provide a more innovative framework than has been delivered with the broad scale zoom experience, I had a chance to talk with Alexander Stephenson, Deputy Director, Defence iQ.

We discussed the approach being shaped for the event. As Stephenson explained it, the digital side of the company has been active for many years, and has provided core competencies which have been leveraged as the company faced the challenges of holding conferences in the virtual world.

As Stephenson explained it. the conference will host a number of panels through the more traditional virtual presentation methods, but will embed this approach within an innovative networking platform which allows the participants to interact with one another and to do so in way to set up chat rooms around topics of interest among the participants themselves.

They are using a networking platform called Brella which can able the participants to engage in interactive conversations around the conference framework.

According to Stephenson: “We have found at all of these official events, that the networking component is the hardest to replicate and lots of platforms don’t try to.

“Many will now be familiar with the lonely experience of attending a webinar purportedly attended by hundreds.

“With Brella, you’ll login to that web platform and you’ll answer a few questions about yourself and then it will suggest people on the delegate list you might like to meet.

“You can click on a page and set up a little private meeting room and invite people to join you as a sidebar. You can click on the conference room and look at the presentation itself, and ask questions. You can go to the list of event partners and next to each one, it has all their documents, PDF’s, videos and also the names of everyone from that company who are there.

“So you can click on them and reach out for a personal video chat. We all are trying to replicate as much networking, minus the beer and the whiskey as possible, but we’re also playing to some of the other strengths of the internet. You can see the full delegate list and you can request meetings with anyone on the delegate list and schedule them in.”

He noted that there are some advantages to the virtual conference when enabled with such networking software. They are able to have a wider range of moderators; they can invite a wider range of experts to present at the virtual event, and they can allow the military which comes free to their events to bring a larger delegation of participants to the conference as well.”

This approach allows for questions to be generated, and cross linked and answered, as well as much wider engagement than would happen in a live Q and A session as well. Stephenson highlighted: “It really shows us what questions people have. And that will obviously feed into the online discussion.”

In short, Defence iQ is providing an innovative answer to a key question: “How do we present a large event, like the Fighter Conference and make it attractive to people, but also replicate in some way that personalized experience that you get when you go to a conference?”

I am looking forward to the November event and providing my third year of coverage and analysis.

To register for the conference, please use the following link:

https://www.defenceiq.com/events-internationalfighter-online/?registerModal=true&

The featured photo: An F-22 flying with a Typhoon and a Rafael at the Trilateral Exercise at Langley AFB, December 2015. Credit Photo: USAF.

See the following:

International Fighter Conference, 2020

The International Fighter Conference 2019 report can be read as an e-book below:

The International Fighter Conference 2018 report can be read as a PDF below:

International-Fighter-Conference-2018

For a look at the Brella networking software, see the following:

Gaszyn Challenge

Posted on July 27, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

Enhanced Forward Presence Battle Group Poland accepts the Gaszyn Challenge from the Polish 1st Territorial Defense Brigade and challenges the 1st Warsaw Armored Brigade, June 18, 2020 at Bemowo Piskie Training Area. The Gaszyn Challenge is to show support for a Polish girl named Hania who is suffering from a debilitating disease.

BE, POLAND

06.16.2020

Video by Staff Sgt. Kulani Lakanaria

Battle Group Poland

JSDF Participates in Anti-Piracy Operations with the EU Naval Force Somalia

Posted on July 26, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/26/2020

According to a story published in July 2020 by the Japanese Ministry of Defence, the Japanese Navy is participating in the EU anti-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.

On June 12th and 21st, JS Onami conducted an anti-piracy joint exercise (including communications training, firearms exercises, etc.) with the Spanish Navy Frigates “Numancia” and “Santa Maria” as the EU Naval Force.

JS Onami is currently dispatched as a surface force conducting anti-piracy operations.

To strengthen cooperation in anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) has been participating in joint Japan-EU anti-piracy exercises with the EU Naval Force Somalia (Operation ATALANTA) since October 2014, through which the EU conducts anti-piracy operations in accordance with the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

In the past, Japan has conducted joint anti-piracy exercises with other member states of the EU Naval Force-Somalia Operation ATALANTA such as the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Italian Navy, the German Navy, and the Spanish Navy.

