CHIPS Articles: NETWARCOM Established

…The establishment of Naval Network Warfare Command specifically addresses organizational alignment. Naval Network Warfare Command will do three things: (1) We will support Admiral Natter as Commander [U.S.] Fleet Forces Command in organizing, training and equipping our ships and Sailors to operate the information network and realize information technology's full capability; (2) We will operationally support all Fleet commanders in the Navy – Atlantic Fleet, Pacific Fleet, Naval Forces Europe and Naval Forces Central Command in the day-to-day running of our global information network in support of Naval and Joint Commanders; and (3) We will integrate, assess and deliver the "full requirement" for Navy's information technology, information operations and space requirements.

These three actions will be our "report card," because, at the end of the day, the standup of the Naval Network Warfare Command is not simply about improving organizational alignment, but about delivering on the "message" embodied by the organizational alignment change.

Network-centric warfare is working. Not much more than a concept a decade ago, our military's demonstrated use over recent, past conflicts has proven the value of the network and the smart use of information technology. We have shown the ability to rapidly and accurately move time critical information around the battlefield between U.S. and coalition forces in order to consistently keep and hold an "information advantage" over our adversaries. Networks, like ship, aircraft and submarine forces, are a main battery, both for defending our national interests and to take the fight to our adversaries.

I will not forget the report of a returning battlegroup commander earlier this year to the Chief of Naval Operations. He was discussing the overall great success of his Sailors and ships in their deployment to the Indian Ocean in support of the global war on terrorism. He reported the "network-centric warfare worked, but that it was fragile." Changing and improving that assessment, in fact, will clearly be our mission at Naval Network Warfare Command. Today, too many possibilities of single point failures exist; too many non-standard configurations exist. We clearly need to make network-centric warfare capability more robust, especially against a capable adversary, and configured to a common standard. We will.

Naval Network Warfare Command is the result of more than two years worth of collaborative work to place the necessary operational authorities for these capabilities in a single organization, responsible to the Fleet commander. I expect the readiness of our network capabilities supporting the fleet will improve smartly over what it is today.

There are several important points to make regarding Naval Network Warfare Command's responsibilities that you should know:

• Navy's vital, operational use of space is being integrated into this command. Space will become even more evident in providing force enhancement capabilities, which need to be protected for warfighting success.

• Information operations have recently been designated by the Chief of Naval Operations as a primary Naval warfare area. The value of information has been recognized for the very real warfighting advantage it conveys to us. Naval Network Warfare Command will play a leading role in working with the numbered Fleet commanders to develop this new warfare area in the Navy and for use by the Joint commander.

• "Seapower 21," the Navy concept for the operational deployment of Naval forces for projecting strike, missile defense and the forward deployment of sovereign, combat credible, Naval power will be very dependent upon a "netted" Naval force. We call this future capability "FORCEnet." Naval Network Warfare Command will play a leading role in bringing this capability into being.

• Naval Network Warfare Command serves as the sponsor for the new restricted line community of officers known as information professionals – officers whose primary purpose is to help increase network technical expertise within the Fleet and with the warfare communities. The command will play a similar role with the enlisted rating of information systems technicians. This mission relative to personnel concentrates on the most critical and valuable part of what it takes to make network-centric warfare work – smart, educated, professional Naval officers and Sailors.

• Finally, Naval Network Warfare Command will be "lean," by design. Headquarters will be less than 60 personnel when fully stood up. But, the command will be leveraging the great talent of the subordinate and affiliated commands, which comprise it—and these resources are significant.

I would like to recognize the stakeholder commands of Naval Network Warfare Command. Commander Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command, San Diego, Calif., Rear Adm. Ken Slaght; Commander Naval Security Group, Fort Meade, Md., Rear Adm. Joe Burns; Commander Naval Network and Space Operations Command, Dahlgren, Va., Rear Adm. John Cryer III; Fleet Information Warfare Command, Little Creek Amphibious Base, Va., Captain Bob Stuart; Naval Component Task Force for Computer Network Defense, Washington, D.C., Captain Ellis Fietkoud-Leonard; and lastly, but very significantly, the Naval Reserve Program for Space and Network Operations, with 10 units across the country, commanded by Rear Adm. Casey Coane. Together, these commands represent over 7000 thousand officers, Sailors and civilians, globally…

Adm. Natter…We are committed to serving you and the other Fleet commanders diligently and professionally. General Anderson, ditto! [Lt. Gen. Edward G. Anderson III, USA, Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff, United States Space Command, and Vice Commander, U.S. Element, North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), headquartered at Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.]

So, it is with great excitement that we establish Naval Network Warfare Command today. This is Navy's step to make network-centric warfare a central way of fighting.

As the Chief of Naval Operations has said, "Aligning our information technology, information operations and space structure is critical to the success of current and future Naval operations, at home and overseas, and to remain a technologically relevant force in the information age." Today's ceremony is about building the foundation for what can be. It is about the future of how the Navy will "fight and win."