All posts by Dmitry Filipoff

African Maritime Forces Summit Week

African Maritime Forces Week Concludes on CIMSEC

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By Dmitry Filipoff

From June 16-20, CIMSEC featured a series of articles written for the African Maritime Forces Summit (AMFS) 2025.

The summit, hosted in Mauritius from June 23-26, addresses African regional maritime security through the lens of the Western Indian Ocean. AMFS seeks to enhance regional maritime security by convening key maritime leaders to frame collective problems, coordinate strategies, and strengthen regional maritime cooperation. U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Africa (NAVEUR/NAVAF) and U.S. Marine Corps Forces Europe and Africa (MARFOREUR/AF) jointly sponsor the event, which is co-hosted this year by the Mauritius Police Force.

Authors covered a wide range of topics. The region features a multitude of maritime security challenges, but also burgeoning opportunities for cooperation. African maritime security will continue to witness interesting evolutions in challenge and adaptation as actors compete over maritime interests and norms.

Below are the authors who featured in this series. We thank them for their excellent contributions, and thank our partners at the U.S. Naval War College, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and the Africa Center for Strategic Studies.

Theme 1: Threats to Regional Maritime Security

“Escalating Threats to Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean Region,” by Brigadier General John Waweru (Ret.), IMO Consultant.

“A balanced strategy combining direct enforcement, multilateral diplomacy, and developmental initiatives is essential. Regional stakeholders, supported by international partners, must adopt an integrated approach to secure the blue economy, foster peace, and promote sustainable development across the WIO.”

“Diversifying Threats to Maritime Security in the Western Indian Ocean Region,” by Captain Harifidy A. Alex Ralaiarivony, Director of RMIFC.

“Future policy actions should prioritize sustaining and enhancing the regional maritime security architecture, fostering information sharing and coordination, building national capacities, and ensuring resources are available to address both persistent challenges and emerging crises. Continued vigilance and collaborative action, informed by timely and comprehensive data from centers like the RMIFC, are paramount to safeguarding the vital maritime domain of the WIO region for the benefit of all stakeholders.”

“Direct and Indirect Maritime Security Threats in the Western Indian Ocean,” by Captain Mark Blaine (Ret.), SIGLA Stellenbosch and SA Navy.

“Although the African continent disproportionately experiences the impact of these maritime threats, their consequences extend well beyond regional boundaries, carrying significant global implications. Addressing these challenges effectively requires a sustained commitment to strategic collaboration, the promotion of sustainable development, and the establishment of inclusive and accountable governance frameworks aimed at preserving the security and stability of this critical maritime domain.”

Theme 2: The Connecting Ocean: The Role of Non-African States in African Regional Maritime Security

“Connecting Ocean: The Role of Non-African States in African Regional Maritime Security,” by VADM Ignacio Villanueva Serrano, Operation Commander, EU NAVFOR ATALANTA.

“The interconnected nature of these threats demands a robust, collaborative response where non-African states, particularly through the European Union, provide essential support to regional efforts. Recent assessments indicate a low piracy threat in the Gulf of Aden and parts of the Somali Basin, though a realistic possibility of attacks persists. Conflict-related threats in the Red Sea remain severe for vessels linked to specific nations, reflecting the dynamic risk environment we navigate.”

“Africa’s Maritime Security Relations and the Global Responsibility to Protect the Sea,” by Dr. Christian Bueger, University of Copenhagen.

“The global distribution of resources, capital and expertise, post-colonial legacies, but also the roles that states are given under the law of the sea, imply that states perform different functions in providing maritime security. States have regulatory roles as coastal, port or flag states, in providing search and rescue services, but also in terms of the maritime industries within their jurisdictions, whether that is shipping, fishing, or energy production.”

“India’s Evolving Role in Supporting African Maritime Security Architecture,” by Dr. Abhishek Mishra, Associate Fellow, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi.