Given the increasingly severe security environment, it is extremely important to deepen Japan-EU defense cooperation and exchanges.

MOD/JSDF will continue to strengthen cooperation on shared issues for peace and stability in the international community and the region.

The Next Phase of Australian Defense Strategy Development: A Discussion with Brendan Sargeant

Posted on July 24, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/24/2020

By Robbin Laird

Last month, the Australian government announced its new defense strategy and force development plan for the decade ahead.

It represents both continuity and change from the 2016 strategy, but clearly expresses a recognition of the new strategic environment within which Australia finds itself.

It also expresses both concern and articulates a way ahead for enhanced Australian sovereignty in shaping its defense posture with a clear focus on its neighborhood, and with a focus on enhanced capabilities to defend Australia more effectively up to and including its first island chain.

If one followed closely the Williams Foundation seminars for which I have written the reports over the past few years, this evolution would come as no surprise.

But the strategy and force structure plan do represent a break from the 2016 document with regard to clear recognition that Australia is facing a China more willing to exercise coercion, clear need for a more robust and secure supply chain, more indigenous defense industrial support capability and new capabilities to shape the strategic environment.

Australia also faces challenges in its alliances which requires a clear effort by Australia to steer a path whereby it can provide leadership and not simply followership in the years ahead.

Recently, I had a chance to discuss this strategic shift with Brendan Sargeant, currently Head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre, Australian National University.

Professor Brendan Sargeant has had wide experience in Defence and has held senior appointments, including as Associate Secretary and prior to that as Deputy Secretary Strategy.

For Sargeant: “The way I see it, the document is a transitional one or the beginning of a rethinking on how we do defense and what we need to do.

“It still reflects a bit of uncertainty in the policy environment about how fundamental the changes are and so there’s a bit of hedging in the document as well.”

It is clear as will with the impact of COVID-19 on the global economy, budgetary options are in flux as well.

But what is striking about the Australian government’s strategic document is that indeed it was issued in the midst of shaping a way ahead in the COVID-19 environment.

Sargeant underscored in a note on the strategy: “It is very clear that we are seeing the development of ADF capability designed to strengthen Australia’s capacity to support its interests in the Indo Pacific and resist potential coercion by other states (China).

“It recognises that many of the trends in the international system are working against Australia’s interests and that we have entered a very different strategic environment to the one that we have been accustomed to.”

He added: “Deterrence has also always been a major element of Australian strategic policy, but this document strengthens it and in a sense is a search of contemporary capabilities that fulfilled the role of the F1 11 in the 80s and 90s. But we haven’t done enough policy thinking on deterrence since the 1990s.

‘The operational focus of the Middle East wars have consumed too much policy energy and made us complacent.

“The document recognises limits, and in that sense overturns the 2016 White Paper and is quite explicit about that.

“It’s repositioning geographically is something that we drifted away from when we put our faith in the continuation of the rules-based order, which underpinned a lot of the thinking in 2016.

“The document recognises that Australia should be capable of leading military operations in the region.

“I think this is important, but it will be a challenge to work through what that means and how this might engage our neighbours and friends.

“I think implicitly we are starting to see the end of the balanced force idea, recognising that we will need to optimise the force against a set of priorities set out in its capability goals.

“The comment that warning time has reduced, that we don’t have the luxury of a decade’s warning that we talked about in the past is I think is the indicator of realism in its assessment of the volatility of our strategic environment.

“But I also think that this brings forward Defence’s biggest challenge which is the extent to which it is able to adapt and respond to a rate of change which seems to be increasing.”

We had a chance to discuss the strategic shift and the shift in strategy in a teleconference earlier this month.

In addition to the issues which Sargeant had already raised in his note on the new strategy, we focused on some specific dynamics of change which are implied or raised specifically in the strategy.

The first is clearly the geographic focus of the strategy. As Sargeant highlighted: “It is a shift from the Middle East to the first island chain for Australia.

