6th Fleet Focus: Guidance 2008 Reflects Maritime Strategy

U.S. Naval Forces Europe/Africa Guidance for 2008 was released Jan. 8, by Adm. Mark Fitzgerald Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe and Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Africa. It is available to read on the 6th Fleet website. The reason we find this an interesting read is because it highlights how some of the naval terminology has changed to put the 2008 Guidance in line with the new Maritime Strategy. Words have meaning, buzzwords not so much, but one needs to understand the buzzwords in naval terms to understand what the Navy is saying, the direction they are taking within the context of strategy, and they are doing.

Operational Objectives

1. Improve Maritime Safety and Security in Africa and Europe
2. Be Prepared for Any Contingency
3. Provide Exceptional Stewardship to Our Workforce and Families
4. Advance the Art and Science of Maritime Operations
5. Enhance Awareness of the Harmony of Partner and U.S. Interests and Activities
6. Support Other EUCOM, AFRICOM, and Navy Component Commanders

It would appear the phrase Maritime Safety and Security (MSS) is going to stay in the lexicon. Admiral Ulrich, whom Adm. Mark Fitzgerald recently replaced, can be credited for building a foundation for some the partnership strategies contained in the new Maritime Strategy. His low cost and effective implementation of a maritime traffic tracking system in the Mediterranean Sea has led to increased regional information collection of relevant maritime data, data which the Navy has encouraged cooperation with by bringing regional nations together to form a larger maritime partnership based on a regional mutual security interest. There have been problems, there always are, but there have also been successes in that regard.

The new Maritime Strategy transitions the Navy into a revolution of security affairs. 6th Fleet is rightfully shifting strategy from what was primarily a cold war defense role to a collective security and stabilization role. 6th Fleet is looking to export encouragement and services to help form international partnerships in troubled regions, particularly in its African theater, hoping to increase regional security and promote stability in Africa. What makes joining these regional partnerships attractive to regional nations is that the partnerships don't require the US to create a footprint within their countries, rather the US footprint remains at sea in what is one of many concepts being developed under Sea Basing. It will be interesting as we observe AFRICOM evolve where Sea Basing fits in their developing strategy.

The Navy is there to provide services; logistical, humanitarian, training, etc; to both the sovereign regional partners and other partnership agencies involved. These partnership agencies include the intelligence agencies, Coast Guard, the State Department, USAID, among others, and several private medical, social, and environmental organizations are encouraged to partnership as well. If the strategy is successful, individual nations will be who ultimately provides the safety and security for their respective region of these partnerships.

The soft power approach by 6th Fleet represents a grand strategy for theater cooperation in the maritime domain, and we are already seeing several examples in recent and current deployments. During the recently completed Enterprise CSG, the USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) spent almost the entire deployment on a tour of nations in both the 5th Fleet and 6th Fleet theaters, and appears to have hit several ports in the Black Sea and also circumvent Africa during that deployment. The SNMG1 and SNMG2 activities south of the Suez are also examples. Currently, the USS Bainbridge (DDG 96) serves with SNMG1 while the USS Laboon (DDG 58) serves with SNMG2, thus continuing the partnerships within the NATO framework.

The USS San Jacinto (CG 56), which deployed with the Truman CSG is operating in the Mediterranean Sea and we expect to see it visit a number of nations in the 5th and 6th fleet like the USS Forrest Sherman (DDG 98) did. When you consider the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43) African Partnership Initiative mission in the Gulf of Guinea, where we have also seen the USS Annapolis (SSN 760) make a stop, and the HSV Swift is inbound, American sailors operating in the 6th Fleet have become the ambassadors to Africa within the context of the new Maritime Strategy.

The nature of many of these maritime partnerships is informal, voluntary, and subject to change with the political winds for each nation, including the US, meaning this type of soft power strategic approach requires the United States to have an effective, consistent foreign policy that contains credible outreach to partner nations in the partnership if it is to be effective.

Of all the Fleets, the 6th Fleets continued gradual transition from a historically major war fleet supporting a garrison strategy of Europe against the Soviet Union into a tailored soft power expeditionary sea based fleet strikes us as an interesting barometer for measuring the soft power influences of the new Maritime Strategy. Tradition in the Navy tends to generate resistance to change, even when there is agreement that change is needed.

So far, other than the API we are not really seeing any major changes, the large surface combatant tours to various ports in the Black Sea and Africa isn't something new, it just hasn't been done in years while the Navy has been focused in the traditional cold war maritime regions. The only change we are observing is more ships operating near Africa than in past years. Will we see something new that connects to the regional nations emerge with these large surface combatant tours? We'll have to wait and see.