“The need of the hour is for African countries to express unity which is encapsulated under the concept of ‘Sisonke’ meaning “together” in isiXhosa. In such endeavours, India, with its operational capability and maritime expertise, could become a key partner in fostering African maritime capacities and creating cooperative frameworks that offer modest and meaningful alternatives for African development and maritime security.”

Theme 3: Developing Robust Regional Maritime Security Mechanisms

“Developing Robust Regional Maritime Security Mechanisms for the WIO,” by Major Raj Mohabeer, IOC and Mr. Kiruja Micheni, Djibouti Code of Conduct/Jeddah Amendment, International Maritime Organization.

“As a vital maritime corridor linking major global trade routes, the WIO and Red Sea region holds significant strategic importance. Yet, it faces a range of persistent and interlinked maritime threats—including piracy and armed robbery against ships, illicit trafficking, irregular migration, and illegal fishing, pollution (including deliberate)—exacerbated by jurisdictional gaps and weak coordination among enforcement agencies.”

“Rebuilding SADC’s Maritime Security Architecture,” by Mr. Timothy Walker, Institute for Security Studies, South Africa.

“While most Southern Africans formally endorse regionalism in maritime security, few have made sustained investments in SADC institutions. Despite an institutional anchorage dating to the mid-1990s aligned with continental frameworks and norms for peace and security, as well as two formal strategies adopted in 2011 and 2022, respectively, SADC’s ability to secure its extensive Atlantic and Indian Ocean littorals and become a more robust regional maritime security mechanism have remained limited.”

“From Fragmentation to Framework: The Evolution of Regional Maritime Governance in the Western Indian Ocean,” by Ms. Pascaline Alexandre, Africa Center for Competitive Intelligence (ACCI).

“At its core, the RMSA is more than a coordination platform—it’s a vehicle for regional empowerment. With a focus on maritime domain awareness, legal harmonization, and multilateral action, it gives African coastal and island states of the WIO region, the tools to assert greater control over their maritime future. The RMSA needs to be extended though.”

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

The views presented are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of any government or organization with which they may be affiliated.

Featured Image: A Senegalese Sailor participates in a visit, board, search and seizure training scenario aboard the Gambian Navy ship Kuntah Kinteh during Obangame Express in the Gulf of Guinea. (U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Ryan Kledzik)

Warfighting Development

A Decade of Surface Warfare Tactical Reform: A SMWDC Special Compilation

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By Dmitry Filipoff

Ten years ago today, the U.S. Navy’s surface warfare community opened the Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC). This institution has gone on to play a major role in sharpening the warfighting skill of the surface navy. From producing hundreds of warfare tactics instructors, to spearheading doctrinal updates, to rapidly processing combat lessons from the Red Sea, SMWDC has been a driving force behind the warfighting improvement of the surface fleet.

CIMSEC has strived to cover the growth of SMWDC’s influence since the command’s inception. To mark the occasion of SMWDC’s ten-year anniversary, CIMSEC has assembled a special compilation of all its SMWDC content. This includes articles and interviews featuring every SMWDC commanding officer, as well as interviews with warfare tactics instructors and SWATT exercise participants. Read on to see the remarkable progress of SMWDC and the U.S. surface fleet.

“Sea Control 75 – Surface Fleet Warfare Tactics Instructors,” hosted by Matthew Hipple, and featuring RDML Jim Kilby, April 20, 2015.

“When you say the term warfighting first, that connotes action. And this is action by the surface warfare community to change our culture. When you hear me talk about SMWDC and the future, I talk about four elemental programs, one of which is the WTI program. Those programs, without the inertia to change the culture, to be more tactically minded, are just programs. If you look at the goal here, the goal is to become more tactically proficient, to create a community that is innovative and understanding of the tools that is available to them. I think it makes all the sense in the world to go to this model and change the way we have done business in the future.”

