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THE CUTTING EDGE

ADMIRAL CEBROWSKI

A US Navy officer must be a blending of Warrior, Intellectual, and Devout Man

1. USA as a percent (%) of the World

1. 25% of Energy Consumption
2. 25% of Wealth Generation
3. 4.5% of Population

1. Navy's Products

1. Freedom of the Seas
2. Forward deployed combat power

1. Operating Domains

1. Sea (constant)
2. Cyberspace (trends)
3. Space (trends)

1. Policy Domain

1. Numbers count -- Technology alone cannot account for sheer numbers in combat.  Navy needs more numbers!
2. Shape of Navy must be re-balanced for the Information Age
3. Changes -- co-evolution of many trends occurring simultaneously
4. Constants -- Size and shape of the challenge
5. Lessons Learned From World War II

1. Nuclear Age changes so much
2. Operating From A Protected Sanctuary So Important To Success On Battlefield

1. Cost Benefit Analysis -- once implemented, it has changed the rules by which we buy ships and airplanes.

"Our indomitable strength has created the asymmetric competitor." ADM Johnson. [Asymmetric competitor is defined as one who is not equal to you in numbers, technology, and experience].

1. Impact of Sustaining Descriptive Technological Change

1. Performance demand is moving at high speed in the market. This leaves the way open for descriptive technological innovation
2. Performance demanded at the low end of the market
3. Can we be replaced by low-end, asymmetrical competitor?

1. Network Centric Warfare (NCW) is the Navy's organizing principle

1. NCW is based on human and organizational behavior and is about generating an information advantage and translating it into competitive advantage on any battlefield.
2. NCW derives its power from robust networking the war fighting ecosystem.
3. NCW provides for very high levels of battleship awareness
4. Shared knowledge of the commander's goals -- "The control of forces in Information Age will be determined by the commander's ability to translate information into 'Actionable Knowledge' " (Dr. Woods) This statement means that the challenge during the Information Age will be to quickly and accurately distill the information collected into usable knowledge that can give them an advantage on the battlefield. If this cannot be done, the US Navy can drown in its collected information.
5. We control our weapons' reach in battle, but an enemy can controls our sensor reach because he controls his own electronic signature.
6. Hardware lives in the realm of physics.
7. Critical Aspects of Battle

1. Sensors vs Shooters
2. Large Forces vs Small
3. Multi-mission vs Single Mission
4. Quantity vs Quality
5. Combat vs Combat Support
6. Offense vs Defense

1. Required Characteristics of a Successful Navy

1. Numbers of men and ships
2. Speed/Maneuverability/Stealth
3. Dispersed Firepower
4. Surveillance Advantage
5. Robust systems that could withstand attack and keep on functioning.
6. Combined arms and landing party. It is critical for the Navy to be able to land Marines under fire so they can successfully carry out their mission.

1. New Navy Ship Hullform Improvements

1. Payload increase by a factor of 40%
2. Tripling of range of operation
3. Greater speed, up to 50 knots [On the next day, Army General Scales stated that he was very glad to hear that the Navy is going to build ships that can go 50 knots. Several years ago, General Scales went to the Navy asking for ships that could go 40 knots carrying troops and was told such a thing was impossible. Now that 50 knot speed is possible, Scales said the entire equation had changed.

1. Streetfighter Navy Ships

1. Entirely new family of Navy ships, primarily Littoral ships [Note: Littoral ships are those that land men and materiel on shore]
2. Utility Ships -- Deliver both combat power and access to shore
3. Provide Assured access
4. Force size to be determined
5. Would fit in with Network Centric Warfare
6. Takes advantage of emerging technology, especially the new technology of sensors.
7. These ships can run with Battle Groups, going 50 knots, with 100 knots a possibility. Littoral ships now cannot keep pace with Battle groups.
8. These ships would have a very high payload
9. Modularity of construction lowers cost dramatically and increases the numbers the Navy can afford.
10. Navy can also produce more in less time

1. Arsenal ship -- chock full of missiles and precision-guided munitions

ADM Cebrowski closed by lamenting the fact that the Navy has to reduce the number of attack submarines because of the budget crunch.

CUTTING EDGE COMMENTS

1.   Numbers Count -- Leader after leader in this Forum -- both civilian and military -- echoed this theme all through the three-day Forum.  While these leaders appreciated the advantage of technology they still wanted sheer numbers.  The officers running the US Navy do not feel that we can afford to let our numbers of ships and Carrier Battle Groups decline simply because we have high technology. In the event of a real emergency, US Naval officers want as many numbers as they can get.

2.  Asymmetric Competitor mentioned as the most likely foe of the future, again by several military officers, both Navy and Marine Corps.  An asymmetric competitor is defined as one who is not equal to you in numbers, technology, and experience. However, they will try to engage you in battle trying to take advantage of any weaknesses you might have. A good example is guerilla warfare, with the guerillas being the asymmetrical competitor.

The asymmetric competitor was mentioned so often in this Forum that I got the impression that the Navy did not anticipate having to engage an enemy that is equal to them in manpower, numbers of ships, and technology.  They expected to be engaging an enemy inferior to them in these matters.  However, if you assume that the U.S. Military is aiming for the United Nations' concept of a One-World Military, you would realize that they expect never to have to engage an enemy equal to them!  They would naturally expect that all battles in the future will be against an inferior foe; the Navy just wants to ensure they never underestimate such a foe.

3.  Network Centric Warfare is the Navy's answer to all competitors.  This concept envisions networking all military and civilian forces so that all can share information and thus gain a huge competitive advantage on the battle field.  This type of warfare has been battle tested in the Gulf War and in Serbia, with great success.  A later speaker said that China was sufficiently impressed that they were moving toward NCW forces.

4.  Technology was definitely being counted upon by the U.S. Navy to keep their forces superior to any on the planet.  From precision-guided munitions to ships that can travel 40-50 knots -- or even 100 knots -- the Navy is embracing high technology and counting upon a partnership with American business to keep them cutting edge.

5.  However, U.S. Navy speakers kept up the refrain that they cannot depend upon technology to offset numbers.  An enemy might get lucky on some hits during a battle, or they might surprise us with unique tactics, allowing them to destroy ships which we did not anticipate.  In order to win such a battle, numbers become extremely important.  Civilian leaders echoed this refrain.  Yet, President Clinton keeps reducing the budget, even as he "promises" more spending.  Congress just recently forced a spending plan for the military upon the Administration in excess of what it wanted.  Whether such money ever gets spent is another question.

The most important element that is not in question is that the U.S. Military will soon be serving the United Nations generally and the Antichrist specifically.  Whatever numbers and whatever high technology we possess will transfer -- lock, stock, and barrel -- to the United Nations.  At this point, leaders like Commander David Smith will get their wish that the world have only one dominant military; however, they will soon realize what a mistake that concept will turn out to be, as the most evil genius of history will take command of such a force.  He will use that force to kill his enemies and to slaughter anyone he decides to slaughter.

Dark times are definitely ahead for the entire world, just as the Bible foretells.

Are you spiritually ready? Is your family? Are you adequately protecting your loved ones? This is the reason for this ministry, to enable you to first understand the peril facing you, and then help you develop strategies to warn and protect your loved ones. Once you have been thoroughly trained, you can also use your knowledge as a means to open the door of discussion with an unsaved person. I have been able to use it many times, and have seen people come to Jesus Christ as a result. These perilous times are also a time when we can reach many souls for Jesus Christ, making an eternal difference.