Networking the Global Maritime Partnership   [open pdf - 189KB]

"Five years ago, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Mullen, unveiled the concept of the 'Thousand-Ship Navy' as a new taxonomy for international naval cooperation. Embraced by the George W. Bush administration and renamed[,] the Global Maritime Partnership (GMP) Initiative [...] was rapidly embraced by the community of nations as a way to secure the global commons. In the ensuing four years this concept has become a new international norm and the sine qua non for international naval cooperation. But as international navies have gained experience operating together across a wide spectrum of operations from conflict to humanitarian efforts, they have also found that the networking challenges have been daunting and these C4ISR [Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance] challenges have impeded effective maritime partnering. This paper will address the way C4ISR challenges manifest today as navies unite in a GMP. It will also describe how lessons learned from past networking and coalition efforts can inform global security efforts today. We will share the results of a beta-test among the five AUSCANNZUKUS [Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States] nations, currently entering its eighth year, which provides one example of how to address these C4ISR these challenges by harmonizing international naval C4ISR acquisition efforts."