AFCEA SIGNAL Scape

Echoing the sentiments of many of the speakers and panelists during the conference, Gen. James N. Mattis, USMC, commander, JFCOM and NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, wrapped up the 2008 Joint Warfighting conference by reiterating that the war the U.S. and its allies are now fighting will not end quickly or soon. The thought that we are in an irregular war that we can wait out until regular warfare returns is incorrect. “We’re going to have to intellectually embrace that idea. If we don’t make this a full intellectual commitment, the enemy is going to steal the march on us,” Gen. Mattis said.

“Having been up against this enemy,” the general continued, “I must say do not patronize this enemy and think they’re going to go away any time soon.” Relating his own experience in more detail, Gen. Mattis said terrorists made their intent clear: They say they are going to to America, kill Americans and Jews and go to Europe and kill Jews. “They were very clear, and it clears my conscience considerably about what you do with people like that,” he said.

On several occasions, the general referred to lessons that can be learned from history—experiences that demonstrate that no one can predict the future and attempting to do so is a futile act. However, he assured audience members that the goal of the military for national security is to plan as best it can and be prepared for as much as possible. “We can’t get it 100 percent right, but what we intend to do is not get it wrong,” he stated.

While focusing on unconventional warfare is important, he also noted that this does not mean abandoning preparing to fight in conventional wars again—although those may be 10 or even 15 years away, he added.

Listen to his complete address here (mp3 link):
Gen. James N. Mattis, USMC, at the 2008 Joint Warfighting Conference.

The snail’s pace at which capabilities are moving into current operations is a frustration for both military and industry leaders, and members of the final panel of the Joint Warfighting Conference agreed that lessons can be learned from the commercial sector. From outlining the requirements faster and more succinctly to having the courage to break the rules to meet needs faster, deep changes are needed from the Halls of Congress to the commanders in the field, they said.

Art Fritzson, vice president, Booz Allen Hamilton, suggested that perhaps it is time for the military to take a lesson from industry. For example, one dot-com company called for ideas, then called on its users to come in and review them. Many of the ideas were implemented and led to the company’s success.

Sometimes it’s just a matter of organizations encouraging their personnel to be open to discussing ideas and using social media to do it. And sometimes, an idea implemented by Dell Corporation may offer the solutions. The company decided to add a user forum to its help desk offerings, and users were eager to solve each other’s problems. These models could be some of the ways that the military solves its acquisition problems, Fritzson said.

Because so much innovation is coming from small businesses, Yogesh Khanna, vice president, chief technology officer, IT Infrastructure Solutions, CSC, suggested that perhaps it is time for government change the requirements for small business involvement in contracts. Rather than just allowing companies to add small business to their contracts to do “grunt work,” perhaps they should be required to include some of the new innovative solutions in their total solutions.

But at the end of the day, it is going to take courage—from Congress, from military leaders and from industry—to speed up the process of getting capabilities into warfighters’ hands, many panelists agreed. “I think about what our enemy does. They don’t have RFPs. They go to the store and buy it and get an 80 percent solution, but they work with it,” Fritzson said.

Breaking with tradition and to a rousing round of applause, Gen. John D. Corley, USAF, commander, Air Combat Command and Air Component Commander, JFCOM, opened his presentation with the announcement that he would not be using PowerPoint slides to complement his speech. Instead, he invited the audience to have “a bit of conversation, a bit of a chat.”

Referring to a military event that took place 64 years ago on this day, the general explained that a Japanese air attack not only was thwarted but was turned from a defensive fight to an offensive mission thanks to radar and courage. The radar enabled the U.S. Navy to preempt and beat back the attackers; the courage of the Navy leader of Task Force 58 led to an offensive that left the Japanese navy with three fewer carriers.

This look at history demonstrates the birth of the U.S. Air Force’s relevance to the fight. Well-trained, well-equipped and well-led forces dominated the fight. This continues to be the case today; however, the difference is that the availability of technology, the pace of technology development and the number of enemy threats has increased exponentially.

But technology is only one element of remaining dominant, relevant and ready to accomplish missions today. “For the Air Force, we cannot simply man the machine; we must use the machine to accomplish our military missions,” the general said.

What is being developed in this area is a national security strategy that focuses on the importance of joint cooperation. This strategy calls on each service to be responsible for more than one domain. “In my mind, support is not a bad word,” Gen. Corley said.

For the Air Force, supporting this strategy will mean increasing the number of its aircraft—both manned and unmanned. “Perhaps, the Air Force has not invested enough in platforms,” he said. “There will be an increased cost, but it must be a price we are willing to pay for dominance in the 21st century.”

Listen to his complete address here (mp3 link):

Gen. John D. W. Corley, USAF, at the 2008 Joint Warfighting Conference

Warfighters in the future will need a mix of old-fashioned values and 21st-century knowledge of high technology, members of Wednesday’s final panel agreed. All agreed that the current force is filled with dedicated young people who have chosen to serve even under trying circumstances.

