{"id":11731,"date":"2026-02-16T16:54:52","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:54:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/?p=11731"},"modified":"2026-02-17T14:51:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T19:51:34","slug":"carahsoft-the-top-5-insights-from-afcea-west-blog-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/carahsoft-the-top-5-insights-from-afcea-west-blog-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top 5 Insights from AFCEA West 2026\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Naval leaders gathered at&nbsp;Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.westconference.org\/West26\/Public\/Enter.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - AFCEA\">(AFCEA)&nbsp;West&nbsp;Conference<\/a>&nbsp;delivered a clear message: the sea services are undergoing their most significant transformation in decades to meet an increasingly complex threat environment.&nbsp;Admiral Daryl Caudle,&nbsp;Chief of Naval Operations&#8217;&nbsp;(CNO)&nbsp;emphasis on achieving 80% combat surge readiness to the Marine Corps&#8217; accelerated force design modernization, the discussions revealed the Navy and Marine Corps are fundamentally rethinking how they train, equip and fight as an integrated force.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conversations that unfolded across multiple panel sessions&nbsp;painted a comprehensive picture of both the challenges facing the sea services and the innovative solutions being implemented to address them, from generating readiness across all domains to resourcing maritime dominance and integrating emerging technologies.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are the five key insights that&nbsp;will&nbsp;guide the future of maritime superiority.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Achieving 80% Combat Surge Readiness Requires Foundational Investment in People and Platforms&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2025\" height=\"1337\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-2025x1337.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11738\" style=\"width:403px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-2025x1337.jpg 2025w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-300x198.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-768x507.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-1536x1014.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-2048x1352.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-640x423.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-3-454x300.jpg 454w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2025px) 100vw, 2025px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The&nbsp;CNO&nbsp;established&nbsp;\u201c80% combat surge&nbsp;ready\u201d&nbsp;as the&nbsp;target resiliency metric. This&nbsp;threshold&nbsp;is&nbsp;designed to ensure the Navy can execute and provide desired outcomes during relative peace while&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;capacity to surge when needed.&nbsp;In&nbsp;the&nbsp;panel titled \u201cGenerating Readiness Across All Domains,\u201d&nbsp;Commander Naval Surface Forces&nbsp;Vice Admiral Brendan&nbsp;McLean&nbsp;spoke&nbsp;with several naval leaders and&nbsp;emphasized&nbsp;that&nbsp;if the fleet struggles now during peacetime operations, the challenges will become insurmountable when conflict begins.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This combat&nbsp;surge&nbsp;readiness target&nbsp;represents&nbsp;more than a numerical goal; it reflects a fundamental shift in how the Navy approaches fleet generation. The foundry concept places&nbsp;Sailors&nbsp;first, recognizing that the most important weapon system&nbsp;remains&nbsp;the individual&nbsp;Sailor&nbsp;or Marine and their ingenuity,&nbsp;toughness&nbsp;and capabilities. Training must focus on developing mastery and self-sustainment rather than simply checking qualification boxes&nbsp;\u2013 we must train like&nbsp;we\u2019re&nbsp;going to fight.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Achieving this readiness level demands addressing critical infrastructure challenges, particularly in maintenance and sustainment. Supply chain effectiveness&nbsp;emerged&nbsp;as another critical factor. Submarine forces, for example, have driven gross effectiveness and net effectiveness metrics up 40% in two years by improving configuration change processes, conducting enhanced&nbsp;audits&nbsp;and working with&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.navsup.navy.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - NAVSUP\">Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP)<\/a>&nbsp;to overcome bureaucratic barriers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Force Design Modernization Accelerates Lethal Capabilities to the Tactical Edge&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"600\" height=\"380\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-Carahsoft.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11739\" style=\"width:373px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-Carahsoft.jpg 600w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-Carahsoft-300x190.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-Carahsoft-474x300.jpg 474w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Force design&nbsp;represents&nbsp;a fundamental rethinking of Marine formations and employment concepts. The Marine Littoral Regiments&nbsp;(MLR)&nbsp;and Marine Expeditionary Units&nbsp;(MEU)&nbsp;are designed as inherently dispersed, mobile units with lower signatures that complicate adversary targeting. These formations create hard-to-hit postures that enable forces to persist in contested environments, strengthening&nbsp;the&nbsp;entire naval force.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Force design&nbsp;remains&nbsp;a journey rather than a destination, characterized by continuous learning and adaptation. Marine Corps leaders described how early force design decisions around infantry battalions have evolved through experimentation and wargaming, building resiliency back into formations while incorporating small unmanned aerial systems and other emerging technologies. The ability to&nbsp;operate&nbsp;from austere locations ashore through Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations&nbsp;(EABO)&nbsp;supports Distributed Maritime Operations&nbsp;(DMO)&nbsp;by creating multiple dilemmas for adversaries unsure&nbsp;of&nbsp;where the next threat will&nbsp;emerge.