It is about having the ability to shape and influence the closer in strategic environment and certainly with a core focus on the Indo-Pacific region.”

The second is the core focus on deterrence, and to do so within the context of new threats, new capabilities, and the rapid evolution of military technologies.

As Sargeant put it: “I think our policy environment has gotten lazy over the last 20 years because most of our strategic energy was consumed by Afghanistan and Iraq, and now we need to engage in a very different type of strategic discourse.

“How do we want to think about deterrence and with which policy tools, and how best to rework relationships with allies and partners?”

The third is the focus on adding new strike capabilities for the ADF.

With the emphasis on an ability both to shape the strategic environment as well as to be able to operate within it, the question of shaping new strike capabilities is an important new emphasis in the strategy.

How Australia will do this is a work in progress, but certainly given the need for Australia’s most significant ally, the United States to come up with a more robust and cost effective weapons mix, any solutions to be worked in Australia could have significant reach into the American force redesign as well.

It is the question of the effect, and not simply the question of a silver bullet.

As Sargeant put it: “For the ADF, I think the focus will be less upon the specific platform than upon the combat effect. What sort of weapons would you use operating within a joint force context to get the effect we will need?”

The fourth is the challenge for the Australian Army to work through their role in the new strategic context, strategy and effort.

According to Sargeant, “As we focus on our region, Army will have a key role, but in terms of the joint force. How best to work their role? What do they need to be able to do in the joint and integrated force context?

“One answer clearly would be for the Army to focus on how their new interest and capabilities in amphibious warfare would work within a regional joint force context?”

The fifth is the evolving role of Australia with allies and partners in operating in the new strategic context.

Clearly, defense diplomacy and key political-military working relationships with partners and allies in the region will be a key part of shaping an effective way ahead for Australia.

A key challenge is shaping the kind of diplomatic outreach which can work as an effective part of the shaping and deterrence effort crucial to a viable Australian defense strategy.

In short, with a new strategic focus highlighting more effective integrated operations within its region, the ADF faces the challenge of shaping more integrated and effective military-political efforts to strengthen a new diplomatic outreach in the region as well.

(l-r) Assistant Defence Minister Alex Hawke, Secretary of Defence Greg Moriarty, Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds, Chief of Defence Force General Angus Campbell prior to the launch of the 2020 Defence Strategic Update and the 2020 Force Structure Plan at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra.

The Prime Minister of Australia, the Hon Scott Morrison, at the launch of the 2020 Defence Strategic Update and the 2020 Force Structure Plan at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Linda Reynolds, speaking at the launch of the 2020 Defence Strategic Update and the 2020 Force Structure Plan at the Australian Defence Force Academy, Canberra.

Seahawks In the Gulf

Posted on July 24, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

A SH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, is seen conducting flight operations in the Arabian Gulf.

HSC 26 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 choke points to the free flow of global commerce.

There is a global enterprise of the Seahawk helicopters operating world wide and providing for commonality in training and operations with the US Navy, allies and partners globally.

A Sikorsky SH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, conducts flight operations during a Photoex. HSC 26 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 choke points to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Christopher Cameron)

A Sikorsky SH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, conducts flight operations in the Arabian Gulf. HSC 26 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 choke points to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christopher Cameron)

A SH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, conducts flight operations in the Arabian Gulf. HSC 26 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 choke points to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christopher Cameron)

A SH-60S Sea Hawk, attached to Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 26, conducts flight operations during a Photoex. HSC 26 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 choke points to the free flow of global commerce. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Christopher Cameron)

An Update on the Integratable Air Wing: A Discussion with the US Navy’s Air Boss

Posted on July 23, 2020 | by Robbin Laird | Leave a Comment

07/23/2020

By Robbin Laird

Last February, I visited San Diego and met with Vice Admiral Miller, the US Navy’s Air Boss.

During that meeting, we discussed a shift from what I call the integrated to the integratable air wing and its impact on innovation for the fleet and the joint force.

