Fundamental to the success of the Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Sea Power is a scalable maritime patrol force able to generate combat power and prevail in conflict while focused on preventing war and waging the peace. With a "back-to-the-future" approach, maritime patrol aviation aggressively returns to its roots as the preeminent antisubmarine force, committed to continuing dominance above, on, and below the surface of the world's oceans and in the joint battlespace. With skill and proficiency in antisubmarine warfare as the cornerstone, the maritime patrol force can and must continue to adapt and evolve to outpace an ever-emerging threat from an enemy likely still unknown, as we have throughout our history.
In times of crises, the President might ask, "Where are my carriers?" Behind the scenes, military advisers demand, "Where are all things necessary to get them there?"-especially the P-3s. Forward in presence, expeditionary in nature, and responsive in practice, the P-3C Orion has been, and its successor, the P-8A Poseidon, will be, on station around the globe when needed, providing broad area ASW and maritime domain awareness essential to the warfighter. With ASW as our core competency, maritime patrol aviation (MPA) maintains a forward presence in every theater of operation and remains a front-line deterrent to any threat.
Today, on the cusp of transition, maritime patrol aviation has an opportunity to more closely align with the cooperative strategy, emerging as a catalyst of change for the Sea Services to translate unity of effort into economy of force. For this to happen, the maritime patrol and reconnaissance force must embrace four essential tenets: achieve ASW superiority; broaden maritime domain awareness (MDA) through relevant intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR); develop a robust expeditionary infrastructure and culture; and promote focused and comprehensive regional engagement with multinational partners sharing common maritime patrol missions.
This is a time for optimism, but one that requires increased interoperability and collaboration. The keys to success can be found in MPA's history.
Right Place, Right Time
Maritime patrol aviation was and must continue to be expeditionary. Since its inception, the force has made an impact from any suitable airfield with minimal footprint and support on short notice. In 1914, 7 aviators and 24 enlisted Sailors packed four aircraft and their entire infrastructure on board the USS Mississippi and USS Birmingham bound for Vera Cruz and Tampico, Mexico. Their mission was to surveil the sea for mines, photograph troops, terrain, and the environment from above, and provide direct support to Marine forces on the ground. They succeeded at their task, and in so doing ushered in the era of expeditionary naval aviation. From Curtiss flying boats countering the German U-boat threat in the Atlantic during World War I to the Battle of Midway and the island hopping campaign in World War II, from the Cuban Missile Crisis to the global war on terrorism, maritime patrol aircraft have been on station, patrolling the front lines of history.
In keeping with this legacy, we must continue to move back to the future. Expeditionary maritime patrol aviation aligns with the Naval Aviation Program 2030 and champions the strategic imperatives set forth in the cooperative strategy. Operating from hubs and spokes, MPA facilitates a globally distributed maritime force, positioned to respond in real-time to any contingency. Whether in response to strategic imperative or political reality, we can provide commanders with tailored mission packages able to operate in any environment for long periods with minimal sustainment. A P-3 on the ramp provides a tangible image of cooperation for the local populace during a time of crisis and projects influence with presence, often in locations not accessible to the rest of the Sea Services. From humanitarian assistance in the wake of Hurricane Katrina to combating piracy off the African coast, be it search and rescue in the Western Pacific or ISR in the Persian Gulf, expeditionary maritime patrol aviation brings a capability to bear to achieve our nation's objectives in the right place, at the right time.
Advancing the Operational Art
There can be no doubt that maritime patrol aviation exists for ASW and remains the primary airborne asset to find, fix, and finish the ever-increasing submarine threat. With the proliferation of advanced diesel-electric technology, open access to submarines on the free market, and continued advances in other navies' forces, we are entering a new cold war-not with a single nation state, but rather against an enemy not yet known. Our Sea Services require an agile, relevant, and highly proficient ASW force. Maritime patrol aviation must answer that call.
We cannot get there alone. The maritime patrol community must continue to collaborate with the submarine force and aggressively pursue every opportunity for coordinated, at-sea training. In this era of cost-wise readiness, we can achieve maximum return for both the maritime patrol and submarine forces, at a minimal cost in resources. A byproduct of simple geography, the MPA force structure aligns perfectly with that of the submarine force. MPA centers of gravity are coordinated with submarine centers in the United States and around the world, which facilitates interoperability and integrated training. Such regular interaction has already taken hold in the Seventh Fleet as forward-deployed maritime patrol and submarine forces engage in routine exercises to hone their warfighting craft, identify resource solutions for tactical seams and shortfalls, and ultimately advance the ASW operational art.
