The Navy’s Latest Is Not a Plan, Not a Strategy, and Not Fighting Instructions

The U.S. Chief of Naval Operations' new "Fighting Instructions" is critiqued as an aspirational institutional vision rather than a functional strategy or plan. The document fails to provide the concrete direction, prioritization, and resource commitments necessary to guide naval force planning for war. It is faulted for not confronting the Navy's immediate material and readiness crises, avoiding necessary strategic tradeoffs, and lacking specific force structure objectives. Ultimately, these structural omissions prevent the document from imposing the material direction required to prepare the Navy for conflict against a defined adversary.