NAVIFOR's 2024 Commanders' Summit Tackles Information Warfare Challenges
25 November 2024
Suffolk, VA -- NORFOLK, Va. – Naval Information Forces (NAVIFOR) hosted its annual Commanders' Summit Nov. 19-21, gathering more than 300 commanders and senior enlisted leaders across the global Information Warfare (IW) community.
In addition to discussing key community updates and initiatives, this year’s summit also incorporated, for the first time, a series of working groups dedicated to addressing critical problem sets facing the IW community in the coming years.
Vice Adm. Mike Vernazza, commander of NAVIFOR and the Navy’s IBoss, highlighted the importance of the summit as a framework for innovation and problem-solving.
“Earlier this year, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Franchetti released her Navigation Plan for America’s Warfighting Navy, which drives toward two strategic ends: readiness for the possibility of war with the People’s Republic of China by 2027, and enhancing the Navy’s long-term advantage. Every one of the NAVPLAN’s focus areas involves IW in some capacity, some more than others, but it is undeniable that the entirety of the NAVPLAN requires a huge lift from the IW Community.”
“There is no denying IW will be the critical difference-maker in whatever fight is ahead,” continued Vernazza. “Being in demand in our Navy is a good problem to have – but it’s not without its challenges. Yet, leaders in our community throughout the years have embraced these challenges by pushing the limits of their skills and resources. We must continue their legacy to grow our community, innovate faster than our enemy, embrace the red, and be ready to fight tonight.”
Ms. Roni Rogers, NAVIFOR’s assistant chief of staff for Enterprise and Strategic Initiatives, explained this year’s summit focus on problem-solving.
“At the heart of the ‘Get Real, Get Better’ (GRGB) mindset is the imperative to think critically, self-assess, and continuously improve,” said Rogers. “It’s rare that we have so many leaders and experts across our community in one room – so what better opportunity to tap into this deep pool of talent and expertise to innovate and solve problems.”
Throughout the three-day event, 16 working groups worked for nearly ten hours applying the GRGB methodology to address 11 problem sets central to IW’s mission, including cyber resilience, fleet synchronization, data integration, and others. These sessions highlighted the importance of data-driven decision-making, innovation, and embracing feedback to improve outcomes.
Vernazza noted the responsibility of each IW leader – each with unique perspectives and career paths – in thinking critically and proposing solutions to the challenges of today and tomorrow.
“We will equip each one of you with the tools, techniques, and knowledge to better prepare yourselves for the challenges ahead,” said Vernazza. “While you are here, I am tasking each of you to critically think critically, analyze and innovate. I need you to ask the hard questions along the way. Encourage collaboration within your groups. We must bring all voices into the conversation.”
Mr. Wes Latchford, NAVIFOR’s GRGB lead and a summit working group facilitator, emphasized how working through problem sets within the GRGB framework leads to driving solutions.
“GRGB is about taking ownership and fostering a culture where leaders – at all levels – aren’t afraid to ask the hard questions or confront uncomfortable truths,” said Latchford. “At this year’s summit, we worked to embed these principles into how the IW community tackles its challenges, ensuring that every leader walks away knowing how to use proven problem-solving tools to develop solutions for these problems over the coming months.”
In addition to a focus on problem-solving, the summit also reinforced the IW community’s commitment to developing and retaining talented Sailors and civilians. Leaders discussed key foundational issues, such as ongoing efforts to provide world-class training and career development opportunities, Sailor resiliency and mental health initiatives, 3M (Maintenance and Material Management) programs, and IW community updates from personnel and resources experts.
“We succeed because of our people,” Vernazza noted during a panel discussion. “Empowering our warfighters with the tools, training, and trust they need to act decisively is at the cornerstone of our strategy. This summit has reaffirmed our commitment to delivering results that enable our Navy to compete, deter, and win.”
NAVIFOR’s mission is to generate, directly and through our leadership of the IW Enterprise, agile and technically superior manned, trained, equipped, and certified combat-ready IW forces to ensure our Navy will decisively DETER, COMPETE, and WIN.
For more information on NAVIFOR, visit the command Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/NavalInformationForces/ or the public web page at https://www.navifor.usff.navy.mil.