WHAT SHAPE SHOULD A ROYAL MALAYSIAN NAVY MARITIME WARFARE CENTRE TAKE?
INTRODUCTION
The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is about to turn its Maritime Warfare Centre (MWC) concept very quickly into a reality and therefore careful consideration must be invested in defining its role, aim and objectives to ensure its future relevance and effectiveness. It is possible that there are several key questions yet to be sufficiently explored. How should it be manned and by whom? What linkages should it have with other Defence agencies and external government agencies and even NGOs? Indeed, should there just be one RMN MWC? In considering such questions it is perhaps worth looking at how some other modern navies, large, medium and small have approached the issue. OVERSEAS MWC Royal Navy. Why have a MWC? If one considers the RN’s MWC, it has evolved over several post-World War Two generations. The Navigation and Direction branch specialists responded to the realization that new over the horizon technologies such as radar and missiles as well as the development of tactical nuclear weapons were radically changing the face of war at sea. Responding to meet the many rapidly developing challenges meant it was essential tactics, techniques and procedures would need to be studied in depth to match the advances in the science and art of maritime warfare. Now housed in HMS COLLINGWOOD, the RN’s MWC is fully matured. It is an alliance of Servicemen, scientists, and analysts, whose sole driving purpose is to create battle-winning tactics. The unit is made up of some 120 people, split almost equally between civilian and military, although at any given time many of them will be out at sea, on board ships: running trials and experiments; and most importantly asking questions.1
Of note perhaps for Malaysia’s Navy, The MWC was earlier alongside the School of Maritime Operations and its simulators in HMS DRYAD while today the renamed School of Maritime Warfare and the RN’s warfare simulators rest within the same shore establishment as the MWC. Indian Navy. Turning to India, their MWCs seem to reflect much of what is currently undertaken, or was meant to be undertaken in the RMN’s Maritime Tactical Centre, PUSTAKMAR. MWC(MB) – Mumbai, under the administrative control of Headquarters, Western Naval Command, was formed up as a tactics centre in 1981 and re-designated as a MWC in 2000. Its functions include: ensuring all operational units achieve maximum tactical and procedural training before going to sea; arranging tactical games for ships and other units as required; assisting in the evaluation and assessment of new tactical doctrine; assisting in the analysis of major tactical exercises; conducting training courses; trying out newly developed tactics as realistically as possible in their Action Speed Tactical Trainer (ASTT) system prior to being employed at sea. In addition they compile and maintaining a data library of the capabilities of own and enemy naval units as well as all the similar functions undertaken in the RMN’s Lumut WASPADA bridge simulator. Perhaps unsurprisingly MWC(MB) is, like PUSTAKMAR, “the venue for conducting briefings/ presentations for visiting foreign and inter-service delegations and also hosts numerous seminars, workshops and Naval Professional Series Lectures throughout the year.”2
In India’s Southern Naval Command in 2018 the Diamond Jubilee of the MWC (Kochi) was celebrated, self- described as “the premier warfare training centre of the Indian Navy.” Headed by a one star officer the Centre’s main function is to train officers of Indian and Friendly Foreign Navies in the Art of Warfighting. Its
historical mission was to become a “global-level centre of excellence in maritime warfare through highest quality of ab-initio training, specialist level education, command at sea consolidation and tactical analysis cum-wargaming”.3 Under the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) for training, validation and evolution of tactics at sea is the MWC at Visakhapatnam. One of the premier ‘Category A’ training establishments of the Indian Navy, it was commissioned as the ‘Action Speed Tactical Trainer, Visakhapatnam’ (ASTT (VZG)) in September 1993. Like the MWC(MB) it was re-designated as the MWC (VZG) in 2000. MWC (VZG) is in an impressive five-storied building located within the Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam. MWC (VZG) plays host to various levels of computer based networked wargaming, evaluates naval tactics and validates mathematical models of a tactical nature. As in PUSTAKMAR, command teams of ships and submarines are exercised on a regular basis in the planning and conduct of the entire spectrum of naval operations in order to amalgamate them into coherent fighting units prior putting to sea. United States Navy. The sheer size and scale of the USN like the Indian Navy precludes one centre alone being responsible for maritime warfare. The US Naval College at Newport Rhode Island conducts more than 50 wargaming events per year, and they range in variety from complex, multi-sided computer-assisted games to simple, single-sided seminar games. They develop strategic and operational insights, risk assessment and operational skills. Spread across a dozen or so Congressmen’s electorates are the Naval Surface Warfare Centers, a part of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). As well as supplying the technical operations, people, technology, engineering services and products needed to equip and support the Fleet and meet the warfighter’s needs they are also the USN’s principal Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) assessors for surface ship and submarine systems and subsystems. Other units exist, such as the USN’s Naval Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center (SMWDC) Headquarters in San Diego. The USN’s support to other smaller allied nations that do not have their own centres is also influential. “History has shown coalitions that don’t have a common tactical language lose, particularly when the opposition is monolithic… for New Zealand this forum represents essential access to a large pool of warfighting and scientific expertise that allow us to keep pace with tactical developments, in order to be ready to integrate our combat units with our partners.”4 Royal Australian Navy.
The Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Australian MWC (AMWC) was opened by the Fleet Commander in 2011. Its focus is maritime warfare development, enabling a concentration of effort and presenting a single point of contact for the Australian warfare community. Based in Fleet Base East, its outstations include the Sydney Harbour Degaussing Range, the Land Based Magnetic Test Range at Orchard Hills, the Jervis Bay Sound Range and Telemetry Station, and the AMWC-West Office in Western Australia. Its mission is to optimise the warfighting effectiveness of the Fleet. To achieve this it has an effects based approach grounded in knowledge acquisition and operational analysis. The principal effects are: the generation of warfare policy and tactical doctrine; the optimisation of weapons and weapons systems performance across the Fleet, including through the conduct of quantitative and qualitative analysis of
weapons firings, and the measurement and analysis of warfighting effectiveness, including mission specific signature management. The exploitation of operational knowledge to better enable the Fleet to fight and win in the maritime environment is the central tenet of the AMWC. A Fleet Operational Knowledge Exploitation Cell (FOKXC) is a key enabler and is led by a cross discipline team known as the AMWC Lessons Board. It shapes the majority of activities and outputs of the AMWC.
The AMWC is a part of the RAN’s Fleet Headquarters under the leadership of the Deputy Fleet Commander who is responsible for warfighting development. AMWC is also accountable to Commodore Flotillas (COMFLOT) for the facilitation of the Fleet Lethality Assessment and the Joint Maritime Warfare Steering Group. AMWC is commanded by a Captain. In the future it is proposed that the Commander of AMWC will first serve as the Commander Maritime Task Group. Among its other responsibilities, the AMWC develops the fleet’s warfare policy, doctrine, tactics and techniques; it sets and enforces warfare standards; coordinates fleet science & technology program co-ordination; it provides support to the Joint Force Maritime Component Commander and joint tactical maritime planning. The AMWC develops detailed briefings for numerous standing committees such as the Navy Capability Committee, Joint Warfare Steering Groups, and the Joint Commanders’ Meeting. Organised along functional lines it has several divisions responsible for key outputs with staff expertise in relevant disciplines, such as warfare domain specialists, engineers and analysts.
ROYAL MALAYSIAN NAVY MWC
There is no doubt that the potential of a well considered and designed RMN MWC would be a real asset and possibly eventually a force multiplier in these times of severe budgetary constraint in Malaysia. Its creation too is timely. The recent ‘15 to 5’ Fleet restructuring program recognises and promotes the need for tertiary education for future RMN personnel. This, linked with the continuing rapid technological advances in so many areas of modern warfare, requires an organization with personnel that can identify (and link to its advantage) new technology with new tactics. At the beginning of this article it was suggested that there are a number of questions regarding the establishment of the RMN’s MWC. The answers to them need to be further explored if the organization is to maximize its future potential. Concept and Tasks The RMN has now accepted in principle that the fast moving evolution of maritime warfare requires a one stop centre responsible for managing maritime warfare development at a tactical and operational level. The idea of turning PUSTAKMAR into a MWC was the brainchild originally of the then Commander of PUSTAKMAR, First Admiral Soundrarajan K. Kalliappan RMN in 2012. The establishment of a MWC is now considered essential if maritime warfare is to remain current in the 21st century. The concept sees two main divisions within the MWC: Warfare simulation (currently conducted by the training department of PUSTAKMAR) and Research and Development (R&D). It is believed that the knowledge and expertise of MWC personnel should support the Development and Planning Division in Naval Headquarters to gain insight into the development of weapons and combat system technology before implementing new acquisitions into service. It is acknowledged that selected staff should have extensive experience in warfare, being subject matter experts (SME) in their area of warfare. Officers serving in the MWC will probably also be assigned as permanent representatives for the series of exercise planning including joint exercises, affiliations, bilateral and multilateral as well as assisting the process of designing exercise scenarios. The Commander would support higher authorities in all aspects of Maritime Warfare development as they affect senior committees and warfare planning.
