Good morning and Aloha!  What a wonderful turn out and so great to see everybody here!  Thank you for that kind introduction.  I see a lot of friends out there and I know there’s a large array of distinguished visitors and former flag officers and mentors of mine.  So, welcome everybody to Technet.  I’m fired up to be here as you can imagine at AFCEA’s signature event in the Indo-Pacific.  Technet is just one of many highlights of our Navy’s 250th birthday this year, and what a great event.  We all have a common goal here -- to advance operational capabilities that outpace evolving threats. 

If you are here, you are part of that goal, and I look forward to succeeding with all of you.  That means three things:  

First:  Success means we continue to deter our adversaries and preserve peace.  

Second:  Success means that should deterrence fail, our military remains able to prevail over any adversary.  

And Third:  Success means we continue to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific that allows all nations, large and small, to connect to the global economy and to prosper.  

I hope one of the things you take away from Technet and your engagements here with senior military leaders is this:  When we all work together for results, nothing -- and nobody -- can stop us.  And we are here to win -- I’m here to win with you, and we’re here to win together.

Today, we must win and maintain our dominant posture in a battlespace that is evolving faster than ever.  Trends in conflicts around the globe continue to highlight the importance of multidomain operations.  But as importantly, they highlight the need for rapid innovation, and lightning quick adaptation from the drawing board to the battlefield.  They highlight the need to integrate and adapt all domains of power projection:  land, sea, air, space, cyber, information -- all to mass effects at the time and place of our choosing.  And, they highlight the imperative to integrate and adapt commercial and military uncrewed platforms with proven legacy platforms, sensors and weapons to hold critical platforms and infrastructure at risk.

In our rapidly evolving battlespace, speed is a defining characteristic.  And I’m not solely talking about the physical speed of ships, submarines, aircraft, and weapons -- I’m also talking about the speed of decision, the speed of information, and the speed of adaptation.  This concept is certainly not new -- being able to operate inside the enemy’s decision cycle, or the OODA Loop as Boyd would say, is fundamental to military success.  The U.S. Navy’s ability to quickly analyze intelligence, reposition assets, and launch decisive strikes at the Battle of Midway led to a pivotal victory that changed the course of World War Two in the Pacific.  Speed has won many of our battles -- and it still does. 

Just as speed is a defining characteristic in our modern battlespace -- we also need persistence.  And what I’m talking about here is persistent power projection and persistent domination of the battlespace leading to a denial of the adversary’s objectives.  It means forces are able to execute prolonged operations against evolving threats, and our forces are able to operate within the adversary’s weapon engagement zone, or WEZ.  I think it’s important to note that operating within the WEZ is not new, though there continues to be rhetoric and opinion to the contrary.



From the battles of the Revolutionary War, when the WEZ was defined by the range of a lead ball fired from muskets by a linear row of soldiers, to the Cold War, when our ships and aircraft operated in range of Soviet weapons, to today‘s operations in contested environments with high-end threats, our forces have navigated and fought within WEZs with precision and confidence.  Operating forces within the range of enemy weapons, with the needed persistence to have an effect, takes ingenuity and creativity in both tactics and equipment.  That’s what we have consistently done and how we’re going to manage the inherent risks of those operations.  

The Continental Army adjusted their tactics by flanking those rigid British formations, shoot -- we built the F-14 to specifically carry the Phoenix missile to counter the WEZ of the Russian Airborne Maritime Strike.  We have always generated capability to operate inside weapons engagement zones.  Today is no different -- we must not be deterred from operating at the time and place of our choosing.  To do so would succumb to an adversary area denial strategy and cede battlespace -- and I refuse to do that. 

So, to recap -- I need speed, I need persistence, I need the ability to operate within the weapons engagement zone. 

You know, we’re the finest military in the world not because we have the most ships, subs and aircraft, but because we have the best ships, subs and aircraft -- and they are crewed by the best people.  To continue to develop the best platforms and people to advance the joint force, we must integrate the capabilities of all our manned and unmanned systems, work with industry to improve the integration, resilience, security and capacity of our command and control systems, train our people, and link all this development to the joint warfighting functions (Command and Control, Movement and Maneuver, Fires, Intelligence, Sustainment, Protection and Information) -- For it’s the power, capability and capacity of the Joint Force that make us number one.  

While responsible for all those functions, of which no single one is more important than the others, I want to focus today on accelerating the cycle of action between maneuver and fires.  

