Navy Integrates Information Warfare Teams on Submarines

NAVAL BASE GUAM (Jan. 17, 2023) The Los Angeles-class fast-attack submarine USS Key West (SSN 722) departs Apra Harbor, Guam, Jan. 17, 2023. Key West is one of five submarines assigned to Commander, Submarine Squadron 15. Commander, Submarine Squadron 15 is responsible for providing training, material and personnel readiness support to multiple Los Angeles-class fast attack submarines and is located at Polaris Point, Naval Base Guam. (U.S. Navy photo by Lt. Eric Uhden)

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ARLINGTON, Va. — The Navy has begun integrating information warfare teams in submarines to increase the boats’ tactical information warfare combat capabilities, a senior admiral said.

“We partnered with [Vice Adm. William J. Houston, commander, Naval Submarine Forces] and the submarine force last year to put Information Warfare officers and Sailors as permanent party, as part of submarine crews,” said Vice Adm. Kelly Aeschbach, commander, Navy Information Forces, speaking March at the online Defense One State of the Navy seminar.

“We piloted the effort on two submarines, where we have an officer and three Sailors who have integrated with the crew and are allowing the crew to focus on the execution of their submarine duties,” Aeschbach said.

The Information Warfare teams on board use their expertise to help the submarine crew with “electronic warfare, intelligence preparation of the environment, and the other requirements they have in terms of cyber security and assured communications,” she said.

“The feedback so far has been really positive and I’m optimistic that we’re probably going to move out with permanent integration of information warfare personnel on submarines, which I think is really powerful addition to the great work that our submarine force already does for us.” the admiral said.

Aeschbach said that in the past information warfare personnel teams were deployed on board submarines for certain missions or operations but were not integrated full-time.

“The submarine force recognized how challenging and competitive the undersea environment is now, that it would really be force multiplier … permanently embedded to bring that expertise to bear in support of their operations,” she said.

The admiral did not specify the class(es) of the two submarines with the integrated teams.

Aeschbach also said the Navy has established the Fleet Information Warfare Command Pacific, led by Rear Adm. Michael J. Vernazza, “focused at the flag level on the delivery and integration of our information capabilities [in the Pacific Fleet] and I think it is really helping us move at the operational level of war in the completed integration of what we can deliver in space, cyber, intelligence, weather, etc., all of the capabilities that are in the information portfolio.