Strategic Mobility For The Future CSC 1993 SUBJECT AREA - Strategic Issues EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Title: Strategic Mobility for the Future Author: Major William L. Nichols, U.S. Air Force Thesis: The reality for the future is a smaller, predominantly continental United States (CONUS)-based American military that retains global responsibilities and depends on improved strategic mobility to resolve regional conflicts wherever they occur. Airlift, sealift, and prepositioning are complementary and synergistic -- we must improve all three. Background: Economic and political realities mean that fewer American troops will be based overseas, but a policy of "forward presence" will remain essential to our national security strategy. As the U.S. reduces forward-stationed forces and increases reliance on mobile forces based in the CONUS, the importance of strategic mobility is magnified. The strategic mobility forces we have today are extremely important and capable, but can they operate in the future global security environment? Do we have enough "lift"? We will have enough lift if we buy the additional mobility assets recommended in the Mobility Requirements Study (MRS). Recommendations: As a minimum, the U.S. should purchase 120 C-17s and 20 large, medium-speed roll-on-roll-off vessels to ensure rapid and effective employment of military power in the future. Strategic Mobility for the Future OUTLINE Thesis: The reality for the future is a smaller, predominantly CONUS-based American military that retains global res- ponsibilities and depends on improved strategic mobility to resolve regional conflicts wherever they occur. Air- lift, sealift, and prepositioning are complementary and synergistic -- we must improve all three. I. Importance of Strategic Mobility in our National Defense II. Strategic Mobility Forces A. Airlift 1. Capabilities 2. Limitations B. Sealift 1. Capabilities 2. Limitations C. Prepositioning l. Capabilities 2. Limitations III. Mobility Force Requirements IV. Modernizing for Future Challenges Strategic Mobility for the Future World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Operation Just Cause, Operation Desert Shield/Storm, and the Somalian humanitarian mission have one common denominator: American troops fighting outside of the United States, deployed and sustained by strategic mobility forces. Where will our next threat occur? How will our new president react to future national security challenges? We do not have the answers to these questions. What we do know is that, regardless of how or where our leadership responds, strategic mobility forces will play a critical role in any future military operations. The new administration's only actions to date concerning the military are to push for further cuts in the defense budget and to provide token humanitarian assistance in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Soviet Union has been relegated to the history books, pieces of the crumbled Berlin Wall can be found in souvenir stores, and the Warsaw Pact is a fading memory. The demise of the Soviet Union and the Soviet empire changed our defense planning from a global to a regional defense strategy. Unfortunately, the world is not necessarily a safer place in which to live. Regional instabilities and ethnic strife are not on the decline. Until President Clinton clarifies his visions of a structure and purpose for the U.S. military in the post-Cold War world, we must plan for uncertainty. In today's changing world, the only certainty is uncertainty. Instead of preparing for the threat of a global conflict against a hostile superpower, U.S. forces must be ready for a wider range of contingencies in more diverse regions of the world. While there are many questions about the type of threat we will face, military challenges to our nation's interests will probably occur in distant locations overseas. Economic and political realities mean that fewer American troops will be based overseas, but a policy of "forward presence" will remain essential to our national security strategy. As the U.S. reduces forward-stationed forces and increases reliance on mobile forces based in the continental United States (CONUS), the importance of strategic mobility is magnified. Airlift, sealift, and prepositioning are the foundations of the strategic mobility triad. The three components are inter- dependent, each offering a differing mix of speed, capacity, and flexibility. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, but all three suffer from a chronic shortage of assets. Improving one element of the mobility triad while ignoring the other two is not the answer. An integrated approach that increases and improves capability in all three strategic mobility elements is the solution. Airlift assets have been in demand since World War II. Warfighting Commanders-in-Chief (CINCs) traditionally want their combat forces in place "yesterday." Tomorrow is not soon enough. On August 8, 1990, approximately 72 hours after President Bush ordered U.S. forces to the Persian Gulf, military and commercial passenger aircraft arrived in Saudi Arabia with American troops. (19:47) At the height of the initial surge, more than 124 strategic airlift C-5, C-141, KC-10, and Civil Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) aircraft were landing in the desert each day -- that is one airplane every 11 minutes. (19:53) Over the duration of Operation Desert Shield/Storm, strategic airlift pilots flew over 15,000 sorties, delivering more than 500,000 passengers and 513,000 tons of cargo to Saudi Arabia. (1:194) Additionally, tactical airlift C-130s moved over 209,000 people and 300,000 tons of cargo to and from forward positions in the Persian Gulf theater. (1:194) During General Norman Schwarzkopf's strategic flanking move (the "Hail Mary pass"), C-130s were landing at unimproved forward airstrips every 10 minutes, 24 hours a day, for two weeks. (19:53) The Persian Gulf troop and materiel deployment was impressive. General Hansford T. Johnson, Commander-in-Chief of the U.S. Transportation Command, described it best when he said, "No nation in history has ever moved so much, so fast, so far." (4:94) However, if Saddam Hussein had invaded Saudi Arabia in the summer of 1990, U.S. forces would have been hard-pressed to quickly defeat the Iraqi invaders. The Desert Shield/Storm buildup took seven months, required the commitment of virtually all U.S. strategic airlift aircraft, and prompted activation of the CRAF for the first time in history. Additionally, a month into Operation Desert Shield, the Military Airlift Command had to extend the 30-day maximum flying time accumulation limits from 125 to 150 flight-hours in order to keep the C-5 aircrews "legally" flying. This extension helped temporarily; however, by February 1991 many C-5 pilots reached the non-waiverable, 90-day limit of 330 flying hours and had to stand down. (18:52) Flying hour requirements and limited number of available airplanes are not the only problems facing airlift, however. The current USAF aircraft inventory is another concern. C-5s and C-141s bear the brunt of the strategic (inter- theater) airlift mission, while C-130s handle tactical (intra- theater) airlift requirements. Only the C-5 can carry outsized cargo such as Patriot missile launchers, Apache helicopters, and the M-1 Abrams main battle tank. (2:18) It can carry heavy payloads (291,000 pounds maximum) for a long range. The C-5's range is unlimited with aerial refueling; without in-flight refueling, it is 3500 miles with 172,000 pounds. (7:96) However, it is restricted to hard-surfaced runways 6000 feet long by 150 feet wide during peacetime and 5000 feet long by 90 feet wide during wartime. (17:16) Also, the C-5's size and lack of on-the- ground maneuverability limit cargo throughput for a given amount of ramp space. Only three C-5s can load or offload on a 500,000- square-foot ramp area with a single entry point and planned ground time for the loading/off loading is three hours and fifteen minutes. (20:18) Like the C-5, the C-141 has some serious limitations. It can carry medium payloads (89,000 pounds maximum) for a long range. The C-141's range is unlimited with aerial refueling; without in- flight refueling, it is 2000 miles with 89,000 pounds. (20:16) It has the same runway restrictions (6000 feet - peacetime/5000 feet - wartime) as the C-5. The real concern is the age of the C-141: an average of 25 years. (20:31) It was originally designed for 30,000 flying hours, but after decades of service, the average C-141 already has flown more than 32,000 hours. (17:12) C-141's are currently undergoing an overhaul designed to make them last 45,000 hours, but because of accel-erated wear during the Persian Gulf War, many will be approaching the 45,000- hour mark in fiscal year 1997. The USAF had planned to keep using them until the year 2010. According to a December 1992 General Accounting Office report, the C-141 fleet is currently operating under several altitude and operational restrictions because of cracks in six different areas of the aircraft. (11:20) These restrictions limit how high they can fly and how much they can carry. Also, approximately one-fifth (55) of the C-141 fleet is in depot maintenance now and will remain there for 250 days to repair the cracks. Normal depot main-tenance time is 150 days. (9) The restrictions and increased maintenance time mean less available strategic airlift for CINCs. The venerable C-130 easily operates from 3000-foot landing strips and uses relatively little ramp space, but carries light payloads (50,000 pounds maximum) and flies almost 200 miles-per- hour slower than the C-5 or C-141. (7:96) Also, it has a short range (1800 miles with 50,000 pounds of cargo) since it is not aerial refuelable. Like the C-141, the C-130 is an old aircraft (average age is 22 years) and many are scheduled for retirement in the next five years. (20:31) KC-10s and CRAF aircraft provide CINCs with additional strategic lift, but with some