Why concentrate on that?  Because it gets to dominating Boyd’s OODA loop that I mentioned earlier.  

Maneuver is the deliberate movement of forces to gain a positional advantage over the enemy.  It’s not just about moving from point A to point B; it’s about controlling the tempo, exploiting weakness, and dictating the terms of engagement.  

Fires enable maneuver by neutralizing threats that would otherwise hinder movement.  Maneuver, in turn, enables fires.  When our forces maneuver to a position of advantage, they provide new targeting opportunities for fires.  The coordination between maneuver and fires creates a cycle of pressure intended to make the adversary struggle to counter.  Fires shape the battlefield, maneuver exploits it, and together they overwhelm the enemy.  So -- we want emerging capabilities that increase the rate of fires in our maneuver cycle, because the speed of that cycle is key to massing effects, persistently dominating the battlespace, and ultimately winning faster.  

I can hear some of you saying right now:  Yeah okay, Admiral, you seem to want it all, and how do we do all that?  

To the first comment -- Yes, as an operational Commander I want to ensure capability exists to buy down risk and put our warfighters in the best position to win decisively and quickly.

To the second thought, I can tell you our Navy-Marine Corps team is pursuing a variety of compelling initiatives to get after those things.  As a force, we continue to strive for strategically meaningful gains, in the fastest possible time, with the resources we already have.  
We work to integrate autonomous systems into every domain and every type of warfighting.  Not to replace our legacy capabilities, but to enhance them.  We continue to build the fleet by operating those systems with legacy systems, and investing in artificial intelligence applications.  

The U.S. Pacific Fleet is a key leader to all these efforts.  We continue to develop and integrate our Unmanned surface, undersea, and aircraft squadrons for the high-end fight.  Our Maritime Operations Center, or MOC, is the model being used throughout the Navy and continues to refine its integration with the joint force, allies, and partners to link fleet commanders to the full range of sensors, shooters, and effectors across the battlespace.  

The MOC concept, and our unmanned systems, rely on resiliency -- resiliency in our hardware, our networks, and our data.  On the hardware side, Pac Fleet is augmenting traditional military comms with scalable, agile options for contested or bandwidth-constrained environments.  
We continue to integrate things like commercial SATCOM, 5 and 6G, and Open Radio Access Networks, into our maritime architecture.  These capabilities open the door for rapid deployment, adaptation for mission-specific needs, and enhanced spectrum agility.  

Our progress is not just limited to hardware:  We are also revolutionizing how we use data.  We are expanding our operational reach and digital resilience through strategic partnerships with industry.  

We are using commercial network fabric and data centers across the Indo-Pacific, to enable persistent connectivity for distributed maritime operations.  

We are also integrating commercial cloud infrastructure and services to ensure data is processed, stored, and accessed closer to the tactical edge.  That enhances our mission readiness, survivability, and decision superiority.  

As just one example, Navy Exchange Point started right here in Hawaii, and is expanding throughout the Navy.  We now use it to send secure data from anywhere, to anywhere, in support of existing War Department capabilities.  That means sending it from our headquarters directly to the warfighter -- and many other possibilities. 

So, the Pacific Fleet is changing how we use data.  We also appreciate the symbiotic relationship between data and artificial intelligence, where more data improves AI, AI improves data analysis, and together they drive efficiency.  To achieve that symbiosis, we are integrating and enabling all of our data, and pairing it with artificial intelligence.  We are using AI on nearly every network to develop familiarity and improve decision making.  We are embracing a hybrid government-commercial approach to AI, partnering with private sector leaders to accelerate innovation.  And we are working with partners in industry and government to integrate AI into our day-to-day functions.  Those include command and control, cyber, logistics, ISR, target analysis, and others.  

Our overall purpose in these efforts is clear:  We will use AI and human-machine teaming to operate inside the enemy OODA Loop -- across every echelon -- and from the seabed, to space.  We will enhance our C2, increase our lethality, and dominate the WEZ -- across the entire continuum of competition and conflict.  

Going forward, we envision a future where the Pacific Fleet is empowered by artificial intelligence.  Where Sailors and Commanders at every level balance the art and science of warfare to make more effective decisions, with superior outcomes, faster than any adversary.  A future where AI further accelerates the cycle of action between maneuver and fires -- for decisive combat advantage.  That is our north star. 

