The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems. Kevin MacG. Adams* and Thomas J. Meyers

Transcription

1 Int. J. System of Systems Engineering, Vol. 2, Nos. 2/3, The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems Kevin MacG. Adams* and Thomas J. Meyers National Centers for System of Systems Engineering, Old Dominion University, 4111 Monarch Way, Suite 406, Norfolk, Virginia, USA kmadams@odu.edu tmeyers@odu.edu *Corresponding author Abstract: A US Navy carrier strike group (CSG) is an important element of US policy projection through military assets. The CSG is a system of systems (SoS) representing both an organisation of people and a collection of ships, aircraft, and support equipment designed to support US global interests. The CSG is a metasystem composed of a number of separate subsystems (vessels, air wing, and staffs), and it fits the classic definition of a SoS proposed by Maier (1999). Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems in a carrier strike group (CSG) are a SoS supporting the larger CSG. This paper will introduce the reader to the US Navy CSG. It will include a summary of components in the CSG SoS, the SoS s mission, a description of the component systems, how the SoS is organised, and how the metasystem is purposefully directed by its command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems. The paper serves as an introduction to this issue s following papers that will use emerging system of systems engineering (SoSE) principles and methods to provide a more holistic frame of reference for understanding CSG C4ISR as a SoS. Keywords: system of systems; SoS; command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; C4ISR; carrier strike group; CSG. Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Adams, K.MacG. and Meyers, T.J. (2011) The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems, Int. J. System of Systems Engineering, Vol. 2, Nos. 2/3, pp Biographical notes: Kevin MacG. Adams is a Principal Research Scientist at the National Centers for System of Systems Engineering (NCSoSE), USA. He retired from the US Navy in 1996 after 25 years of service. He received his PhD in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering from Old Dominion University in Thomas J. Meyers is a Principal Research Scientist at the National Centers for System of Systems Engineering (NCSoSE), USA. He retired from the US Marine Corps in 2000 after 25 years of service. He received his PhD in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering from Old Dominion University in Copyright 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.

2 92 K.MacG. Adams and T.J. Meyers 1 Introduction The US Navy s carrier strike group (CSG) performs a critical role for US policy projection through military assets. Recent conflicts have demonstrated that U.S. military forces need to be ever more responsive in their ability to reconfigure and redirect their global Defense activities [NRC, (2006), p.ix]. Defence planning guidance requires that the US military be able to adapt rapidly to changing situations, distribute forces more widely, and provide more presence and deterrence than before (NRC, 2006). The CSG is a key component of the global integrated naval force necessary to meet the forward-deterrence and rapid-response requirements of the Defense strategy [NRC, (2006), p.ix]. A CSG is a discrete construct of war fighting capabilities representing both an organisation of people and a collection of ships, aircraft, and support equipment designed to support US global interests through deployment of military assets. The CSG is a meta-system composed of a number of separate systems (vessels, air wing, and staffs). We use the term meta-system in this article to denote any collection of systems operating together. A more specific form of the meta-system is the system of systems (SoS). The CSG fits the classic definition of a SoS (Maier, 1999). An assemblage of components which individually may be regarded as systems and which possesses two additional properties: Operational Independence of the Components: If the system-of-systems is disassembled into its component systems the component systems must be able to usefully operate independently. That is, the components fulfill customer-operator purposes of their own. Managerial Independence of the Components: The component systems not only can operate independently, they do operate independently. The component systems are separately acquired and integrated but maintain a continuing operational existence independent of the system-of-systems. (p.271) There is perhaps no SoS more complex than a CSG, given that each of its constituent systems of vessels, aircraft, staff, and such are themselves highly complex systems. Ships and aircraft, for example, include complex systems of networked weapons, sensors, communications, and machinery that are integrated for operations. This paper will introduce the reader to the US Navy CSG. It will include a summary of components in the SoS, the SoS mission, a description of the component systems, how the SoS is organised, and how the meta-system is purposefully directed by its command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems. 2 The carrier strike group The CSG may be described in terms of the integrated set of capabilities intended to be brought to the battlefield, the collection of vessels and aircraft, the people, and the organisational and informational architecture (including CSG staff). Carrier strike groups are typically centred around an aircraft carrier and its air wing, and also include a guided missile cruiser; two guided missile destroyers; a frigate; an attack submarine; and one or more supply ships with ammunition, fuel, and supplies (such as food and spare parts). These groups are formed and disestablished on an as needed basis, and their compositions may differ though they contain similar types of ships. [GAO, (2005), p.5]