limitations. The KC-10 can transport 169,000 pounds of cargo for an unrefueled range of 3800 miles. (21:50) However, it is incapable of carrying outsized equipment. Additionally, the cargo door is high on the side of the aircraft which requires expensive special military-handling equipment and results in significantly longer loading/unloading times. Wide-body CRAF aircraft have many of the same disadvan- tages as the KC-10. The high cargo deck (typically about 16 feet off the ground), small doors, and insufficient cargo floor strength limit their ability to carry roll-on/roll-off cargo and necessary firepower equipment. Also, CRAF aircraft are not aerial refuelable and, like KC-10s, cannot operate from small, austere airfields. (17:11) C-5s, C-141s, C-130s, KC-10s, and CRAF aircraft constitute the current airlift mobility force. Despite their limitations, they perform their mission well. The successful Persian Gulf War is a testament to their global reach. However, the U.S. needs a new aircraft now to meet our strategic mobility requirements and the USAF plans to buy C-17s to replace the aging fleet of C-141s. The C-17 (christened as the Globemaster III) incorporates the best features of the older C-5, C-141, and C-130 "airlifters" along with updated technology. As the commander of Air Mobility Command, General Ronald R. Fogleman has said, "The C-17 merges into one airframe what the Air Mobility Command now has to do with two or three different airframes." (15:11) It combines the advantages of the C-5 (range, speed, aerial refueling, payload, and outsized cargo capability) with those of the C-130 (surviva- bility, short airfield capability, maneuverability, and airdrop capability). The C-17 Globemaster III can transport 160,000 pounds of cargo for an unrefueled range of 2400 miles and land (with a reduced payload) at an austere airfield with a 3000-foot runway. (16:12) The design features which enable the C-17 to operate into and out of short runways are powered-lift technology, beefed-up landing gear, and head-up displays (HUDs). The use of powered lift is based on an externally blown flaps system. With this system, flaps are lowered and placed directly in the engine's exhaust stream which increases lift. (17:15) Powered lift allows the C-17 to take off in very short distances and approach runways at a relatively slow airspeed and steep (5 degree) glide path. The landing gear is designed to handle landing sink rates of up to 15 feet per second while the HUD provides precise aimpoint control so the pilot can routinely land within 250 feet of a planned touchdown point. This compares to 750 feet either side of a planned touchdown point for C-5s/ C-141s. (20:18) Slow approach speeds, steep glide paths, and precise aimpoint control result in very short landing distances with very heavy cargo loads. Some other features include backing and ground maneuver- ability. When maneuvering on the ground, the C-17 can perform three point turns to reduce its turning radius. The C-130 and C-17 are the only two airlifters designed to back up in routine operations. Because of its backing capability and maneuver- ability, eight C-17s can be parked in a 500,000-square-foot ramp for loading and off loading compared to three C-5s or six C-141s. Planned ground time for loading/off loading the C-17 is two hours and fifteen minutes. (20:18) AIRLIFTER COMPARISONS PAYLOAD RANGE MINIMUM THROUHGPUT4 (MANIMUM) RUNWAY PER DAY LENGTH C-17 172,000 lbs 2400 NM1 3000 ft 4134 tons C-5 291,000 lbs 3700 NM1 5000 ft3 1529 tons C-141 89,000 lbs 2000 NM2 5000 ft3 1765 tons C-130 50,000 lbs 1800 NM2 3000 ft 1201 tons5 1 With 160,000lbs and without in-flight refueling 2 With maximum load and without in-flight refueling 3 Wartime restrictions 4 Maximum into a 500,000-sq-ft ramp area 5 Estimate TABLE 1 Table 1 compares the four airlifters. Because of its short- field capability, the C-17 will increase airfield access by approximately 300 percent worldwide. (8:4) Also, with more throughput capability than the other airlifters, the C-17 can deliver more combat power to the battlefield more quickly. In testimony to Congress, General Johnson noted that the C-17, if it had been available, could have provided General Schwarzkopf with twelve more fighter squadrons and two light infantry brigades in the first twelve days of Desert Shield. (19:53) Other C-17 performance advantages like enhanced survivability (beefed-up airframe, self-inerting fuel tank, separated and redundant systems) and full airdrop capability (including the Low Altitude Parachute Extraction System) add up to an aircraft that is unequaled by any airlifter in the world today. Like airlift, sealift forces played a big part in the Persian Gulf War success. Nearly 90% of all Operation Desert Shield/Storm cargo tonnage traveled by sealift. Ships delivered approximately 3000 troops, more than 3,100,000 tons of dry cargo, and nearly 12 billion pounds of fuel. There were 275 dry cargo ships employed in the operation (70 Ready Reserve Force (RRF) vessels, 8 Fast