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The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems
Article in International Journal of System of Systems Engineering · June 2011
DOI: 10.1504/IJSSE.2011.040547
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Int. J. System of Systems Engineering, Vol. 2, Nos. 2/3, 2011
The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of
systems
Kevin MacG. Adams* and Thomas J. Meyers
National Centers for System of Systems Engineering,
Old Dominion University,
4111 Monarch Way, Suite 406,
Norfolk, Virginia, USA
E-mail: kmadams@odu.edu
E-mail: tmeyers@odu.edu
*Corresponding author
Abstract: A US Navy carrier strike group (CSG) is an important element of
US policy projection through military assets. The CSG is a system of systems
(SoS) representing both an organisation of people and a collection of ships,
aircraft, and support equipment designed to support US global interests.
The CSG is a metasystem composed of a number of separate subsystems
(vessels, air wing, and staffs), and it fits the classic definition of a SoS
proposed by Maier (1999). Command, control, communications, computers,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems in a carrier
strike group (CSG) are a SoS supporting the larger CSG.
This paper will introduce the reader to the US Navy CSG. It will include a
summary of components in the CSG SoS, the SoS’s mission, a description of
the component systems, how the SoS is organised, and how the metasystem is
purposefully directed by its command, control, communications, computers,
intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) subsystems.
The paper serves as an introduction to this issue’s following papers that will
use emerging system of systems engineering (SoSE) principles and methods to
provide a more holistic frame of reference for understanding CSG C4ISR as a
SoS.
Keywords: system of systems; SoS; command, control, communications,
computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; C4ISR; carrier strike
group; CSG.
Reference to this paper should be made as follows: Adams, K.MacG. and
Meyers, T.J. (2011) ‘The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems’,
Int. J. System of Systems Engineering, Vol. 2, Nos. 2/3, pp.91–97.
Biographical notes: Kevin MacG. Adams is a Principal Research Scientist at
the National Centers for System of Systems Engineering (NCSoSE), USA. He
retired from the US Navy in 1996 after 25 years of service. He received his
PhD in Engineering Management and Systems Engineering from Old
Dominion University in 2007.
Thomas J. Meyers is a Principal Research Scientist at the National Centers for
System of Systems Engineering (NCSoSE), USA. He retired from the US
Marine Corps in 2000 after 25 years of service. He received his PhD in
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering from Old Dominion
University in 2007.
Copyright © 2011 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.
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K.MacG. Adams and T.J. Meyers
Introduction
The US Navy’s carrier strike group (CSG) performs a critical role for US policy
projection through military assets. “Recent conflicts have demonstrated that U.S. military
forces need to be ever more responsive in their ability to reconfigure and redirect their
global Defense activities” [NRC, (2006), p.ix]. Defence planning guidance requires that
the US military be able to adapt rapidly to changing situations, distribute forces more
widely, and provide more presence and deterrence than before (NRC, 2006). The CSG is
a “key component of the global integrated naval force necessary to meet the
forward-deterrence and rapid-response requirements of the Defense strategy” [NRC,
(2006), p.ix]. A CSG is a discrete construct of war fighting capabilities representing both
an organisation of people and a collection of ships, aircraft, and support equipment
designed to support US global interests through deployment of military assets.
The CSG is a meta-system composed of a number of separate systems (vessels, air
wing, and staffs). We use the term meta-system in this article to denote any collection of
systems operating together. A more specific form of the meta-system is the system of
systems (SoS). The CSG fits the classic definition of a SoS (Maier, 1999).
“An assemblage of components which individually may be regarded as systems
and which possesses two additional properties: Operational Independence of
the Components: If the system-of-systems is disassembled into its component
systems the component systems must be able to usefully operate independently.
That is, the components fulfill customer-operator purposes of their own.
Managerial Independence of the Components: The component systems not only
‘can’ operate independently, they ‘do’ operate independently. The component
systems are separately acquired and integrated but maintain a continuing
operational existence independent of the system-of-systems.” (p.271)
There is perhaps no SoS more complex than a CSG, given that each of its constituent
systems of vessels, aircraft, staff, and such are themselves highly complex systems. Ships
and aircraft, for example, include complex systems of networked weapons, sensors,
communications, and machinery that are integrated for operations.
This paper will introduce the reader to the US Navy CSG. It will include a summary
of components in the SoS, the SoS mission, a description of the component systems, how
the SoS is organised, and how the meta-system is purposefully directed by its command,
control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
(C4ISR) subsystems.
2
The carrier strike group
The CSG may be described in terms of the integrated set of capabilities intended to be
brought to the battlefield, the collection of vessels and aircraft, the people, and the
organisational and informational architecture (including CSG staff).
“Carrier strike groups are typically centred around an aircraft carrier and its air
wing, and also include a guided missile cruiser; two guided missile destroyers;
a frigate; an attack submarine; and one or more supply ships with ammunition,
fuel, and supplies (such as food and spare parts). These groups are formed and
disestablished on an as needed basis, and their compositions may differ though
they contain similar types of ships.” [GAO, (2005), p.5]
The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems
93
2.1 Major CSG
Table 1 is provided to capture the role for each of the CSG vessels and the air wing,
which are the components in the SoS.
