West 2026: CNO offers new ‘fighting instructions' as force framework

An MQ-9 is shown here operating with a littoral combat ship. The US Navy's new Fighting Instructions detail a future force combining disparate platforms. (US Navy)

The new ‘Fighting Instructions' released recently by Admiral Daryl Caudle, chief of naval operations (CNO), represent a framework for how the US Navy (USN) can be developed, structured, and sustained, Adm Caudle said on 10 February during a media roundtable at the West 2026 conference in San Diego, California.

Keeping that “framework” concept in mind, Adm Caudle noted he specifically did not mention some theatres or even certain platforms in his Fighting Instructions, which were released on 9 February, during his visit and speech at the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

For example, the term “Golden Fleet” – the description for the term of the proposed USN fleet of the future under President Donald Trump's administration – is not mentioned, Adm Caudle said.

Instead, the Fighting Instructions can provide an agnostic blueprint for USN forces to meet national requirements, according to the CNO.

The Fighting Instructions note the USN's adherence now to the “standard model” of readying forces.

“The standard model follows a deliberate cycle of maintenance, basic training, integrated training, certification, deployment, and sustainment, delivering continuous readiness of the fleet over time.”

However, “delayed maintenance, shore infrastructure erosion, or challenges innovating at speed can all be attributed to deviations from the standard model”, Adm Caudle's instructions noted.