CHIPS Articles: Navy's Fleet Experimentation Program Looks Ahead to FY17

Representatives from each numbered fleet, warfighting development center and other stakeholders, including members of the acquisition and Navy science and technology communities, were invited to the FLEX program's annual Execution Plan Development Workshop to share upcoming experimentation priorities and plans.

Rear Adm. Scott A. Stearney, commander NWDC, stressed the importance of alignment across the naval enterprise.

"We have every numbered fleet represented in this forum, which is vital to developing a synchronized experimentation plan that is designed to address the most pressing military problems facing our Navy," Stearney said.

Stearney also spoke about the benefits of experimentation.

"Experimentation is a crucial part of realizing the CNO's top two lines of effort: 'strengthening naval power at and from the sea' and 'achieving high velocity learning,'" Stearney said. "We learn faster through experimentation, which allows us to take that knowledge and quickly turn it around to deliver more robust solutions to the warfighter."

A theme of the planning event was the need to be linked around large military problems, including electromagnetic maneuver warfare.

"The FLEX program is focused on Fleet Commander priorities," said Capt. Paul Movizzo, NWDC's lead for the FLEX program. "Through our experimentation program, we're harvesting, designing, and connecting campaigns that further our Navy's warfighting capabilities.

The FLEX program, managed by NWDC on behalf of U.S. Fleet Forces Command and U.S. Pacific Fleet, designs and executes collaborative, synchronized, and relevant experiment campaigns based on near-term fleet priorities and capability gaps. These war games and at-sea experiments result in tangible products to improve warfighting capabilities, primarily as doctrine, training, and materiel solutions.

For more news from Navy Warfare Development Command, visit http://www.navy.mil/local/nwdc/