VUP-19 and the Coming of Triton to the Fleet

07/05/2020
As I have argued earlier, the Triton is bringing a whole new layer to the kill web for fleet operations. Operating at high altitude, the Triton is delivering area wide ISR data for dynamic targeting. Indeed, one way to look at the way ahead for the integrated distributed force is…

O.K I am a P-8 Operator: But How do I Train to Work in a Kill Web?

06/29/2020
By Robbin Laird Kill webs rely on networks, wave forms, connectivity, distributed C2 and platforms which can leverage all of the former. Platforms are the time-space entities which enable the force; integrability allows a distributed force to deliver the desired combat effect. At Jax Navy, the P-8 operators are trained…

Standing C2 on Its Head: It is a Force Generator, Not Simply a Force Enabler

06/17/2020
By Robbin Laird As we work through force structure change to deal with the new strategic environment, terms like C2, ISR and training are being changed significantly. New concepts of operations are being shaped, with modifications of existing platforms to play new roles and responsibilities, and new platforms being designed…

Digital Interoperability and Kill Web Perspective for Platform Modernization: The Case of the Viper Attack Helicopter

06/16/2020
By Robbin Laird With integratability comes an opportunity to shape a kill web approach to platform modernization. It is a question of how the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and what each platform not only can contribute to the whole, but what it needs to be…

Expeditionary Basing and C2: A Key Challenge Facing the USMC in Shaping a Way Ahead

06/14/2020
By Robbin Laird I have been focusing in a series of articles on the mobile basing role of the USMC within the evolving maritime kill web approach. Earlier articles highlighted key requirements to perform expeditionary basing, as well as challenges facing sustainment and support for such a force. A key…

Manufacturing a CH-53K: The Central Role of Digital Thread Production

06/11/2020
By Robbin Laird Sikorsky is working with NAVAIR and the USMC to deliver a new build heavy lift helicopter, the CH-53K. This is a digital aircraft, while its predecessor the CH-53E, is a mechanical aircraft. What this means is that the aircraft is digitally designed and manufactured by means of…

C2, the Knowledge Base and the Kill Web

06/11/2020
By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake We had the opportunity to work with and for Secretary Wynne when he was in the Defense Department. He was involved in many innovations which revolved around shaping an information force before the term became fashionable, which involved pushing information to the edge of…

The Digital Interoperability Initiative and Mobile Basing: A Key Enabler

06/09/2020
By Robbin Laird In a series of articles based on interviews with the USMC, the nature and scope of the digital interoperability initiative being pursued by Marine Corps Aviation has been highlighted. In one of those articles, the discussion highlighted a way ahead with regard to digital interoperability for the…