Source: United States Navy
Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti, Royal Navy First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff (1SL/CNS) Adm. Sir Ben Key, and U.S. Marine Corps Deputy Commandant for Plans, Policies and Operations Lt. Gen. James Bierman Jr. met at the Pentagon to discuss the ongoing strategic charter between the three services, Oct. 30.
The charter, known as “Delivering Combined Seapower” or DCS, is a bilateral, tri-service strategic plan that supports cooperation, collaboration, and integration among U.S. and U.K. maritime services. First signed in 2014, DCS was introduced to build and sustain interoperability between the U.S. and U.K. fleets.
“I am honoured to return to Washington to refresh the DCS Charter and reinforce our commitment to collaborative working with the U.S.,” said Key. “This strong and vital relationship between us continues, as we work side by side to protect the freedom of the seas. We support CNO’s Navigation Plan and together, our navies will remain a force for stability, security and innovation in an unpredictable world.”
Integrating with the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps for more than 100 years, Key’s visit reinforced the Royal Navy’s commitment to remaining closely aligned with the U.S. and the services’ ability to cooperate seamlessly. The three leaders took the opportunity to reaffirm their strategic vision for interchangeability and their determination to maximize opportunities to drive towards this goal – in both current and future force constructs.
This year’s “Azimuth Check” focused on the four lines of effort of the DCS Charter: carrier strike, underwater superiority, littoral ops, and future integrated warfighting, to include improvements in Live, Virtual, and Constructive training opportunities and increased integration of robotic and autonomous systems.
Franchetti and Bierman also discussed strategic guidance detailed in CNO’s Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy, and the Commandant’s Planning Guidance, noting how both documents increase synergy with U.K.-U.S. bilateral relations. A key manifestation of this cooperation is the Royal Navy’s Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Indo-Pacific in 2025, alongside U.S. forces in the region, to help contribute to regional security.
“In this decisive decade, our relationship is critical because we know that will never fight alone, but as part of a Joint warfighting ecosystem and with Allies and partners,” said Franchetti “Our relationship also sends a strong deterrent message to any potential adversaries. These “Azimuth Checks” are an important way to stay synchronized on and ensure that we are making measurable progress in driving DCS outcomes.”
Last year CNO, the Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Eric Smith and 1SL/CNS met for the first “Azimuth Check” and to sign the inaugural tri-service agreement, adding in the USMC for the first time, highlighting their shared vision of enabling the next level of interchangeability for the three services.
“As one of the sea services, alongside the Navy, it is critical that the Marine Corps assists in delivering combined seapower with our staunch British ally as we both navigate the changing character of war and the multitude of threats our Nations face,” said Bierman. “It is paramount that we continue to plan, train, and deploy together to enhance our interoperability as a combined Naval and Marine force.”
The U.S. and U.K. naval forces regularly operate together around the globe with a collective dedication to safeguarding global maritime interests and promoting the rules-based international order.