Vice Adm. Matthew Kohler, the top information warfare officer at the U.S. Navy, told C4ISRNET in an interview published Monday that the service considers information warfare as decisive both in daily operations and high-end kinetic fight.Â
“In information warfare, while the rest of the warfare areas are involved in the high-end conflict [eventually], we consider the high-end conflict now. Constant contact with the enemy in terms of cybersecurity, being able to operate within the [electromagnetic spectrum], all of those. We consider ourselves in contact with the adversary now,†Kohler said.Â
Kohler said the Naval Information Warfighting Development Center that was established about two years ago helped the service fill a spectrum of warfighting training and develop warfighting tactics instructors.
“A key part of NIWDC is really getting after advanced tactics, techniques and procedures. Those are capabilities that they have succeeded in the last two years of delivering. That allows you to take the capabilities you have now and use them better; putting them in the hands of soldiers and letting them innovate,†he noted.Â
Kohler said the change in operational environment prompted the service to reconfirm its need for information-based skills such as navy cryptologic warfare, naval intelligence, meteorology, space and oceanography. He also cited the need for the service to quickly deliver new capabilities to sailors and other personnel.