Sealift Ships (FSS), and 197 commercial ships (168 foreign flag) chartered from civilian carriers). (5:93) Sealift provides the volume of warfighting materiel that CINCs require. One dry cargo ship can carry the equivalent tonnage of approximately 2.5 days of airlift. (12:20) Though relatively slow when compared to airlift (transportation of military personnel and equipment via sealift is measured in days while airlift is measured in hours), sealift forces are still very responsive. The first FSS arrived in Saudi Arabia on 27 August, 1990, only 20 days after it was activated. (13:4) The Navy owns eight large Fast Sealift Ships. The FSS are roll-on-roll-off (RO/RO) ships capable of 33 knots. These eight ships can carry an entire U.S. Army armored or mechanized division from the CONUS east coast to Southwest Asia (8600 miles) in only 14 sailing days. (13:7) A single FSS can carry the equivalent of 180 C-5 loads. (9) The Ready Reserve Force consists of 96 ships maintained by the Maritime Administration to meet surge sealift requirements. The RRF includes breakbulk, barge, troop transport, tanker, and RO/RO ships. (14:6) The Persian Gulf deployment highlighted some deficiencies in the readiness of RRF ships. "Of the 78 RRF vessels that were called up, 74 (70 dry cargo ships and 4 tankers) actively participated in the operation. Of these, 57 ships were to have been ready in 5 days, 16 in 10 days, and l in 20 days. Twenty-two met their activation targets, with the median time from call-up to loading being 11 days." (5:93) Overall, the RRF performed well, delivering 22 percent of Persian Gulf War cargo. Sealift forces consist of both government-owned and commer- cial ships. Chartered commercial ships carried the greatest amount of sealift dry cargo (37 percent) during Operation Desert Shield/Storm. (5:93) Today, commercial trade is dominated by containerships, so RO/RO and breakbulk vessels are dwindling in number. We depend on commercial fleets to meet our sealift requirements; government-owned ships alone do not have the capacity. During the Korean War, the United States had more than 2400 dry cargo ships available for military use; during the Vietnam War there were approximately 1200 available vessels. Today there are less than 400. (12:21) The third leg of the mobility triad is prepositioning. Prepositioning can be either land-based or sea-based. Prepo- sitioning equipment at crucial overseas areas reduces movement requirements. However, land-based prepositioning is inflexible and requires wartime planners to correctly guess where the next conflict will take place. Prepositioning is also contingent on a favorable political climate in the host nation allowing stock- piling. Even if we knew where we would fight next, political and diplomatic considerations could prevent us from placing combat equipment in some areas. Currently, land-based prepositioning facilities are located in Europe (in support of Army units), Norway [supporting a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB)], and in Southwest Asia (providing support equipment and supplies for 750 aircraft). (6:101) Sea-based prepositioning is more flexible, but as with land- based stocking, it requires duplicate sets of equipment (an added expense) and effective airlift to marry-up forces arriving by air with the shipborne items. Additionally, not all combat equipment can be stored on ships. Helicopters, avionics equipment, and medical supplies are some items that do not fare well because of environmental control problems. The sea-based prepositioned forces include Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS) and Afloat Prepositioned Ships (APS). There are thirteen MPS ships, divided into three squadrons. There is one each located in the Indian Ocean (Diego Garcia), Pacific Ocean (Guam), and the Atlantic Ocean (U.S. East Coast). Each squadron is equipped with combat equipment and supplies to outfit a brigade-size force for 30 days. The squadrons are positioned so that they can reach almost any point in the world in four to fourteen days, depending on the distance they have to travel. (14:5) The Army and Air Force also store equipment and supplies on prepositioned ships. Twelve APS support the USA and USAF. Eleven of these ships are normally located at Diego Garcia and one is in the Mediterranean Sea. Evidence of the value of sea-based prepositioning was displayed in the Persian Gulf when the first Marine Air-Ground Task Force was combat ready and available to General Schwarzkopf on August 25 -- 18 days after the beginning of deployment. Prepositioned ships (including all 13 MPS and 8 APS vessels) provided 272,000 tons of equipment and ammunition, plus 18 million gallons of fuel for American troops in Operation Desert Shield/Storm. (5:93) The strategic mobility forces we have today are extremely important and capable, but can they operate in the future global security environment? Do we have enough "lift"? In an effort to determine future lift and power projection requirements, Congress (in 