Biden taps ‘pioneer’ Adm. Lisa Franchetti to become Navy’s next leader

Biden taps ‘pioneer’ Adm. Lisa Franchetti to become Navy’s next leader
Biden taps ‘pioneer’ Adm. Lisa Franchetti to become Navy’s next leader

If confirmed, the Navy’s vice chief will break multiple glass ceilings as a woman to reach the most senior ranks of the Pentagon.

Adms. Davidson In, Harris Out At Indo-Pacific Command

Adms. Davidson In, Harris Out At Indo-Pacific Command
Adms. Davidson In, Harris Out At Indo-Pacific Command

WASHINGTON: There’s a new admiral in charge at the renamed Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Philip Davidson. Davidson, as we’ve noted, has relatively little firsthand experience with the peoples and region over which he will now command 60 percent of the US Navy fleet, along with substantial Marine, Army and Air Force assets throughout the region. Davidson, as…

New Admiral In The Pacific, And He’s Got His Eye On China

New Admiral In The Pacific, And He’s Got His Eye On China
New Admiral In The Pacific, And He’s Got His Eye On China

The incoming commander of US Pacific Fleet issues a warning about growing Chinese ambitions while taking charge of the world’s largest fleet.

From Concept To Combat: Making Multi-Domain Battle Real

From Concept To Combat: Making Multi-Domain Battle Real
From Concept To Combat: Making Multi-Domain Battle Real

WASHINGTON: The concept called Multi-Domain Battle – a single seamless offensive across land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace – may seem futuristic, but the Army wants to start implementing at least parts of it right now. In wargames, doctrine, and interservice dialogue, “it’s actually becoming reality,” said Gen. David Perkins. As one of the fathers…

‘Indispensable’ Palau Deal At Risk; Will China Get Access?

‘Indispensable’ Palau Deal At Risk; Will China Get Access?
‘Indispensable’ Palau Deal At Risk; Will China Get Access?

“Palau is indispensable to our national security and funding the compact is key to our strategic presence in the region.” That’s what the Defense Department’s 2018 budget request says — but the House Armed Services Committee disagrees, defunding a $123.9 million payment that gains us access to the islands. Why is Palau indispensable? Look at…

$49M For Multi-Domain Wargames Tops PACOM Wishlist

$49M For Multi-Domain Wargames Tops PACOM Wishlist
$49M For Multi-Domain Wargames Tops PACOM Wishlist

WASHINGTON: “To counter our near-peer adversaries” — read Russia and China — US Pacific Command wants $530 million of unfunded priorities that didn’t fit in the 2018 budget request, from better bases to more torpedoes. The top item: $49 million more for “multi-domain battle exercises,” wargames testing a new Army-led concept for future warfare against…

Support IBCS, Best Missile Defense C2 We’ve Got: Former MDA Tester

Support IBCS, Best Missile Defense C2 We’ve Got: Former MDA Tester
Support IBCS, Best Missile Defense C2 We’ve Got: Former MDA Tester

America’s military has operated far too long without a truly integrated air and missile defense system and the Army’s Integrated Air and Missile Defense Battle Command System (IBCS) is the best answer we’ve got. Congress needs to support the Army’s budget request for IBCS and AMD funding. For its part, the Army needs to re-evaluate…

Slash Ship Design Time In Half, CNO Says

Slash Ship Design Time In Half, CNO Says
Slash Ship Design Time In Half, CNO Says

WASHINGTON: That the Navy should get more money to build up its surface and submarine fleets may be the message Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson sends in an upcoming article which he promises would be a “strong Navy voice” on budget issues. Richardson told an audience at the Brookings Institution Thursday that he would be…

Army’s Multi-Domain Battle Gains Traction Across Services: The Face Of Future War

Army’s Multi-Domain Battle Gains Traction Across Services: The Face Of Future War
Army’s Multi-Domain Battle Gains Traction Across Services: The Face Of Future War

HUNTSVILLE, ALA.: Less than six months after its official rollout, the Army’s new concept of future warfare has gotten traction with all four armed services. In brief, Multi-Domain Battle envisions the military — everything from submarines to satellites, tanks to jets, destroyers to drones, grunts to hackers — working together to overwhelm the enemy with…

We CAN Tie Army, Navy Missile Defense Networks: Navy Experts

We CAN Tie Army, Navy Missile Defense Networks: Navy Experts
We CAN Tie Army, Navy Missile Defense Networks: Navy Experts

SAN DIEGO: It’s completely possible to plug Army missile defenses into the Navy fire control network, a panel of Navy experts said Wednesday. That could make an obscure system called NIFC-CA (Naval Integrated Fire Control – Counter-Air) the electronic backbone of a seamless defense against Russian, Chinese, Iranian, or North Korean airstrikes and missile salvos.…

Link Army, Navy Missile Defense Nets: Adm. Harris

Link Army, Navy Missile Defense Nets: Adm. Harris
Link Army, Navy Missile Defense Nets: Adm. Harris

SAN DIEGO: The Army and Navy must link their missile defense systems into a single network so Navy weapons can hit targets spotted by Army radars and vice versa, the chief of Pacific Command said today. That’s a daunting technical task but, if surmounted, it could dramatically improve defense against North Korean, Chinese, or Russian…

Army Must Be Ready For Multi-Domain Battle In Pacific ‘Tomorrow’

Army Must Be Ready For Multi-Domain Battle In Pacific ‘Tomorrow’
Army Must Be Ready For Multi-Domain Battle In Pacific ‘Tomorrow’

WASHINGTON: With one eye on China and another on North Korea, US Army Pacific is injecting cyber warfare and new joint tactics into every wargame it can. At least 30 forthcoming exercises — culminating in the massive RIMPAC 2018 — will train troops on aspects of Multi-Domain Battle, the land Army’s effort to extend its reach…

F-22s Coming To  Australia Next Year: PACOM’s Adm. Harris

F-22s Coming To  Australia Next Year: PACOM’s Adm. Harris
F-22s Coming To Australia Next Year: PACOM’s Adm. Harris

SYDNEY: While it will be a short deployment, Australia and the United States have agreed to deploy America’s most advanced fighter next year as part of the Enhanced Air Cooperation (EAC) Initiative that has seen B-2 bombers and other advanced American aircraft deployed to the lucky country. Adm. Harry Harris, head of Pacific Command, disclosed…

Army’s Multi-Domain Battle To Be Tested In PACOM, EUCOM Wargames

Army’s Multi-Domain Battle To Be Tested In PACOM, EUCOM Wargames
Army’s Multi-Domain Battle To Be Tested In PACOM, EUCOM Wargames

ARLINGTON: Harry Harris has to be the Army’s favorite admiral. The chief of Pacific Command has called for Army-owned anti-ship missiles. He has enthused over the Army’s new warfare concept, and now he is planning a major inter-service exercise to work out what that Multi-Domain Battle concept means in practice. “We are starting to put…