{"id":25677,"date":"2019-12-05T20:05:38","date_gmt":"2019-12-05T20:05:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/uncategorized\/2019\/12\/05\/the-navy-and-marines-want-an-integrated-force-for-information-warfare\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T18:07:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T18:07:26","slug":"the-navy-and-marines-want-an-integrated-force-for-information-warfare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/defensenews\/naval\/2019\/12\/05\/the-navy-and-marines-want-an-integrated-force-for-information-warfare\/","title":{"rendered":"The Navy and Marines want an integrated force for information warfare"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This is the first of a two-part series on Marine Corps information warfare<\/i>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To keep up with the changing nature of war and in response to nations such as China and Russia restructuring their militaries around a consolidated information warfare discipline, senior leaders at the Navy<\/a> and Marine Corps recently said they are looking to boost their own prowess in that area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adm. Michael Gilday, the chief of naval operations, described in a new strategy document released Dec. 4<\/a> how he wants to build out a new dedicated information warfare cell within fleet maritime operations centers. The results from exercises, scheduled to be held in 2020, will refine requirements and timelines for these cells as part of the budgeting process for fiscal 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is still unclear exactly what these cells will do or how they\u2019ll be staffed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, the new commandant of the Marine Corps issued planning guidance this fall that calls for greater overall naval integration, acting more of an extension of the Navy versus a second land Army. This integration extends to the information warfare realm as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Navy has an [information warfare] implementation plan. We\u2019re about four meetings into turning that into a naval IW implementation plan,\u201d Lt. Gen. Lori Reynolds, the Marine Corps\u2019 deputy commandant for information, said in October. \u201cWe are looking at what our staffs need to look like at the fleet level, at the [Marine Expeditionary Unit] level or the [Amphibious Ready Group]\/MEU level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reynolds noted that the partnership with the Navy for a more integrated naval force comes down to power projection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow can we, the United States Marine Corps, help contribute to the mission of the Navy to assure freedom of the seas, project power, enable sea control, provide access in highly contested and informationalized environments?\u201d she asked. \u201cThis is a different mindset and it requires different thinking. This thinking there is the enormous potential to deter, to enable allies and partners, to maneuver, and to frustrate the adversary\u2019s understanding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Navy is playing a significant role in confronting China in the Pacific. China, according to scholars and government intelligence reports, has begun creating an informationized military reorganizing its forces to house cyber, electronic warfare, C4ISR systems, space and information under a single entity. Moreover, for years, China has increasingly seized international waters for its own artificial islands and in turn used them to increase how they project power. These islands allow China to extend its capabilities, to include electronic collection capabilities as well as missile capabilities, farther from its actual territorial shores.<\/p>\n\n\n\t