Over the next few weeks, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Daryl Caudle will be unveiling the U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions – the Navy’s newest strategic guidance to the Fleet.
As the CNO recently said, “In their simplest form, the Fighting Instructions are a transformational framework that will guide future Navy investments, strategic priorities, and policy decisions well into the 21st century. It’s our overarching guidance that outlines which investments matter most, the asymmetric capabilities we need to forge, and the requisite levels of technical mastery which will enable our Sailors to fight and win across all time horizons.”
Underpinned by his priorities of Foundry, Fleet, and Fight, the Fighting Instructions are designed to deliver homeland defense, sustain our global network of deterrence, and preserve our national prosperity. As such, the Fighting Instructions are the Navy’s answer to a simple but daunting question, which is: “How do we ensure we can fight and win across the spectrum of conflict, under conditions we cannot entirely predict against adversaries who are increasingly capable, innovative, and aggressive?”
Secretary of the Navy John Phelan has also outlined his priorities for the Department of the Navy. In a recent speech he said in part, “One of our biggest challenges is to learn how to organizationally optimize the performance of the whole, while maintaining the excellence of the parts…. Going forward, accountability, honesty, and transparency will be our operating principles. We are locking in designs earlier, enforcing disciplined requirements, and consolidating authority so decisions are made by leaders who own outcomes. We are shifting from fragmented accountability to portfolio-level ownership. We are accelerating procurement pathways so our Sailors and Marines receive capability in months, not years. We are aligning acquisition with execution. This effort extends to how we finance and structure industrial growth. Public-private partnerships, private capital, and distributed shipbuilding expand capacity faster and reduce risk.”
With the release of the CNO’s Fighting Instructions, and the strategic direction provided by the Secretary, the imperative for the Navy’s Information Warfare Community is clear, “Delivering Information Warfare at Speed.”
Information Warfare capabilities are and will be critical to the Navy’s ability to fight and win.
Join us on Wednesday, 18 March 2026 as selected Navy Leadership and leaders from the office of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Warfare (N2N6) / Director of Naval Intelligence, in collaboration with AFCEA Intelligence and the Naval Intelligence Professionals, host Information Warfare Industry Day 2026.
This day-long, industry-focused Top Secret SI/TK//NOFORN-level discussion will focus on how the Information Warfare enterprise is supporting the Secretary’s strategic direction and the CNO’s Fighting Instructions.
Along with a strategic overview and Intelligence update, the day will include discussions on Secretary of the Navy John Phelan’s initiatives with respect to portfolio management and requirements, as well as discussions on the programs and topics that drive the N2N6 team each day, from Fighting from the MOC to Electronic Warfare and more.
The U.S. Navy N2N6 neither states nor implies any endorsement, association or recommendation with regard to AFCEA or NIP or any other non-federal entity participating in this event.