Tomorrow’s warfighter will possess coordinated skills that enable them to fight in irregular warfare, Cmdr. William E. Noel, USN, commanding officer, Explosive Ordnance Devices Test and Evaluation Unit Two and former deputy commander, Task Force Troy, Baghdad, said.

The U.S. Defense Department must be prepared to train upcoming warriors to work in a joint environment, and much of this already is going on, he stated. “In Iraq, I saw all services pull together, and they all worked well together; that’s how well trained in joint they are,” Cmdr. Noel stated. However, service members must be better trained in using each other’s equipment, he added.

Drawing on his experience in Iraq, Col. Richard L. Simcock II, USMC, commanding officer, 6th Marines, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, shared that many areas of the country are like the “Tale of Two Cities.” Future warfighters will need to be able to handle the insurgency uprising as well as the nation-building work that must occur afterward to keep insurgents out of an area.

Brig. Gen. Jimmie C. Jackson Jr., USAF, commandant, Air Command and Staff College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, pointed out that the forces today have been trained to operate in high-intensity conflicts while most of today’s conflicts are low intensity in nature. He proposed that the training of the warriors of tomorrow will need to flip this situation because it is more likely that the majority of future conflicts will be low intensity. Also in the training vein, Gen. Jackson related that military leaders of today must realize how the globalization of communication technologies have made for a very interdependent world, and they must lead accordingly.

Responding to a question from panel moderator Vice Adm. Albert H. Konetzni Jr., USN (Ret.), former deputy commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, about what the military should be doing for its young people, Cmdr. Noel offered that young warfighters must be made to understand how the minor decisions they make can have major implications. Gen. Jackson added that today’s warfighters want to know why. “They are not being insolent,” he said. “This generation just wants to understand.”

This afternoon, panelists discussing challenges the military is facing today in recruiting, training and retaining personnel agreed that parents are playing a larger role in young people’s decision to join the military services. Many recruiters today find themselves explaining the benefits the armed forces offer ot only to 17- to 24-year-olds but also to their parents as well. “The propensity for the families to encourage their children to go into the service is low. People are saying the military is a good way to go, but why don’t you wait for a while,” Maj. Gen. Sean J. Byrne, USA, commanding general, U.S. Army Human Resource Command said.

Several members of the panel also commented about the generational change that has occurred during the past few decades. The millennial generation has different priorities, including raising families and supporting their local communities. In addition, high school and college students grew up with the Internet and instant access to information. Keeping this in mind is important when it comes time to determine the best ways to retain personnel in the services.

Despite reports that the military has lowered its standards for recruits, many of the panelists contended that this is not the case. More than 90 percent of the recruits have high school diplomas and two-thirds of them are in the top half of their classes in math and science, explained Dan Gardner, director, readiness and training, policy and programs, Office of the Secretary of Defense.

In terms of training, Sgt. Maj. Bryan B. Battaglia, USMC, command sergeant general major, JFCOM, called for more capabilities in the area of immersive simulation training for ground troops so they are better prepared when they go into battle.

Listen to the complete panel here (mp3 link):
How Do We Recruit, Train and Retain the Right People for the Future Force?

If there was one message that Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, USA, director, Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, wanted the full-to-capacity luncheon audience to remember, it was this: The IED is a strategic weapon and it has to be dealt with as a strategic weapon. While most of the public sees it as a tactical device, its goal is to wear down the will to fight, he stated.

In the general’s opinion, the United States will be fighting in irregular warfare for 20 to 30 years with an enemy who figures out where the U.S. does not want to fight. “The problem is we thought we would fight this fight, be done and everything would go back to normal. We’re not going back to normal again,” he said.

Gen. Metz’ primary concern is that while the U.S. military is making tremendous strides at defeating IEDs, the enemy continues to find new ways to deploy them. While he has no facts to prove it, he feels that some suicide bombs are actually being detonated remotely.

The general also shared that it is just as important to be forward-thinking about the enemy’s future strategies. Once the IED becomes an ineffective strategic weapon, it is certain adversaries will enlist other tactics, and the U.S. military must be prepared for that.

Listen to his address here (mp3 link):

Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, USA, at the Joint Warfighting Conference 2008

Attempting to look into a crystal ball to determine the challenges future joint forces will face, Wednesday morning’s panelists discussed changing threats, changing enemies and the ways the joint force will have to change to address them. One major change has been the U.S. shift from supremacy in the battlefield and national security to the quest for dominance in these areas. While supremacy is designed, dominance may be the best we can achieve and will be enough, the panelists agreed.

Addressing specifically the joint aspect of the future of warfighting, panelists concurred that the services must accept that each of them bring a different strength to the domain. What is needed is cross-domain dominance, which requires joint strategies.

In that vein, Rear Adm. John Richardson, USN, director for strategy and policy, J-5, JFCOM, revealed that the command revising its two key documents that outline future concepts for joint warfare in the future. The revisions are being conducted with input from the services as well as academia and to date illustrate the need for the force to be able to respond quickly to emerging threats.

