The Transformation Warfare 07 conference confronted the uncer future facing the nation's warfighters.
As the military's top brass warned of a long haul in Afghanistan and Iraq against intrepid, devious enemies, they also remained optimistic that the United States is doing what it needs to stay on top of the fight while adapting innovative methods to reconstitute and reinvent the nation's armed services.
This theme emerged repeatedly at the Transformation Warfare 07 Conference at the Virginia Beach Convention Center, 19-21 June. The event, hosted by the U.S. Naval Institute, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA) International, and AFCEA Hampton Roads and Tidewater Chapters, brought together nearly 4,000 members of the military and national security communities and private businesses. The East Coast gathering was conceived as a complement to the West conference, sponsored by USNI and AFCEA and held annually in San Diego. This was such a hit that some people had already started to call it "East" before it was over.
With industry leaders on hand-from Lockheed Martin to General Dynamics, from Cisco Systems Inc. to Dell Inc.-government officials, both civilian and military, insisted that innovation, global communication, and partnerships inside and outside the ranks are key to moving American might forward.
Speaking to the Work Ahead
Although specific answers were hard to come by during the three-day event, especially with fiscal constraints given last year's congressional budget action and the changing of the White House guard after next year's presidential election, the apparent consensus among the speakers was that the military has begun the process and dialogue to transformation, even though there's a long way to go.
They said America's fighting men and women do not know what the enemy of tomorrow looks like. Regardless, U.S. forces need to be able to quickly adapt to that enemy and be able to share information across armed services' boundaries.
Speakers including Army General John P. Abizaid, former commander of the U.S. Central Command, and Admiral Gary Roughead, commander of the U.S. Fleet Forces Command, told conferees that no matter what solutions are put in place, the ultimate responsibility of the armed forces, in addition to protecting the nation, is taking care of its men and women-the warfighters.
Some, including Lieutenant General Keith J. Stalder, commanding general of the II Marine Expeditionary Force, said America's military has to be ready for anything, which means being versatile, flexible, and decentralized. Execution needs to be pushed to the lowest level, he said.
Adopting New Media Methods
In addition to Abizaid, Roughead, and Stalder, other speakers included Air Force General Ronald E. Keys, commander Air Combat Command, and Lieutenant General John R. Wood, U.S. Joint Forces Command deputy commander.
General Keys emphasized the need to question how operations are currently being done. He spoke about balancing the need for "game changers" in helping reinvent the military with cost effectiveness and compatibility. He said the military already has changed in many ways such as adopting chat rooms, text messaging, and blogging.
Several break-out panels mirrored in more minute detail the issues that had been discussed during keynote addresses. Panel members posed questions about keeping and retaining the force of the future, making the buying process easier for goods and services, and making certain warfighters get what they need.
Fostering Partnerships
Change won't happen overnight, but the information age is here, and the military has to adapt, said moderator David M. Wennergren, deputy assistant secretary of defense and the Pentagon's deputy chief information officer. He led the panel charged with discussing the military's legacy systems and deciding which ones to bring into the 21st century and which to scrap.
Many panelists agreed resources will always be limited, which is why meaningful partnerships between the private sector and government are necessary and must be explored. Those two entities need to be more in synch with one another, they said.
"The goal must be to achieve unity of effort," said Major General John P. McLaren Jr., vice commander of the Joint Warfighting Center and moderator of a panel addressing what warfighters need now and in the future.
On a lighter, more poignant note, on the conference's last day, Doro Bush Koch treated conferees to personal pictures and stories about her father, George H. W. Bush. Koch was promoting her book My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush.
"He loves life," she said she learned during the bookwriting process. "That's his real legacy."
As she concluded her remarks, Koch seemed to be holding back tears as she thanked the service members and their families in the audience. She said, "Our entire family appreciates what you do."
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Glorious Celebration
With the sounds of the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, classic World War II planes, and an immeasurable amount of pride in the red, white, and blue, the U.S. Naval Institute transformed a military aviation museum into a USO to commemorate the 65th anniversary of the 3-6 June 1942 Battle of Midway.
The dinner and dancing at the Fighter Factory at the Virginia Beach Airport rounded out the second day of the Transformation Warfare 07 Conference at the Virginia Beach Convention Center.
The significant moment that helped turn the tide of the war in the Pacific happened the morning of 4 June, when SBD Dauntless dive bombers from the USS Enterprise (CV-6) and Yorktown (CV-5) caught three Japanese carriers by surprise, sinking all of them. That evening, Dauntlesses fatally damaged a fourth enemy flattop. Although the Japanese sank the Yorktown on 6 June, the battle dealt a severe blow to the Japanese Navy and gave the United States a huge moral victory after the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor six months earlier.
Among the highlights of the evening, conference attendees got a chance to see vintage planes up close and in action.
A 1945 TBM-3E Avenger soared overhead through a clear sky while three North American SNJ Texan trainers followed. The planes are part of the Fighter Factory's collection of restored World War I and II aircraft valued at more than $20 million and owned by Gerald Yegan.
Special guests at the celebration included descendants of the Battle of Midway's two biggest heroes. Fran Zehmer is the granddaughter of Admiral Chester Nimitz, the architect of the American victory, and Jim Spruance is the great-grandnephew of Rear Admiral Raymond Spruance, who ordered the all-out attack in which three Japanese carriers were sunk.
Retired Marine Corps Major General Tom Wilkerson, the Naval Institute's CEO, took guests on a walk down Midway memory lane. He emphasized that the battle was the fiercest fought by the U.S. Navy and that it wouldn't have happened without the mission's leaders pushing the boundaries.
"We pushed the envelope of reality," Wilkerson said. "We will make it work when others don't think it can."
People such as Otis Kight made the victory possible.
A 17-year-old "plane pusher" at the time of the battle, Kight treaded water for more than two hours after the Yorktown was sunk before he and other survivors were rescued.
Kight, of Virginia Beach, took his celebrity in stride.
"I'm so glad at what you did," said Virginia Beach resident Jimmy Newlin as he gave Kight a hug.
Kight didn't miss a beat. "Remember to wake up tomorrow."
For those who enjoyed the event or missed it, the Naval Institute has begun planning to hold it at the same place during next year's conference.
Ms. Guagenti is a journalist who started her career covering the Maryland General Assembly in Annapolis. She has been an editor of The Virginian-Pilot and a coordinating producer for a partnership between the Pilot and a local television station.