This presentation was made by Captain Nick Walker of the Royal Navy on August 10, 2016 in Canberra Australia to a Williams Foundation seminar. The Williams Foundation has held a seminar on new approaches to air-sea integration on August 10, 2016 in Canberra, Australia. The Royal Australian Navy has had the ability to network and share situational awareness amongst the fleet for many years and the P-3s has been the only RAAF platform capable of being part of that network. The RAAF’s journey of networking its capability journey started more recently with the Hornet Upgrade Program and has accelerated with the introduction of capabilities like Wedgetail and Vigilaire. All of the RAAF’s fleet is now capable of linking into and contributing to an Air Layer of the Joint Battle management system. With the advent of 5th Generation capabilities like the JSF and the new combat systems on the AWD as well as the design and development of the new combat systems for the Australia’s future frigates, Offshore Patrol vessels and Submarines, the ADF has a unique opportunity to influence and design in an unprecedented level of integration into the RAN’s and RAAF’s new platforms. That unprecedented level of integration should drive new thinking on the integration of air and sea power effects. The seminar is about examining the challenges and possibilities of the combat power in that future integrated force. Air Force and Navy need to not only remediate existing deficiencies but take advantage of the transformative nature of fifth generation technology. The seminar aims to explore the art of the possible in future Air-Sea operations. http://www.williamsfoundation.org.au/event-2230289

1. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers
Air Maritime Integration
William’s Seminar, Canberra
Wednesday 10 August 2016
Captain Nick Walker Royal Navy
Naval Staff – Policy
Carrier Strike and Aviation

2. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Part 1
QEC Update

3. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
An integrated and sustainable joint capability,
interoperable with NATO, that enables the projection of
UK Carrier Strike and Littoral Manoeuvre power as well
as delivering humanitarian assistance and defence
diplomacy, enabling joint effect across the maritime, land
and air environments at a time and place of political
choosing.
(CEPP CONEMP, Single Statement of User Need)
Carrier Enabled Power Projection (CEPP)

4. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
QEC Capability
AIR MANOEUVRE
Support 2 Coy Assault
RW Air Group
Merlin Mk3/4 + CH4)
AH-64 + WILDCAT
Merlin Mk2 ASW
Merlin Crowsnest
CARRIER STRIKE
F35B LII
Merlin Crowsnest
Merlin Mk2 ASW

5. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Carrier Strike
(Best Effort – CEPP CONEMP)
Ship’s
Coy
ASW
CS
CS
ASW
CN
CS
ASW
CN
Magazine AccomC2
• Full C2 suite – UK, NATO, US
• 72 Sorties per day
• C733 Ships Company - 1600 bunks
• 26+ kts
• 7000+nm range
• 45 Days Endurance
• Role 2+ Medical
24 Lightning
9 Merlin 2
5 Crowsnest
• Optimised Aviation Mission Planning
• Assured through life bandwidth
• Interoperability with other F35B nations

6. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Interoperability
National - CSG: JOINT
UK-US SOI
OTHER F35B
NATIONS

7. Queen
Elizabeth
Crowsnest Radar system
F35B
Prince of
Wales
Operational Conversion
Unit
Land-based Capability Maritime & Land-based
Full Capability - Land or Sea
UK JCA Training – USMC @ Beaufort UK OCU @ Marham
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
In Service Date Initial Operating
Capability
Full Operating
Capability
Dec 18
IOC(L)
Feb 17
Flood-up
Vessel Acceptance
Ship builder to
DE&S
Mar 20
In Service
Date
Jul 18
LII MARHAM
2026
Full Operating
Capability (Carrier
Enabled Power
projection)
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Sep 23
Initial Operating Capability
(Carrier Enabled Power
Projection)
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Lightning Flying Trials
In Service
Date
DE&S to
Royal Navy
Vessel
Acceptance
Ship builder to
DE&S
Dec 20
Initial Operating
Capability (Carrier
Strike)
Feb 23
Full Operating
Capability (Carrier
Strike)
Carrier Enabled Power Projection
Dec 20
IOC(M)
Lightning Flying Trials

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Part 2
The impact on the Royal Navy

9. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
“A Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, operating the most modern
combat jets, will give the UK the ability to project military power
over land as well as sea, from anywhere in the world. This
capability will give the UK long term political flexibility to act without
depending, at times of regional tension, on agreement from other
countries to use of their bases for any mission we want to
undertake.”
“There is a strategic requirement for a
carrier-strike capability.” (SDSR 10)
We want to operate both carriers. Both carriers will be brought into
service. They will be a very big addition to British power. (PM, SDSR 15)

10. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Continuous Carrier Capability
RN will introduce 2 Carriers into service to ensure “one carrier is
always available, 100% of the time”
……which delivers……Continuous Carrier Capability
……which forms one of two RN Strategic Pillars:
- Continuous At Sea Deterrent
- Continuous Carrier Capability
- enabling Carrier Strike and Continuous Amphibious Readiness
• National Strategic assets.
• Global and interconnected.
• Forward deployed, at high enough readiness, and at enough scale.
• They are maritime, not naval, forces, jointly enabled.
• Strategic partnership and common strategic responsibility.

11. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Maritime Capability & Joint Enablers
Continuous
Carrier
Capability
Continuous
At Sea
Deterrent
Continuous
Amphibious
Readiness
Royal Navy Proposition
Soft Power
Engagement / Influence / Humanitarian
Hard Power
Conflict Prevention / Warfighting
Maritime Effect
Flexible across the full spectrum
Capability Properly Delivered
Leading Europe
through NATO:
- Maritime Capability
- Maritime C2
The Royal Navy - International by Design
Serving today and tomorrow’s strategic security and prosperity requirements
Delivering Effectively:
- Exploiting Technology
- Thinking Innovatively
- Promoting Prosperity

12. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Protect
Enable
Counter
Air
Counter
Maritime
ASuW
ASW
DCA OCA
SEAD
Air Manouevre
Carrier Strike
CAS
AI
Counter
Land Deep
Attack
IW
EW
Command
Demo
Withdrawal
Assault
Raid
ConnectSustain
AAW
Support Fusion
UK Power Projection
Project
Sea Control
(Defensive)
Offensive
Traditional RN focus
(for many years ).
RN’s future
focus.
Poise

13. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
CSG Force Elements and Enablers
QEC
T26
T45
FSS
AO
Merlin ASW
Strat
ISTAR
Cyber
Wildcat HMA
CrowsnestF-35B
SSN
MPA
MITL
UAS
Embarked
Force

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Part 3
The approach to carrier air power

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When a sailor learns to fly, he remains a sailor,
and the air for him is merely the roof of the sea.
Sir Walter Raleigh, ‘War in the Air’ 1922.

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Maritime Power (AJP 3.1)
Military, political and economic power exerted through the use of the
sea, and exercised by sea, air and land resource.
The subliminal power of definitions
Air Power (AJP 3.3)
The ability to use air capabilities to influence the behaviour of actors
and the course of events.

17. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Air power is usually most influential when we integrate it with
other environmental capabilities.
This will make sure that we integrate air power into the joint
campaign at the outset – not add it later as an afterthought.
JDP 0-30 ‘UK Air and Space Doctrine’ 2013.
Air power is inherently joint
because although we operate in the air, we seek to create effects and exert
influence primarily in other environmental domains.

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4th Gen / 5th Gen vs Next Gen
Maritime and Air environments vs Information environment
Interaction across environmental seams, driven by a ‘killweb’
Demands a more connected approach between F35B and the CSG
Implications for C2 structures – mission orders vice a directive ATO
Environmental boundaries become more transparent
The subliminal power of terminology

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Future UK Requirements
Focus upon delivery of Next Gen capability:
– What does it mean for skillsets and training?
– Enhanced sensors; sharing of targeting information –
interoperability with 4th Gen aircraft
– Rapid re-programming
– Exploitation of intrinsic ISR capability
– Data-link capability to all environments
• In the future, the ‘wingman’ of an F-35 might be a Type 45
Destroyer
Target Located
Target Data Shared
Target Engaged

20. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Programme update.
Strategic direction for the Royal Navy.
- Continuous Carrier Capability (CS) forcing integrated thinking
- Management of the Air – Maritime seam
- Complexity of information management and exploitation
All the while retaining lethality and warfighting effectiveness
Approach to carrier based air power.
- Understanding the subtleties of definitions and terminology
- Next gen integration
- Information is environmentally agnostic. Does working in the
‘information environment’ render maritime and air concepts
outdated?
- Technology integration – platform and environmental
- Cross-pollination of skill sets
Thematic summary

21. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Work together to accomplish more
Motto of the UK Centre for Air Power Studies
Concordia res parvae crescent

22. Protecting our nation’s interests OFFICIAL
Queen Elizabeth Class Carriers
Air Maritime Integration
William’s Seminar, Canberra
Wednesday 10 August 2016
Captain Nick Walker Royal Navy
Naval Staff – Policy
Carrier Strike and Aviation