Strengthening The Special Relationship: Delivering Combined Sea Power
The MOC
Photo from U.S. Mission at NATO.
By
Commander Hugh W. S. Botterill MBE Royal Navy
April 18, 2023
All Navies possess individuality; developing training, tactics, and standard operating procedures to suit strategic objectives. There is broad agreement across allies and partners that sovereign interpretations for protecting the rules-based international order’s values and norms will remain a key tenet. And whilst National Naval identity is fundamental, so is the ability to align seamlessly and effectively as a constellation of Naval assets in times of heightened tensions, domestic and foreign. As Secretary Carlos Del Toro said to the Surface Navy Association this year, “We need a fleet of a thousand ships”. With the U.S. National Defence Strategy and the U.K. Integrated Review Refresh both highlighting allies and partners as a cornerstone of integrated deterrence, Delivering Combined Seapower (DCS) is the fabric by which our Navy and Marines can deliver against shared national objectives.
The Royal Navy (RN), United States Navy (USN), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) have always exemplified the essence of collaboration, underpinned by a long and well-established history. The contemporary fabric for our maritime forces sits under a long-standing charter with a vision of shared interests, problems and missions. However, the words within the charter are meaningless unless they are invested in by senior leaders on both sides of the pond. It is not by chance that our load bearing framework for maritime collaboration is called “Delivering Combined Seapower”.
It is imperative that our primary charter, DCS, remains central to all U.K./U.S. maritime interaction and that our bilateral and tri-service agreement is formalised, but it is also equally important to facilitate agility within this agreement to remain relevant. It is the regular touchpoints across the four distinct Lines Of Effort (LOE) that promote the live nature of DCS, which enables continual evolution since its inception in 2014. Having a framework that details the cadence of senior engagement supports the British Naval Staff in the embassy to lock-in with the First Sea Lord’s strategic engagement plan, facilitating a coordinated approach with the U.S. Due to the dynamic nature of the international security environment and the individual organizations of our respective countries’ navies, ensuring both sides senior leaders have dedicated engagement plans to review and adjust the DCS framework is crucial.
The enduring nature of DCS is a testament to the charter’s solid framework, which hinges on four LOEs:
LOE 1. Carrier Strike. Interoperable and interchangeable carrier forces capable of providing global maritime power projection and strike, as exemplified in 2021 with the integration of USMC F35 into the HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
LOE 2. Underwater Superiority. Interoperable Undersea Warfare with the capability to dominate the Underwater battlespace through coordinated all-arms, full spectrum capabilities.
LOE 3. Littoral Operations. Integrated and persistent forward based employment of USMC and RM Forces capable of engaging land-based targets from the sea. USMC involvement in DCS supports the evolution of interoperable forces alongside Force Design 2030 aims and objectives.
LOE 4. Future Integrated Warfighting. Bilateral development of weapons, sensors, systems, and doctrine to ensure interchangeability in the achievement of warfighting dominance. This integral work is developing alongside elements of Force Design 2045 and areas of converging technology.
Whilst the end states are reviewed periodically, they provide the Offices of Primary Responsibility (OPRs) from the RN, USN, and USMC across all four LOEs, the direction, and the guidance to achieve the Service Chiefs’ combined goal to cooperate, collaborate, and integrate throughout all theaters.
The true measure of effective working relationships is that they can accommodate differences of opinion while achieving agreed objectives. Reasonable challenge and clear lines of effort, with an output focused structure, are essential for transitioning from integrated navies to interoperable, but ultimately, interchangeable forces. This is best exemplified by the friendship and good humour intrinsic in sailors and marines of all ranks and of which there is a long and well documented history between the RN, USN, and USMC.
Commander Hugh W. S. Botterill MBE Royal Navy is the U.K. Liaison Officer to DCNO N3/N5. CDR Botterill has been in the USA since August 2022, working alongside his USN and RN counterparts in OPNAV N51 and Naval Staff MOD.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.