During that discussion, I learned about the introduction of the MISR WTIs or the Maritime ISR Weapons and Tactics Instructors (WTIs), who are specially trained officers and enlisted, to the ranks as well as of the coming of the Osprey to the carrier force in the near term and the MQ-25 unmanned air tanker to the fleet in the mid-term.

Our discussion focused on these changes, less in terms of platforms, and more in terms of how the Navy was working to reshape its capabilities as it re-focused on the best ways to operate in high-end warfare environment as well as operating across the full spectrum of conflict.

Since that time, I have travelled to Australia and have written a report on the new Australian offshore patrol vessel.

I also continued discussions about the shaping of a way ahead for the new-build Australian submarine and had wide-ranging discussions with the USMC, the USAF, and with the US Navy.

Last month, I visited Naval Aviation locations in Jacksonville and Mayport, Florida , then had meetings with senior Navy officers in Norfolk, and then this month spent several days in Nevada with NAWDC or the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center.

I have published some of these interviews, with many more to follow.

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.

For example, to get from Fallon to San Diego, I travelled from Reno to Dallas and then to San Diego.

I did learn that there seem to be some special exceptions to mask wearing on the airplane.

For example, here is one passenger on the flight sequence from Fallon San Diego.

But visiting Naval Air Station North Island in San Diego this month provided me an opportunity to discuss the way ahead being shaped by the operational or fighting Navy which might be missed if I had stayed Inside the Beltwa

Similarly, discussions with the U.S. Air Warfare Center at Nellis AFB and with the USMC’s MAWTS-1 squadron, as well as with officers working at Headquarters USMC Aviation, provided an opportunity to understand how the approach to fleet-wide innovation was interacting with changes in other parts of the joint force.

Visits in 2018 by Ed Timperlake and myself to Fort Sill provided insights into how the Air Defense Artillery community was intersecting with kill-web innovations.

A clear takeaway from my discussions in the various parts of Naval Aviation and with fleet officers has been that the current Air Boss, Vice Admiral Miller, who is retiring this Fall, has provided significant leadership to encourage innovation throughout the Naval Aviation Enterprise.

And during my most recent visit to North Island this month, I had a chance to continue the discussion with the Air Boss about shaping a way ahead for innovation that I would like to highlight in this article.

At the meeting with the Air Boss, either in person or in the teleconference, was my host for the NAWDC visit and the CO of NAWDC, Rear Admiral Rich Brophy; the Chief of Staff for the Air Boss, Captain Max McCoy, most recently, head of the Navy’s operational F-35C force; and the head of the N98 requirements division as well as the N98 officer involved with the MQ-25-program.

What was clear from visiting NAWDC, and from my prior discussions with the heads of the weapons training departments at NAWDC, is that the training center is focused on the integratable air wing, and the role of carrier aviation working more broadly with the fleet and the joint force.

Two new warfighting departments have been put in place which represent the shift—namely, the MISR Weapons School and the information warfare department, which is focused on the challenge of dynamic targeting.

At NAWDC, there is a significant shift from a primary focus on Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs) for platforms and their integration on the carrier to a focus on TTPs for broader functional areas wherein TTPs need to be shaped fleet wide, such as for joint maritime strike.

With regard to MISR WTIs, their core task is to work integratability between organic carrier ISR assets with non-organic ISR assets and sensors to assist in the process of CSG decision making, and in the case of assignment to the fleet level, to do so for the fleet decision makers.

This obviously is a fundamental shift and a work in progress.

The impact of the F-35 is part of the process of change.

Currently at NAWDC, an F-35C squadron is working closely with the Hawkeye community to shape the kind of integratability which could flow nicely into the expanded reach of the fleet to deliver the combat effects necessary for either the high-end fight or full spectrum crisis management.

In thinking about the coming of the MQ-25, clearly the current focus is upon getting the asset developed to the point where it can operate off the carrier by the mid-2020s to perform a core function, tanking, and thereby freeing up manned assets for other mission sets.

It has been designed to carry the sensors that will be most useful to the fleet going forward.

Indeed, a major change is a recognition that the evolution of the sensor network feeding decision-making fleet wide, and for the joint force, is a core focus of attention.

