Carrier Battle Group Force: An Operator's Perspective

摘要

Since the end of World War II, Carrier Battle Groups have been used as an instrument of U.S. foreign policy. Over the years, they have evolved to provide the National Command Authority with a wide choice of response options. This evolutionary process, facilitated by the normal personnel rotations and capability upgrades that occur between deployments, allows a Battle Group to become essentially a 'new and improved' version of itself for each successive deployment. The Theodore Roosevelt Battle Group (TRBATGRU), a product of this process, successfully participated in two combat operations during deployment: Operation Allied Force/Noble Anvil and Operation Southern Watch. This paper highlights TRBATGRU's experience integrating operators and systems to meet a dynamic set of operational requirements. Specifically discussed are two systems that had significant operational impact: SIPRNET (a secure shipboard Internet- like information network) and PGMs (precision guided munitions). The operator's perspective on system development and usage is examined in order to identify insights into new Battle Group system development and design considerations.