“Sea Control 139: What Does It Mean To Be A SMWDC Warfare Tactics Instructor?” hosted by Sally DeBoer, and featuring Lt. Tyson Eberhardt, Lt. Brittany Hubbard, Lt. Benjamin Olivas, and Lt. Damon Goodrich-Houska, July 12, 2017.

“As we have more and more senior leadership who are WTI-qualified, it is going to push an overall culture change, much like the phrase ‘a rising tide raises all boats.’ It is that idea that as increasingly more senior leadership has experience as WTIs, they will maintain that emphasis on being the best, drilling hard, working on doctrine and tactics, and that will really shift our focus. WTIs are supposed to be warriors and thinkers and teachers, so when we get out and stand tactical watches, those same WTIs will be thinkers and work on doctrine, tactics, and improving existing processes as well as developing new systems and ideas, while also serving as teachers, in that they will train watchstanders, crews, and even strike groups. Ultimately, this will improve our warfighting ability.”

“On the Cutting Edge of U.S. Navy Exercising: Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training,” by Dmitry Filipoff, and featuring Capt. Joe Cahill and Capt. Grady Musser, November 30, 2018.

“Let’s be honest. Nobody likes to do something wrong. And certainly, nobody likes to be told that they could do something better. But what we do like is being good warfighters and an important part of our nation’s defense and warfighting team. Unfortunately, you can’t do one without the other. You absolutely have to eat your vegetables, you have to do your homework, and you have to do your pushups. That is what SWATT is. It is not about getting it perfect, it is about learning. As a leader, that is perhaps my biggest challenge, to get my team ready and in the mindset that this is not a test – we are here to make mistakes and grow. That is not always the case when we do certifications and other events, but it is a critical leadership challenge for ship COs to sort through.”

“Warfare Tactics Instructor: A Unique Opportunity for Junior Officers,” by RDML John Wade and CAPT John Heames, February 5, 2018.

“The WTI program is a career opportunity that values our officers and empowers them to solve complex and challenging problems. SMWDC WTIs naturally have an eye toward innovation, are rebuilding the surface warfare library of tactical guidance, are shepherding new capability from delivery to operational success, and challenging the status quo in surface warfare training.”

“The Strategic Need for Tactical Excellence: Raising the Surface Navy’s Combat Capability,” by RDML Dave Welch, January 9, 2019.

“We have evolved in our shipboard training ‘reps and sets.’ During exercises on both coasts, watch teams are challenged to grow through the use of replay tools that highlight where errors in planning and execution have occurred. While feedback may seem uncomfortable at first, watch teams and warfare commander staffs quickly understand that some of the best lessons come through mistakes, followed by detailed debrief, with opportunities to immediately apply those lessons to rework a plan, rebrief it, then conduct another round of exercises at increased levels of pace and complexity. Watch teams that initially needed the watchful eyes of senior mentors and WTIs to help guide them are operating at such a high level at the end of the exercise that they need little oversight, and begin to hold themselves accountable and teach younger crew members.”

“Increasing the Lethality of the Surface Force: A Conversation with RDML Scott Robertson,” by Dmitry Filipoff, January 6, 2020.

“We are beginning to see our first waves of command-eligible SWO WTIs go before selection boards and have initially high screening rates for patch wearers. Bottom line, the surface warfare community values our WTIs and it shows in milestone selection figures. One of the founding visions has been the idea of having a fleet full of patch wearers manning our ships at the Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, and Department Head levels. The overall increase in the tactical proficiency and thus lethality of our ships will be impressive and measurable. We are well on our way.”

“RDML Christopher Alexander On Accelerating Surface Navy Tactical Excellence,” by Dmitry Filipoff, January 11, 2022.

“SMWDC emphasizes critical assessment of the SWATT process, the WTI COI, and TTP development. All of these interconnected elements have the overarching goal of increasing the tactical proficiency of the surface fleet. As new systems or platforms come online, new potential adversary technology or tactics change, or national security concerns evolve, SMWDC constantly assesses if we are providing the right tactical training to the right people at the right time. In this era of great power competition, we need to remain a step ahead and anticipate the next fight, not just react to it.”

