By Commander Ken Maroon, Jered Heimingway, Lyla Englehorn, and Lieutenant Commander Adam Johnson
Final summer time, the academy hosted its second Naval Academy Warfighter-Centered Design (WCD) Problem in partnership with the Naval Analysis and Improvement Institution (NR&DE), and Naval Warfare Research Institute (NWSI) at Naval Postgraduate College (NPS) to seize the expertise and creativity of its graduates. Envisioned by Rear Admiral Lorin Selby, the WCD initiative seeks to “practice folks to assume in another way and problem the present system.”1 This yr’s workshop included eleven USN Ensigns and two USMC Second Lieutenants with a broad vary of educational majors together with Electrical Pc Engineering, Weapons Robotics and Management, Mechanical Engineering, Pc Science, and Naval Structure. Collectively, these college students mixed their educational expertise to fulfill this yr’s problem, to develop low-cost options for offensive and defensive unmanned floor capabilities.
Growing options to beat the complexities going through the USN begins with the warfighter. Warfighter innovation is important to fixing real-world issues, addressing challenges, and filling functionality gaps going through our warfighters. Embracing innovation will make sure that innovative expertise employed inside the battlespace will vastly enhance the human expertise and survivability. This yr’s workshop, and the Warfighter Pushed Problem (WDC) collection independently launched by NWSI at NPS in early 2024, curate challenges straight from warfighters and join attendees with the rising neighborhood of warfare heart engineers who’ve the assets and experience to generate options. This partnership was a pure slot in supporting this yr’s USNA WCD workshop because it employed instruments of warfighter-centered design to strategy a warfighter pushed problem.
Warfighter-Centered Design Problem Course of
The WCD problem centered on creating low-cost options for offensive and defensive unmanned methods. After immersing the graduates with present naval purposes of Unmanned Floor Vessels (USVs) and informing them of real-world complexities, the graduates had been launched to the method of warfighter-centered design, then cut up into two groups; one workforce targeted on creating offensive USV capabilities and the opposite targeted on creating counter-USV swarm capabilities. Every workforce was led by a WCD facilitator and devoted technical consultants from the NR&DE neighborhood. This yr’s problem leveraged help from NWSI, established to assist the alignment of NPS’ priorities, actions, actions, and investments to the Navy’s and Marine Corps’ most urgent idea and functionality growth efforts.
The graduates obtained a crash-course in present naval purposes of USVs. Operational briefs had been introduced by consultants on this discipline from numerous warfighting views to incorporate COMNAVSURFPAC, NAVEUR, NSW, TF59, DCO, SURFDEVRON ONE, USVRON THREE, and INDOPACOM J8. Contributors had been additionally given the chance to interview these consultants to completely discover the problem with which they had been tasked. Extra technical and progressive instruction was facilitated by subject material consultants from the Naval Postgraduate College, Heart for Naval Evaluation, the Workplace of Deputy Assistant Secretary of Protection for Prototyping & Engineering, Naval Floor Warfare Heart Carderock, Naval Data Warfare Heart Atlantic, NSWC Panama Metropolis, NSWC Crane, and USNA instructors. Collectively, this group of instructors ready the graduates for a grueling multi-day warfighter design problem.
After every group obtained their problem, explored the complicated army downside house, and framed their problem, the groups started the ideation course of. The WCD ideation course of is exclusive in that it leverages the creativity of younger officers who don’t have any presuppositions as to why a specific answer is not going to work. This allowed for ideation that ignites artistic, but vital pondering. Inventive ideation, teamed with educational expertise, helped every workforce to prioritize concepts and navigate the part of idea growth. Throughout the idea growth part, every workforce used their experience and knowledge that had been shared by consultants and senior operators to attain an answer to the WCD problem.
To deal with the low-cost answer for offensive USV capabilities, the Offensive Staff developed the idea referred to as Waterborne Interchangeable Lengthy-range Engagement Structure (WILEA).2 In idea, the WILEA is a normal mannequin low-cost USV with modular parts. Their function behind creating a normal mannequin was three-fold: 1) a normal mannequin would enable for speedy scaling of manufacturing, 2) modular parts would give warfighters the power to interchange elements in an expeditionary surroundings, and three) a normal mannequin geared up with modular parts would make the platform multi-purpose. Attainable makes use of included the power to ship direct kinetic effectors under the goal’s waterline or the deployment of Small Naval Digital Assault Robots (SNEAR) to offer Digital Warfare capabilities towards enemy methods.
