Training for the High-End Fight: The Strategic Shift of the 2020s

by Robbin F. Laird

Overview

"Training for the High-End Fight" highlights the essential strategic shift for the US and allied militaries from land wars in the Middle East to the return of great power competition. The primary challenge of this strategic shift will be the need to operate a full spectrum crisis management force. That means training a force capable of delivering the desired combat and crisis management effect in dealing with 21st century authoritarian powers. This reset in combat approach is pivotal to enhancing our escalation management skills and for protecting the liberal democracies against 21st century authoritarian powers. Informed by interviews with officers at a number of US war fighting training centers, readers will discover the future of 21st Century combat, and how our forces are preparing for it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781098350765
Publisher:	BookBaby
Publication date:	02/03/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	218
File size:	735 KB

About the Author

A long-time analyst of global defense issues, Robbin Laird has worked in the U.S. Government and several think tanks, including the Center for Naval Analysis and the Institute for Defense Analysis. He is a Columbia University alumnus, where he taught and worked for several years at the Research Institute of International Change, a think tank founded by Dr. Brzezinski. He is a frequent op-ed contributor to the defense press, and he has written several books on international security issues.

Dr. Laird has taught at Columbia University, Queens College, Princeton University, and Johns Hopkins University. He has received various academic research grants from various foundations, including the Fritz Thyssen Foundation, the United States Institute for Peace, etc.

He is the editor of two websites, Second Line of Defense and Defense.info. He is a member of the Board of Contributors of Breaking Defense and publishes there on a regular basis. He is a regular contributor to FrontLine Defense, as well.

He is a frequent visitor to Australia where he is a Research Fellow with The Williams Foundation in supporting their seminars on the transformation of the Australian Defence Force. Recently, he has become a Research Fellow with The Institute for Integrated Economic Research-Australia. The Institute is focused on a number of key macro social/defense issues which revolve around establishing trusted supply chains and resiliency in dealing with the challenges posed by the 21st century authoritarian powers.

Table of Contents

Preface 1

Introduction 3

Chapter 1 The Strategic Shift 9

Shaping the Skill Sets for the Twenty-First Century Fight 9

The Perspective from the Air Warfare Center, Nellis AFB 13

Training Surface Warfare Officers for the High-End Fight 17

Fifth Gen and the Kill Web 22

Building in Integration 25

Chapter 2 NAWDC Shapes A Transition 28

Overview 28

The Perspective of Rear Admiral Scott Conn 29

The Perspective of Admiral "Hyfi" Harris 34

The Perspective of Rear Admiral Brophy 41

Redesigning the Strike Syllabus at NAWDC 45

The Role of the Fighter in the Kill Web 47

The Perspective from HAVOC 50

Electronic Warfare in the High-End Fight 54

The Hawkeye/Stingray Cluster 56

The Role of Rotary Wing Platforms 61

Rotary Wing Innovation 63

The Impact of MISR 65

Working the Left Side of the Kill Chain 66

Dynamic Targeting 70

Weapons, Crisis Management, and the High-End Fight 73

Reshaping Combat Architecture and Training 79

Chapter 3 Jax Navy Shapes a Transition 84

Overview 84

Visiting Jax Navy, 2016 86

The "Family of Systems" 91

Visiting Jax Navy, 2020 95

Shaping a Way Ahead for the MPA Enterprise 97

How Do I Train to Work in a Kill Web? 103

The Impact of the Digital Revolution 105

The Coming of MISR to the Fleet 108

From Top Gun to TOCRON 110

VUP-19 and the Coming of Triton to the Fleet 112

Shaping a Way Ahead for the Triton 115

The Seahawk in the Extended Battlespace 117

Visiting the Seahawk Weapons School 120

The Fire Scout 122

Rear Admiral Garvin's Perspective 124

Extending the Reach of the Kill Web 127

Chapter 4 MAWTS-1 Shapes a Transition 133

Overview 133

USMC Aviation Innovations for the 2020s 135

Col. Wellons, CO of MAWTS-1, 2016 137

Col. Wellons, CO of MAWTS-1, 2018 140

Col. Gillette, CO of MAWTS-1, 2020 145

Working Mobile Basing 153

Moving Forward with Mobile Basing 155

The Role of Heavy Lift 158

Forward Arming and Refueling Points (FARPs) 161

MAWTS-1 and the F-35 164

Expeditionary Basing and C2 168

The Evolving Amphibious Task Force 170

The Ground Combat Element in the Pacific Reset 173

Blue Water Expeditionary Operations 177

The F-35 and USMC-US Navy Integration 180

Unmanned Air Systems and the USMC 182

Chapter 5 The Perspective of the U.S. Navy's Air Boss 186

"Training, Training, Training" 186

The Integratable Air Wing 189

An Update on the Integratable Air Wing 192

Looking Back 194

Conclusion 197

About The Author 201

Recent Second Line of Defense Books 203