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U.S. 2nd Fleet Reaches Forward
Story Number: NNS040923-08
Release Date: 9/23/2004 12:13:00 PM
From Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs
NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The staff of Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet is instituting a Deployable Distributed Command and Control System, or "Distributed Staff," within the next two months
to operate a leaner, forward afloat staff element that will rely on a thoroughly capable staff ashore for more extensive planning and administration functions.
The new concept offers tremendous potential to provide a Joint Force Maritime Component Commander (JFMCC) the ability to rapidly react to contingencies from the sea, and will provide the nucleus for an afloat joint task force (JTF) commander who can effectively move forward and command joint and coalition forces.
According to Vice Adm. Gary Roughead, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic/Naval Forces North Fleet East (C2F/CSFL), the Navy - and all U.S. forces - must continue to work toward solutions that enhance interoperability and accelerate war-fighting advantages.
"More than ever, assured access anywhere in the world requires that we are manned, organized and equipped to move rapidly to command joint and coalition forces from the sea," Roughead said. "The advances in collaborative information environment technologies now enables us to explore the opportunity to advance this concept to employ it quickly, assuredly and globally."
This has possible applications in the Navy's Homeland Defense responsibilities, as well as more traditional afloat Joint Task Force missions.
As the concept moves forward, the Navy will conduct a series of increasingly complex exercises to develop and validate a standardized, transportable capability for commanders to quickly embark a large deck combatant and execute a full JFMCC and JTF mission. "Capability" will consist of an integrated, modular, scalable, rapidly deployable suite of command and control (C2) applications, data systems, hardware (e.g. laptops, workstations, servers and peripherals), networking (routers, switches, cables and security components), and mobility components (e.g., containers, transit cases, pallets).
The standing afloat staff will be mobile and agile in conducting joint operations in regions of interest. The core staff can be augmented or tailored with the right mix of specialists and experts based on the needs of the mission. This model also provides the Commander with powerful 'reach back' capability to a trained, robust cadre ashore.
In the near term, the manning plan calls for about 80 members of the 350-member C2F/CSFL staff to operate from onboard the Navy's newest amphibious assault ship, USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7), with the remainder operating from its ashore headquarters on the Naval Station Norfolk waterfront.
When mature, regional commanders could employ this capability across a broad range of response options. Based upon the scope of the contingency, the scale of potential response forces, and the estimated duration of operations, the staff can scale to the size, complexity, and functions required to support the joint or combined headquarters staff.
This is a departure from the Navy's flag-configured command ships. A smaller staff afloat results from this change, and with the broadening availability of information collaboration technologies, planning and executing operations with a distributed staff is increasingly feasible. The graduated testing will bear out how improvements in mobility, versatility, and
interoperability can be best achieved.
Collaborative communications supporting the commander's tasking can be accomplished seamlessly in a distributed staff configuration. Burgeoning technologies and innovative employment of legacy systems will require continued testing and refinement that will be pursued under the Navy's Sea Trial concept.
For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic Navy NewsStand page at www.news.navy.mil/local/c2f.
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U.S. 2nd Fleet Changes Command, Remains Leader In Navy Transformation - 10/1/2004
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