The move would strengthen the JMSDF's response capabilities to integrated information warfare, especially in the cognitive dimension.
Most notably, the new reorganization process will abolish the current Fleet Intelligence Command (艦隊情報群), the only specialized intelligence unit in the JMSDF.
The move came as part of a major organizational restructuring of the JMSDF. As Naval News reported last week, the JMSDF also plans to form new “Fleet Surface Force” (水上艦隊) by abolishing its well-known Fleet Escort Force (護衛艦隊) and the Mine Warfare Force (掃海隊群).
On September 3, a former JMSDF captain and ship commander told Naval News, “The centralization of the Information Warfare units is groundbreaking.”
The MoD explained that the purpose of this reorganization as follows:
“In order to strengthen response capabilities to information warfare, including in the cognitive domain, and to establish a system capable of rapid decision-making, the JMSDF will reorganize and consolidate organizations that have information-related functions and capabilities and will form a new ‘Fleet Information Warfare.’”
The JMSDF’s new information warfare task force is not expected to have any vessels or aircraft, and its establishment was stated in the Defense Buildup Program approved by the Japanese government in December 2022.
The specific details of the restructuring plan are as follows:
Currently, there are four major information operations units in the JMSDF.
The first two are the Fleet Intelligence Command and the Oceanography ASW Support Command (海洋業務・対潜支援群) under the Self Defense Fleet (自衛艦隊) of the JMSDF
In addition to these two, there are also Guard Post (警備所) under five Districts (地方隊) and Communications Command (システム通信隊群) under the direct control of the Japanese defense minister.
All these four will be consolidated into the new Fleet Information Warfare, which will have an equal status to the Self-Defense Fleet.
Then, the Fleet Information Warfare will be composed of Operational Intelligence Group (作戦情報群) and Cyber Defense Group (サイバー防護群).
Kenji Yoshinaga, a former intelligence officer in the JMSDF, told Naval News on September 6 that the Fleet Information Warfare is modeled on the U.S. Fleet Cyber Command/U.S. 10th Fleet.
Yoshinaga said that in addition to operational intelligence (OPINTEL), which was the Fleet Intelligence Command’s mission to grasp and analyze the movements of enemy forces, it will be responsible for a wide range of information warfare that combines acoustic intelligence (ACINT), such as submarine sound signature analysis, cyber warfare, electronic warfare, and C4ISR.
In other words, an organization that can be said to be the brains of the JMSDF will be born, which will grasp the movements of enemies and allies and the operational domain, he pointed out.
Yoshinaga also focuses on the Japanese name of Fleet Information Warfare, which is 情報作戦集団.
Since it has the word “集団” or fleet in English in the name, it can be seen as a Task Force of the same rank as the JMSDF’s major commands, that is, the upcoming Fleet Surface Force (its budget requested for FY2025), Fleet Submarine Force, and Fleet Air Force. Therefore, it is possible that the commander of the Fleet Information Warfare will be an admiral, who will come from the Ominato Regional Command, located in Mutsu City, Aomori Prefecture. The command will be abolished at the end of FY2024, according to Yoshinaga.
In preparation for the new formation of the new IW organization, the JMSDF conducted the first-ever joint Japan-U.S. IW training during the fiscal year 2021. In addition, in 2023, in order to improve the morale of IW personnel, an “information warfare badge (insignia)” modeled after the US Navy’s IW badge was established. In May 2024, the Self Defense Fleet announced Japan, the U.S., and Australia have signed the memorandum of the Trilateral Maritime Information Warfare Cooperation.