1991) directed the Department of Defense (DOD) to come up with an integrated mobility plan. The Mobility Requirements Study (MRS) is the end-product of the DOD study. The MRS looked at lift needs for fighting in many different parts of the world and analyzed threats, warning time, and the degree of allied support. A principal conclusion of the study was that the U.S. should spend more on mobility assets. Specifically, the MRS authors said, "The uncertain and dangerous future world will require more capability than the United States possesses today to project a powerful force quickly to overseas crisis areas." (10:30) The study recommended programs to improve all mobility force elements. When (and if) the MRS-recommended programs are complete by 1999, the U.S. will have the ability to transport two army divisions, two MEBs, associated tactical fighter squadrons and their support to Europe in about 15 days. (10:32) For contingencies outside of Europe, mobility forces will be able to deploy about five Army divisions, a Marine Expeditionary Force, accompanying tactical fighter squadrons, naval forces and support units within about eight weeks. (5:97) The study acknowledged that, even with full implementation of MRS recommendations, the U.S. would not be able to handle two simultaneous crises without a substantial amount of "coercive requisitioning" of commercial shipping and full activation of the CRAF program. (10:31) The MRS suggested a mobility plan that is a moderate risk and medium-cost solution for modernizing our mobility forces to meet future challenges. (9) In the plan, land-based prepo- sitioning capability would remain at today's level, but the other mobility elements' capacity would increase. Congress must support this plan and approve the funding to buy all the assets outlined in the MRS. Under the sealift enhancement program described in the MRS, sealift will benefit from the procurement of 11 new large, medium-speed RO/RO vessels (LMSRs). The LMSRs will be capable of 24 knots and will add 3 million square feet to the current surge sealift capacity. (9) The new LMSRs, combined with the eight FSS, will enable the U.S. to ship two heavy Army divisions to any point in the world within 30 to 45 days. (6:102) Sea-based prepositioning capacity will increase by two million square feet with the DOD purchase of nine new LMSRs and two newly leased containerships. The additional prepositioned ships will provide initial equipment for at least an Army heavy brigade and support units. (6:103) The answer to the airlift shortfall is the C-17. That is not just a USAF opinion, it is the DOD's position. As Major General Fred E. Elam (Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics, Department of the Army) wrote, "The Army's airlift needs can be stated simply: The Army needs the C-17 transport." (8:4) The MRS recommends purchasing 120 C-17s. However, if the C-141s do not undergo another service life extension (beyond 45,000 hours) before the turn of the century, we will need to buy additional C-17s to offset the retirement of C-141s. What we do not need now are further delays by our leadership in funding the program. Congress has already cut C-17 production from eight planes to six in 1993, and from twelve to eight in 1994. Under President Clinton's budget-reduction plan, next year's C-17 production would fall to six. (3:3) Despite cost-overruns and delays, the C-17 flight test program is going well. At the end of January, 1993, the current fleet of five C-17s had flown 281 missions and logged 985 cumulative flight hours. (15:11) We must increase the production rate, not decrease it. We certainly cannot kill the C-17 program altogether as Representative Conyers, chairman of the House Government Operations Committee, has suggested. The MRS plans for mobility are expensive. The staff of the Senate Armed Services Committee estimated that the sealift improvement will cost $10 billion. Costs for the C-17 program are over $40 billion. The reality for the future is a smaller, predominantly CONUS-based American military that retains global responsibilities and depends on improved strategic mobility to resolve regional conflicts wherever they occur. Airlift, sealift, and prepositioning are complementary and synergistic -- we must improve all three. Can we afford to buy additional mobility forces? We can ill-afford not to. BlBLlOGRAPHY 1. Air Force Manual 1-1: Volume II. March 92. 2. "Air Mobility Command and the C-17." Editorial. Defense Transportation Journal September-October 92: 19. 3. Bird, Julie. "AF Hardware Faces Cuts in `94." Air Force Times 22 February 93: 3. 4. Bond, David F. "Troop and Materiel Deployment Missions Central Elements in Desert Storm Success." Aviation Week & Space Technology 22 April 91: 94. 5. Cheney, Dick. Annual Report to the President and the Congress - FY 92 February 92. 6. Cheney, Dick. Annual Report to the President and the Congress - FY 93 January 93. 7. Eichhorst, Lt. Col. Thomas E. 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