3 The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems Major CSG Table 1 is provided to capture the role for each of the CSG vessels and the air wing, which are the components in the SoS. Table 1 Major elements of a nominal CSG CSG asset CSG role Number assigned Aircraft carrier (CVN) Guided missile cruiser (CG) Guided missile destroyer (DDG) Attack submarine (SSN) Ammunition, oiler, and supply ship (T-AOE) Carrier air wing (CVW) Centrepiece of the CSG for global power projection in support of US national interests and policy. Anti-air warfare support for the CSG. 2 General purpose anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare support for the CSG. Anti-submarine, covert strike and intelligence operations for the CSG. Fuel for CSG aircraft and marine vessels, ammunition, and other stores. Offensive air power, aviation and logistical support, airborne early warning and combat direction, electronic warfare support aircraft squadrons A CSG s most obvious physical subsystems include an aircraft carrier, the carrier s embarked air wing of aircraft, and various defensive and support vessels. Each CSG element provides its own capabilities to the CSG commander who may employ them separately or in unison to support the carrier in its conduct of assigned missions. Typical CSGs partly comprise the following units, or subsystems: Aircraft carrier (CVN) The centrepiece of the CSG is the aircraft carrier the primary power projection element. The aircraft carrier is a unique asset because its aircraft may operate without the need to secure landing rights on foreign soil. A CVN s expansive 4.5 acre flight deck with four launch catapults, an angled landing area with multiple arresting wires, four large deck edge elevators, stores and weapons elevators, a huge hangar deck for repairs and storage, and various other maintenance and support facilities can support the air wing and its squadrons in continuous operations for an extended period. The CVN is equipped with a sophisticated array of C4ISR systems that provide the ship with a capability to control the entire CSG even when CSG vessels are partially dispersed throughout an area or theatre of operations. Guided missile cruiser (CG) The guided missile cruiser is a multi-mission surface combatant equipped with Tomahawk long-range surface-to-surface cruise missiles, the Aegis Weapon System with long range surface to air missiles, and a high rate five inch gun system. The cruisers primary role in the CSG is to provide air defence. The two CGs typically assigned to a CSG provide a capability to simultaneously engage multiple threats to the strike group.

4 94 K.MacG. Adams and T.J. Meyers Guided missile destroyer (DDG) The guided missile destroyer, although smaller than the CG, provides essentially the same range of capabilities as the larger vessel type, though with a smaller C4ISR suite, crew, and missile capacity. Two DDGs are normally assigned to a CSG with a primary role to provide general purpose anti-air, anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare support. Attack submarine (SSN) The attack submarine is a submersible vessel armed with advanced torpedoes and cruise missiles. Its primary role is to seek out and destroy hostile surface ships and submarines. An attack submarine assigned to a CSG often operates independently but can operate in concert with the CSG s carrier, depending on mission and the hostile submarine threat. Attack submarines normally pursue the anti-submarine warfare mission they are best able to execute, though they also offer a broad range of covert strike and intelligence capabilities supportive of CSG missions Ammunition, oiler, and supply ship (T-AOE) The combined ammunition, oiler and supply ship is the largest combat logistics force ship. It provides aviation fuel for the air-wing, diesel fuel for conventionally powered surface vessels, and ammunition as well as other stores via connected and helicopter-provided vertical replenishment. This paper will not address the T-AOE due to that vessel s transient presence among CSGs. Carrier air wing (CVW) The carrier air wing has a nominal mix of four strike-fighter squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet fighter/attack aircraft. The F/A-18 is the primary offensive weapon for strike missions against maritime, shore-based, and airborne threat targets. Two squadrons of MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters provide the CSG with anti-submarine and surveillance capabilities and the embarked air wing with logistics and other aviation-related support. A squadron of E-2C Hawkeye aircraft provides the strike group its chief airborne early-warning and combat direction capabilities, and a squadron of EA-6B Prowler aircraft complements that with electronic warfare support. The air-wing and its eight squadrons are a mini-air force capable of projecting power great distances from their carrier base. 2.2 CSG missions The US Navy employs CSGs in a variety of roles such as the gain and maintenance of sea control in support of 1 protection of economic and/or military shipping 2 protection of a US Marine Corps amphibious force en route to or within an amphibious objective area 3 establishment of a naval presence in support of national interests. These and other roles are realised with a combination of physical movement of the vessels, use of embarked aircraft, and employment of weapons. The CSG mission requires two-way information exchange (IE) within and external to the strike group for coordination and control. The ability to exchange information in a timely and efficient manner is critical to the success of many of the strike group s mission areas. For purposes

