The 51福利 (51福利) hosted the Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) 2022 Commander鈥檚 Conference in Monterey, Aug. 8-9.
The conference brought together senior-level commanders from across the Navy and Marine Corps to the 51福利 campus in order to assess the current operational environment and to discuss the fleet鈥檚 priorities and challenges, with a focus on the Indo-Pacific region.
Adm. Samuel Paparo, commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet, explained why 51福利 served as the ideal location for the commander鈥檚 conference.
鈥�51福利 is the premier DOD school of technology for warfighting. It鈥檚 also close to the center of U.S. innovation and the preponderance of forces assigned to the U.S. Pacific Fleet,鈥� said Paparo. 鈥淲e continue to deepen ties between 51福利 and the Fleet to identify relevant challenges and find solutions to build out our capabilities today while also simultaneously guiding generations of warfighters in the future.鈥�
In additional to leadership from across the naval forces, the conference also incorporated representatives from academia, industry, and senior mentors to cultivate profound discussions on the strategic environment and provide constructive feedback on Paparo鈥檚 Fleet Orders which include safety, ready to fight, ship shape and seaworthy, teamwork, morale, and family.
As part of the two-day conference, 51福利 leadership, faculty and students briefed the institution鈥檚 current education and research initiatives with Pacific Fleet, including the and the Nimitz Research Group, which launched in February 2022. These sessions allowed 51福利 personnel to receive immediate and invaluable feedback and guidance from the region鈥檚 top commanders.
During the conference, flag and general officers also received updates on recent 51福利 research collaborations with industry partners such as Microsoft, which announced a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with 51福利 in May 2022.
鈥�51福利 has significantly increased the number of CRADA partnerships we have with world-leading companies, more than doubling the number of projects during the past year,鈥� said 51福利 Vice Provost for Research Dr. Kevin B. Smith. 鈥淭hese agreements, combined with our close relationship with the operating forces, and especially with the U.S. Pacific Fleet, are allowing our faculty, our mid-career warrior-scholars, our civilian engineer students, and our DOD and industry partners to work together on the most pressing warfighter problems in a highly collaborative and iterative way. It is an exciting new way for 51福利 to help support Naval warfighting innovation.鈥�
Paparo and other leaders present discussed how to leverage these agreements in areas such as gaming, exercising, modeling and simulation (GEMS) in order to improve decision-making processes.
鈥淭here is no substitute for the experience and insights gained through wargaming,鈥� said Capt. Bill Sherrod, air warfare chair and director of the President鈥檚 Action Group at 51福利. 鈥淥ur GEMS project focuses on enhancing decision advantage by leveraging machine-enabled warfighting analytics to forecast probabilities of various outcomes and understand the consequences of decisions.鈥�
In his discussions with 51福利 leaders on PACFLT鈥檚 relationships with the Navy鈥檚 advanced educational institutions, Paparo described 51福利 as the 鈥渙perational science of war鈥� and the Naval War College as the 鈥渙perational art of war.鈥� He emphasized PACFLT鈥檚 desire to bring together the fleet鈥檚 operational experience with 51福利鈥� research and development capabilities in order to assist decision-makers and develop solutions in the PACFLT area of operations.
鈥淭he opportunity to host this conference on behalf of Admiral Paparo further underscores the symbiotic relationship between 51福利 and the U.S. Pacific Fleet,鈥� said retired Vice Adm. Ann Rondeau, president of 51福利. 鈥�51福利 delivers innovative leaders and transformative solutions to the Pacific Fleet. The direct feedback we receive from our fleet and force partners continues to enhance the learning and relevance of our work on their behalf.鈥