Category Archives: Warfighting Flotilla

Flotilla Notes Series Concludes on CIMSEC

By Dmitry Filipoff

This week CIMSEC concludes a special series of notes written by Warfighting Flotilla members to commemorate the second anniversary of the Flotilla. Members discussed practical steps on how to put warfighting first and sharpen deckplate priorities. From organizing war councils to studying doctrine, to improving time management and risk tradeoffs, there are numerous recommendations for how warfighters can double down on core responsibilities.

We thank these authors for their thoughtful contributions.

Warfighting Culture Starts with the CO,” by Jamie McGrath

Every aspect of shipboard life is connected to warfighting and therefore should be treated as such. This ethos begins with the commanding officer, but must also be embraced by the wardroom and the chief’s mess.”

Prepare for the Spectrum of Competition and Warfighting,” by Doug Kettler

The first duty of a military leader is to ensure their unit is prepared for combat. However, when viewed through the lens of the competition continuum, units must also be prepared to conduct operations short of armed conflict.”

Command by Example: Learning from San Jacinto’s War Council,” by Capt. Matthew Sharpe (ret.) and GSCM Rich Feldman (ret.)

With Alexander and his Companions as a model, a select group of officers and enlisted leaders aboard USS San Jacinto (CG 56) met periodically to break bread, bond as warriors, and develop a shared vision of mission success. We called it the War Council.”

Risk and Time: Calculating Tradeoffs in Warfighting Management,” by Barney Rubel

Management, defined as the effective use of resources, is a process and skill that permeates the preparation and execution of warfighting. Commanders can prioritize several specific areas to improve their warfighting management.”

Focus Areas for Putting Warfighting First,” by CDR Paul Nickell

“Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 1, Warfighting, offers practical steps to emphasize warfighting preparation that each servicemember can implement now. Some of these steps pertain to focus areas that include doctrine, professionalism, training, professional military education, equipping, and personnel management.”

Streamline Certification and Leverage Lessons Learned,” by Tony Carrillo

Management makes warfighting possible, but management that enables warfighting needs to be better managed itself. Namely, overlapping lines of reporting and the lack of a strong feedback mechanism to spread the best practices of successful ships are hampering the Navy’s ability to maintain its warfighting dominance.”

Senior Leaders Must Own the Lack of Warfighting Focus,” by CDR Paul W. Viscovich, USN (ret.)

If senior Defense Department civilian and military leaders do not seriously convert organizational priorities toward warfighting, any lower-echelon attempt to refocus fighting forces on their core responsibility will achieve only marginal effect. Senior leaders must grasp how deckplate-level reality has become suffocated by miscellanea accumulating from decades of poorly prioritized requirements.”

Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content and Community Manager of the Flotilla. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Featured Image: The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) fires a 5-inch gun during a live-fire gunnery exercise aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam (CG 54) in Sagami Wan the Philippine Sea, Sept. 21, 2023. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Ryre Arciaga)

Flotilla SITREP: The Role of Command Responsibility and PME in Prioritizing Warfighting

By Dmitry Filipoff

This month the CIMSEC Warfighting Flotilla will be hosting sessions on the role of commanding officers in prioritizing warfighting for their units, and the role of PME in warfighting education. If you haven’t already, sign up through the form below to become a Flotilla member and receive the invites to our upcoming off-the-record November discussions. The full listings for these upcoming discussions are featured down below.

Feel free to visit the Flotilla homepage to learn more about this community, its activities, and what drives it.

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Upcoming November Sessions

The Role of Command in Prioritizing Warfighting

Commanding officers are well-placed to inculcate their commands with warfighting imperatives. COs can use their discretion and authority to set priorities for their staffs and crews. But COs may have their span of control limited by the requirements and priorities of their chain of command. What is the role of commanding officers in prioritizing warfighting for their units, and how much decision-making ability can they realistically wield? Join us to discuss these questions as we consider the role of command responsibility in prioritizing warfighting.

Read Ahead: “Warfighting Culture Starts with the CO,” by Capt. Jamie McGrath (ret.)
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The Role of PME in Warfighting Education

Professional Military Education offers major opportunities for servicemembers to enhance their understanding of warfighting. But the breadth of curricula and coursework may reflect a variety of requirements and electives that compete with a warfighting focus. What should be the role of PME in warfighter education? How should PME curricula balance warfighting with other areas of expertise? Join us to discuss these questions and more as we consider the role of PME.

