The Standup and Evolution of 2nd Fleet and Joint Force Command Norfolk: Shaping A Core Capability for North Atlantic Defense By Robbin Laird and Ed Timperlake May 26, 2021 SHAPING THE WAY AHEAD FOR THE MARITIME INTEGRATED DISTRIBUTED FORCE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF VADM LEWIS 4 DSI’S 5TH ANNUAL JOINT NETWORKS SUMMIT SPEECH 4 STRATEGIC OVERVIEW / BACKGROUND 5 INTERCHANGEABILITY 6 SPECTRUM OF RELATIONSHIPS 7 PEOPLE 8 PROCESSES 8 TECHNOLOGY 9 RE-CRAFTING NORTH ATLANTIC DEFENSE: THE IMPACT OF THE 2ND FLEET AND JOINT FORCE COMMAND NORFOLK 9 C2 FOR A DISTRIBUTED MARITIME FORCE: A KEY BUILDING BLOCK FOR 21ST CENTURY DEFENSE 12 SHAPING A WAY AHEAD FOR 2ND FLEET (C2F): THE PERSPECTIVE OF ITS VICE COMMANDER 15 APPENDIX TO ARTICLE: 19 THIS STORY BY C2F PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 4, 2020 HIGHLIGHTED THEIR PARTICIPATION IN THE CANADIAN EXERCISE NANOOK. 20 THIS STORY BY C2F PUBLISHED ON JULY 1, 2020 HIGHLIGHTED A TABLETOP EXERCISE. 20 THE EVOLUTION OF A STARTUP COMMAND: SECOND FLEET AND THE 4TH BATTLE OF THE ATLANTIC 22 THE ROLE OF ALLIED JOINT FORCE COMMAND NORFOLK IN ATLANTIC DEFENSE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF ITS DEPUTY COMMANDER 25 THE NORDICS AND NORTH ATLANTIC DEFENSE: THEIR KEY ROLE IN ALLIED JFC NORFOLK 33 21ST CENTURY USW: A KILL WEB TEAM SPORT 36 ENHANCING COALITION COMBAT CAPABILITY: THE ROLE OF JOINT FORCE COMMAND, NORFOLK 42 THE ALLIANCE ASPECT OF SHAPING THE NEW SECOND FLEET: THE ROLE OF CJOS COE 45 APPENDIX TO ARTICLE 48 RE-SHAPING NORTH ATLANTIC DEFENSE: JFC NORFOLK AS A STARTUP COMMAND 50 ALLIED JOINT FORCES COMMAND NORFOLK: THE UBER COMMAND 54 SHAPING A 21ST CENTURY U.S. NAVY: THE PERSPECTIVE FROM SECOND FLEET 56 THE NAVY RE-FOCUSES ON THE HIGH-END FIGHT: WHAT IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NAVY RESERVES? 57 THE MID-ATLANTIC TECH BRIDGE AND SECOND FLEET 62 2 757 ACCELERATE: CONTRIBUTING TO THE EVOLVING ECOSYSTEM FOR INNOVATION 65 C2 AND FLEET INNOVATION IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC 68 APPENDIX 71 JUNE 2019: EXPEDITIONARY COMMAND POST FOR C2F IN ICELAND 71 U.S. 2ND FLEET COMMANDS NAVAL FORCES FROM CAMP LEJEUNE 72 INFORMATION WARFARE AND THE SECOND FLEET 73 THE ALLIED JFC NORFOLK: SECOND FLEET’S PORTAL TO NATO NAVIES 77 SHAPING A WAY AHEAD FOR NORTH ATLANTIC DEFENSE: THE PERSPECTIVE OF VADM LEWIS 81 3 Shaping the Way Ahead for the Maritime Integrated Distributed Force: The Perspective of VADM Lewis 2/10/21 The U.S. Navy is already shaping the foundation for the way ahead to build a more lethal and survivable force in dealing with the challenges posed by peer competitors. Such a foundation is built around a distributed force which is integratable. And most notably, not just across the U.S. joint force, but across the entire network of allied forces. No command is more focused on building this template than U.S. second fleet and its commander VADM Lewis. It is not about working towards the distant future of a U.S. led Joint All-Domain Command and control (JADC2) force with ghost fleets and artificial intelligence led forces, it is about delivering a more integrated fighting navy working in such a manner with key allies. In a recent interview with Major General Anders Rex, the head of the Danish Air Force laid out the “future is now” approach with regard to integratability. As the well-regarded Nordic military leader put it: “For me, joint all domain C2 is clearly the future. But at the same time we have to work on enhanced capabilities with the current force. We need focus on both in parallel. Denmark does not have the muscle to shape the future of all domain command and control, but we also need to drive the change – we need now to get the job done. What I have been focused on over the past couple of years, is to make our force better now. Today.” This is clearly the view of the commander of both 2nd Fleet and the newly established Joint Force Commander Norfolk. This is probably not surprising in that the Danes are very smart players in terms of what Major General Rex discussed in a 2015 seminar in Copenhagen with regard to “coalitionability,” a core capability which he saw then as now as a key way ahead to deter and when necessary fight the Russians. Recently, VADM Lewis delivered a speech to DSI’s 5th Annual Joint Networks Summit. What follows is that speech, which really does not need further comment, but both its clarity and forcefulness about the way ahead provides guidance on how force building driven by operations means in today’s strategic environment. DSI!s 5th Annual Joint Networks Summit Speech 2/3/21 4 Greetings – I am honored to join all of you here today, to discuss our Navy’s efforts toward advancing the concept of a network that is fully integrated across the joint force. At the beginning of the new year CNO Gilday introduced our