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Center for Maritime Strategy
By Commander Hugh W. S. Botterill MBE Royal Navy
All Navies possess individuality; developing training, tactics, and standard operating procedures to suit strategic objectives. There is broad agreement across allies and partners that sovereign interpretations for protecting the rules-based international order’s values and norms will remain a key tenet. And whilst National Naval identity is fundamental, so is the ability to align seamlessly and effectively as a constellation of Naval assets in times of heightened tensions, domestic and foreign. As Secretary Carlos Del Toro said to the Surface Navy Association this year, “We need a fleet of a thousand ships”. With the U.S. National Defence Strategy and the U.K. Integrated Review Refresh both highlighting allies and partners as a cornerstone of integrated deterrence, Delivering Combined Seapower (DCS) is the fabric by which our Navy and Marines can deliver against shared national objectives.
The Royal Navy (RN), United States Navy (USN), and United States Marine Corps (USMC) have always exemplified the essence of collaboration, underpinned by a long and well-established history. The contemporary fabric for our maritime forces sits under a long-standing charter with a vision of shared interests, problems and missions. However, the words within the charter are meaningless unless they are invested in by senior leaders on both sides of the pond. It is not by chance that our load bearing framework for maritime collaboration is called “Delivering Combined Seapower”.
It is imperative that our primary charter, DCS, remains central to all U.K./U.S. maritime interaction and that our bilateral and tri-service agreement is formalised, but it is also equally important to facilitate agility within this agreement to remain relevant. It is the regular touchpoints across the four distinct Lines Of Effort (LOE) that promote the live nature of DCS, which enables continual evolution since its inception in 2014. Having a framework that details the cadence of senior engagement supports the British Naval Staff in the embassy to lock-in with the First Sea Lord’s strategic engagement plan, facilitating a coordinated approach with the U.S. Due to the dynamic nature of the international security environment and the individual organizations of our respective countries’ navies, ensuring both sides senior leaders have dedicated engagement plans to review and adjust the DCS framework is crucial.
The enduring nature of DCS is a testament to the charter’s solid framework, which hinges on four LOEs:
LOE 1. Carrier Strike. Interoperable and interchangeable carrier forces capable of providing global maritime power projection and strike, as exemplified in 2021 with the integration of USMC F35 into the HMS QUEEN ELIZABETH Carrier Strike Group (CSG).
LOE 2. Underwater Superiority. Interoperable Undersea Warfare with the capability to dominate the Underwater battlespace through coordinated all-arms, full spectrum capabilities.
LOE 3. Littoral Operations. Integrated and persistent forward based employment of USMC and RM Forces capable of engaging land-based targets from the sea. USMC involvement in DCS supports the evolution of interoperable forces alongside Force Design 2030 aims and objectives.
LOE 4. Future Integrated Warfighting. Bilateral development of weapons, sensors, systems, and doctrine to ensure interchangeability in the achievement of warfighting dominance. This integral work is developing alongside elements of Force Design 2045 and areas of converging technology.
Whilst the end states are reviewed periodically, they provide the Offices of Primary Responsibility (OPRs) from the RN, USN, and USMC across all four LOEs, the direction, and the guidance to achieve the Service Chiefs’ combined goal to cooperate, collaborate, and integrate throughout all theaters.
The true measure of effective working relationships is that they can accommodate differences of opinion while achieving agreed objectives. Reasonable challenge and clear lines of effort, with an output focused structure, are essential for transitioning from integrated navies to interoperable, but ultimately, interchangeable forces. This is best exemplified by the friendship and good humour intrinsic in sailors and marines of all ranks and of which there is a long and well documented history between the RN, USN, and USMC.
Commander Hugh W. S. Botterill MBE Royal Navy is the U.K. Liaison Officer to DCNO N3/N5. CDR Botterill has been in the USA since August 2022, working alongside his USN and RN counterparts in OPNAV N51 and Naval Staff MOD.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.