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Department of the Navy Policy Paper
"...From the Sea" Update
JOINT OPERATIONS
May 1993
Today, America's National Military Strategy is predicated on
limited and regional warfare against medium sized powers rather
than global war with another superpower. Successful application
of military power in these conflicts requires rapid response by
joint forces precisely tailored to meet specific mission or
regional requirements. The challenge facing U.S. defense planners
is to provide forces which are both flexible and sufficiently
capable to dominate conflict over a broad array of scenarios.
Restructuring U.S. military forces to meet these contemporary
challenges -- both in shape and size -- requires full and
continuous cooperation between the Services.
"...From the Sea" -- the new strategy of the Naval Service --
marks a return to traditional expeditionary roles for both the
Navy and Marine Corps. It is a marked change from the scope of
global conflict envisioned under the Maritime Strategy during the
Cold War -- a strategy which required independent, "blue water,
open ocean" naval operations on the flanks of the Soviet Union.
By restricting enemy access to the open sea, thereby protecting
vital sea lines of communication, our naval forces were to provide
important but indirect support to the land campaign.
Today, the absence of a global naval threat has virtually
eliminated the need to conduct separate, independent naval
operations far at sea. Our operational focus has shifted to
littoral warfare and direct support of ground operations. By
exploiting their access to littoral regions, naval forces enable
the introduction of heavier follow-on forces from our other
services.
Littoral warfare in direct support of ground fighting brings
naval forces squarely into the joint warfighting arena. "...From
the Sea" clearly states that Joint Operations -- or "Jointness" --
is an essential element of every military operation:
"This strategic direction, derived from the National Security
Strategy, represents a fundamental shift from open-ocean
warfighting on the sea toward joint operations from the sea."
Naval Operations in littoral regions transform the classic
Air-Land battle into a Sea-Air-Land-Space battle. This confluence
of complex environmental and warfighting challenges demands
specialized warfare skills, available only through a completely
integrated joint force.
This paper addresses recent and on-going Navy and Marine
Corps initiatives designed to implement the concepts embodied in
"...From the Sea" in the area of Joint Operations.
JOINT OPERATIONS
The Navy and Marine Corps are actively re-defining naval
roles in joint operations. The recent (May 1992) USCINCLANT
Exercise OCEAN VENTURE demonstrated improved integration of joint
forces and showcased doctrinal changes. Navy flag officers
employed innovative procedures and new equipment to command
several key components of the Joint Task Force at sea and on land.
For the first time, the Navy deployed a flexible and robust
command and control facility ashore which permitted the naval
force commander to command forces at sea from alongside the Joint
Task Force Commander Ashore. This significantly enhanced
coordination of direct naval support to the ongoing joint
operation.
Similarly, the USCINCEUR Exercise ELLIPSE BRAVO, conducted in
June 1992, was a contemporary exercise designed to test our
ability to assemble rapidly a Joint Task Force to conduct an
emergency evacuation operation. A 22,000 strong Army, Air Force,
Navy and Marine Corps Joint force, led by Commander, Sixth Fleet,
was completely established within 48 hours. Initially organized
ashore, this staff subsequently shifted to an afloat command ship,
maintaining effective continuity of command throughout. During
this shift, the Air Force General, designated as the Joint Force
Air Component Commander (JFACC), and his staff proved their
ability to operate successfully at sea on an aircraft carrier.
In July, 1992, during USCINCPAC Exercise TANDEM THRUST,
Commander, Third Fleet led a 15,000 man joint force consisting of
land, sea and air forces in the Eastern Pacific. The Joint Task
Force Staff, embarked in the admiral,s flagship, exercised overall
control in the exercise which culminated in naval amphibious
landings and Army airborne assaults. Significantly, the JFACC for
this exercise -- an Air Force general -- coordinated all air
operations remotely from the continental US.
The U. S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) has become a model for
integrated, joint warfighting cooperation. Operations in CENTCOM
have spawned new levels of joint understanding, cooperation,
efficiency and combat effectiveness. Today, an Air Force
composite wing shares the burden of enforcing "No Fly" zones in
Iraq with their Navy and Marine Corps counterparts. Army, Marine
Corps and Special Operations Forces exercise together on a routine
basis. Navy ships enforce U.N. sanctions with maritime
surveillance assistance from Air Force AWACS aircraft. The
USCENTCOM environment provides an ideal laboratory to develop
joint concepts and conduct joint training. For example, during a
USCENTCOM exercise in the Persian Gulf in early 1992, an afloat
JFACC successfully developed, planned and executed a mini-air
campaign which included a simulated strike mission with over 70
Navy and Air Force aircraft. The value of this joint training has
demonstrated again in January, 1993 when joint strike operations
were conducted against Iraq as a result of Saddam Hussein's
failure to comply with United Nations resolutions.