The Malaysian MWC will be responsible through study and research for knowledge improvement in the arena of maritime warfare and naval tactics through discussions, workshops and seminars. It will contribute to the development of publications, doctrines and concepts of maritime warfare at the tactical, operational and strategic level and as required assist in their integration with the other services and the Joint Force. The R&D Division will evaluate and analyze the effectiveness of warfare doctrine and tactical publications; conduct research and publish; support training plans for the design, testing and implementing of warfare training and provide technical advice to Fleet Commanders during JMAP planning. Importantly, they will also collect, coordinate and promulgate warfare lessons learnt. The Simulation Division will design and coordinate training and courses employing ASTT and be responsible for all aspects of wargaming and simulation in maritime warfare in the RMN. Location This question is perhaps the easiest to answer. In the author’s view the RMN only needs one MWC.
The PUSTAKMAR building in the Lumut Naval Base was established around the original warfare simulator and expanded to fit the modern ASTT. With the 2011 extension to the site for the Fleet EW Centre and a voluminous and under utilised library space with its surrounding meeting and small conference rooms, there is a ready-made home in Lumut to house the new MWC. As the middle word in the title of a MWC is Warfare, it makes a great deal of sense for the RMN to locate its own MWC nearest to its principal warfighters and Fleet Commander, not to mention the training establishments and the Action Speed Tactical Trainer simulator within the current PUSTAKMAR building. The latter has rarely been employed for pure R&D and this should change with a MWC, its new R&D staff and new responsibilities. Command and Control Although Malaysia has two distinct and separate land masses separated by the South China Sea, senior RMN officers are already discreetly questioning the wisdom of establishing two Fleet Commands in 2017 with the associated costs of an extra Headquarters, its related support and sustainment issues as well as internal Fleet versus Fleet competing considerations.
As described above, the Indian Navy has 3 MWCs, one for each of its three Fleet Commands: Eastern, Southern and Western. However the smaller Royal Navy makes do with one MWC under the Navy Command Headquarters, which also encompasses the Flag Officer Sea Training and Fleet Battle Staff. Even though its two main bases are more than 3,000 kilometers apart, the Royal Australian Navy also has only one MWC under its Fleet Command. Although perhaps a subject for another day, two Naval Region Commands are planned for East Malaysia while West Malaysia already has two and there is a strong logic to the suggestion to revert again to just a single Fleet Commander with the headquarters in Lumut. This is further reinforced by the future basing plans which will see the most capable surface units (LCS, Glasgow frigates, future MPCSS) remaining in Peninsular Malaysia, together with the Fleet Air Arm.
Two options were put forward for ownership of MWC, a decision perhaps complicated by the presence of two Fleet Commands. The first would sit the MWC under the 1 star Operational Readiness Commander while the second would see the organization reporting to the Naval Headquarters N3, the ACoS for Operations and Exercises. In the present two Fleet system the latter has significant C2 benefits, primarily allowing the MWC to provide a service to both three star Fleet Commanders while working directly for neither but ensuring it can also seamlessly meet the strategic and joint demands prioritised in Kuala Lumpur. Should the RMN revert to one Fleet Commander in Lumut then it would be logical for the MWC to be a Fleet unit, reflecting the Australian and Indian MWCs structures.
The present proposals for the RMN’s MWC considers both divisions: Wargaming simulation and R&D. The former task is relatively straightforward as the players are by and large already in place to create and execute scenarios in wargames at the Basic Tactical, Command Team and Integrated Team (one star headquarters) levels. The ASTT has also on occasion been employed as part of joint and combined exercises at the operational level. Led by an O-5 the team comprises six O-4s including the RAN exchange officer and a Malaysian Air Force MPA specialist. Supported by a team of almost 30 sailors to man the simulator development, control room and eighteen cubicles/CICs the MWC manning concept understandably changes nothing from PUSTAKMAR’s present wargaming team. However, there is one weakness which has existed since the new ASTT came online in 2005. That is the lack of continuity in wargame developers. If the RMN employed two ex-navy personnel on long term contracts as developers then their knowledge base would significantly enhance the usage capability of the current ASTT and any future replacement. It would enhance the system’s capability to be employed as an R&D tool for new systems and tactics. ‘Make do and mend’ has not been a very successful or appropriate approach in this vital support task to the ASTT’s operation. PUSTAKMAR itself has an R&D department, however it has morphed over many years into primarily facilitating seminars and exercises rather than itself considering new tactics and researching new warfare systems.