Navy’s Navigation Plan. Forefront in the plan is fielding a robust operational architecture that supports the joint all-domain command and control concept. Last year the Navy launched Taskforce Overmatch in the same spirit of NASA’s race to the moon, and the ingenuity of Polaris and Aegis to ensure we are ready to compete and win in today’s operational environment. The future fight is over the horizon and will rely heavily on AI and unmanned systems. My job, however, is to be ready to fight more effectively with the fleet we have today. As such, while many of the conversations here will focus on the aspects of our networks and technology that will drive future battle plans, I want to take the time today to step back and discuss the direction we are heading as a combined force. My perspective differs from the other warfighters you have heard from, and will hear from. Every strategy has ends, ways, and means. The ends are characterized by those here in the beltway, the means by our budget and relationship with industry, but my role is to focus on the “ways.” Translating the strategic plan into tactical activity in the maritime. The competition will be driven by investments in gray matter as much as gray hulls, airplanes, or tanks. Adversary technology and weapons development are catching up to us. We must create an advantage through how we train and fight. “Combined” is used intentionally because the only way we will truly have the force we need to face today’s security challenges is to strengthen relationships not only within the U.S. armed forces, but also with our Allies and Partners, both in and out of uniform, to include industry, NGO’s and academia. Simply put, a discussion about connection and integration is not complete without our Allies. Strategic Overview / Background I have had the honor of being the commander of both U.S. 2nd Fleet and Joint Force Command Norfolk Since 2018. While there are many things I will take from this tour, one realization stands out more clearly in my mind than any of the others. That is: the importance of cultivating strong relationships cannot be overstated. Maintaining security and stability in the Atlantic is a responsibility shared amongst many in order to ensure the international waters where we all operate remain free and open. Our collective security and interconnected global economy depend on open shipping lanes, unhindered air travel, and uninterrupted flow of data. The Atlantic is a critical link to the world-wide fight. Whether our ships are ultimately deploying to the High North, the Eastern Med, the Arabian Gulf, or through the straits of Malacca into the Far East: East Coast ships must first sail across the Atlantic and be prepared to face whatever threats may present themselves in this contested space. 5 Our history proves this to be true, and has been recognized by American leaders time and time again. I am reminded of this every day, as I am lucky enough to live at the threshold from which President Roosevelt launched the Great White Fleet over 100 years ago. The strength of our military is dependent upon our ability to get to the fight, and sea control must start in the Atlantic. Furthermore, the Atlantic isn’t simply defined as what floats on or through it, but rather the battlespace from seabed to space, including space, cyber, and the information domains. As new trade routes open in the Arctic, we must work to ensure they remain free and open for all to safely navigate, but not monopolize, militarize, or restrict. To achieve this, we are focusing on building and demonstrating our collective strength through interoperability, integration, and ultimately interchangeability as an Alliance. Together we are more than the sum of our individual parts. Interchangeability As such, we organized both Second Fleet and JFC Norfolk as fully integrated. Naval, joint, allied, combined, and active/reserve forces are the foundation of the two commands. As commands in our infancy, we rely heavily on perspectives that come from a diversity of thought, background, and experience. At C2F, we have integrated officers from multiple allied nations directly into the fleet staff. The U.S. Marines, reserve component officers, and foreign exchange officers are fully functioning staff members—not just liaison officers—and they include a two-star Royal Canadian Navy officer as the vice commander of C2F. At JFCNF, an initial team of fewer than ten individuals stood up the command with the help of reserve, joint, and international officers—a testament to integration from its inception. We are also integrating the staff by functional codes (C2F N-codes in the same building with their JFCNF J-codes), and we aspire to use NATO standards for everything from classification to mission orders and associated command-and-control systems to realize our full potential.