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Information Dominance Powers Decision Advantage in Contested Environments&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Post-WEST-Blog_Embedded-Blog.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11736\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Post-WEST-Blog_Embedded-Blog.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Post-WEST-Blog_Embedded-Blog-150x150.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Information warfare capabilities and the ability to make decisions faster than adversaries define success in contested maritime operations. As information warfare leaders emphasized, the side that wins&nbsp;is&nbsp;the side able to decide and act fastest, and&nbsp;the commander who generates and&nbsp;maintains&nbsp;tempo puts the adversary on the defensive.&nbsp;The Maritime Operations Center (MOC)&nbsp;emerged&nbsp;as a critical node for generating this&nbsp;decision&nbsp;advantage. With responsibility for battlespace awareness, integrated fires and assured&nbsp;Command and&nbsp;Control&nbsp;(C2), MOCs are evolving beyond traditional command centers to become dynamic fusion centers that&nbsp;leverage&nbsp;multiple sensors, shooters and&nbsp;C2 nodes across all domains.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/solve\/ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - AI\">Artificial intelligence&nbsp;(AI)<\/a>&nbsp;is&nbsp;transforming how information flows into operational decisions.&nbsp;Leaders described AI not as a replacement for human judgment, but as a battle&nbsp;partner&nbsp;that&nbsp;curates&nbsp;vast amounts of data and presents options to decision&nbsp;makers.&nbsp;Technology experts such as&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/alteryx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - Alteryx\">Alteryx<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/crowdstrike\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - CrowdStrike\">CrowdStrike<\/a>,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/quantum\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - Quantum\">Quantum<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/regscale\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - RegScale\">RegScale<\/a>&nbsp;understand&nbsp;that&nbsp;the most valuable contribution of AI to defense will be&nbsp;to help&nbsp;human beings make better,&nbsp;faster&nbsp;and&nbsp;more precise decisions,&nbsp;especially in combat,&nbsp;where decision&nbsp;makers often face overwhelming volumes of conflicting data.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Building information dominance requires cultural transformation around information sharing. Leaders acknowledged the tension between traditional need-to-know restrictions and the imperative to create truly data-centric environments where information flows seamlessly to support distributed operations. The challenge extends beyond technology to include standards, governance and trust frameworks that enable sharing intelligence and operations synchronization in real time across services, combatant&nbsp;commands&nbsp;and coalition partners.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Distributed Maritime Operations Demands Seamless Blue-Green Integration&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2025\" height=\"1355\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-2025x1355.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11740\" style=\"width:384px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-2025x1355.jpg 2025w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-300x201.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-768x514.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-1536x1028.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-2048x1371.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-640x428.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-4-448x300.jpg 448w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2025px) 100vw, 2025px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The integration of Navy and Marine Corps forces for&nbsp;DMOs&nbsp;represents&nbsp;the operational approach designed to counter adversary anti-access&nbsp;and&nbsp;area denial strategies in contested environments. As fleet commanders emphasized, this integration creates exponential expansion in capability rather than simple force multiplication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One Marine Expeditionary Force&#8217;s&nbsp;(MEF)&nbsp;integration with Third Fleet&nbsp;demonstrates&nbsp;how this concept translates to operational reality. The ability to&nbsp;operate&nbsp;small,&nbsp;dispersed&nbsp;and mobile formations from austere locations ashore&nbsp;forces adversaries into complex dilemmas.&nbsp;Additionally, Marine aviation provides critical enabling functions that tie distributed&nbsp;operations&nbsp;together, such as&nbsp;Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), electronic warfare, aviation ground&nbsp;support&nbsp;and more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Training infrastructure must evolve to support this level of integration. The Surface and Mine Warfighting Development Center&nbsp;(SMWDC)&nbsp;now conducts Information Warfare Advanced Team Training integrated with Surface Warfare Advanced Tactical Training (SWAT) events, bringing Warfare Tactics Instructors&nbsp;(WTI)&nbsp;together with Strike Warfare teams to refine tactics, techniques and procedures based on operational lessons learned.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">5. Industry Partnership at Speed Accelerates Innovation to Operational Forces&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2025\" height=\"1208\" src=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-2025x1208.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-11741\" style=\"width:358px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-2025x1208.jpg 2025w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-300x179.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-768x458.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-1536x916.