In the MWC concept it is envisaged the staff will comprise of one or two 0-5 PWOs and four O-4s, one of the latter being an Air Force Major. PUSTAKMAR was established to have one O-5 and 4 O-4s, although the RMAF position has never been filled. The manning proposed for the R&D Division is simply inadequate for a modern navy’s MWC. The Royal Navy began its MWC with specialists from the many different warfare areas at the O-5 level. As described above it also now encompasses civilian scientists and analysts. The Royal Australian Navy has divisions led by O-5s or their equivalents in: Above Water Warfare; Underwater Warfare; Amphibious Warfare; Operational Analysis; Operational Knowledge Exploitation; Weapons; Science and Technology; Weapons System Performance and Signature Analysis. In the RMN concept one O-4 will for example be responsible for AAW, ASuW and EW. As with ‘15 to 5’, recognising that the RMN is faced with near time budgetary constraints should not prevent a satisfactory future vision for Malaysia’s MWC being drawn up for the present. If several positions have to be gapped at the beginning in R&D there should be a plan for the medium term to overcome this. It is suggested that within 5 years of its creation the MWC should be at full complement. O-5 desk officers are necessary because they bring a level of experience including often command and overseas courses and as senior officers will crucially have time and the self-discipline to analyse and think independently.
Noting that the current RMN Fleet EW Centre is co-located with PUSTAKMAR and that its Commanding Officer may have the capacity to be dual-hatted or the FEWC be incorporated into the MWC’s command structure, it is considered the following RMN O-5 desk officer positions should be established: EW, AAW, ASuW, ASW, Submarines, Aviation (Rotary & UAV), Aviation (RMAF position – Fixed Wing/Fighter Controller), Communications, Logistics (including MPCSS), Minewarfare, Information Warfare (including Cyber, Asymmetric and Information Operations), Joint Warfare (Army position to include: Amphibious, CIMIC, HADR and Peacekeeping), Meteorology and Oceanography. That is a total of 11 RMN commanders in R&D but In addition a Doctrine position heading a small team of O-4s/O-3s would be required to incorporate Tactics, Techniques, Procedures and warfare publications into the Fleets and higher headquarters in close liaison with
the new RMN Sea Power Centre, together with acting as the first point of contact for liaison coordination with external agencies. The doctrine officer should be a senior generalist, capable of herding the other O-5 cats as the head of R&D. The RMN may also be well advised to consider the experiences and best practices of other navies as well the impact of future technologies when considering which science and technology elements should be included, perhaps employing civil servant desk officers in the role of warfare analysis and definitely developing a key relationship with the Institute for Defence Science and Technology Research (STRIDE). The current internet and IT infrastructure at the PUSTAKMAR site as well as access to online publications and research data such as Jane’s will also need to be considered. A technical and administrative support team is a part of the current concept. Aim and Objectives The current MWC concept does not contain a suggested mission statement, aim or objectives although the level of responsibilities and tasks are listed in detail and could easily be finessed into objectives for the MWC command and its Divisions. The aim would appear to be to ensure maritime warfare is always relevant and updated according to current developments. This is itself is an admirable goal. The AMWC mission is focused on the Fleet: to ‘optimise the warfighting effectiveness of the Fleet’, while the RN’s MWC has a ‘sole driving purpose… to create battle-winning tactics’.
While both those look to the sea, it is suggested that for the 21st century the RMN should aim to be more holistic and encourage the R&D element of its MWC in particular to look to the future, developing joint tactics sympathetic to Malaysia’s unique location, geography and divided land masses as well as considering how the operational and strategic levels can best employ RMN assets in crisis and war. The six LCS frigates will be equipped with the Naval Strike Missile and the vertical launch MICA system, both of which well outrange previous RMN ASuW and AAW systems. The delayed arrival until 2021 of the first of class should provide the MWC’s R&D staff a perfect challenge to develop appropriate local tactics.
CONCLUSION
This article has endeavoured to answer the question: what shape should a Royal Malaysian Navy Maritime Warfare Centre take? This century promises to bring even more rapid technological advances and changing societal expectations. If the RMN is to get ahead of the game in maritime warfare as an effective deterrent arm of the Malaysian Armed Forces it will need to allocate sufficient talent to its MWC. It should place there officers who are given time (free from the clutches of Human Resources’ external demands) not only to think ‘outside of the box’ in terms of future warfare but to check that RMN tactics, techniques and procedures presently inside the maritime warfare toolbox are optimized so the RMN’s Commanding Officers, if called upon to do so, can fight and win at sea.
1 https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/our-organisation/where-we-are/navy-command-hq/maritime-warfare-centre
2 https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/mwc-mb
3 https://www.indiannavy.nic.in/content/maritime-warfare-centre-kochi
4 RNZN Cmdr. Jon Beadsmoore, director, Directorate of Sea Power and Warfare. https://www.navy.mil/submit/display.asp?story_id=107185
© TomFrederickooks 2019