WASHINGTON REPORT: Building the 21st-Century Military

President Bush: "Revolutionary Advances" Needed

By GORDON I. PETERSON, Senior Editor

Families and friends of the U.S. Naval Academy's Class of 2001 nearly filled the more than 30,000 seats of the Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Md., on 25 May as President George W. Bush joined Secretary of the Navy Gordon R. England, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vern Clark, and Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. James L. Jones to commission 902 midshipmen into the ranks of the Naval Reserve, Marine Corps Reserve, and Air Force Reserve.
Naval Academy Superintendent Vice Adm. John R. Ryan introduced the commander in chief and, with Commandant of Midshipman Rear Adm. Samuel J. Locklear III, assisted as midshipmen walked--or, in some cases, ran--to the stage to receive their diplomas--each of which was accompanied by a presidential handshake.

Innovation and Transformation

Bush used the Academy's 151st commencement ceremony to share his views on the changing world the graduates are entering and the enduring values they will bring to it. He described today's Navy and Marine Corps as the finest in the world and, asking for the graduates' help, pledged to ensure that they remain so "tomorrow and every day after." Bush outlined a vision calling for change and a renewed spirit of innovation to ensure that the nation's military and naval forces remain preeminent in the future.

"Building tomorrow's force is not going to be easy," Bush said. "Changing the direction of our military is like changing the course of a mighty ship--all the more reason for more research and development, and all the more reason to get started right away."

Reminding the graduates that today's changing world is still a very dangerous place, Bush asserted that the protection of U.S. interests overseas requires the United States to have a "forward strategy for freedom." The Navy and Marine Corps will continue to be an integral part of that strategy, he said.

Bush placed a heavy emphasis on the importance of science and technology as forces for change in transforming U.S. society, and he cited several Naval Academy graduates from the 20th century as exemplars of the spirit of innovation needed to lead the U.S. military into the 21st century.

"As the newest officers in our military, your leadership challenge is to embrace those forces so that you might shape them and harness them to build the security of our country," Bush said. "Only by accepting this challenge will you be able to see over the horizon and to develop the new concepts and applications that our Navy will need in the decades to come."

Bush also called on the nation's senior political and military leaders to provide a culture and environment that support innovation and a system that rewards it.

"As president," Bush said, "I am committed to fostering a military culture where intelligent risk-taking and forward thinking are rewarded, not dreaded. I am committed to ensuring that visionary leaders who take risks are recognized and promoted."

The Road Ahead

Beyond his emphasis on the need to transform today's military forces to improve their capabilities and effectiveness, Bush offered few details about his efforts to reshape national-defense strategy, correct the force-requirements mismatch now confronting all branches of the armed forces, and redress the problems of inadequate production rates in recent years for ships, aircraft, and weapons. His administration's approach to those challenges awaits the completion later this year of the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review and numerous internal studies launched by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.

The president's remarks struck a resonant chord with the Academy's Class of 2001 and their supporters, however, as Bush was interrupted by applause several times.

For their part, the 742 graduates entering the Navy, 149 entering the Marine Corps, and one entering the Air Force displayed the pride and youthful exuberance commonly associated with the conclusion of the Academy's demanding four-year program.

Bush shared in the excitement--taking time frequently to wave to parents--as exultant midshipmen shook his hand, embraced, and "high-fived" their commander in chief prior to taking their oath of office and participating in the traditional hat toss.

In addition to the 892 graduates who entered the U.S. military, ten foreign-national students were graduated and commissioned into the armed forces of Cameroon, Trinidad, Slovenia, Croatia, Turkey, Estonia, El Salvador, Singapore, and Lithuania.

Graduating first in his class was Timothy R. Strabbing of Hudsonville, Mich., a political science major. Strabbing--a Marshall Scholar--was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps. He will attend Oxford University later this year.

