Customer Stories
Naval Information Warfare Advanced Warfighting School’s Terminal Defense Capstone
Problem
Current Navy Information Warfare (IW) training provides limited opportunities for IW professionals across the Intelligence, Cryptology, Information Professional, Cyber, and Oceanography career fields to fuse their expertise in advanced, scenario-based training that develops critical thinking and emphasizes the application of non-kinetic tactics while operating in complex, contested operational environments.
Solution
In partnership with the Naval Information Warfare Advanced Warfighting School (NIWAWS) and incorporating observations and lessons learned from recent real-world operations, eSimplicity developed and facilitated a terminal defense training scenario presented to the IW Weapons and Tactics Instructor (WTI) Candidates of Class 26-1. This capstone event stimulated critical thinking, cross IW capability integration, and emphasized the employment of non-kinetic defeat options to various adversary threats in the maritime domain. The event encouraged the WTI candidates to practically apply their foundational knowledge of IW warfighting capabilities, doctrine, and systems to a complex operational problem that required them to identify capability gaps, innovate under pressure, and creatively apply available IW tactics to outmaneuver and defeat a range of inbound threats.
Outcomes
NIWAWS Class 26-1 graduates emerged with a deeper understanding of terminal defense planning and tactics, as well as the importance of developing and integrating IW response options available to Carrier Strike Groups and Amphibious Ready Groups via the Information Warfare Commander. Candidates were challenged to identify IW capability gaps, articulate IW workcenter processes and reporting requirements, apply non-kinetic solutions, and apply critical thinking in a training scenario derived from complex real-world operations. The Terminal Defense capstone significantly contributed to ensuring that the newest cadre of NIWAWS WTIs are better equipped to adapt, innovate, and deliver IW capabilities and enhance lethality at the tactical edge.
MEASURABLE IMPACT
We produce results for our customers
Traditional shipboard terminal defense training opportunities emphasize kinetic solutions, which are necessary to ensure equipment functionality and sensor-to-shooter systems are operating correctly. As ships and strike groups progress through the Optimized Fleet Response Plan, there are a myriad of competing requirements that often limit the time and space available to integrate IW capabilities and explore the full range of available non-kinetic solutions. Additionally, the necessity for operational security also limits comprehensive exploration of the complete range of IW capabilities in live training environments. Consequently, IW professionals may lack repetition in executing various tactics, techniques, and procedures which can impact their ability to rapidly innovate in high-pressure environments where time, information dominance, and cognitive agility can decisively shape warfighting outcomes.
Process & Solution
eSimplicity proudly supported the Naval Information Warfare Advanced Weapons School (NIWAWS) by creating a Terminal Defense training scenario leveraging lessons learned from recent real-world operations incorporated into the most recent NIWAWS WTI Class 26-1 curriculum as a capstone event. This exercise introduced IW WTI Candidates to Terminal Defense planning, stimulated critical thinking to identify various IW and strike group capability gaps (intentionally incorporated), and integrated multiple IW disciplines and their respective ship-board workcenters enabling participants to understand how their specialized skillsets must work together to maximize operational effectiveness. The material was effectively presented in a table-top exercise format over several days with WTI Candidates broken into groups with an equitable representation of cross-IW expertise.
There were no “right or wrong” solutions and the teams were encouraged to think creatively and consider supported verses supporting relationships between various Warfare Commanders and their respective shipboard workcenters. The WTI Candidates presented their solutions to NIWAWS leadership, WTI cadre, IW SMEs, and were thoroughly debriefed on the strengths and weaknesses of their proposals.
Outcomes
Incorporation of the Terminal Defense capstone into the NIWAWS curriculum ensures that IW WTIs graduate with a significantly enhanced appreciation of the breadth and depth of planning necessary to prepare ships and strike groups for operations in complex, high-pressure environments where rapid and decisive decision-making and clearly understood pre-planned responses which are second-nature for watchstanders will deliver enhanced lethality. The Terminal Defense capstone event is now cemented into the NIWAWS WTI curriculum for the foreseeable future and it will continue to be refined and improved to help develop leaders who are cognitively agile, operationally and tactically proficient with the full spectrum of IW capabilities, and prepared to outthink, outperform, and innovate faster than our adversaries.