Table 1
Major elements of a nominal CSG
CSG asset
CSG role
Number assigned
Aircraft carrier (CVN)
Centrepiece of the CSG for global power
projection in support of US national
interests and policy.
1
Guided missile cruiser
(CG)
Anti-air warfare support for the CSG.
2
Guided missile
destroyer (DDG)
General purpose anti-air, anti-surface and
anti-submarine warfare support for the
CSG.
2
Attack submarine
(SSN)
Anti-submarine, covert strike and
intelligence operations for the CSG.
2
Ammunition, oiler, and
supply ship (T-AOE)
Fuel for CSG aircraft and marine vessels,
ammunition, and other stores.
1
Carrier air wing (CVW)
Offensive air power, aviation and logistical
support, airborne early warning and combat
direction, electronic warfare support.
8 aircraft squadrons
A CSG’s most obvious physical subsystems include an aircraft carrier, the carrier’s
embarked air wing of aircraft, and various defensive and support vessels. Each CSG
element provides its own capabilities to the CSG commander who may employ them
separately or in unison to support the carrier in its conduct of assigned missions. Typical
CSGs partly comprise the following units, or subsystems:
•
Aircraft carrier (CVN) – The centrepiece of the CSG is the aircraft carrier – the
primary power projection element. The aircraft carrier is a unique asset because its
aircraft may operate without the need to secure landing rights on foreign soil. A
CVN’s expansive 4.5 acre flight deck with four launch catapults, an angled landing
area with multiple arresting wires, four large deck edge elevators, stores and
weapons elevators, a huge hangar deck for repairs and storage, and various other
maintenance and support facilities can support the air wing and its squadrons in
continuous operations for an extended period. The CVN is equipped with a
sophisticated array of C4ISR systems that provide the ship with a capability to
control the entire CSG even when CSG vessels are partially dispersed throughout an
area or theatre of operations.
•
Guided missile cruiser (CG) – The guided missile cruiser is a multi-mission surface
combatant equipped with Tomahawk long-range surface-to-surface cruise missiles,
the Aegis Weapon System with long range surface to air missiles, and a high rate
five inch gun system. The cruisers primary role in the CSG is to provide air defence.
The two CGs typically assigned to a CSG provide a capability to simultaneously
engage multiple threats to the strike group.
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K.MacG. Adams and T.J. Meyers
•
Guided missile destroyer (DDG) – The guided missile destroyer, although smaller
than the CG, provides essentially the same range of capabilities as the larger vessel
type, though with a smaller C4ISR suite, crew, and missile capacity. Two DDGs are
normally assigned to a CSG with a primary role to provide general purpose anti-air,
anti-surface and anti-submarine warfare support.
•
Attack submarine (SSN) – The attack submarine is a submersible vessel armed with
advanced torpedoes and cruise missiles. Its primary role is to seek out and destroy
hostile surface ships and submarines. An attack submarine assigned to a CSG often
operates independently but can operate in concert with the CSG’s carrier, depending
on mission and the hostile submarine threat. Attack submarines normally pursue the
anti-submarine warfare mission they are best able to execute, though they also offer
a broad range of covert strike and intelligence capabilities supportive of CSG
missions
•
Ammunition, oiler, and supply ship (T-AOE) – The combined ammunition, oiler and
supply ship is the largest combat logistics force ship. It provides aviation fuel for the
air-wing, diesel fuel for conventionally powered surface vessels, and ammunition as
well as other stores via connected and helicopter-provided vertical replenishment.
This paper will not address the T-AOE due to that vessel’s transient presence among
CSGs.
•
Carrier air wing (CVW) – The carrier air wing has a nominal mix of four
strike-fighter squadrons of F/A-18 Hornet fighter/attack aircraft. The F/A-18 is the
primary offensive weapon for strike missions against maritime, shore-based, and
airborne threat targets. Two squadrons of MH-60R/S Seahawk helicopters provide
the CSG with anti-submarine and surveillance capabilities and the embarked air wing
with logistics and other aviation-related support. A squadron of E-2C Hawkeye
aircraft provides the strike group its chief airborne early-warning and combat
direction capabilities, and a squadron of EA-6B Prowler aircraft complements that
with electronic warfare support. The air-wing and its eight squadrons are a mini-air
force capable of projecting power great distances from their carrier base.
2.2 CSG missions
The US Navy employs CSGs in a variety of roles such as the gain and maintenance of sea
control in support of
1
protection of economic and/or military shipping
2
protection of a US Marine Corps amphibious force en route to or within an
amphibious objective area
3
establishment of a naval presence in support of national interests.
These and other roles are realised with a combination of physical movement of the
vessels, use of embarked aircraft, and employment of weapons. The CSG mission
requires two-way information exchange (IE) within and external to the strike group for
coordination and control. The ability to exchange information in a timely and efficient
manner is critical to the success of many of the strike group’s mission areas. For purposes
The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems
95
of bounding, the analysis in this paper will address the CSG as a whole while focusing on
C4ISR IE in particular.
