Can the USMC Support Bulk Liquids Requirements in a Ship to Objective Maneuver Environment? CSC 1998 Subject Area - Logistics EXECUTIVE SUMMERY Title: Can the USMC Support Bulk Liquids Requirements in a Ship to Objective Maneuver Environment? Author: Major Niel E. Nelson, United States Marine Corps Thesis: Supply, specifically bulk liquids, will be the lynch pin that cripples the STOM concept’s ability to adequately address how logistics support will be rendered to the combat elements. Discussion: Operational Maneuver from the Sea’s implementing concept of Ship to Objective Maneuver is dependent on a sea based logistic concept to support it. Bulk liquids will be one of the major logistics requirements needed by the Ground Combat Element during operations ashore. Traditional methods of near shore off loading and logistics dumps ashore will no longer exist. Ship to Objective Maneuver scenarios will most likely be resupplied by air. New innovative ways to support the Ground Combat Element must be conceived, tested, procured and implemented, if this concept is going to work. Not yet determined is the size and composition of the Ground Combat Element. Personnel and equipment will both require a minimum daily supply of bulk liquids. This day of supply will be directly competing for aircraft availability with other classes of supply that the Ground Combat Elements need for maneuver. Currently, the USMC does not possess a credible fly in bulk liquids capability that will work within the Ship to Objective Maneuver scenario. Adding to this lack of capability is a requirements system that has yet to produce a requirement or revalidate an existing one to support Ship to Objective Maneuver. This void in new direction has required the Marine Corps procurement process to continue buying to the old standard. Some of the procurement programs currently underway, such as the Expanded Capability Vehicle, have the potential to be part of the Ship to Objective Maneuver logistics solution, but need a requirement to direct it. Conclusion: As the concept refinement process is underway with Ship to Objective Maneuver, parallel efforts must be made to create or revalidate Operational Requirements Documents to drive the acquisition cycle. These requirements, implemented now, will allow the USMC to take advantage of advances in interdependent logistical areas such as containerization and transportation. i Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 1998 2. REPORT TYPE 00-00-1998 to 00-00-1998 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Can the USMC Support Bulk Liquids Requirements in a Ship to 5b. GRANT NUMBER Objective Maneuver Environment? 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION United States Marine Corps, Command and Staff College,Marine Corps REPORT NUMBER University,2076 South Street, Marine Corps Combat Dev Command,Quantico,VA,22134-5068 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 39 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 CONTENTS Page CONTENTS............................................... I TABLES/FIGURES......................................... III BACKGROUND............................................. 1 ASSUMPTIONS............................................ 3 INTRODUCTION........................................... 4 Logistic Support for STOM......................... 7 Seabased Logistics................................ 17 Current Concepts.................................. 16 CURRENT BULK LIQUIDS CAPABILITIES...................... 19 US Marine Corps................................... 19 US Navy........................................... 21 FUTURE CAPABILITIES ................................... 23 AAAV.............................................. 23 MV-22............................................. 24 DAY OF SUPPLY REQUIREMENT.............................. 25 SUPPORTABILITY SHORTFALLS.............................. 25 CURRENT BULK LIQUIDS ACQUISITION PROCESS............... 26 POM CYCLE.............................................. 29 POSSIBLE SUPPORT DIRECTION............................. 30 Containers........................................ 30 Heavy High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle.. 32 PERSONNEL SUPPORT FOR BULK LIQUIDS IN STOM............. 33 Forward Logistics Element......................... 33 i i CONCLUSION............................................. 33 BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................... 35 TABLES/FIGURES Page ii i Figure 1, Operational Maneuver from the Sea family of Concepts......................................... 1 Figure 2, Ship to Objective Maneuver Visual Layout ........ 7 Table 1, Surface Assault Force, Notional Battalion Landing Team.............................................. 8 Table 2, Vertical Assault Force, Notional Battalion Landing Team.............................................. 9 Table 3, Daily Bulk Liquids Sustainment Requirements....... 10 Table 4, MV-22 Sortie Required for Bulk Liquids Sustainment 11 Table 5, Characteristics of Assault Shipping for Seabasing. 21 Table 6, Current Bulk Liquids Acquisition Programs......... 28 iv BACKGROUND The U. S. Marine Corps capstone concept, Operational Maneuver from the Sea (OMFTS), implements the Naval concepts of maneuver and projection of Naval forces into the littorals.1 It guides the Marine Corps by focusing on the operational objective and uses the sea as a maneuver space to generate overwhelming tempo and momentum. It is designed to impose our will upon the enemy. To help implement this concept, figure 1 depicts key supporting concepts, based on OMFTS, that will shape the Marine Corps’ vision about how it will fight in the future.2 Figure 1 OMFTS STOM COMP C2 SOA OEO MOUT INFO OPS MPF 2010 FORCE RIVERINE ADV EXP PROTECT OPS FIRES ANTI- ARMOR SEABASED SEABASED NLW MCM FIRES LOGISTICS Joint Concept Naval Concepts Three concepts will shape how the Marine Corps will conduct logistics in the future. The first concept is Ship to Objective 1U.S. Marine Corps Combat Development Command (MCCDC), A Concept for Marine Air-Ground Task Force Logistics (Quantico, Va: MCCDC, June 1997), 1. 