But the sensors which can be envisaged do not need to be under the glass but could be passive sensors carried by new systems like the CMV-22 or the MQ-25.

What is quite impressive is that thinking is already underway with regard to what would make sense to include on these aircraft to enhance fleet lethality and combat effectiveness.

Perhaps a new role for the MISR WTIs might be to provide inputs with regard to the evolution of the fleet sensor network.

But more generally with regard to MISR contributions, clearly the focus has been, as Vice Admiral Miller put it: “Build the capability and they will come” with regard to the recognition of the growing contributions of the sensor network and evolving C2 to fleet innovation.

Another case in point has been the coming of the Triton to Pacific operations.

The Triton brings a whole new layer of situational awareness and targeting capabilities to the fleet, and with the growing awareness of the priority on integration of the US Air Force with Navy fleet operations, the Triton can provide a contribution to the integratability of the two services as well.

Indeed, the USAF and the USN are engaging in a clear effort to better integrate across the board, notably with regard to bombers and the fleet.

The US Navy is hosting an exercise called RESOLUTE HUNTER which is working ways to better integrate ISR, C2, and Battle Management across the forces, with the next iteration to be held this November.

The work on integratability of the various air-maritime elements, can lead as well to rethinking of how the L-class ships or the large deck carrier will operate in the future and thereby shape new capabilities across the crisis management spectrum.

I wrote earlier about rethinking how L-class ships could operate more effectively in a task force as Vipers and Romeos become integratabtle platforms with the focus of the USMC on digital interoperability generating new capabilities for the Viper to integrate.

With Vice Admiral Mille, we discussed how the new Ford class carriers can operate quite differently from the Nimitz class. With three times the onboard power systems, new C2 capabilities, an ability to host directed energy weapons, and to configure C2 cells differently, the USS GERALD R. FORD (CVN 78) conducting blue water operations could operate as a key epicenter for supporting multiple kill webs or reintegrating into a tightly integrated defensive force dependent on the evolving combat situation.

The rethinking of the operations the L-class ships and of the large deck carrier, as part of a wider set of interactive kill webs, are topics to be discussed in future articles, but the work which is unfolding under the Air Boss and in the naval aviation community (remembering that the Marines are key players in that community) clearly is underwriting new ways to work the fleet.

VICE ADMIRAL DEWOLFE MILLER, III

Commander, Naval Air Forces/Commander, Naval Air Force, US Pacific Fleet

Vice Adm. DeWolfe Miller is a native of Annapolis, Maryland, grew up in York, Pennsylvania, and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1981. He holds a Master of Science from the National Defense University, is a Syracuse University national security management fellow and is a graduate of the Navy’s Nuclear Power Program.

His operational assignments include Training Squadron (VT) 19 in Meridian, Mississippi; Attack Squadron (VA) 56 aboard USS Midway (CV 41); Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 25 on USS Constellation (CV 64); VFA-131 and VFA-34 both aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69); executive officer of USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70); commanding officer of USS Nashville (LPD 13); commanding officer of USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) and as a flag officer, commander of Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 2 participating in combat Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Resolve.

Miller’s shore tours include Air Test and Evaluation Squadron (VX) 5; aviation programs analyst Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV N80); Strike Fighter Weapons School Atlantic; deputy director of naval operations at the Combined Air Operations Center during Operation Allied Force; Office of Legislative Affairs for the Secretary of Defense; aircraft carrier requirements officer for Commander, Naval Air Forces; and flag officer tours in OPNAV as director for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (N2N6F2); assistant deputy chief of naval operations for Warfare Systems (N9B); and most recently as director, Air Warfare (N98).

Miller became Naval Aviation’s 8th “Air Boss” in January 2018.

He is entitled to wear the Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal and other personal, unit and service awards.

The featured graphic highlights a way to think about the process of transformation for the carrier air wing over the next decade.

What is underway is a shift from integrating the air wing around relatively modest and sequential modernization efforts for the core platforms to a robust transformation process in which new assets enter the force and create a swirl of transformation opportunities, challenges, and pressures.