Navy chief sets intelligence reorganization

The Navy is combining the functions, personnel and resources of the currently separate intelligence and communications network operations into a large "information dominance" unit to improve the capabilities needed to prevail in the information age, according to the Navy's top officer.

The dramatic changes also will involve creation of a Navy Cyber Command, with the designation of 10th Fleet as the naval component of the emerging U.S. Cyber Command, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead said.

Roughead told a forum sponsored by the Center for Strategic and International Studies on Thursday evening that the reorganization will allow the Navy to "better equip, man and train" to meet the challenges of the information-centric world.

Vice Adm. David (Jack) Dorsett, the current director of naval intelligence, will take over the new organization, with the title of deputy CNO for Information Dominance, which will be known as N2/N6 for the Navy staff numbers for his position and the deputy CNO for Communications Networks.

The new office will be responsible for the "end-to-end planning, programming and resourcing" of the Navy's information capabilities.

Dorsett told reporters the combined organization will expand from the 44,000 Navy and civilian personnel in the separate units to about 45,000. Because the Navy is not adding personnel, that increase will come from other units and career fields, he said.

Dorsett said the funding for the new organization will be double the amount now going to the separate communities. The information dominance unit also will receive some of the funding now going to the Deputy CNO for Integration of Capabilities and Resources.

Although Dorsett could not give figures, that would be in the tens of billions of dollars. The shift and boost in funding is expected to be completed in fiscal 2012, he said.