Updated June 26, 2024
Defense Primer: Navy Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO)
Concept
Introduction
• Using resilient communication links and networking
Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) is the operating
technologies to knit the resulting widely dispersed force
concept of the Department of the Navy (or DON, which
of manned and unmanned ships and aircraft into a
includes the Navy and Marine Corps) for using U.S. naval
coordinated battle force that can withstand and adapt to
(i.e., Navy and Marine Corps) forces in combat operations
enemy attacks on Navy communications and networks.
against an adversary, particularly China, that has substantial
capabilities for detecting and attacking U.S. Navy surface
One observer writing about DMO (see Filipoff in the Other
ships with anti-ship missiles and other weapons. An issue
Resources box below) states that “[Navy] explanations of
for Congress is whether Congress has sufficient information
DMO contain several defining traits that have consistently
about DMO to assess its merits, and whether DON has
featured in the Navy’s public definitions of the concept.
adequately aligned its programs and budget with DMO.
They include the massing and convergence of fires from
distributed forces, complicating adversary targeting and
Terminology: Operating Concept
decision-making, and networking effects across platforms
An operating concept is a general idea for how to use
and domains.”
certain military forces (in this case, U.S. naval forces) to
conduct operations, particularly in combat situations. An
Other U.S. Military Service
operating concept can support the implementation of a
Operating Concepts
strategy or war plan for fighting a specific conflict, and the
Other U.S. military services have operating concepts for
tactics used by individual military units (such as Navy ships
conducting their own operations in potential future
and aircraft) can reflect an operating concept.
conflicts. The Air Force concept is Agile Combat
Employment (ACE), and the Army concept is Multi-
DMO: A Brief Description
Domain Operations (MDO). Within DON, the Marine
A 2022 document from the Chief of Naval Operations
Corps has a concept called Expeditionary Advanced Base
refers to DMO as “the Navy’s foundational operating
Operations (EABO) that is complementary to DMO. The
concept” (Chief of Naval Operations, Navigation Plan
services’ operating concepts have certain elements in
2022, p. 8). DON has not released a detailed unclassified
common, including increased use of unmanned systems and
description of DMO. Statements by DON officials indicate
the use of communications and networking technology to
that a key aim of DMO is to improve the ability of U.S.
knit dispersed units together into coordinated battle forces.
naval forces to counter China’s maritime anti-access/area-
For more on these concepts, see the CRS Products box
denial (A2/AD) systems (i.e., its capabilities for detecting
below.
and attacking U.S. Navy surface ships and aircraft) and
thereby permit U.S. naval forces to operate effectively
Some Navy Acquisition Programs
during a conflict with China in waters that are within range
Associated with DMO
of China’s A2/AD systems. Key features of DMO appear to
Some examples of Navy acquisition programs that appear
include the following:
associated with DMO include the following:
• Dispersing Navy units over a larger area within the
• Programs for acquiring longer-ranged weapons, such as
theater of operations, so as to make it harder for an
the Maritime Strike Tomahawk (a new anti-ship variant
adversary to detect and target Navy units, while still
of the Tomahawk cruise missile) and the Long-Range
permitting Navy units to support one another and
Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM).
concentrate their fires on adversary targets.
• The Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV), which is
• Spreading the Navy’s sensors and weapons across a
to be equipped with a Vertical Launch System (VLS) for
wider array of ships and aircraft, so as to reduce the
storing and firing anti-ship missiles and other weapons.
fraction of the Navy’s sensors and weapons that would
LUSVs are intended to act as adjunct missile magazines
be lost due to the destruction of any one Navy ship or
for manned Navy surface combatants.
aircraft (i.e., avoid “putting too many eggs into one
basket”).
• The Medium Unmanned Surface Vessel (MUSV),
which is to be equipped with radars or other sensors.
• Making greater use of longer-ranged weapons,
MUSVs are intended to help form a distributed sensor
unmanned vessels, and unmanned aircraft in support of
network for supporting Navy operations.
the previous two points.
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Defense Primer: Navy Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) Concept
• The light replenishment oiler (TAOL) shipbuilding
or arming Littoral Combat Ships (LCSs) with missiles
program for building a new class of smaller oilers.
that have longer ranges than the missiles that LCSs
TAOLs are intended to enhance the Navy’s ability to
currently carry. What are the relative merits of these
provide fuel and supplies to Navy ships that are
proposals?
operating in a more distributed manner across a wider
sea area.
CRS Products
• The Medium Landing Ship (LSM) program for building
CRS In Focus IF11409, Defense Primer: Army Multi-Domain
a class of smaller amphibious ships. The LSM program
Operations (MDO), by Andrew Feickert.
is central to implementing EABO.
CRS In Focus IF12694, Defense Primer: Agile Combat
Employment (ACE) Concept, by Sarah Gee and Luke A.
For more on some of these programs, see the CRS Products
Nicastro.
box below.
CRS Report RL33153, China Naval Modernization: Implications
Potential Issues for Congress
for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress,
by Ronald O'Rourke. (This report discusses China’s maritime
Potential oversight issues for Congress regarding DMO
A2/AD systems.)
include but are not necessarily limited to the following:
CRS Report R45757, Navy Large Unmanned Surface and
• Does Congress have adequate information from the
Undersea Vehicles: Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald
Navy about DMO to assess its merits? Has the Navy
O'Rourke. (This report discusses the LUSV and MUSV
provided Congress a classified report describing DMO
programs.)
in detail? Should the Navy release an unclassified
CRS In Focus IF11674, Navy Light Replenishment Oiler (TAOL)
description of DMO?
(Previously Next-Generation Logistics Ship [NGLS]) Program:
Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke.
• What analyses did the Navy conduct that led to the
CRS Report R46374, Navy Medium Landing Ship (LSM)
Navy’s adoption of DMO as its foundational operating
(Previously Light Amphibious Warship [LAW]) Program:
concept? To what degree have these analyses been
Background and Issues for Congress, by Ronald O'Rourke. (This
confirmed by Navy exercises?
report discusses both the LSM program and the EABO
concept.)
• Is DMO adequately coordinated with the Air Force’s
ACE concept and the Army’s MDO concept? What

