Distributed Maritime Operations

Report to Congress on Command and Control

The following is the April 8, 2021 Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Defense Primer: What Is Command and Control?

From the report

The Department of Defense (DOD) defines command and control (C2) as “[t]he exercise of authority and direction by a properly designated commander over assigned forces in the accomplishment of the mission.” At its most fundamental level, C2 represents how DOD makes operational decisions. One can view C2 through the context of five variables: who, what,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/04/13/report-to-congress-on-command-and-control

Carrier Strike Group, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit Will Join Air Force in Massive Alaska Exercise

USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) transits the Gulf of Alaska on May 25, 2019. US Navy Photo

The Navy and Marine Corps will team up with the Air Force for the first time in an Alaska exercise that will serve as a testbed for emerging joint warfighting ideas in all three services, planners told reporters on Thursday.

The 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and the yet-to-be-named carrier strike group will be key players in the Pacific Air Force-led exercise Northern Edge 2021 from May 3 to 14, exercise...

https://news.usni.org/2021/03/31/carrier-strike-group-15th-marine-expeditionary-unit-will-join-air-force-in-massive-alaska-exercise

Chinese Assessment of New U.S. Naval Strategy

The following is a translation of the National Institute for South China Sea Studies assessment of the recently released U.S. maritime strategy, Advantage at Sea: Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain Naval Power. The China Maritime Studies Institute at the U.S. Naval War College made the translation.

The Prelude to All-Encompassing Maritime Competition Between China and the U.S. is about to Begin—An Appraisal of America’s Newest Maritime Strategy

By Shi Xiaoqin and Liu Xiaobo

On December 17,...

https://news.usni.org/2021/02/19/chinese-assessment-of-new-u-s-naval-strategy

Top Stories 2020: U.S. Navy Acquisition

Attack boat Vermont (SSN-792) float-off on March 29, 2019. General Dynamics Electric Boats Photo

This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.

2020 may be among the most consequential years for Navy acquisition in recent memory, with the service making big moves in support of its Distributed Maritime Operations operating concept.

2020 was the year the Navy officially started construction on the Columbia-class ballistic missile submarine program, a massive...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/25/top-stories-2020-u-s-navy-acquisition

New U.S. Maritime Strategy Sets Sights on China

The U.S. Coast Guard Legend-class cutter USCGC Stratton (WMSL 752), left, and the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell (DDG 85) maneuver into formation during Talisman Sabre 2019. US Navy photo.

The Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard released their clearest argument yet for what they need to do to be prepared to take on China – not in a hypothetical future scenario, but in the day-to-day competition happening now on the seas.
The chief of naval operations and the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/17/new-u-s-maritime-strategy-sets-sights-on-china

U.S. Maritime Strategy: Advantage at Sea

The following is the U.S. Sea Services’ new maritime strategy, Advantage at Sea: Prevailing with Integrated All-Domain Naval Power that was released by the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard on Dec. 17, 2020.

From the report

The United States is a maritime nation. Our security and prosperity depend on the seas. Since the end of World War II, the United States has built, led, and advanced a rules-based international system through shared commitments with our allies and partners. Forward deployed...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/17/u-s-maritime-strategy-advantage-at-sea

CNO: Navy Will Have to Convince Biden Administration to Invest in Larger, Lethal Fleet

USS Sterett (DDG-104) steams through the night in the Gulf of Oman on Sept. 17, 2020. US Navy Photo

After it took the better part of nine months to convince Mark Esper’s Pentagon that the naval force needed greater investment to be ready to deter or defeat China and Russia – even if that investment came at the expense of the Army or the Air Force – the Navy and Marine Corps will have to start anew with the incoming Biden administration, the chief of naval operations said today.

The two sea...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/03/cno-navy-will-have-to-convince-biden-administration-to-invest-in-larger-lethal-fleet

Massive 2021 U.S. Naval Drills Will Include Multiple Carriers and Amphibious Ready Groups

The aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) steams alongside the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72), background, in the Mediterranean Sea, April 24, 2019. US Navy Photo

The Navy and Marine Corps plan to conduct a large scale exercise involving multiple strike groups and multiple numbered fleets next year, after the original plans for a Large Scale Exercise 2020 this year were postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

The chief of naval operations and commandant of the...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/03/massive-2021-u-s-naval-drills-will-include-multiple-carriers-and-amphibious-ready-groups

Navy, Marines Will Need Recapitalized Sealift, Logistics Capabilities to Succeed in Pacific Operations

USS America (LHA-6) conducts a replenishment at sea with the dry cargo and ammunition ship USNS Cesar Chavez (T-AKE-14) on Aug. 12, 2020. US Navy Photo

The Navy and Marine Corps need to grow their capacity to move people and supplies to and around a contested sea space – using both manned and unmanned ships and aircraft – and the service leaders asked lawmakers today for help in creating a supply chain that can stand up to a peer competitor.

Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. David Berger told...

https://news.usni.org/2020/12/02/navy-marines-will-need-recapitalized-sealift-logistics-capabilities-to-succeed-in-pacific-operations

Report to Congress on Joint All-Domain Command and Control

The following is the Oct. 23, 2020 Congressional Research Service In Focus report, Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2).

From the report

What Is JADC2?

Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) is the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) concept to connect sensors from all of the military services—Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, and Space Force—into a single network. Traditionally, each of the military services developed its own tactical network that was incompatible with those of...

https://news.usni.org/2020/10/27/report-to-congress-on-joint-all-domain-command-and-control

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