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2nd Fleet Leans Forward While Reaching Back

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS041123-01
Release Date: 11/23/2004 9:18:00 AM

From Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet Public Affairs

NORFOLK, Va. (NNS) -- The staff of Commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet officially embarked USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) Nov. 17 in the inaugural experiment of its Deployable Distributed Command and Control System, or simply "Distributed Staff."

By leveraging emerging collaborative information environment systems, the 2nd Fleet staff will operate a leaner, forward staff element embarked on its flagship while simultaneously relying upon a "reachback" staff element that will expand the reach of operational staff through a much more robust and magnified intelligence and planning function.

According to Vice Adm. Mark Fitzgerald, commander, U.S. 2nd Fleet/NATO Striking Fleet Atlantic/Naval Forces North Fleet East, afloat command and control has never been more important - especially as advances in communications capability afford increasing connectivity.

"The men and women in our communications and information systems shop have really been investing a whole lot of sweat equity in getting the leading edge suite on Iwo prepared for this initial test of the distributed staff concept," said Fitzgerald. "The next couple of months on board should give us some concrete ideas on where and how we can accelerate our advantages in joint and combined command and control afloat."

In the near term, the distributed plan calls for a core staff of about 80 members of the 350-member staff to operate from aboard the Navy's newest amphibious assault ship, Iwo Jima. The remainder of the staff will operate a reachback headquarters on the Naval Station waterfront, where its much greater shore communications capability will facilitate significantly greater coordination of interagency knowledge.

As the concept moves forward, the Navy will conduct a series of increasingly complex exercises to develop and validate a standardized, transportable capability for commanders to quickly embark a large deck combatant and execute a full joint forces maritime component commander and joint task force mission.

Capability will consist of an integrated, modular, scalable, rapidly deployable suite of command and control applications, data systems, hardware (e.g. laptops, workstations, servers and peripherals), networking (routers, switches, cables, and security components) and mobility components (e.g., containers, transit cases, pallets).

When mature, regional commanders could employ this capability across a broad range of response options. Based upon the scope of the contingency, the scale of potential response forces, and the estimated duration of operations, the staff can scale to the size, complexity, and functions required to support the joint or combined headquarters staff.