5 The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems 95 of bounding, the analysis in this paper will address the CSG as a whole while focusing on C4ISR IE in particular. 2.3 CSG organisation CSGs are normally commanded by a (one-star) rear admiral who directs CSG actions through a command staff. When not deployed to foreign theatres, CSG commanders report to the appropriate US Second (Atlantic) or Third (Pacific) Fleet commanders, with those fleet commanders responsible for certifying CSGs as prepared to conduct sustained combat operations prior and when deployed to regions for which one of assigned to one of six world-wide Unified Combatant Commands. Each CSG employs over 7,000 male and female officers and enlisted personnel. Carrier and air wing staffing alone total more than 5,000 service members. The CSG commander is the only flag officer, or admiral, consistently aboard any group vessel, and he or she is joined by senior captains serving as commanding officers of the CVN, air wing, CGs, and principals of the CSG staff. Officers of the grade of commander lead other surface ships, submarines, and aircraft squadrons, and the remainder of the personnel represent mid-and junior-grade officer and enlisted personnel who operate and maintain the CSG vessels and their systems. 2.4 CSG operational command and control The CSG s C4ISR systems provide the CSG with the command and control and IE capabilities required to execute its various missions. Without adequate C4ISR systems, aircraft cannot be safely launched, employed, or recovered; Tomahawk cruise missile strikes cannot be coordinated; and defensive capabilities can be degraded so significantly as to allow and even invite the hostile engagement of friendly vessels or aircraft. C4ISR provides for IE that integrates and coordinates the vessels, aircraft, people, and information necessary to execute missions assigned by the strike group s commander. C4ISR is a process as well as a means to an end, and as such may be considered a sociotechnical system. As a means to an end, command and control (C2) is enabled by communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR) as shown in Table 2. Table 2 C2ISR support for command and control C2ISR element Computers (3rd C) Communications (4th C) Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) Enabling method Decisions may be enabled by computers Decisions may be sent to subordinate commands via communications Decisions may be formulated using information gained from ISR The CSG commander often delegates elements of overall CSG command and control (C2) to the subordinate entities depicted in Table 3 (NWDC, 2001). Each of the commanders and coordinators in Table 3 executes specific C2 responsibilities for the CSG commander. The principal warfare area commanders operate somewhat independently with the CSG commander communicating his intentions and those commanders actually controlling assets to prosecute assigned operations. Therefore,

6 96 K.MacG. Adams and T.J. Meyers execution of command and control for the CSG is distributed across multiple commanders under the direction and accountable to the CSG commander for performance of C2 functions. By doing this, the CSG commander is invoking the systems principle of redundancy of potential command, requiring command to exist as close to the information as possible (McCulloch, 1965). Table 3 Delegation of C2 authority for the CSG Entity delegated C2 authority Principal warfare commanders (PWC) Functional warfare commanders (FWC) Coordinators Representative commanders Air defence commander (ADC) Antisubmarine warfare commander (ASWC) Information warfare commander (IWC) Sea combat commander (SCC) Strike warfare commander (STWC) Surface warfare commander (SUWC) Maritime interception operations commander (MIOC) Mine warfare commander (MIWC) Operational deception group commander Screen commander (SC) Underway replenishment group commander (URG) Air resource element coordinator (AREC) Airspace control authority (ACA) Cryptologic resource coordinator (CRC) Electronic warfare coordinator (EWC) Force over the horizon track coordinator (FOTC) Force track coordinator (FTC) Helicopter element coordinator (HEC) Launch area coordinator (LAC) Submarine operations coordinating authority (SOCA) TLAM strike coordinator (TSC) 3 Conclusions CSGs are systems of systems. The CSG is a metasystem composed of a number of separate subsystems (vessels, air wing, and staffs) and as such fits the classic definition of a SoS proposed by Maier (1999). Such strike groups C4ISR subsystems comprise a smaller SoS that provides needed direction to the larger CSG. Knowing this, engineers may use emerging system of systems engineering (SoSE) principles and methods as they address for any reason the CSG or subordinate, C4ISR SoS.

7 References The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems 97 GAO (2005) Military readiness: navy s fleet response plan would benefit from a comprehensive management approach and rigorous testing, Report GAO-06-84, Government Accountability Office, Washington, DC. Maier, M.W. (1999) Architecting principles for systems-of-systems, Systems Engineering, Vol. 1, No. 4, pp McCulloch, W.S. (1965) Embodiments of Mind, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. NRC (2006) C4ISR for Future Naval Strike Groups, The National Academies Press, Washington, DC. NWDC (2001) Composite Warfare Commander s Manual, Naval Warfare Publication 3-56 (Rev A), Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk, VA.