By MC2 Michael Ehrlich

Commander, Naval Surface Forces Vice Adm. Thomas S. Rowden is debriefed on an NPS distributed lethality wargame in Glasgow Hall, March 8. Distributed lethality is a concept of naval warfare strategy championed by Rowden that increases the offensive power of the surface fleet while distributing those ships in nimble, dispersed groups.

"Distributed lethality is the condition gained by increasing the offensive power of individual components of the surface force … and then employing them in dispersed offensive formations," Rowden noted in a recent Proceedings article on the concept. "It is the motive force behind offensive sea control."

Rowden also met with Associate Professor Dr. Nita Shattuck and her crew endurance team to discuss the impact of sleep on readiness, and how to convert more of the surface warfare community onto a circadian watch bill. In a recent warfighting serial message to the surface warfare community, Rowden described sleep as "critical … to peak personal readiness to train and fight."

"Fatigue has measureable negative effects on readiness, effectiveness and safety. After a day without sleep, human performance drops to dangerously ineffective levels," the message continued. "Recognizing the unique rigors and irregular hours that our mission often demands, we can do more to safeguard this necessary component of individual readiness."