Major Ken Hampshire, U.S. Marine Corps
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency’s Cornucopia program aims to produce food from air, water, and electricity using microbes with minimal supplementation. Imagine replacing pallets of meals-ready-to-eat with some bacteria to grow food instead. Anything that lightens the logistical load enables maneuverability and should be explored to enable expeditionary operations.
Lieutenant Kyle Cregge, U.S. Navy
A fleet of seagliders, wing-in-ground craft, and amphibian planes to support logistics; distributed fires; command-and-control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; and blue water search and rescue. Ships are too easy to target, and traditional planes require big (vulnerable) airfields.
Major Brian Kerg, U.S. Marine Corps
Sustainment. As expeditionary advanced base operations, distributed maritime operations, and other naval warfighting concepts are predicated on operating in contested environments at the far end of U.S. operational reach, sustainment becomes the limiting factor. Reliable, clandestine logistics that can sustain such forces indefinitely are critical investments.
Midshipman Third Class Jacob Van Nostrand, U.S. Naval Academy
Tactical-level wargaming concerning amphibious operations. Given the difficulties faced during the last major series of amphibious operations (World War II island hopping) and the nearly 80-year hiatus, tactical review of possible courses of action at the small-unit level is necessary.
Sergeant Major Michael W. Hensley, U.S. Marine Corps
The Sea Services should transition from industrial age–based enlisted education to a technologically and information age–based format. Create educational platforms that incorporate online, virtual, and in-person interaction with portions being synchronous and asynchronous.
Captain Fred Furtek, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
Antimissile defense. Everything we do at sea is subject to some sort of missile threat, and in missile warfare whoever fires first has the advantage. Our opponents realize this and have developed an overwhelming variety of missiles to intimidate or attack us.
Major Ryan W. Pallas, U.S. Marine Corps
A modern human-resource system and strategy to succeed. A modernized system will benefit the service more than any missile or weapon platform. In the words of Alfred Thayer Mahan, “Good men with poor ships are better than poor men with good ships.”
Major Tyler Pencek, U.S. Marine Corps
Individual “situation games” like the scenarios we experience during Officer Candidates School that evaluate Marine decision-making. The Marine has no idea of the situation before him or her but knows something is coming. Take the top 10 percent to form a think tank, then promote them! These Marines and their brains are your innovation.
Winn B. Frank, Golden Life Member
Supporting Taiwan in a conflict with China would require an 6,000-mile trans-Pacific seaborne logistics supply line. Thus, a high priority should be placed on its protection. The Navy will need more surface escorts and P-8A Poseidon patrol planes to provide this protection.
Colonel W. C. Hendricks, U.S. Marine Corps
Naval “Stand-In (Expeditionary) Forces” necessitate a robust and resilient logistics network. Success of this network will require access to the hundreds of small islands that define the region. Thus, our larger strategy will require Departments of State and Defense engagement with security partners to gain increased access to key terrain.
Sebastian Bruns, Professor, U.S. Naval Academy
Future expeditionary warfare is already here. Sort of. It includes traditional naval presence and innovative unmanned swarm tactics. Big ships and an offshore patrol vessel/littoral combat ship mix. Naval diplomacy and deterrence. The Navy is still very much like a hand of cards. You play the hand, not the single card.
Colonel Joel F. Schmidt, U.S. Marine Corps
Prioritize semiautonomous, long-duration, risk-worthy, persistent, prepositioned, deep sub-surface logistics stocks. Transition 80 percent of all aircraft to autonomous and remotely piloted aircraft, and 80 percent of surface and subsurface vessels to autonomous and remotely piloted vessels. Rather than try to innovate a better wheel, we need to maintain and update what we have.
U.S. Marines with Motor Transportation Company, Combat Logistics Battalion 4, Combat Logistics Regiment 3, 3d Marine Logistics Group, conduct amphibious resupply operations aboard Combat Rubber Raiding Craft for Jungle Warfare Exercise 22, Okinawa, Japan, Feb. 15, 2022. U.S. Marine Corps (Madison Santamaria)
Lieutenant Commander Peter Pressman, U.S. Navy Medical Corps (Retired)
Navy expeditionary medicine should be expanded beyond the support of immediate survivability and long-term mission readiness of warfighters. Once established in theater, revitalizing local medical infrastructure with rapidly deployable digital technologies and telemedicine capability would assure ongoing care of civilians and empower those oppressed by enemies and natural disaster.
Commander David Rupp, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
Budget negotiations and recommendations are coming soon. The services must take care to fund all critical repair and readiness requirements in the new budget. This country is spending way too much on social programs and not enough on defense.
William Prom, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran
The Marine Corps’ investment in the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System to support expeditionary advance base operations will require a significant resupply capability. Rocket artillery is fast and accurate, but responsive fires expend ammunition quickly. The capability to produce and resupply guided munitions in potentially austere environments is essential.
Philip Poullada, Life Member
Bring back Coast Watchers. A few Marines deployed with trusted locals on each island and along every strategic coastline within reach of China or other imminent threats. Thus, when EABO is implemented, the United States will have thorough knowledge of the physical and human terrain in the littoral battle space.
Major Daniel F. Burns, U.S. Marine Corps
The best present-day example of innovation or capability the Sea Services should prioritize for future expeditionary warfare was recently executed during Exercise Noble Fusion in early February 2022. Continue to exercise seizure of key maritime terrain, sea denial, and expeditionary advanced base operations in the western Pacific First Island Chain.
Captain Jonathan D. Kaskin, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
Secure logistics in a contested environment for naval forces at sea and ashore. Otherwise, carrier and expeditionary strike groups, surface action groups, and expeditionary advanced bases will only be able to sustain operations for a handful of days before running out of ordnance, fuel, and food and water.
Colonel Scott R. Walton, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
The naval services should prioritize developing full-spectrum unmanned aviation assets and associated command-and-control systems and munitions to reimagine surface, amphibious and subsurface platforms that leverage them. This could radically change force projection capabilities and cost.
Bill Strupczewski
The Navy should reexamine the “jeep carrier” concept. It has the potential to control a larger part of the air and surface warfare environment at a lower cost.