Read Aheads:

Preparing the Fleet for the Next Fight: An Assessment of Navy and Marine Corps Command and Staff Courses,” by Major Maxwell Stewart, U.S. Marine Corps, Captain Louis Gilbertson, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, and Mason Ever

Driving The Dark Road To The Future: A Guide To Revitalizing Defense Planning And Strategic Analysis,” by Benjamin Jensen and Michael Rountree
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Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content and Community Manager of the Warfighting Flotilla. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Flotilla SITREP: Warfighting Management and the Art versus Science of War

By Dmitry Filipoff

This month the CIMSEC Warfighting Flotilla will be hosting sessions on how warfighters can be better managers at cultivating warfighting skill, and debating how war is an art and science, including how this debate is reflected in modern naval command. If you haven’t already, sign up through the form below to become a Flotilla member and receive the invites to our upcoming off-the-record September discussions. The full listings for these upcoming discussions are featured down below.

Feel free to visit the Flotilla homepage to learn more about this community, its activities, and what drives it.

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Upcoming September Sessions

Management for Warfighting Excellence

Warfighters are often encumbered by numerous demands that challenge their ability to develop deep skill in warfighting. How can warfighters act through the multitude of management responsibilities to better prioritize warfighting? What management practices can make a focus on warfighting more tangible at the deckplate level? Join us to discuss these questions as we consider how to practically orient management more toward warfighting. 

Read Ahead: Management Makes Warfighting Possible,” by CDR DeVere Crooks.
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Debating the Art and Science of Naval Warfighting

The debate on whether war is more art or science is almost as ancient as conflict itself. This debate has real consequences for how military leaders and organizations conceive of conflict, and develop formal processes to structure preparation. Is naval warfare more art than science? What is the interrelationship, and how is it reflected in how naval command is exercised today? Join us to discuss these questions as we consider the impact of the art vs. science debate on modern naval operations and planning.

Read Ahead: Planning for the Next War Must Be a Mixture of Art & Science,” by RADM Patrick Piercey (ret).
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Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content and Community Manager of the Warfighting Flotilla. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.

Flotilla SITREP: Tactical Nuclear Weapons at Sea and Contested Maritime Logistics

By Dmitry Filipoff

This month the CIMSEC Warfighting Flotilla will be hosting sessions on the implications of naval tactical nuclear weapons and contested maritime logistics in the Pacific. If you haven’t already, sign up through the form below to become a Flotilla member and receive the invites to our upcoming off-the-record July discussions. The full listings for these upcoming discussions are featured down below.

Feel free to visit the Flotilla homepage to learn more about this community, its activities, and what drives it.

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Upcoming July Sessions
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Bringing Back Naval Tactical Nuclear Weapons 

Tactical nuclear weapons were commonplace aboard warships during the Cold War, but were removed as nuclear arsenals shrunk in tandem with decreasing tensions. Now that all great powers are modernizing their nuclear arsenals amidst a new era of competition, the choice to exclude tactical nuclear weapons from U.S. naval forces may have to be reconsidered. What are the implications of fielding tactical nukes at sea? What are the gaps in seaborne nuclear capability between competing great powers? Join us to discuss these questions and more as we consider the possible roles of naval tactical nuclear weapons. 

Read Aheads: Time To Recalibrate: The Navy Needs Tactical Nuclear Weapons . . . Again,” by CDR Paul Giarra (ret.) 

Declassified: US Nuclear Weapons At Sea,” by Hans Kristensen
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Maritime Logistics for Pacific Conflict 

The Pacific is a sprawling theater, yet many forces and critical areas lay well within range of China’s military capability. U.S. and allied forces will be challenged to provide logistical sustainment that can traverse large oceanic spaces yet still be risk-worthy enough to brave the opposing weapons engagement zone. What novel sustainment concepts can meet these challenges? What are the implications of failing to provide effective sustainment in a Pacific conflict, especially to stand-in forces? Join us to discuss these questions as we consider contested maritime logistics in the Pacific.

Read Ahead: Sustaining Distributed Forces in a War Against China,” by Col. John Sattely and Col. Jesse Johnson, USMC
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Dmitry Filipoff is CIMSEC’s Director of Online Content and Community Manager of the Warfighting Flotilla. Contact him at Content@cimsec.org.