Small Navies Do Have a Place in Network-Centric Warfare

In “Small Navies and Network-Centric Warfare” (Naval War College Review, Spring 2003, pp. 1–16), Paul T. Mitchell asked if there is a place for small navies in the world of network-centric warfare. From my perspective as the program executive officer for the U.S. Coast Guard’s Integrated Deepwater System (IDS), the answer is a resounding “Yes!” The price of admission, however, is a network- centric system for C4ISR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance), modern air and surface plat- forms, and a well-established relationship with the U.S. Navy