The Defensive Staff developed three ideas for a low-cost defensive answer to counter USV swarm capabilities. Their first idea was the Excessive-altitude Unmanned Nautical Monitoring Engagement Robots (HUNTER). HUNTER’s early detection of incoming USV swarms initiates the deployment of Kinetic Interceptors for Low-Degree Engagement and Reconnaissance (KILLER). Their second idea, the Directed Power Equipment to Hamper Sensor Expertise in Autonomous Robotics (DEATHSTAR), goals at disabling USV optical sensors. Rendering USV optical sensors ineffective would successfully blind any human or autonomous operator. Thirdly, the Defensive Staff conceptually developed the Strategic Hydrous Interdiction and Elimination Liquid Protection (SHIELD). When deployed, this “pizza dough” like agent would counter an incoming enemy USV swarm by interfering with its propulsion and steering methods. Deployment of SHIELD might be completed by dropping or launching canisters or through the hose attachments on to naval vessels.
Introduction to Analysis, Improvement, and Innovation
Along with offering graduates a possibility to follow fixing functionality points impacting naval warfare, the occasion additionally gives a singular alternative for graduates to be uncovered to the analysis and growth facet of the Navy and Marine Corps workforce. The Naval Academy has labored to construct lasting partnerships in analysis by its Capstone and Internship applications offered to its midshipmen. The WCD expands on the analysis abilities these graduates developed as midshipmen by working in a cross-discipline workforce and giving them direct contact with representatives from a few of the Navy’s premier analysis organizations. To familiarize junior officers (JO) with the method of contributing their concepts for future growth, the WCD teamed with Naval Junior Officer Counsel (NJOC).
Sanctioned by the Chief of Naval Personnel (CNP) and the Chief of Naval Analysis (CNR), NJOC is the Navy’s first cross-designator group of JOs, Lieutenant Commander and under. Its mission is to reinforce communication throughout the Naval enterprise by enabling JOs to quickly synthesize and ship vital suggestions and progressive contributions to senior leaders managing Navy challenges. NJOC just lately launched a marketing campaign to bolster its peer-to-peer facilitation capabilities with goals to ship human-centered design (HCD) coaching as one of many key enablers to foster collaboration and problem-solving initiatives amongst a cadre of practically 45,000 Navy JOs, globally.
To attain this, NJOC has partnered with NWSI at NPS and ONR’s NavalX Accelerator Division to design, take a look at, and refine these assets first inside the Naval Schooling Surroundings. By leveraging experience and shared equities between NPS and USNA, NJOC is striving to ascertain itself as a dependable supporting group within the innovation house. Joint participation on this occasion marks a vital first step in at some point equipping all JOs with the required instruments to steer innovation efforts successfully throughout the Fleet.
Every USNA warfighter design problem occasion ends with the graduate groups briefing their options to increased management such because the Chief of Naval Analysis, related stakeholders from the Workplace of DASD (P&E), and NPS. Briefing senior management not solely offers attendees the chance to follow their communication abilities, it additionally reinforces the truth that they’re the warfighter, ant that their voice issues! Every of those individuals will encounter challenges that can demand an progressive answer. Occasions just like the USNA’s WCD encourage collaboration, ideation, and demand options. Exposing individuals to a collaborative community of technical experience and equipping them with a brand new toolset for progressive problem-solving will encourage idea growth and proposed options that can tremendously affect future funding choices inside the unmanned maritime area.
A workforce that thinks collectively, wins collectively. Because the battlefield evolves, rising expertise will likely be on the forefront of naval technique and superiority. The USNA warfighter design problem and the total Warfighter Pushed Problem (WDC) effort is main the way in which in equipping subsequent technology Navy and Marine Corps officers with the instruments to turn out to be innovators that pave the way in which towards victory.
Commander Ken Maroon is a everlasting army professor on the US Naval Academy.
Jered Hemingway is a contractor supporting NSWC Crane Code JXRR.
Lyla Englehorn is a college affiliate at NPS.
Lieutenant Commander Adam Johnson is Avionics Department Head, F/A-18 Built-in Weapon Assist Staff, NAVSUP-Weapon methods Assist-Philadelphia.
References
1. Duffie, W. J. (2022, August 11). Designer Thought: ONR ‘SCOUTS’ For Inventive Warfighting Options at Naval Academy Occasion. Retrieved August 2024, from Workplace of Naval Analysis:
2. The Offensive Staff included 2nd Lt Jiyeon Kim, ENS Shannon Clancy, 2nd Lt Andrew Braemer, ENS Maximilian Kimmel, and 2nd Lt Lucas Gabrieli. The Defensive Staff was comprised of ENS Julian McCloud, ENS Ben Witte, ENS Donna Evins, 2nd Lt Chris Civetta, ENS Daniel Bartosik, and ENS Aidan Johnson.
Featured Picture: PACIFIC OCEAN (Dec. 13, 2024) Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Dealing with) 2nd Class Steven Crisologo, from the Philippines, assigned to the forward-deployed amphibious assault ship USS America (LHA 6), launches an F-35B Lightning II fighter plane from Marine Fighter Assault Squadron (VMFA) 242 from the ship’s flight deck. (U.S. Navy photograph by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amy Cocoro Mullins)
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