2.3 CSG organisation
CSGs are normally commanded by a (one-star) rear admiral who directs CSG actions
through a command staff. When not deployed to foreign theatres, CSG commanders
report to the appropriate US Second (Atlantic) or Third (Pacific) Fleet commanders, with
those fleet commanders responsible for certifying CSGs as prepared to conduct sustained
combat operations prior and when deployed to regions for which one of assigned to one
of six world-wide Unified Combatant Commands.
Each CSG employs over 7,000 male and female officers and enlisted personnel.
Carrier and air wing staffing alone total more than 5,000 service members. The CSG
commander is the only flag officer, or admiral, consistently aboard any group vessel, and
he or she is joined by senior captains serving as commanding officers of the CVN, air
wing, CGs, and principals of the CSG staff. Officers of the grade of commander lead
other surface ships, submarines, and aircraft squadrons, and the remainder of the
personnel represent mid-and junior-grade officer and enlisted personnel who operate and
maintain the CSG vessels and their systems.
2.4 CSG operational command and control
The CSG’s C4ISR systems provide the CSG with the command and control and IE
capabilities required to execute its various missions. Without adequate C4ISR systems,
aircraft cannot be safely launched, employed, or recovered; Tomahawk cruise missile
strikes cannot be coordinated; and defensive capabilities can be degraded so significantly
as to allow and even invite the hostile engagement of friendly vessels or aircraft. C4ISR
provides for IE that integrates and coordinates the vessels, aircraft, people, and
information necessary to execute missions assigned by the strike group’s commander.
C4ISR is a process as well as a means to an end, and as such may be considered a
sociotechnical system. As a means to an end, command and control (C2) is enabled by
communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C2ISR) as
shown in Table 2.
Table 2
C2ISR support for command and control
C2ISR element
Enabling method
Computers (3rd C)
Decisions may be enabled by computers
Communications (4th C)
Decisions may be sent to subordinate
commands via communications
Intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance
(ISR)
Decisions may be formulated using
information gained from ISR
The CSG commander often delegates elements of overall CSG command and control
(C2) to the subordinate entities depicted in Table 3 (NWDC, 2001). Each of the
commanders and coordinators in Table 3 executes specific C2 responsibilities for the
CSG commander. The principal warfare area commanders operate somewhat
independently with the CSG commander communicating his intentions and those
commanders actually controlling assets to prosecute assigned operations. Therefore,
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K.MacG. Adams and T.J. Meyers
execution of command and control for the CSG is distributed across multiple
commanders under the direction and accountable to the CSG commander for
performance of C2 functions. By doing this, the CSG commander is invoking the systems
principle of redundancy of potential command, requiring command to exist as close to the
information as possible (McCulloch, 1965).
Table 3
Delegation of C2 authority for the CSG
Entity delegated C2 authority
Representative commanders
Principal warfare commanders
(PWC)
Air defence commander (ADC)
Antisubmarine warfare commander (ASWC)
Information warfare commander (IWC)
Sea combat commander (SCC)
Strike warfare commander (STWC)
Surface warfare commander (SUWC)
Functional warfare commanders
(FWC)
Maritime interception operations commander (MIOC)
Mine warfare commander (MIWC)
Operational deception group commander
Screen commander (SC)
Underway replenishment group commander (URG)
Coordinators
Air resource element coordinator (AREC)
Airspace control authority (ACA)
Cryptologic resource coordinator (CRC)
Electronic warfare coordinator (EWC)
Force over the horizon track coordinator (FOTC)
Force track coordinator (FTC)
Helicopter element coordinator (HEC)
Launch area coordinator (LAC)
Submarine operations coordinating authority (SOCA)
TLAM strike coordinator (TSC)
3
Conclusions
CSGs are systems of systems. The CSG is a metasystem composed of a number of
separate subsystems (vessels, air wing, and staffs) and as such fits the classic definition of
a SoS proposed by Maier (1999). Such strike groups’ C4ISR subsystems comprise a
smaller SoS that provides needed direction to the larger CSG. Knowing this, engineers
may use emerging system of systems engineering (SoSE) principles and methods as they
address for any reason the CSG or subordinate, C4ISR SoS.
The US Navy carrier strike group as a system of systems
97
References
GAO (2005) ‘Military readiness: navy’s fleet response plan would benefit from a comprehensive
management approach and rigorous testing’, Report GAO-06-84, Government Accountability
Office, Washington, DC.
Maier, M.W. (1999) ‘Architecting principles for systems-of-systems’, Systems Engineering, Vol. 1,
No. 4, pp.267–284.
McCulloch, W.S. (1965) Embodiments of Mind, MIT Press, Cambridge, MA.
NRC (2006) C4ISR for Future Naval Strike Groups, The National Academies Press,
Washington, DC.
NWDC (2001) Composite Warfare Commander’s Manual, Naval Warfare Publication 3-56
(Rev A), Navy Warfare Development Command, Norfolk, VA.
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