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Fleet-Wide Engagement Harvests Priorities and Plans for FY14 Experimentation
Story Number: NNS130418-11
4/18/2013

By Navy Warfare Development Command Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The Navy's centralized program for Fleet Experimentation (FLEX), led by Navy Warfare Development Command (NWDC), held a fleet-wide live and virtual event last week to glean the fleet's priorities and plans for fiscal year (FY) 2014.

Other stakeholder organizations presented planned events that can be leveraged for future experimentation efforts, directly feeding the development of an FY14 execution plan.

"NWDC invited representatives from each numbered fleet and Warfare Center of Excellence to present their top priorities, and also to share planned events and exercises that could support experimentation," said Rear Adm. Terry B. Kraft, commander, NWDC. "Now more than ever, it is critical to pinpoint overlapping interest areas in order to deliver a comprehensive FLEX plan that will meet the warfighter's future needs."

The FLEX program, led by NWDC on behalf of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet, designs and executes collaborative, synchronized and relevant experimentation based on near-term fleet priorities and capability gaps. These experimentation events result in tangible products for the warfighter, frequently in the form of new and updated doctrine.

NWDC's director of Fleet Experimentation Capt. Steve Faggert led the workshop, hosted online to allow participation from around the globe with a small footprint at NWDC for commands located in the vicinity of Norfolk Naval Station.

"This was an opportunity for the fleet to tell us directly how our efforts in FY14 can get them one step closer to solving their biggest challenges," Faggert said. "The fleet's voice in this conversation is crucial. Our ultimate goal is to put a tangible product in the hands of the warfighter where a capability gap once existed."

FLEX harvests innovative ideas generated by members of the fleet and other military and government organizations. Submissions are accepted for review year-round through a classified Navy website, which is also used to promote awareness of all Navy experimentation efforts that involve fleet assets.

For more information about NWDC, visit https://www.nwdc.navy.mil.