“Sharpening Surface Force Lethality: The Latest in Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training,” by Dmitry Filipoff, January 3, 2023.

“From personal experience as a department head on a ship, we got more out of SWATT than any other training exercise because we felt more freedom to try new tactics and figure out firsthand why they would or would not work, without fear of failing an assessment as a result. If our warfighters are not given avenues to explore new tactics or to creatively solve problems, it is hard to develop the professional curiosity and ingenuity necessary to give us the upper hand over our adversaries.”

“RDML Wilson Marks on Sharpening the Surface Force,” by Dmitry Filipoff, January 8, 2024.

“SMWDC’s restructuring promotes productivity, collaboration, and integration across all warfighting domains. Ultimately, this will enable WTIs to be more effective and efficient in their missions due to ease of information sharing and capitalization on the diversity within our organization. Similarly, in consolidating the schoolhouse at SAWS, each warfare specialty area, colloquially known as patch type, is able to gain additional feedback from every course iteration and share lessons learned at a more rapid pace. It promotes standardization of class structure, rigor in class performance requirements, and camaraderie within the cadre as we transition to subject matter experts teaching their specialty across all warfare tactics courses of instructions regardless of patch type.”

“SMWDC, Growing the Tactical Skill of the Surface Force,” by Dmitry Filipoff, featuring RDML Wilson Marks, January 14, 2025.

“2025 marks a decade of progress and transformation for SMWDC. From its humble beginnings in 2015, SMWDC has grown into a cornerstone of the Surface Navy’s tactical excellence, delivering on its promise to increase warfighting readiness across all mission areas. At its inception, SMWDC was tasked with standardizing training in Amphibious Warfare, Air Warfare, Ballistic Missile Defense, Mine Warfare, Maritime Operations, single-ship Anti-Submarine Warfare, and Anti-Surface Warfare. The central focus has always been clear – investing in people – the greatest asset in our force. SMWDC’s WTIs have been instrumental in bridging the readiness gap, acting as force multipliers and driving a cultural shift toward a ‘Warfighting First’ mindset.”

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: (June 9, 2015) Vice Adm. Tom Rowden, commander, Naval Surface Force, U.S. Pacific Fleet, speaks to personnel at the inaugural ceremony for Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) at Naval Base San Diego. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Trevor Welsh/Released)

NATO Week

NATO Naval Power Week Concludes on CIMSEC

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By Dmitry Filipoff

Last week CIMSEC featured articles submitted in response to our Call for Articles on NATO Naval Power.

Authors explored a wide variety of themes and scenarios for the NATO alliance. How does NATO naval strategy evolve if the U.S. scales back its commitment and the Ukraine war rages on? How does the accession of Finland and Sweden change the maritime geography of NATO’s naval threat environment? How are allied nations deploying naval formations to the Indo-Pacific and contributing toward deterrence against China? NATO is at a historic inflection point and its future could take many directions.

Below are the articles and authors that featured during the topic week. We thank them for their excellent contributions.

“Parting Ways: A NATO Naval Strategy Without America,” by Paul Viscovich

“In this era of increasing danger, great power competition, and uncertain loyalties, the time has come for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to declare its independence. As at the time of its founding, NATO’s strategic adversary is Russia. But unlike during the Cold War, the Alliance can no longer count on the military and industrial might of the United States in confronting the threat.”

“Maritime Security on NATO’s Southern Flank: The Case for a Spanish Coast Guard,” by Gonzalo Vázquez

“Following the example of many of its European and American allies in NATO, it is worth exploring the potential establishment of a Spanish Coast Guard that merges all these existing services under a single, professional service with a unified and clearly defined command structure.”

