NWC Warfare Researchers Examine ASW 'Kill Chain'

NEWPORT, R.I. (NNS) -- U.S. Naval War College (NWC) Gravely Naval Warfare Research Group conducted the Anti-submarine Warfare (ASW) Integration and Interoperability (I&I) workshop at NWC in Newport, R.I., June 24-26.

The workshop, which focused on evaluating the integration and interoperability of anti-submarine warfare capabilities in realistic warfighting environments, was conducted on behalf of the Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Commander Navy Mine and Anti-submarine Warfare Command and the Commander, Naval Undersea Warfare Center, in an effort to assess programs of record in likely tactical situations and emerging technologies.

"The workshops contribute to the Chief of Naval Operation's (CNO) navigation plan, the direction he has laid out for the Navy and the idea of warfighting first," said NWC professor and ASW I&I workshop facilitator William Bundy.

The ASW I&I workshop researchers worked together over the three-day event to analyze gaps in the ASW kill chain and determine effectiveness of current programs and policies.

According to the CNO, Adm. Jonathan Greenert, the kill chain approach helps leaders decide how to invest time, money, and other resources to build capabilities and gain advantage over adversaries.

Greenert notes in his weblog "To defeat our adversaries' attacks, we look for the links where the adversary has a vulnerability and we have an advantage. When we break one of these links, if not all of them, we disrupt the kill chain and successfully defeat an adversary's attack. A good example of this is using electronic warfare and jamming to prevent an adversary's radar from seeing us. That disrupts the first link in the enemy's kill chain - Find the target. Once that link is broken, the enemy has trouble completing the rest of the chain and attacking us."

In recent years, the group's collaborative efforts and assessment of the Ohio class guided-missile submarine (SSGN) led to refinements in SSGN operation.

"We were involved in the initial assessment of the Ohio-class guided-missile submarine (SSGN)," said Bundy. "The [SSGN] has been very successful after we converted the Ohio SSBN to SSGN. A number of concepts and ideas for advancing that warfare capability were done in workshops right here at the NWC."

A follow-on research workshop to discuss future capabilities and developments to remove kill chain gaps is scheduled to be held at NWC, July 8-10.

For more information about the Gravely Naval Warfare Research Group visit http://www.usnwc.edu/gravelygroup.>
For more information on Chief of Naval Operation's "Kill Chain Approach" visit http://cno.navylive.dodlive.mil/2013/04/23/kill-chain-approach-4/.>
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