2LTGEN John E Rhodes, USMC, “Every Marine an Innovator,” Marine Corps Gazette, (January 1998): 40-41. 1 Maneuver (STOM). STOM depicts how the maneuver element will proceed directly from ships at sea to the objective area, without the operational pause caused by a build up of logistics ashore. The second concept is Maritime Prepositioning Force 2010 and beyond. The third, Naval Seabased Logistics, has yet to be approved. These concepts demonstrate how the Navy and Marine Corps team will sustain itself and provide a “sea” base of logistics for the maneuver force. Current Marine Corps acquisition programs like the MV-22 Osprey Tilt Rotor Aircraft (CH-46 medium lift helicopter replacement) and the Advanced Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAAV) (Amphibious Assault Vehicle replacement) are designed to provide the technology that will help implement these concepts. From a Marine Corps sustainment viewpoint, the delivery of many of the standard logistics staples such as ammo, fuel, water and rations are not well covered within the current scope of the Marine Corps acquisition programs. Discussion, experimentation and procurement of new hardware is still required. The many related papers on OMFTS have expended countless pages on explanations and diagrams showing how the maneuver force will move from over-the-horizon to its objective area. however, there is little discussion on how this maneuver force will be supported from the sea. The OMFTS, STOM and Seabased Logistics concepts challenge the Marine Corps to provide adequate and timely logistics support for the Marine Air-Ground Task Force 2 (MAGTF).3 Even with full implementation of these concepts Marines will still require basic logistics support; However, they will not be hindered by a build-up phase that establishes large quantities of supplies ashore. Traditional combat service support functions will need to be provided from a seabase. One of the larger challenges and a potential show-stopper for the maneuver force is bulk liquids sustainment, this includes water and fuel. The Marine Corps has not addressed this issue adequately and faces significant shortcomings in its ability to provide bulk liquids support to future MAGTFs. ASSUMPTIONS This paper will assume the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory will be successful in conducting a series of warfighting experiments aimed at identifying the appropriate size of a STOM Ground Combat Element, along with doctrine, training, equipment and support requirements. The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory does not have a existing position on what the Ground Combat Element will look like in the future. This paper will assume that a STOM Ground Combat Element, in the 2015 time frame, will be a Battalion Landing Team.4 The paper also envisions the successful fielding of the MV-22, the AAAV, and a suitable seabasing concept for the combat service support element. 3MCCDC, A Concept for Marine Air-Ground Task Force Logistics, 10. 4Maj Chris Yunkers, Project Officer at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Electronic mail interview by author, 5 February 1998. 3 Technological advances such as total asset visibility will also have been achieved. INTRODUCTION It has been three years since the aforementioned concepts were introduced but we have still do not have a “workable” concept to support forces ashore from the sea. Supply, specifically bulk liquids, will be the lynch pin that cripples the STOM concept’s ability to adequately address how logistics support will be rendered to the combat elements. A standard combat unit configuration for STOM must be decided upon to allow logisticians to devise a support plan. Additionally, the refueling of aircraft during STOM can be accomplished at the shipboard embarkation point, but the need for fuel and water ashore becomes essential as the scenario unfolds. The simplest way to support a combat unit is with a predetermined day of supply for fuel and water. This day of supply can be prepackaged in collapsible and reusable containers, flown to the objective site and distributed. Containerization of materials is not a new concept to the Marine Corps. The current containers with their associated equipment, are meant for present day requirements and do not fit into STOM’s vision. Developing a multifunctional container that is both compatible with the MV-22, the CH-53E and can be carried on a ground transport variant is critical for logistics sustainment in the future. 4 Adequately supplying the maneuver element, while allowing for its freedom of movement is critical. Supplies need to be tailored and packaged in such a way that their size is not a constraint. Limiting the amount of equipment with the maneuver element, coupled with increased fuel efficiency from new technologies, may decrease the need for fuel. However, the need for water will change as services such as laundry, hygiene, food preparation and medical are seabased. Only individual consumption demands will drive requirements needed ashore. Containerization of different liquids within the same container configuration, allows predictable ground force logistic plans. Bulk liquids must be considered when developing supportablity plans for maneuver elements in an over the horizon seabased environment. The scenarios will be based on notional units, i.e. Battalion Landing Teams, as the MAGTF’s maneuver elements. This maneuver force delivered by the MV-22 and CH-53E, to an inland objective will be called the vertical force. This maneuver elements’ mobility and firepower equipment capability will be limited by aircraft capability and sortie rates. The maneuver force delivered by a combination of the AAAV and Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), as well as the MV-22 and CH-53E will be called the surface force. This combined force has the ability to bring with it a greater complement of mobility, firepower and sustainment assets in support of the Ground Combat Element. 5