Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems
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| Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems | |
|---|---|
| Unit name | Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems |
| Country | United States |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Garrison | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Role | Acquisition and sustainment |
| Commander1 label | Program Executive Officer |
Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems is an acquisition organization within the United States Department of Defense focused on delivering combat systems for surface, subsurface, and expeditionary platforms. It integrates sensors, weapons, command-and-control, and survivability systems for platforms including Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, Virginia-class submarines, Littoral Combat Ships, and amphibious vessels. The office interfaces with program managers, industry primes, and warfare community stakeholders in support of fleet modernization and sustainment efforts.
Overview
PEO Integrated Warfare Systems serves as a life-cycle manager for integrated combat systems that include radar, sonar, electronic warfare, fire control, and combat management systems. It supports interoperability with programs such as Aegis, AN/SPY-1, SPY-6 family sensors, and weapon systems like the Standard Missile series and Tomahawk. The office collaborates with acquisition organizations including Naval Sea Systems Command, Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Program Executive Office, Unmanned and Small Combatants to ensure common standards across platforms such as DDG 51, LCS, and San Antonio-class vessels.
History and Organizational Development
The PEO emerged from post-Cold War consolidation of systems integration functions within Naval Sea Systems Command and the Naval Surface Warfare Center enterprise. Organizational changes were influenced by acquisition reforms in the Clinton administration and legislative actions associated with the Packard Commission reforms and Goldwater-Nichols Act. The development of the Aegis Combat System during the late 1970s and programs such as Cooperative Engagement Capability set precedents for system-of-systems integration. Over time, initiatives like the Ship Self Defense System and multi-mission radars drove structural evolution aligned with the Defense Acquisition System and milestones defined by the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment.
Mission and Responsibilities
The office’s mission encompasses requirements definition, systems engineering, integration, testing, production, installation, and sustainment of integrated warfare capabilities for platforms operated by the United States Navy and allied navies. Responsibilities include delivering capability increments driven by threat assessments from organizations such as the Office of Naval Intelligence, compliance with statutes enforced by the Government Accountability Office and coordination with the Joint Chiefs of Staff for joint interoperability. The PEO must align technical roadmaps with doctrine promulgated by Fleet Forces Command, United States Pacific Fleet, and allied command structures such as NATO maritime authorities.
Major Programs and Systems
Major portfolios under the office include integrated combat systems and their constituent subsystems: - Combat management and Aegis family initiatives linking to Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense and SPY-6(V) Multifunction Radar development. - Fire control and missile integration for Standard Missile variants, ESSM, and integration with Mk 41 VLS. - Anti-submarine warfare suites including towed arrays derived from AN/SQQ-89 and sonar upgrades supporting Virginia-class submarine collaboration efforts. - Electronic warfare and signal processing efforts tied to programs like SLQ-32 modernization and integration with Electronic attack capabilities. - Command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance integration linked to Cooperative Engagement Capability and Link 16 networking. These systems interface with shipbuilding efforts at yards such as Huntington Ingalls Industries, Bath Iron Works, and General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Organizational Structure and Leadership
The PEO comprises Program Managers (PMs) responsible for discrete portfolios reporting to the Program Executive Officer, who in turn answers to milestones and guidance from the Secretary of the Navy. PM offices align with directorates focused on systems engineering, test and evaluation, logistics, and business financial management. Leadership frequently includes senior executives drawn from Naval Reactors transfers, civilian senior acquisition professionals certified under the Defense Acquisition Workforce Improvement Act, and flag officers with operational experience from commands such as Carrier Strike Group staffs.
Partnerships and Contracting
Partnerships span defense primes, small business contractors, federally funded research and development centers like Naval Research Laboratory, academic partners including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, and international partners within NATO and allied navies such as the Royal Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force. Contracting vehicles include Other Transaction Authorities, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts with companies like Raytheon Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and systems integrators. The office engages with Defense Innovation Unit initiatives and Small Business Innovation Research participants to accelerate technologies such as integrated sensors and combat algorithms.
Challenges and Future Priorities
Key challenges include managing software-intensive system-of-systems integration, cyber resilience aligned with United States Cyber Command expectations, sustainment of legacy systems, and cost and schedule pressures scrutinized by the Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office. Future priorities emphasize modular open systems architectures championed by initiatives from the Office of Naval Research, integration of advanced sensors like the SPY-6 family, and accelerated adoption of artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques advanced by Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and Navy AI Task Force. Interoperability with allied networks and the transition to distributed maritime operations concepts driven by Chief of Naval Operations guidance remain central to the office’s roadmap.