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-2048x1222.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-640x382.jpg 640w, https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AFCEA-5-500x298.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2025px) 100vw, 2025px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The Red Sea operations&nbsp;demonstrated&nbsp;how&nbsp;Government,&nbsp;industry&nbsp;and&nbsp;laboratory partnerships&nbsp;operating&nbsp;at unprecedented speed can deliver operational&nbsp;advantage. What previously required a month to analyze engagement data, develop software&nbsp;updates&nbsp;and deploy improvements to ships was compressed to two days.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Naval leaders issued clear guidance to industry on critical capability gaps. Obsolescence management&nbsp;emerged&nbsp;as a priority challenge, and&nbsp;industry partners who must&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;expertise&nbsp;will be critical.&nbsp;Open architecture and intellectual property access would enable faster adaptation to provide products when and where needed without waiting for single suppliers.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The newly established Naval Rapid Capabilities Office&nbsp;(NRCO)&nbsp;demonstrates&nbsp;institutional commitment to accelerating innovation. Within three months of establishment, the office has inducted six to seven systems.&nbsp;The process emphasizes demoing and testing rather than lengthy development cycles&nbsp;and&nbsp;getting capabilities into operator hands for evaluation before scaling production.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/markets\/defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - Carahsoft\">Carahsoft<\/a>, The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider\u2122 excels&nbsp;at&nbsp;achieving rapid delivery through our partner&nbsp;vendors.&nbsp;We connect naval commands with industry partners specializing in open architecture systems, AI-driven analytics, cybersecurity&nbsp;solutions&nbsp;and emerging technologies that address critical capability gaps.&nbsp;Our&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/buy\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - Carahsoft Buy\">established contract vehicles<\/a>&nbsp;streamline&nbsp;procurement timelines, enabling defense organizations to move from requirement identification to deployment at the&nbsp;speed&nbsp;operations&nbsp;demand&nbsp;to support mission-critical modernization efforts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Charting the Course for Maritime Dominance&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>AFCEA West 2026 reinforced that sustained maritime dominance requires synchronized progress across people, platforms,&nbsp;concepts&nbsp;and partnerships. The Navy and Marine Corps are not simply&nbsp;acquiring&nbsp;new technologies;&nbsp;they are fundamentally transforming how they organize, train and fight as an integrated naval force prepared for high-end conflict.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The 80% combat surge readiness target, accelerated force design fielding, information warfare integration, distributed maritime operations and industry collaboration at speed represent interconnected elements of a comprehensive modernization strategy. Success depends on&nbsp;maintaining&nbsp;focus on foundational capabilities, such as&nbsp;trained&nbsp;Sailors and Marines,&nbsp;maintained&nbsp;platforms, resilient&nbsp;networks&nbsp;and proven tactics,&nbsp;while rapidly integrating emerging technologies that provide decision advantage.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Carahsoft, The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider\u2122, continues supporting defense modernization, the insights from AFCEA West 2026 inform how industry can best partner with the sea services to deliver the capabilities&nbsp;required&nbsp;for maritime superiority in an era of great power competition.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Explore&nbsp;Carahsoft&#8217;s&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/markets\/defense\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - Bottom CTA\"><strong><em>Defense&nbsp;Technology portfolio<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>&nbsp;of&nbsp;leading solutions that support naval modernization priorities including&nbsp;AI, cybersecurity, cloud infrastructure and advanced analytics.<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><em>Contact&nbsp;us at&nbsp;(888) 662-2724&nbsp;or&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><a href=\"mailto:%20NavyInc@carahsoft.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" data-track=\"AFCEA West Blog 2026 - Bottom CTA 2\"><strong><em>NavyInc@carahsoft.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a><strong><em>&nbsp;to discuss how Carahsoft&#8217;s technology partners can support your mission requirements.<\/em><\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<p><head><meta name=\"url\" property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/blog\/carahsoft-the-top-5-insights-from-afcea-west-blog-2026\"><\/head><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Naval leaders gathered at&nbsp;Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association&nbsp;(AFCEA)&nbsp;West&nbsp;Conference&nbsp;delivered a clear message: the sea services are undergoing their most significant transformation in decades to meet an increasingly complex threat environment.&nbsp;Admiral Daryl Caudle,&nbsp;Chief of Naval Operations&#8217;&nbsp;(CNO)&nbsp;emphasis on achieving 80% combat surge &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carahsoft.com\/wordpress\/carahsoft-the-top-5-insights-from-afcea-west-blog-2026\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":11752,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[574,1248,1590],"tags":[1673,605,545,1661,1470,1442,1342],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Top 5 Insights from AFCEA West 2026\u00a0| Carahsoft<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Explore key insights from AFCEA West as naval leaders drive transformation to boost readiness, integrate tech and 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