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Exercise Trident Warrior Takes Tarawa ESG into Future

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS041019-07
Release Date: 10/20/2004 2:03:00 AM

From USS Tarawa Public Affairs

ABOARD USS TARAWA, At Sea (NNS) -- The crew of the San Diego-based amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA 1) had its first look at FORCEnet, the next-generation naval warfighting process, during exercise Trident Warrior 04, Oct. 4-15.

The ships of the Tarawa Expeditionary Strike Group participated in Trident Warrior as they headed north to participate in Fleet Week celebrations in San Francisco. The participating units included Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 1, the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, Tarawa, USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), USS Cleveland (LPD 7), USS Chosin (CG 65) and USS John Paul Jones (DDG 53).

"A lot of people compare FORCEnet with Star Wars, because we're talking about how to fight battles in the timeframe from 2015 to 2020," said Cmdr. Paul Lommel, Tarawa's C4I Officer, who coordinated the ship's Trident Warrior efforts. "It's an opportunity for the Navy to take advantage of cutting-edge technology to make a major leap forward."

The FORCEnet technology being tested during Trident Warrior is essential to how U.S. naval forces will conduct battle in the future, according to Tarawa Commanding Officer Capt. John Riley. Riley had a commanding overview of the promise that this new process offers to the Navy's future aboard his ship, where more than 150 different FORCEnet capabilities and processes were tested and evaluated during this year's Trident Warrior exercise.

Overall, FORCEnet takes a major step toward achieving the fundamental concepts of the Chief of Naval Operations' vision for future Naval operations, according to Lommel. It will align and integrate Sea Service warriors, networks, sensors and weapons to implement a more centralized warfare network. It also will empower commanders in battle to make better decisions faster and to see the effects of those decisions more rapidly.

"Increasing the speed that our naval forces can successfully engage our adversaries in the global war on terrorism has become critically important," said Riley. "With FORCEnet, instead of taking hours to execute an operational mission, now we're working down to minutes."

Outside the improved warfighting capabilities, FORCEnet offers other aspects that will improve the quality of life for Sailors, according to Lommel. Sailors will be able to access information on managing their careers through Navy Knowledge Online, and be able to use the Distance Support Web site to help them do their jobs aboard ship. Additionally, they will be able to communicate with their detailers and family using e-mail and Web-based services while deployed.

"What impressed me the most was that Navy Knowledge Online gave me a standpoint of where I'm at right now in my career and what I need to do to advance," said Tarawa crew member Aviation Maintenance Administrationman 2nd Class Tyrell Cleveland, who learned about this new career management system. "I anticipate it will help me a great deal as I start to plan for my future."

According to Lommel, FORCEnet has no 'end state' - the technology and capabilities will continue to grow and evolve as necessary to ensure the continued dominance of U.S. and coalition forces on the battlefield. More importantly to the Sailors and Marines of the Tarawa ESG, most of the FORCEnet technology will remain permanently installed aboard their ships for use during their upcoming deployment.

"The technology looks very promising," said Information Systems Technician 1st Class Martin MacLorrain, who assisted the Trident Warrior contractors working in Tarawa's Automated Data Processing shop. "In the parts of our job that involve the FORCEnet technology, everything will be more laid out and there'll be less guesswork involved in our work."

"What I've liked most about Trident Warrior has been the interface between the systems commands, the technical experts and the ship," said Riley. "This has been a textbook example of building and testing equipment. The technical experts came aboard during Trident Warrior and brought us new systems and equipment, along with the training and logistics support. This has been a true partnership that will bring us, our shipmates and the Navy into the future."