Navy led counter-drug Joint Task Forces (JTFs) in the
Caribbean and Eastern Pacific offer additional examples of
routine, integrated joint operations. These JTFs exploit Navy
capabilities in air and open ocean surveillance as well as
Command, Control, Communications and Intelligence (C3I). Navy
ships, maritime patrol and airborne radar aircraft operate in an
integrated network with assets from other services and federal
agencies. Coast Guard teams operate from Navy ships to board,
search and, if necessary, seize vessels smuggling narcotics.
JOINT COMMUNICATIONS
Over the past ten years, significant progress has been made
in establishing standardized procedures and procurement of
interoperable systems for joint communications. However,
occasional interoperability problems still arise, especially in
highly specialized communications systems. For example, the
format and medium used to transmit the daily Air Tasking Orders
(ATO) during Operation DESERT STORM were not compatible with naval
communications systems. While an interim solution was affected
during the Gulf War, permanent correction of this problem became a
priority post-war joint project. In recent joint exercises, ships
at sea have demonstrated the capability to receive and transmit
electronically a DESERT STORM-sized ATO in less than five minutes.
Today all deploying aircraft carriers are configured with this
capability. Other carriers have been partially modified to permit
a complete installation in less than 24 hours. Procurement plans
have been altered to ensure all amphibious assault ships and all
aircraft carriers are permanently equipped with this vital
capability.
NAVY ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES
Navy Staff Changes: In July of 1992, the staff of the Chief
of Naval Operations was reorganized to "mirror image" the
structure and functions of the Joint Staff. As part of this
change, the new Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Resources,
Warfare Requirements and Assessment has established six "Joint
Mission Assessment Areas." Under this system, Navy procurement
programs are scrutinized and evaluated against their specific
contributions to joint warfighting. This reorganization has also
eliminated traditional barriers between individual naval warfare
communities.
Naval Doctrine Command: Common doctrine is essential to
warfighting efficiency and success in any joint operation.
Previous efforts to standardize joint terminology, procedures and
doctrinal development were managed by fleet and Navy staffs.
These efforts, while well intended, were decentralized and lacked
cohesion. To remedy this situation, the Naval Doctrine Command
will be established early in 1993. Alternating command between
Navy admirals and Marine Corps generals, this organization will be
the central point of contact for developing concepts and
integrating naval doctrine into joint warfighting doctrine.
Adaptive Joint Force Packaging (AJFP): The Navy and Marine
Corps are working closely with the Joint Staff to develop better
ways to organize, train and deploy joint forces for day-to-day
presence overseas. This concept will provide Unified Commanders
with joint forces specifically tailored, trained and deployed to
satisfy regional operational requirements. This represents a
significant departure from traditional single-Service deployments.
Institutionalizing Interservice Cooperation: Formal
interservice boards have been established to foster cooperation
and increase efficiency between services across a broad range of
general topic areas. These include the Navy-Air Force-Marine
Corps Board, the Army-Navy-Marine Corps Board, and the Navy-Coast
Guard Board. These Boards act as standing committees to foster
interservice cooperation; to eliminate barriers to joint
interoperability. They have achieved noteworthy successes and
cost savings. Examples include consolidating individual service
air-to-ground weapons programs into a single joint program,
expanding inter-service cooperation in land-based refueling for
naval aircraft, designing inter-operable computer software and
communications systems, and developing common requirements for
night vision devices. Topics recently addressed by these Boards
-- such as Army-Navy-Air Force development of an integrated
anti-theater ballistic missile defense system -- reflect greater
willingness for more widespread cooperation in significant
contemporary issues.
LOOKING AHEAD
The examples of jointness presented in this paper are only a
small sample of the many innovations underway. The operating
forces of our Navy-Marine Corps Team are and will continue to be
on the cutting edge in joint warfighting improvements. As new
initiatives are exercised, some difficulties will undoubtedly be
encountered, requiring corrective action. However, naval staffs
and shore support establishments remain completely committed to
achieving success in conducting the full range of joint
operations. Throughout these efforts, the Naval Doctrine Command
will ensure we remain focused on improving joint warfighting
efficiency.
"...From the Sea" codifies, accelerates and expands naval
participation in joint operations; a process which began years
ago. The evaporation of the Central European threat and the rapid
erosion of a global blue water threat accelerates the need for new
levels of naval integration in joint force planning. In an era
of declining permanent U.S. presence overseas, naval contributions
to joint force capabilities are increasingly important in crisis
response operations.
Naval forces today are full partners in joint operations.
The Navy and Marine Corps are exploring innovative ways to enhance
joint warfighting capabilities by capitalizing on the inherent
flexibility and expeditionary character of naval forces. We have
initiated changes in training, procurement, organization and
funding priorities to strengthen joint warfighting effectiveness.
We have made great progress, but much more remains to be done.
The Navy and Marine Corps are fully committed to making whatever
additional refinements may be required to meet the contemporary
challenges of maintaining regional stability. To do less would
deprive our Nation of the efficient use of scarce resources
allocated to national defense.
"Naval Expeditionary Forces, Shaped for Joint Operations,
Operating Forward from the sea, Tailored for National Needs."
-USN-