Maj. Gen. Roy M. Worden, USAF, vice commander, ACC, pointed out that one of the challenges for the military in the future will be staying relevant and dominant. While technology is changing rapidly, the high cost and slow development and acquisition cycles will cause this challenge to grow, he said.

“It does take an effectively dominant force to avoid the war or support our national security efforts. It comes down to how do I focus on the future fight on capabilities? We need to focus on access and agility, balance across the spectrum of what goals capabilities serve and connectivity … how does the soldier stay connected to bring about full force?” Gen. Worden said.

Listen to the complete panel session here (mp3 link):

Panel session: What Challenges Does the Future Joint Force Face?

The first speaker today at the Joint Warfighting Conference shared insights with another packed crowd. Lt. Gen. David P. Valcourt, USA, deputy commanding general and chief of staff, U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command, talked about why the U.S. needs to become land dominant in warfighting once again. “When you start considering the land domain, we are certainly not dominant,” he said.

To gain dominance in the land domain again will require a change in training. This already is going on as the land forces become trained not only in warfare but also in how to handle stability operations. This requires education about languages as well as cultures, the general stated.

The general also spoke about the U.S. Army’s recruiting status. “We have a volunteer force, and we all recognize that that is indeed a national treasure,” he said. However, he believes that in recruiting, the U.S. has a “looming challenging national crisis,” as 70 percent of recruits now entering the Army require some kind of waiver—medical, physical or moral—to enter the service. The general admitted that the public questions this practice, but added that he responds by asking whether citizens would prefer to have these people entering the service, where they will be supervised by sergeants, or continuing to be on the streets. Although a shortage of soldiers may be around the corner, Gen. Valcourt stated that a draft is not an option.

In terms of training, the Army is currently using immersive technology to prepare soldiers prior to deploying to current operations. The general called for more of these systems.

He also shared that lessons learned from current operations are being incorporated into training within days. In addition, Web portals set up by the Army are providing situational awareness to deploying soldiers by enabling warfighters in the battlespace to share their insights in real time.

Listen to his address here (mp3 link):

Lt. Gen. David P. Valcourt at the Joint Warfighting Conference 2008

The Honorable Jacques S. Gansler, former undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, opened the afternoon panel by identifying what he perceives as the problems facing the military’s acquisition community. The top two identifiable problems, he said, were that IT systems cost too much and the acquisition process takes too long. A third issue is that the U.S. military is not what he considers “world class” in terms of logistics support. He complimented current military leadership for admitting that the services are buying last-century systems when it should be looking at systems 21st century missions.

Gansler also said that he believes the military will be facing a fiscal crisis during the next few years. “I would project a slight decline in the top number next year. How are we going to be able to solve that problem as the budgets shrink, as the supplementals disappear? That’s the dilemma that I see happening,” he said.

“Where do we start to fix this system?” Gansler asked. First, the military must think in terms of systems for requirements—joint and multinational. “We are not organized to do that. We are platform-oriented still, and it’s still a service-oriented platform.” The military must not only request but demand and implement spiral development, he added, saying that many in the commercial sector do not want to do business with the military because of all of its requirements.

Many panelists agreed that information technology itself may offer the solution to the acquisition problems the military faces. It can be used to introduce efficiencies into the process as well as document best practices from industry that can help the military address its key issues.

Listen to the panel session here (mp3 link):

How Can We Fix the Defense Acquisition Process?: Using IT as a Case Study

Adm. James G. Stavridis, USN, commander, U.S. Southern Command, stepped away from the traditional IT conference speech after lunch today by talking about the need for everyone to think, read, write and publish. While it may be necessary during the 21st century to launch Tomahawk missiles, Adm. Stavridis proposed that it will be just as important for members of the military to launch some ideas.

Citing a number of military and government leaders who started their careers by being published in specialized journals such as Proceedings, Adm. Stavridis encouraged everyone in the audience to follow their lead. He also pointed out that many of those who created concepts such as maritime strategy made it a point to read, write and be published.

The admiral offered both advice and insights about writing for professional journals. He advised getting started by reading—fiction or nonfiction, it doesn’t matter.

Writers should not get hung up on trying to write the perfect article; instead they should write material and have friends review it and then make adjustments based on their input. “Articles will sometimes be like Bambi—writers send them out only to take some hits,” he noted.

Adm. Stavridis pointed out that publishing no longer has to be done on paper. “Get out there in the blogs. I’ll see you in the blogosphere,” he stated. He also emphasized that writing doesn’t have to be long articles. Anyone can start by writing a short response in a blog. “Start small and think big.”

Don’t wait for that brilliant inspiration; be in this conversation, he advised.

Listen to his complete lunch address here (mp3 link):

Adm. James G. Stavridis, USN, at the Joint Warfighting Conference 2008