Carrier Strike Group 11 welcomed three members of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) for a 10-day visit that concluded, Oct. 9, aboard aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) during its deployment in the Arabian Gulf.

The purpose of the visit was for the Australians to observe and learn how the U.S. Navy conducts information warfare (IW) to develop the RAN's IW capability and foster a positive relationship between the two nations.

"IW is a new capability within the Royal Australian Navy and our counterparts took the opportunity to visit with us here on Nimitz to learn how we conduct IW in an operational environment," said Cmdr. Frank Cowan, Nimitz Carrier Strike Group deputy information warfare commander. "The U.S. Navy already has a great working relationship with the Royal Australian Navy. This visit helped build a common understanding of tactics and doctrine to further that interoperability."

During the visit, the RAN team engaged all the IW functional cells to discuss and understand inputs and outputs to support the IW commander (IWC). They learned how the IWC is supported in the planning, preparation and its effects delivered to maintain information superiority over the adversary.

"Our sea ride has been a valuable and positive experience," said RAN Lt. Cmdr. Mathew Buckley, deputy director, Maritime Intelligence Support Center in Sydney. "Being exposed to and understanding the U.S. Navy IWC model has allowed us to implement similar initiatives into the Royal Australian Navy for the further development of this important capability. We look forward to continuing to support the growth of this sphere of warfare in the Royal Australian Navy."

"In order to remain ahead of the adversary, it's important for both navies to work together," Buckley said. "The U.S. and Australia rely upon one another to provide support to the Five Eyes nations. The partnership is critical to the success of security operations in the maritime environment, especially in areas of instability across the globe."

Australia and the United States are part of the Five Eyes intelligence alliance, along with Canada, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand. These countries, with a similar common law legal inheritance, are parties to the multilateral UKUSA Agreement, a treaty for joint cooperation in signals intelligence.

"We have common values, goals and security concerns, so it just makes sense for us to work together smoothly," Cowan said. "With the U.S. Navy's continued budget austerity, interoperability increases capability across the fleet."

IW brings a range of important warfighting elements together such as meteorology, oceanography, intelligence, communications, cyber operations, electronic warfare and information operations under one umbrella to enable assured command and control, battlespace awareness, and integrated fires. Commanders can then employ IW to deny an adversary's information environment while protecting and enhancing friendly operations.

For more information about Nimitz Carrier Strike Group, visit http://www.nimitz.navy.mil, http://www.navy.mil/local/csg11/ or http://www.facebook.com/carrierstrikegroupeleven.

For more information, visit http://www.navy.mil, http://www.facebook.com/usnavy, or http://www.twitter.com/usnavy.