Improved Joint Operations Critical To Transformation of U.S. Military

The creation of truly joint forces is the most significant transformational concept facing the U.S. military today, said the head of a study group commissioned by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld.

Retired Air Force Gen. James P. McCarthy, in a briefing on the results of a two-month study by a group of senior retired military officers, scientific advisers, and intelligence specialists, told Pentagon reporters on 12 June that, if such joint forces are to be improved, they must be able to organize, train, and equip a standing joint command-and-control capability, and in the future conduct more frequent exercises and experimentation.

The study group's charter was to provide Rumsfeld with "new ideas and concepts" on how to transform the U.S. military, McCarthy said. The group's recommendations will serve to stimulate Rumsfeld's thinking, a Department of Defense (DOD) spokesman said--as such, the recommendations are inputs and not decisions. The study will be integrated with other study initiatives that Rumsfeld has launched in recent months to form the intellectual basis for the 2001 Quadrennial Defense Review.

The Truly Joint Force

McCarthy said it is critical that U.S. forces have the capabilities needed to operate across the full spectrum of military operations--from peacetime activities to major conflict. A focus on transforming the early entry joint-response force would satisfy a key U.S. strategic requirement, the study found, by providing a greatly enhanced capability to act decisively before facts on the ground become more difficult to change. In order to build a true joint and integrated capability, McCarthy said, the study advocates the creation of a standing joint command-and-control system.

"We believe that the CINCs [commanders in chief of U.S. unified commands] are the major warfighting individuals in their theaters," McCarthy said. "We would give them each a compatible joint command-and-control system that they could operate, if they chose, from their headquarters ... on a day-to-day basis." McCarthy said the improvements to joint capabilities recommended include a deployable element so that the warfighting headquarters could be moved forward if desired.

"The CINCs have started down this process within their own resources," McCarthy said. "We think they need more resources to carry out that responsibility."

Beyond the critical command-and-control capabilities, the study group advocated the development of tailorable force modules that would train and exercise together and that could be integrated quickly.

"We build on forward-deployed capability," McCarthy said. "Our assessment is that that's a very valuable part of our capability and, if anything, needs to be expanded rather than contracted."

Broader Issues Involved

McCarthy identified a number of broader transformation areas that have a significant impact on U.S. conventional-force capabilities. Among them are missile defense, space superiority, information dominance, intelligence, and forward-based and deployed forces. Annexes in the group's final report cover each area.
"We focused on conventional forces," McCarthy said, "and yet we felt that there were other areas that were being studied by other groups that had a significant impact on our conventional-force capability."

In addressing what is new and different in future warfighting concepts, the idea of shared situational knowledge appears repeatedly throughout the study. "No capability is more important than situational knowledge shared among all elements of the joint force," the study concludes.

Responding to a reporter's question on the status of U.S. military forces today, McCarthy replied that the group's conclusions build on many existing capabilities, but investment recommendations were made "to make existing systems work better"--in part through the establishment of a Department of Defense transformation discretionary fund that would permit immediate funding if a "truly transformational idea" is present. McCarthy, emphasizing that the decision to adopt this recommendation rests with Rumsfeld, said that investment of up to half a billion dollars in the fund "would be very helpful."

"A, B, Cs" Prove Confusing

As part of its methodology, McCarthy's study group developed a "Joint-Response Force Capabilities" matrix based on three of the most representative scenarios for military operations--a hostile environment, a permissive environment, and a humanitarian setting. Military capabilities for each environment were then identified for each scenario based on the first 24 hours of operations ("Set the Conditions"), the first 96 hours ("Establish Control"), and the first 30 days ("Decisive Resolution").

Since DOD cannot afford a proliferation of new programs across the board, the study group recommended focusing near-term transformation efforts on the joint-response force capabilities identified in the matrix that could be improved within a relatively short time span. Such programs supporting needed capabilities were grouped into priorities labeled A through C, with so-called A-category programs described as "key transformational programs" that the group said should be accelerated through funding increases.