These collaborative initiatives must become the norm rather than the exception. The Cold War sub hunters of old knew that only by being "on top" of submarines at sea could the art be honed. The skills and proficiency needed by the next generation of maritime patrol aviators and operators must be similarly developed. With the constant loss of ASW expertise-at an alarming rate as a result of natural attrition-every opportunity must be seized to put our aircrews on top of submarines to develop and refine the diminishing art. This is our imperative.
Know the Enemy
Since its inception, maritime patrol aviation has wielded influence across the battlespace to counter threats around the globe. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and removal of the imminent Cold War threat, apparent excess in capacity was recognized. The force reshaped to address a perceived capability shortfall in ISR. This focus shift broadened MPA relevancy within the new-order battlespace and made possible capital investments in sensor package upgrades. With ISR firmly entrenched as an additional competency, maritime patrol aviation must aggressively advance both ASW and ISR capabilities to provide theater commanders with credible and responsive force packages.
Intelligence must be real if it is to be relevant and shape follow-on operations. For the operations-intelligence fusion to gel, aircrews on station must understand the overarching collection requirements and how their mission fits into the overall plan. They can then, in turn, optimally employ their sensors and provide decision makers with the best results possible. The feedback loop between analyst and aircrew must be closed to return relevancy to the ISR mission and broaden perspective and understanding across the battlespace.
Common Platform, Common Purpose
Maritime patrol aviation wields an advantage in security cooperation and regional engagement unlike any other across the Sea Services because of a common platform with a common purpose. Fifteen nations around the globe employ the P-3 Orion as their primary maritime patrol aircraft. They fly the same airplane on the same missions in defense of the same domain as the U.S. Navy. Shared experiences inherently facilitate increased cooperation and collaboration, with sea stories lending themselves to in-depth conversations on common tactics, techniques, and procedures.
But we must continue to build on this tactical commonality and optimize every opportunity to promote interoperability and expand mutual capabilities. Collective experiences in a common platform can broaden our understanding of the battlespace and any threat to its control. Now more than ever, one reality holds true: the conflicts of today and tomorrow will not be won by one nation. Only with well-defined engagement plans and strategy with our allies around the world can maritime patrol aviation achieve this end.
The task, though daunting, is noble in expanse and vision. From strategic imperative to implementation priority, the force aligns with all capabilities of the new maritime strategy. Forward in nature, we are poised to conduct maritime security and humanitarian assistance/disaster response operations at a moment's notice, ready to exercise sea control and power projection when called upon, all in an effort to maintain deterrence. ASW superiority, relevant ISR, expeditionary operations, and active engagement with allies form the pillars of a collective way ahead. Our people will enable and ensure success in this endeavor.
Unity of Effort
Operating as one, the maritime patrol community can achieve an economy of force unlike any other in the sea services. With known shortfalls in capacity and capability, community leadership can find solutions to train and equip the force of today so that they maintain relevancy in the future. The recently promulgated Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Force Strategic Vision Statement is the first step, further codified by our Family of Systems initiative. No one person, entity, or concept can be placed above another so that we come to realize that the whole can, in fact, be greater than the sum of its individual parts.
Our mandate is clear. The maritime patrol community is the preeminent ASW force, expeditionary in character from the beginning. Because of this we will continuously evolve and adapt to outpace an ever-emerging threat.
With an eye to our past, we can ensure our future. Indeed, in the economics of today, maritime patrol aviation remains high in demand but low in density. It is called on in every conflict, in every theater, and on every continent. With ASW and ISR at the forefront, MPA has never been more relevant, and at no other time has this been more imperative. This is no simple task as we ask more of an aging airframe and work diligently to bridge the force to the P-8A Poseidon. With unity of message, however, we can collectively arrive at balanced and thoughtful decisions to provide commanders with a responsive, capable force. A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Sea Power sets the framework, and a renewed commitment to our core competencies will lead to its achievement. We must lead the charge. The Navy and the nation demand it, and the future depends on it.