By LTJG Chris Rielage and LCDR JR Dinglasan
“The younger officer offers in techniques. That’s what he cares about most. Whereas he chafes in opposition to different duties, his first focus is supposed to be the event of abilities to carry fight energy to bear on an enemy in circumstances of mortal hazard.”–Vice Admiral Cebrowski1
“The disconcerting fact, nevertheless, is that the fashionable naval officer is buried in experiences… that cope with all the pieces however how one can combat.”–Captain Wayne Hughes2
These quotes from traditional naval thinkers underline what has been obviously apparent for years – each American Floor Warfare Officer (SWO) is aware of that the group spends much less time on techniques than it ought to. SWOs primarily conceive of their skilled identities when it comes to their administrative perform, similar to “I’m the Auxiliaries Officer” or “I’m the first Lieutenant,” as a substitute of their tactical or operational roles. The CASREP instruction is extra acquainted to Ensigns than the traditional work Fleet Ways. These administrative duties take up an enormous period of time and power, and with the floor fleet’s emphasis on program administration and materials readiness, techniques constantly fall by the wayside. To state it extra bluntly, warships are extra prepared for inspection than they’re for warfare.3
What if it might be totally different? Different providers and communities fulfill the identical duties to man, prepare, and equip with out dropping their warfighting ethos. Naval aviators determine themselves by what fight plane they fly, specializing in their potential to combat over the executive function they serve inside a squadron. Marines conceive of themselves as riflemen even within the coronary heart of the Pentagon.
The Floor Navy wants to chop itself freed from its extraneous entanglements and make concrete modifications to the way it improves warfighting talent. Our most pressing goal for reform shouldn’t be bettering particular person techniques on a piecemeal degree. Fairly, we ought to be specializing in systematic modifications to the personnel and coaching methods all through the Floor Warfare group that may domesticate extra tacticians.
The bottom-hanging fruit is within the junior officer detailing course of. The fleet is lacking a significant alternative to incentivize junior officers to be extra deadly, however reform could be comparatively easy. When assigning officers within the SWO group, detailers on the Bureau of Naval Personnel (BUPERS) reward additional factors for attaining sure superior {qualifications}. Officers who rapidly qualify as Tactical Motion Officer (TAO) and Engineering Officer of the Watch (EOOW), the highest tactical and engineering watches on a ship, usually obtain first alternative of their subsequent task as a result of variety of “additional factors” they obtain when slating for his or her subsequent tour. This can be a nice option to incentivize exhausting work, however the restricted scope of this program is a missed alternative. The detailing course of also needs to assign level increments to extra junior tactical {qualifications}.
The plain candidates are Warfare Coordinator (WC) positions – the watchstations subordinate to the TAO that really make use of weapons in fight. It’s not possible for many junior officers to turn into a TAO – a place usually crammed by Division Heads ten years their senior – within the few additional months between incomes their SWO pin and transferring to a brand new command. It’s possible, nevertheless, for a hard-charging division officer to discover ways to combat a single area underneath the TAO’s course. Giving JOs some extent incentive by qualifying these watches would inspire them to go after these {qualifications} earlier. Detailers might start rewarding the watchstations listed above straight away – and embody much more, like Anti-Submarine Warfare Evaluator (ASWE) or Tomahawk Engagement Management Officer (ECO), after modifications to the varsity necessities.
Detailers also needs to reward certified Antiterrorism Tactical Watch Officers (ATTWOs) with a small level bonus. Whereas not required on most ships, the ATTWO place requires officers to show calm underneath fireplace in a far more educational {qualifications} fail to realize. Officers have to confidently know their techniques – however in addition they must be mentally ready to make choices with restricted data, protect order in chaotic conditions, and if wanted, order the usage of deadly power. Solely the ATTWO qualification, with its give attention to real-world drills, often trains JOs in these abilities.
Our proposed mannequin is proven beneath. BUPERS presently provides 0.25-point bonuses for TAO and EOOW, that are then added to a worth calculated off of Health Report (FITREP) scores. To reduce confusion – that calculation is pretty advanced, and pointless for this dialogue – our proposal describes fractions of the TAO/EOOW bonuses. When finally applied, the precise scores may also must be tailor-made to match these FITREP scores.
This new mannequin has three essential benefits – it’s going to make junior officers extra deadly, it’s going to create a deeper bench of expertise amongst extra senior officers, and it’ll incentivize retention.
