Navy signals growing importance of cyber and information warfare in switching SPAWAR name to NAVWAR

WASHINGTON – Acknowledging that information underlies its mission set, the Navy’s primary developer of information technology systems and satellite communications changed its name from SPAWAR to NAVWAR on Monday -- dropping the word “space” from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command and rebranding itself as the Naval Information Warfare Systems Command. Breaking Defense reports. Continue reading original article

The Military & Aerospace Electronics take:

6 June 2019 -- Chief of Naval Operations Adm. John Richardson made the announcement Monday emphasizing the transition to cyber and information warfare in a two-minute video posted to the SPAWAR website.

“We have been on a steady drumbeat since the issuance of the Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority (in 2016) to further normalize information warfare into the way we do operations and warfighting in the Navy,” he said. “This new name more accurately describes the full totality of the mission, supporting naval warfare — from seabed to space.”

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Though there’s no “I” for “information” in the new acronym and NAVWAR continues its responsibility for Navy satellite communications, “the intent of the name change is to recognize the power that information warfare brings to the fight,” states a NAVWAR press release. “The change aligns the command name with the command mission to identify, develop, deliver and sustain information warfare capabilities and services that enable naval, joint, coalition and other national missions.”

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John Keller, chief editor
Military & Aerospace Electronics