Empowering a Distributed Force: Leveraging New Platforms
To enable a distributed force, a significant shift is under way with regard to C2 and ISR.
I have just returned from the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center in Fallon, Nevada where I spent a good deal of time discussing the C2 and ISR shift.
But contested logistics is another clear part of the challenge to be met to have a viable and lethal distributed force.
And that requires new approaches, new platforms, and new payloads to get the job done.
In my work on the CH-53K, it is clear to me that this is a platform which the U.S. Navy could use to solve some of their distributed C2 and ISR challenges.
For example, a key element of working force distribution in reshaping how the Maritime Operations Centers will operate in a distributed context.
Clearly, one way to do so is to be able to move across the extended battlespace to command distributed combat clusters in innovative ways.
CH-53Ks could be workhorses to move a mobile MOC.
But an aspect of the CH-53K provides for enhanced sustainability in a different way.
There is potential for the CH-53K’s digital capabilities to revolutionize maintenance and logistics.
By embracing a forward-leaning approach that leverages the CH-53K’s digital backbone to create a more agile and efficient sustainment system, the Navy-Marine Corps team could move beyond traditional, peacetime-focused models. This shift will require new partnerships and collaboration between industry, the government, and the service operating the aircraft.
We here a lot about how the USMC is shifting its focus to support integration with the Navy.
How about the Navy embracing platforms coming from the USMC?
They have already done so with the Osprey and the F-35. Why not the CH-53K to support their logistical shortfalls for a distributed force operating in a contested logistics environment?
The CH-53K, with its inherent digital capabilities, offers a unique opportunity to redefine military aircraft sustainment.
By embracing data-driven decision-making, collaborative partnerships, and technological advancements, the DoD can create a resilient and agile sustainment enterprise capable of meeting the challenges of the evolving strategic landscape.
Featured photo: The CH-53K King Stallion successfully plugs into a funnel-shaped drogue towed behind a KC-130J during aerial refueling wake testing over the Chesapeake Bay. Photo by Dane Wiedmann.
My report highlighting how a digital aircraft can enable a sustainment shift can be read below:
A-Digital-Aircraft-and-Its-Impact-on-the-Sustainment-Enterprise-PrintAnd a podcast generated by Google’s NotebookLM system discusses the strategic shift.