As we speak’s SWO qualification course of solely touches on techniques within the Fight Info Middle Watch Officer (CICWO) and Maritime Warfare {qualifications}. These are cursory quals that present solely the barebones basis of recent warfare. They cowl U.S. Navy capabilities and limitations, however depart main gaps in the case of different nice powers and their techniques and doctrine. Regardless of incomes the qualification, a professional CICWO has not but been taught how one can monitor and assess threats, launch missiles, or maneuver the ship in fight. In distinction, the warfare coordinator {qualifications}, with their emphasis on precise weapon employment, countering particular menace techniques, and coordinating with different tactical watchstanders and models, signify a extra critical skilled achievement in changing into a talented warfighter. Incentivizing junior officers to go after these particular quals earlier will make them a lot deadlier and enhance lethality on a fleet-wide scale.
These modifications may also profit extra senior officers. As we speak, most officers within the floor fleet formally be taught techniques for the primary time when going via the TAO curriculum in Division Head college, after seven to 9 years of expertise. That’s a lot too late for the complexity of right this moment’s weapons and techniques. Incentivizing early tactical {qualifications} would give Division Heads a stronger basis, setting them up for achievement once they assume the TAO function. A stronger basis may also enable for extra superior tactical schooling and coaching to be administered at later profession milestones, additional elevating the lethality of the power. Given sufficient years, it’s going to ultimately create extra deadly captains and admirals.
Lastly, these level incentives would increase retention amongst junior officers. When interviewed, junior SWOs constantly say that they aren’t well-trained for fight.5 The present level system feeds that downside by solely rewarding the {qualifications} – TAO and EOOW – which can be stipulations for command. Shifting to the brand new mannequin would enhance fight abilities throughout the fleet, and would ship a robust sign that the SWO group values tacticians in any respect ranges. Bonus factors for tactical {qualifications} should not a silver bullet – however they’re a step in the suitable course, displaying junior officers that the Navy sees their achievements as worthwhile in their very own proper, and never merely as stepping stones to command. By offering tangible skilled incentives that straight strengthen the Navy’s core perform – warfighting – the Navy will increase warfighter retention and morale.
The SWO group ought to preserve its huge level incentives to create high-quality captains – however acknowledge that the perfect ships are ones the place high captains are backed by deadly, combat-ready O-2s and O-3s. As we speak’s JOs are ravenous for a basis in techniques. Incentivizing them to pursue tactical {qualifications} early could also be step one in convincing them that the SWO group prioritizes warfighting, and in flip, persuade them to remain and develop into extra lethal division heads and captains.
LTJG Chris Rielage is a Floor Warfare Officer onboard USS BENFOLD (DDG 65) within the Western Pacific. His publications have beforehand appeared in USNI’s Proceedings and CIMSEC.
LCDR JR Dinglasan presently serves because the IAMD WTI course of instruction (COI) lead on the Floor Superior Warfighting Faculty (SAWS), Naval Floor and Mine Warfighting Improvement Middle (SMWDC). He not too long ago accomplished his second division head tour because the Fight Techniques Officer aboard USS BENFOLD (DDG 65). He’s a graduate of the floor warfare group’s IAMD WTI COI and beforehand served at SMWDC as a complicated tactical coaching planner and because the lead teacher/techniques developer for Commonplace Missile-6 floor warfare (SUW) tactical employment.
References
1. Captain Wayne P. Hughs Jr. and RADM Robert P. Girrier, Fleet Ways and Naval Operations, Third Version, U.S. Naval Institute Press, xxi, 2019.
2. Ibid, xxxi.
3. Senior Chief Gunner’s Mate Norman Mingo, U.S. Navy, “The Navy Is Ready for Inspections, Not Conflict,” Proceedings, March 2021, https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2021/march/navy-prepared-inspections-not-war.
4. This proposal is designed round an AEGIS cruiser or destroyer, because the US Navy’s most typical floor combatant. Different watchstations, like a Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Planner on an LCS or Air Protection Warfare Coordinator (ADWC) on an LPD, is also glorious candidates.
5. Lieutenant Judith Hee Rooney, U.S. Navy, “The State of the Warfighter Mentality within the SWO Group,” CIMSEC, August 22, 2022, https://cimsec.org/the-state-of-the-warfighter-mentality-in-the-swo-community/.
Featured Picture: NAVAL STATION ROTA, Spain (Dec. 6, 2021) The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Roosevelt (DDG 80) departs Naval Station Rota, Spain, Dec. 6, 2021. (U.S. Navy picture by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Andrea Rumple/Launched)
