The following is the February 2020 Department of the Navy Information Superiority Vision.
From the report
War is intrinsically unpredictable. We reduce the fog of war by gathering information. We increase the enemy’s friction by creating uncertainty. In maneuver warfare, a commander masses distributed forces to decisively engage the enemy’s critical vulnerabilities to remove his center of gravity. Success depends on rapidly understanding the environment and enemy to make decisions faster than the adversary.
As stated by General David H. Berger, the 38th Commandant of the Marine Corps, the character of warfare has changed. Peer competitors operate in the grey zone. Adversaries gain an advantage in the Information Environment by leveraging a proliferation of inexpensive information technologies while developing high-tech capabilities for the kinetic fight. Success in traditional warfighting domains now requires mastering the Information Environment, which includes the electrometric spectrum, space, cyber domain, and the data that crosses them. Rapid data-enhanced decision-making, which increases lethality, defines warfare in the Information Age.
As an Information Age military, every warfighting function and mission area entirely depends on information and rapid decision-making throughout the entire competition-conflict continuum. The SECDEF highlighted information’s critical nature by establishing it as the 7th Warfighting Function. Information is Combat Power.
Information Superiority is delivering the right information to the right hands, ready to observe, orient, decide, and act faster than the adversary. It provides freedom of action within the Information Environment for friendly forces and prevents interference by the opposing force. As noted by Admiral Michael M. Gilday, the 32nd Chief of Naval Operations, in the Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority, our Fleet will be a potent, formidable force that competes around the world every day, deterring those who would challenge us while reassuring our allies and partners. Commanders must maintain decision-making superiority and expand our digital competitive advantage.
Our National Defense Strategy mandates our focus on lethality, mission partners, and reform. The Navy and Marine Corps must set the conditions to master our information.
- First, we must modernize. By unifying and upgrading our networks, critical infrastructure, and processes, we settle our technical debt.
- Second, we must innovate. Leveraging emerging technologies, we transform our networks into a cutting-edge Information Age warfighting platform.
- Third, we must defend. The entire DON must continuously integrate defensive measures into processes, technologies, and our workforce.
We have the watch. We must think differently. Our mission is to build a more agile, innovative naval digital warfighting platform our leaders can leverage anytime and anywhere. We must modernize, innovate, and defend our information to achieve a digital edge that no adversary can match.
Download the document here.
