Resolute Hunter 22-1

Resolute Hunter 22-1: Broadening Distributed Operation

By LCDR David “Fishstix” Vasquez, USN and LCDR Andrew “BIO” Miller, USN

Detachments from HSM-73 and HSM-35 recently participated in the fifth iteration of RESOLUTE HUNTER (RH) 22-1 at NAS Fallon, NV and NAS North Island, CA. Hosted by the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center (NAWDC), the four week exercise was the largest series yet, welcoming Coalition aircraft for the first time from the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) and again hosting Royal Air Force (RAF) personnel. Previous RAAF and RAF participation was precluded due to COVID-19. Additionally, Joint partners from the USAF, USMC, USSF, USCG, along with units from the Nevada Air and Army National Guards, joined the diverse collection of aircraft, crews, and intelligence personnel. Spanning across three academic days and 11 execution days, the purpose of the exercise was two-fold: provide an end-to-end Joint and Coalition Live Fly Exercise designed to enhance Battle Management / Command and Control / Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (BM/C2/ISR) tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP), and provide a capstone evaluation for the Maritime ISR Weapons School (MISRWS) students. This robust exercise was designed to stress the importance of the left side of the kill chain: find, fix, and track (F2T). “We need a paradigm shift. The Navy needs to focus on the left side of the kill chain because the next conflict will be ISR-led and enabled,” according to CDR Pete “Two Times” Salvaggio, MISRWS Department Head. “We cannot get to target and engage if we’re not brilliant at the basics in a contested battlespace.” Like its predecessors, the first half of RH 22-1 was executed on the Fallon Range Training Complex (FRTC) utilizing overland vulnerability (VUL) windows. However, in a series of firsts, overwater live fly VULs were introduced leveraging BM/C2/ISR synergy with the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group (ABECSG) against a Great Power Competition level threat.

HSM-73 and HSM-35’s MH-60Rs brought essential capabilities to a diverse constellation of BM/C2/ISR assets. Overland Phase 0 and Phase 1 operations included Intelligence Preparation of the Operating Environment (IPOE) and Focused Collection Operations (FCO) utilizing the MH-60R’s Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS) and Electronic Support Measures (ESM) on the FRTC. MTS and ESM provided valuable geo and electronic intelligence to the Maritime ISR Package Commander (MISR-PC), allowing deconstruction and analysis of the operating environment and enabling the supported Commander’s decision making process. As the overland campaign progressed, NAWDC strike fighter and electronic attack aircraft integrated into the exercise to complete the kill chain, combining the efforts of students from both the Growler Tactics Instructor Course and MISR. Following a tactical pause, the campaign transitioned to the maritime domain at the San Clemente Island Range Complex (SCIRC) off the coast of San Diego. Big-wing ISR platforms operating from NAS Fallon and MH-60R’s from NAS North Island integrated into ABECSG’s Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX) for a series of four VULs. The MH-60R’s APS-153 surface search radar was a key enabler in the joint dynamic targeting cycle and provided essential targeting data for Carrier Air Wing NINE’s (CVW- 9) War at Sea strikes. Both squadrons provided pilots and aircrew; however, the majority of the sorties were flown by students from the Seahawk Weapons and Tactics Instructor Course. Integrating inorganic ISR assets into the ABECSG proved both rewarding and challenging as participating units originated from different locations along the western United States, thus demonstrating distributed operations in the maritime environment. For both overland and overwater scenarios, HSM-73 and HSM-35 achieved a 100% sortie completion rate.

RH 22-1 once again highlighted the importance of the left side of the kill chain for future high-end distributed operations and conflicts. It modeled the doctrinal INDOPACOM command structure where the Maritime Component Commander was the supported Commander with the Air Component Commander in the supporting role. Future iterations will continue to expand with more assets and partners and continue to evolve as the premier ISR exercise into the 21st century.