“The Case for a Baltic SNMG-3: Developing Regional NATO Forces at Sea,” by Steinar Torset and Ian Bowers

“NATO should create a third Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) dedicated to operations in the Baltic. This would fully exploit the operational benefits of Finland and Sweden joining NATO and take advantage of ongoing force developments in other Baltic NATO navies, including Poland and Germany.”

“Keeping America Engaged: Three Possibilities for European Navies,” by Michael D. Purzycki

“To keep the U.S. engaged in the waters around Europe, European NATO members must find areas of common interest with the U.S. The threat of China to both European and American security interests creates many such opportunities. By monitoring China’s activities in the Arctic, becoming more active in the Indo-Pacific, and buying American, Europeans can maintain a strong military and industrial link to the U.S. even if U.S. military presence in and around Europe shrinks in the near future.”

“French Maritime Strategy – Carrier-Led and Indo-Pacific Focused,” by David Scott

“French maritime strategy has been on full public display with the deployment of the French Carrier Strike Group (CSG) from November 2024 to April 2025, carrying out an extended deployment across the Indo-Pacific in the furthest ever Operation Clemenceau.”

“Strengthening Unity of Effort in the Atlantic: Lessons from Wargaming,” by Walter Berbrick and Terence Nicholas

“By stress-testing command structures, exploring new approaches to force employment, and fostering greater integration between U.S. and NATO maritime forces, wargames have directly informed adjustments that enhance unity of effort across the Atlantic. These insights have helped refine coordination among key commands, sharpen deterrence, and improve readiness to respond to emerging threats in an increasingly complex security environment.”

“A Post-Mortem of the Red Sea Crisis: NATO versus the European Union,” by Anna Matilde Bassoli

“The disjointed approach of the U.S. and the European Union to the Red Sea Crisis deserves thorough analysis as a critical yet overlooked cause of transatlantic distress. Indeed, the issue between the transatlantic allies is not who has to bail out whom. Instead, the emergence of the European Union (EU) as a security actor in the maritime domain has weakened the U.S. grip on NATO’s naval strategy.”

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: July 7, 2022 – U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Michael Sciretta assumes command of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) at a change of command ceremony on board the Italian frigate Carlo Margottini in Taranto Naval Station in Puglia, Italy. (NATO photo)

NATO Week

NATO Naval Power Week Kicks Off on CIMSEC

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By Dmitry Filipoff

This week CIMSEC will feature articles submitted in response to our Call for Articles on NATO Naval Power.

NATO finds itself at an inflection point as U.S. commitment to the alliance is in doubt while the war in Ukraine rages on. The maritime dimension of NATO’s security deserves to be extensively reevaluated in light of these circumstances. New strategic and operational considerations can shape the alliance’s naval power as it adapts to the most uncertain threat environment it has faced in decades.

Below are the articles and authors that will feature during the topic week. This list will be updated as the topic week unfolds.

“Parting Ways: A NATO Naval Strategy Without America,” by Paul Viscovich

“Maritime Security on NATO’s Southern Flank: The Case for a Spanish Coast Guard,” by Gonzalo Vázquez

“The Case for a Baltic SNMG-3: Developing Regional NATO Forces at Sea,” by Steinar Torset and Ian Bowers

“Keeping America Engaged: Three Possibilities for European Navies,” by Michael D. Purzycki

“French Maritime Strategy – Carrier-Led and Indo-Pacific Focused,” by David Scott

“Strengthening Unity of Effort in the Atlantic: Lessons from Wargaming,” by Walter Berbrick and Terence Nicholas

“A Post-Mortem of the Red Sea Crisis: NATO versus the European Union,” by Anna Matilde Bassoli

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: NORWEGIAN SEA (July 4, 2021) A CH-148 Cyclone helicopter of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 flagship HMCS Halifax (FFH 330) conducts a hoist exercise with Royal Norwegian Navy Submarine HNoMS Utvaer in the Norwegian Sea during Exercise Dynamic Mongoose 21 on July 4, 2021. (NATO photo by B. Underwood)