We cannot do that on our own.  We know our industry partners are key to all these critical efforts -- not just AI.  As we move forward together, we should combine our unique strengths, and blend the best of both worlds to see and then achieve the art of the possible.  Industry brings speed, scale, and breakthrough innovation that pushes boundaries.  Our naval warfare centers deliver mission assurance, technical expertise, and lifecycle support.  By integrating government-owned capabilities with cutting-edge commercial technologies, we unlock new levels of agility and resilience.  One potential example of the best of both worlds is The Forge -- the new advanced manufacturing facility which opened at Schofield Barracks this year. 

The Forge, and similar capabilities, will allow our Sailors to quickly obtain reliable parts outside the legacy stock system.  However, in doing so, it also compels us to modify our processes for quicker repairs.  Our Sailors power our fleet, so when they receive these parts, they must also have the confidence and authority to install them, instead of waiting for contractors.  As we innovate and operate faster than ever, our Sailors must have the ability to not only fix their own gear, but retain ownership over their own resiliency and combat readiness.  For example, if an unmanned system needs to be reconfigured during the fight, our Sailors need to do that.  We owe our warriors the right to repair and reconfigure their own equipment.  

None of this stuff is easy, but our competitive edge lies in how well we continue to harness innovation, partner with industry, and integrate emerging capabilities.  To that end, we must continue to experiment together.  So, if you are not already involved, how do you get involved?  The Pacific Fleet conducts a recurring cycle of studies, exercises, experiments, and war games -- all supported by intellectually honest assessments.  That includes our Integrated Battle Problems, which are essentially large-scale experiments.  They integrate high technical readiness systems with innovative tactical employment to close warfighting gaps.  For example, in May we completed Integrated Battle Problem 25.5 near Japan, which demonstrated unmanned and semiautonomous capabilities to clear a path through a simulated minefield.  

Our constant drumbeat of experimentation and innovation will continue with more Battle Problems throughout this fiscal year.  Our common practice in these battle problems and experiments is to pair experiments with exercises and to work in parallel to develop new capabilities and to build concepts of operation.  It might sound like to you like we’re building the plane while we fly it.  That is no accident -- it is by design.  We have to work that fast to take advantage of today’s rapid pace of technological innovation.  We have to get that capability into the hands of our Sailors quickly to enable them to innovate and force change if needed.  

Our progress in these Battle Problems, and many other efforts, is happening because the U.S. has some inherent advantages in the development of new technology and innovation that builds warfighting advantage.

To further our military capabilities and technological edge, we will continue to leverage our nation’s largest strategic advantage -- a free enterprise system that adapts quickly and relentlessly innovates.  But to do that, we need partners that rise to meet the challenges and opportunities of our time.  We need ships, submarines, aircraft, autonomous capabilities, command and control, all of those things to be delivered on time, and on budget.  The team here has to deliver what was bought and paid for, on time -- no excuses.  

And on a larger level, we need our industry partners to move beyond supply chain disruptions and workforce shortages, and make the visionary investments and process changes to further enhance our defense industrial base.  

Fortunately, we do not have to deal with these challenges alone.  We can leverage our asymmetric advantage -- which is the numerous allies and partners we’re blessed to have.  We are achieving historic integration with our growing number of allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific, and around the globe.  

That includes development of shared capabilities, defense industrial base integration, dynamic force posture initiatives, and the exponential growth of our combined exercises and cooperative deployments.  When we innovate with them, coproduce, and field interoperable systems that all of us can use, the possibilities are endless.  

Here at Technet, we help bring possibilities to life.  So, my closing message to you is this:  I want to leverage America’s innovation advantages to an even greater extent -- and as a demanding operator -- I want it all.  I want speed.  I want persistence.  I want capability designed and built to enable operations inside the WEZ.  

And going forward, I want to take our partnership with industry -- with you -- to even greater heights.  Let’s continue to strengthen our rapid acquisition strategy, put the best technology in the hands of our service members as soon as we possibly can, and continue to outpace the competition.  Let’s take a holistic, innovative approach that brings transformative strategic gains to our force.  That includes considering things we’re not doing, that we should be doing.  It includes embracing the red -- which is Navy-speak for embracing problems and adjusting quickly and holistically to fix them.  

So, Technet, let’s get to work.  Together, we can -- and will -- innovate to strengthen America’s military dominance, to grow our warfighting advantage, and to guarantee our ability to win at any time.  

I want to thank you for listening to me today and I look forward to any questions you all have.