On 4 February 2020,US Navy VADM Andrew "Woody" Lewis,commander U.S. 2nd Fleet and NATO Joint Force Command Norfolk,gave an update on the U.S. 2nd Fleet at full operational capability to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington,DC.Here are some excerpts from his statement:
We're at the right place-and not just at the right time;but all the time.*
But the Atlantic is a battlespace that cannot be ignored.Our new reality is,when our Sailors cast lines and set sail,they can expect to be operating in a contested space once they leave Norfolk.We are seeing an ever-increasing number of Russian submarines deploying in the Atlantic-and these submarines are more capable than ever,deploying for longer periods of time,and with more lethal weapons systems.
Russia has returned to Soviet era outposts;it has built new military facilities in the Arctic Circle.Russia has even built an icebreaker that can carry the extended-range Kalibr missile.As such,our ships can no longer expect to operate in a safe haven on the East Coast,or merely cross the Atlantic to operate in another location...Our Sailors have the mindset that we are no longer uncontested,and should expect to operate alongside our competitors each and every underway.We have seen some of our ships-the USS Mahan (DDG 72),for example,in the early stages of their training cycle,co-operating on station in the Atlantic with a Russian intelligence ship that was visiting our coastline late last year.Real world requirements do not discriminate.The intelligence ship did not care at what phase of training our ship was in,or if it had achieved its first certification to deploy.As ADM Foggo has stated in the past,we are in the Fourth Battle of the Atlantic,and we need to be prepared to operate at the high end alongside our Allies,Partners and adversaries alike as soon as we are underway.*
The US and NATO have answered the call by increasing our naval presence across the theatre,and increasing our exercises and operations with our Allies and Partners;but in order to encourage responsible behaviour by all,we must operate and engage from a position of strength.To do so,we must engage and conduct operations forward more deliberately,more strategically,and with more forethought.The US Navy through forward presence power projects in a technological advantage as the epitome of demonstrating resolve and capability,in the service of conflict prevention and deterrence.*
Every fleet commander wants more ships in their area of focus,and while our service leaders are building up the fleet,our reality is,we need to compete with what we currently have built and are manned for today.So we must prioritise learning as a strategic advantage.The influence of sea power in today's global commerce goes beyond anything we have seen in our history.Compounding the importance of the maritime with today's distributed battlespace and information warfare,we have our work cut out for us.The maritime isn't defined as merely what floats on or below it;but rather the battlespace from seabed to space-and that includes space,cyber,and information domain.*
Our adversaries are learning,too.If we were to look at how great power competition will be driven,it will be driven as much by investment in grey matter as in grey hulls.The gap that we'll have on a technological basis-weapons systems-will not be that great.It's how we fight.It's going to be our mindset approach that's going to give us our lead.
As a fleet commander,I am tasked with the development of our naval forces.So at 2nd Fleet,we are focused on operational learning.We're doing this through fleet battle problems;participation in exercises like the large-scale upcoming exercise Defender Europe 2020;and increased operations with our Allies and Partners.We are planning operations and exercises that will challenge our assumptions and test our hypotheses.And we are learning.This will only be accomplished by mission command,assuming the risk up high in the chain of command.*
We learned early on that relying on Allies and Partners in the new Atlantic-Arctic battlespace would be key to confronting future threats.To that end,2nd Fleet has taken the uncommon step of integrating Allied officers directly into the Fleet staff.Chief among the five foreign officers serving on the staff is Canadian Rear Admiral Steve Waddell,serving as my vice-commander...They are our planners,our logisticians,and our operators.Having perspectives from other nations is invaluable,and provides immeasurable insight and expertise.With a shared commander,mission and geography,2nd Fleet and NATO JFCN are natural partners.As JFCN starts to mature,on its way to full operational capability next year,we will seek to develop an innovative and collaborative effort between the two commands.Co-location in the same building;alignment of battle rhythms;and staff integration where possible are just some of the things that will enable us to do more for the mission,whether it's the one given to us by the US leadership,or the one given to us by the 29 Allies of NATO.*
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