steps are the services taking to coordinate their
concepts?
Other Resources
Joslyn Fleming, Bradley Martin, Fabian Vil alobos, and Emily
• Are DON budgets and programs adequately aligned
Yoder, Naval Logistics in Contested Environments, RAND, RRA-
with DMO? Does Congress have sufficient information
1921-1, 2024, 55 pp.
about DMO to assess this question? What implications
Dmitry Filipoff, “Fighting DMO, Pt. 1: Defining Distributed
might DMO have for Navy shipbuilding and weapon
Maritime Operations and the Future of Naval Warfare,”
acquisition programs and associated industrial bases?
Center for International Maritime Security (CIMSEC),
•
February 23, 2023. (Part 1 of a 10-part series on DMO.)
To what degree might the Navy’s ability to implement
Harlan Ullman, “Are There Flaws in the US Navy’s
DMO be constrained over the next 5 to 10 years by
Distributed Maritime Operations?” Defense News, January 23,
limits on the number of long-range weapons in the
Navy’s inventory? Under curren
2023.
t Navy plans for
procuring new weapons, how quickly would any such
Tom Clarity, “Distribute DMO to Tactical Commanders,” U.S.
constraints be eased?
Naval Institute Proceedings, January 2023.
Bryan McGrath, “Carrier Air Power Is Essential to Distributed
• What are the technical challenges and risks of the
Maritime Operations,” 19FortyFive, July 25, 2022.
communications and networking technology needed for
Robbin Laird, “Working Synergy Between DMO and Agile
DMO? Does DMO adequately account for the
Combat Employment: The Logistics Dimension,” Defense.info,
possibility of wartime degradation in the network due to
July 15, 2022.
enemy attacks?
Edward Lundquist, “DMO Is Navy’s Operational Approach to
•
Winning the High-End Fight at Sea,” Seapower, February 2,
One observer writing about DMO (see Filipoff in the
2021.
Other Resources box at the end of this In Focus) states:
“Warfighting concepts can be abused, acting as little
Kevin Eyer and Steve McJessy, “Operationalizing Distributed
more than bumper stickers attached to initiatives in
Maritime Operations,” CIMSEC, March 5, 2019.
service of preconceived interests.” How much risk is
there of this occurring with DMO?

• To help implement DMO, some observers have
Ronald O'Rourke, Specialist in Naval Affairs
suggested adding missile batteries to ships that currently
do not have them, such as amphibious or auxiliary ships,
IF12599
https://crsreports.congress.gov

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Defense Primer: Navy Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO) Concept


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https://crsreports.congress.gov | IF12599 · VERSION 3 · UPDATED

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