Reference News Network, December 10 report. According to the U.S. "Stars and Stripes" website, December 8 report, U.S. Navy officials revealed that the U.S. Navy established the first new information warfare squadron on December 5 at the Norfolk Naval Base in Virginia. This squadron is an important component of a pilot program aimed at enhancing the ability of aircraft carrier strike group commanders to efficiently integrate information warfare.
The information warfare squadron will focus on testing, expanding, and refining its operational capabilities in the field of information warfare over the next four years. In recent years, as the United States competes with adversaries such as Russia for global power, defense officials have repeatedly emphasized the importance of information warfare.
The U.S. Navy introduced that its information warfare forces include sailors specializing in communication, networks, intelligence, oceanography, meteorology, cryptography, electronic warfare, and operations in cyberspace and space.
Traditionally, the U.S. Navy has integrated information warfare capabilities into existing force structures such as aircraft carrier strike groups. Rear Admiral Mike Wernaz, commander of the Navy Information Forces, said that establishing a new information warfare squadron will provide stronger operational support to these strike groups.
"This is a shift in how we win battles in the 21st century," Wernaz said. "For a long time, information warfare has consisted of a series of key capabilities, but these capabilities have often been scattered and independent. Now, we are changing this situation."
Pentagon officials pointed out that since the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in 2022, information warfare capabilities (especially electronic warfare and cyber warfare) have become a key component of the conflict, with both sides trying to shape the narrative of the conflict through information warfare.
On December 5, Captain Jon O'Connor officially took command of the squadron. According to his official biography, he was appointed as a naval intelligence officer in 1997, served on multiple ships, worked in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and Northern Command, and recently served as Chief of Staff of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations. (Translated by Yang Ke)
Original: toutiao.com/article/7582069151695503891/
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