McCarthy said that a C-rated program, on the other hand, while judged by the study group also to be transformational, would not warrant a funding increase or other changes to the program.

In order to "set the conditions" on the battlefield during the first 24 hours of operations, for example, long-range precision attack was listed as one of several critical requirements. Attacking forces, the group said, must have the capabilities to offset an adversary's key access-denial strategies, execute operational strikes from relative sanctuaries, penetrate defended air space to disable or destroy defenses, defend deployed forces, and gain control of key airfields and seaports.

Confusion arose at the conclusion of the press briefing when a reporter asked why the Navy's DD 21 land-attack destroyer program and the CVNX next-generation aircraft carrier were not listed by the study group as transformational programs. McCarthy replied, during the 12 June press briefing, that the group was "not persuaded that they were truly transformational."

That answer and other statements led to a number of news media reports claiming that, according to McCarthy's comments, the study had concluded the Navy should skip its next generation of destroyers and aircraft carriers because they would not produce "a substantial difference" in warfighting capability.

DD 21 and CVNX Programs: "Transformational and Enablers"

McCarthy later clarified the remarks he made during the press briefing regarding DD 21 and CVNX--two of the Navy's most important acquisition programs. "The study group did not consider DD 21 and CVNX to be in the 'A, B, or C' categories of transformational programs," McCarthy told Sea Power, "but that conclusion should not be interpreted as any indication the group recommended their cancellation. Rather, it reflects a recommendation not to accelerate those programs or increase funding beyond the Navy's current program of record at this time."

Retired Adm. Stanley R. Arthur, the senior former Navy official serving on the study group, echoed that assessment. "The study considered those programs to which a significant increase in capability could be achieved in a relatively short time span with funding increases," Arthur told Sea Power.

"I certainly consider DD 21 and CVNX to be transformational platforms, as well as enablers for follow-on joint-force deployments," Arthur said. "In our judgment, however, funding increases to those programs were not warranted at this time because they are in comparatively early stages of development. Our conclusion should in no way be interpreted as a recommendation that either DD 21 or CVNX be delayed or cancelled."

Following the press briefing, Navy spokesmen emphasized that the requirements set for DD 21 and CVNX not only represent substantial improvements in operational capabilities but also offer major reductions in operating costs and significant savings in manpower. Extensive research-and-development efforts and innovative partnerships with industry, the Navy said, will ensure true technological leaps forward in each ship's design and capabilities.

A brief review of DD 21's planned capabilities in the long-range precision- attack mission area supports that view. DD 21 is being designed with a new 155mm Advanced Gun System capable of firing extended-range guided munitions or ballistic shells out to100 nautical miles--seven times the range of the Navy's current 5-inch guns. In addition, DD 21 will carry the advanced land-attack missile, now being developed, for precision strikes against targets at distances up to 200 miles.

The next-generation Tomahawk cruise missile will provide lethal accuracy in all weather conditions and at ranges up to 1,600 miles.

McCarthy told the Pentagon's press corps that he had involved each of the service chiefs during the study group's work. Each provided a flag or general officer who participated in the group's briefings and kept his service chief informed. The group also consulted several unified-command CINCs, defense contractors, and "think-tank" representatives when it needed to obtain more information or ideas.

Senior Navy officials contacted by Sea Power following the press briefing did not seem overly alarmed by initial press reports suggesting that DD 21 and CVNX had been "torpedoed" by the study group.*

Transformation Study Conclusions and Recommendations

* The integration and synergy that true jointness brings are the most powerful transformation concepts.
* Joint C2 (command and control) is the most enabling transformation program.
* Focus transformation on new capabilities for joint-response forces.
* Initiate new programs identified as essential in transformation.
* Accelerate key special-access programs.
* Missile defense, space dominance, information dominance, and intelligence also are essential transformation areas.
* Institutionalize the transformation process in the Department of Defense.

Source: Defense Transformation Study Group