By Dmitry Filipoff
A year ago CIMSEC launched an expansive new initiative – the Warfighting Flotilla. In the Flotilla, warfighters and navalists come together to discuss naval warfighting, force development, and the naval profession. Over the course of the following year, this new naval professional society grew to more than 300 members and hosted dozens of virtual discussions on naval force development. Visit the Flotilla homepage to join our growing membership and learn more about this community, its activities, and what drives it.
To celebrate the first anniversary of the CIMSEC Flotilla, we posed the following prompt to our membership:
What are your thoughts on what navies can do to improve tactical learning? How can navies do more to create skilled tacticians, advance tactical development, and prioritize warfighting needs above all else?
This week CIMSEC is running a special series of short notes and responses from Flotilla members that address these questions. We thank these authors for their contributions, listed below.
“The Navy Must Redefine Risk in Combat Training,” by Tom Clarity
“The Cost of Delaying Wartime Tactical Adaptation,” by Jamie McGrath
“Building Sailor Toughness and Combat Mindset: What worked on USS JOHN S. McCAIN and USS VICKSBURG,” by Charles “Chip” Swicker
“Bring Back the Warfighting Flash Cards,” by Alan Cummings
“Starting with a Step: Creating Professional Incentives for Continuous Tactical Learning,” by Benjamin Clark
“Developing Technical and Tactical Skill for Warfighters,” by Ed Kaufmann
“Make Wargaming Central to Naval War College Education Once Again,” by Robert C. Rubel
“Invest in Tactical Shiphandling for Crisis and Combat,” by Chris Rielage and Spike Dearing
Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content and Community Manager of the Flotilla. Contact him at [email protected].
Featured Image: SOUTH CHINA SEA (July 13, 2022) An F/A-18F Super Hornet attached to the Diamondbacks of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 102 launches from the flight deck of the U.S. Navy’s only forward-deployed aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Gray Gibson)