By Dmitry Filipoff
This month the CIMSEC Warfighting Flotilla will be focusing on anti-submarine warfare and the role of bombers in naval force structure and concepts of operation. 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 April discussions. The full listings for these upcoming discussions are featured down below.
Last month the Flotilla held sessions on systemic naval cyber compromise and contested-network warfighting. These discussions yielded many candid insights and shed light on critical warfighting challenges, while helping connect the participating navalists.
Feel free to visit the Flotilla homepage to learn more about this community, its activities, and what drives it.
Upcoming April Sessions
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Anti-Submarine Warfare and Cross-Community Integration
ASW is a mission many Navy communities have a stake in. But how well do the communities come together to jointly pursue capabilities and develop tactics and doctrine? How has the immediate post Cold War-era affected the Navy’s ability to regenerate ASW capability for renewed great power competition? Join us to discuss these questions as we consider how the Navy’s communities can better pursue ASW together.
Read Ahead: “ASW: Will We Ever Learn?” by Vice Admiral James R. Fitzgerald and Rear Admiral Richard F. Pittenger, U.S. Navy (Retired)
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Bombers for Maritime Strike
Bombers have featured prominently in naval force structure and anti-ship doctrine for decades, but mostly for other great powers besides the U.S. How can bombers and Air Force assets be leveraged in maritime missions and complement U.S. naval concepts of operation? What can be done to deepen the interservice ties that would help realize the potential of these aircraft? Join us to discuss these questions and more.
Read Ahead: “Maritime Strike,” by Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula USAF (Ret.)
“The B-21’s possible future role in maritime strike,” by Ben Ho Wan Beng
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Completed March Sessions
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The Threat of Systemic Naval Cyber Compromise
Cyber threats are pervasive yet underappreciated. As great powers compete, they can leverage their cyber capabilities to undermine opposing militaries in peacetime, and set the stage for wartime compromise. How can navies grow their awareness of how deeply competitors have penetrated into their systems? What may be the ramifications of pre-positioned cyber capabilities being activated in wartime? Join us to discuss these questions and more as we consider the potential for systemic naval cyber compromise.
Read Ahead: “Paralyzed at the Pier: Schrödinger’s Fleet and Systemic Naval Cyber Compromise,” by Tyson Meadors
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Network-Contested Warfighting
Modern military forces rely heavily on networks to function. But are these forces doing enough to prepare for when the network is a contested battlespace? Are militaries challenging their own network in simulated crucibles, wargaming, and other venues to ensure warfighters can operate in spite of contested networks? Join us to discuss network-contested warfighting and its implications for force employment and force development.
Read Ahead: “Fighting When the Network Dies,” by Capt. Sam Tangredi (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.