Pete Pagano | U.S. Naval Institute

Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired), a retired surface warfare officer, commanded the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group as commodore of Amphibious Squadron 4. Prior to that, he commanded USS Carr (FFG-52). He served in five other ships at sea and ashore in a variety of joint and Navy operations and training assignments.

Articles by Pete Pagano

U.S. Marines approach a landing area in a CB-90 during Exercise Archipelago Endeavor with the Swedish Armed Forces in 2021. The Navy and Marine Corps should consider procuring and employing the Swedish Combat Boat 90 (CB-90) or similar craft for amphibious operations as an integral component of the Navy–Marine Corps amphibious team.

The Marine Corps Must Still Prepare for Opposed Landings

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

September 2023

The CB-90 should be used in forcible entry operations.

Seabees

The EPF Should Be the Permanent Light Amphibious Warship

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

April 2023

A light amphibious warship derived from the expeditionary fast transport design could deliver anything in the Marine Corps inventory, at speed and shore-to-shore.

Marines

Sharpen the Amphibious Squadron’s Tactical Edge

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

November 2022

Amphibious squadron commanders and their staffs have little time to focus on honing the skills necessary to conduct amphibious operations and tactically fight their ships at sea.

USNS Tippecanoe (T-AO-199)

Use the Gator Navy for Combat Logistics

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2022

The Military Sealift Command’s (MSC’s) civilian manned, unarmed combat logistics force (CLF) fleet can't be used to move supplies into contested zones.

USS Billings (LCS-15)

Operate LCS Like the Rest of the Fleet

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

September 2021

Littoral combat ships need to be fully integrated into fleet operations. This will require single crews and two flag-level LCS groups.

V-22 Osprey

The CVL’s Time Has Come

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

September 2021

The Navy could quickly field a class of CVLs and an air wing at an acceptable cost to meet the challenge of a rising global maritime adversary.

Visual communications such as Morse code flashing light when paired with available technology could be used to direct and control naval forces at sea without compromising electromagnetic signatures or in a communications-denied environment.

Visual Comms Is Worth Another Look

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

June 2020

With the return of great power competition and the possibility of fighting in a communications-denied or -degraded environment, visual communications enhanced with existing technology is worth another look.

SWOs on bridge

SWO Professionalism Starts with a Solid Knowledge Base

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

September 2019

Recent reforms to initial surface warfare officer training still come up short in quantity and quality.

USNS Arctic (T-AOE 8) conducts an early morning Replenishment at Sea with USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and USS Anzio (CG-68).

Organize Combat Logistics for the High-End Fight

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

May 2019

The Combat Logistics Force must be able to defend itself and absorb losses.

2003 missile exercise conducted by the USS Vicksburg (CG-69), Roosevelt (DDG-80), Carney (DDG-64), and The Sullivans (DDG-68)

Have We Forgotten How to Fight?

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

February 2018

Warfighting capabilities have been in decline since the Soviet Union imploded. This condition must be reversed.

he first of class littoral combat ships USS Freedom (LCS-1), left, and USS Independence (LCS-2), maneuver together during an exercise

Rethink the Down Select for the LCS Frigate

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

May 2017

The U.S. Navy should build frigates based on the hulls of both littoral combat ship classes.

U.S. Navy (Todd Jones)

Employ the Independence Class in Amphib Ops

By Captain Pete Pagano, U.S. Navy (Retired)

July 2016

The Independence-class LCS has the potential to be a key player across a broad range of advance-force amphibious operations.