U.S. Navy Fighting Instructions with the Chief of Naval Operations

Why It Matters

Codell’s fighting instructions promise a faster, more flexible Navy that can meet multiple global crises simultaneously, reshaping defense budgeting and force readiness for the next decade.

Key Takeaways

• Navy adopts "tailored forces" to meet specific combatant needs
• Fighting Instructions emphasize mobility, unmanned integration, and risk‑taking
• Goal: 80% of ships combat‑surge ready beyond traditional 36‑month cycle
• New task‑list uses AI to assign accountable officers for implementation
• Hybrid fleet concept replaced by “tailored forces and offsets” terminology

Summary

The video features Admiral Daryl Codell, the Chief of Naval Operations, outlining his newly released “fighting instructions,” a strategic framework that reshapes how the U.S. Navy generates and fields forces. Codell stresses a shift from the legacy 36‑month force‑generation conveyor belt toward “tailored forces and offsets,” leveraging the Navy’s unique mobility and unmanned capabilities to meet specific combatant‑commander problems worldwide.

Key insights include the drive to make 80 percent of the fleet combat‑surge ready, integrating robotic and autonomous systems into manned platforms, and accepting calculated risk to break the traditional, parochial force‑generation process. An AI‑derived task list now assigns single points of accountability for each instruction, ensuring rapid implementation across maintenance, training, and certification pipelines. The approach also aligns budget submissions with the Navy’s differentiated value to the joint force.

Notable moments feature Codell’s “yes, yes, and yes” response to fleet feedback, his rejection of the simplistic “hybrid fleet” label, and the use of Southcom as a test‑bed for new force packages such as LCS‑based staging bases. He cites collaboration with industry and think‑tanks, highlighting how the Navy’s strategic document mirrors corporate value‑proposition models rather than traditional pillar diagrams.

The implications are profound: a more agile, surge‑capable fleet could reduce deployment gaps, improve joint‑force integration, and justify future shipbuilding and unmanned‑system investments. By redefining force generation, the Navy aims to sustain global maritime dominance while navigating constrained ship‑building capacity and rising operational tempo.

Original Description

Please join the CSIS Defense and Security Department (DSD) and the U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) on Tuesday, March 31 from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET for a Maritime Security Dialogue event featuring Admiral Daryl Caudle, 34th Chief of Naval Operations.

Admiral Caudle will sit down with Rear Admiral Raymond A. Spicer, USN (Ret.), chief executive officer and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute, to discuss the future direction of the U.S. Navy. Kari Bingen, Director, CSIS Aerospace Security Project, will offer opening remarks.

The Maritime Security Dialogue series brings together CSIS and the U.S. Naval Institute, two of the nation's most respected non-partisan institutions. The series highlights the unique challenges facing the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard from national level maritime policy to naval concept development and program design. Given budgetary challenges, technological opportunities, and ongoing strategic adjustments, the nature and employment of U.S. maritime forces are likely to undergo significant change over the next ten to fifteen years. The Maritime Security Dialogue provides an unmatched forum for discussion of these issues with the nation's maritime leaders.

This event is made possible by support from HII.

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