---------------------------------------------------------------- The Navy Public Affairs Library (NAVPALIB) A service of the Navy Office of Information, Washington DC Send feedback/questions to navpalib@opnav-emh.navy.mil ---------------------------------------------------------------- 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-