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262 AUSTRALIAN MARITIME ISSUES 2006: SPC-A ANNUAL
bases provided by host nations or seized during initial lodgment have supported land
operations. However, the US sea base concept foresees that USMC troops operating
from the sea base will conduct initial seizure of an objective and be sustained for
20 days of operations. Second echelon troops will be flown to the sea base, equipped
and forwarded to the area of operations. In theory, sea-based units will no longer be
reliant upon the ‘iron mountain’ of supplies maintained in rear operational areas but
rather upon a complex network of ships, aircraft, lighterage and logistic management
systems to provide the logistic support required of modern warfare.
The sea-based force is still developing as a concept but the US Navy Transformation
Roadmap (a subordinate document to ‘Sea Power 21’) states that sea basing will provide
sustainable global projection. 3 While most medium powers see little need for the ability
to project power globally in a pure military sense, the basic elements of sea basing
will be necessarily common. These include large flight decks, extensive command and
control facilities, lighterage for onload / offload, enhanced cargo-handling equipment,
enhanced maintenance facilities, ammunition and stores, fuel and medical support
to name just a few.
The Components of the Sea Base
Most medium sized navies currently operate strategic sealift and amphibious ships of
varying sizes, however, these are generally limited to operating in commercial ports
or close inshore. For this reason, traditional amphibious forces are unable to meet the
stand-off requirement of the sea base. At this stage only the US is close to developing
the sea base concept into an operational reality. In 2008 the US will commission the
first of its Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) (MPF (F)) ships. These proposed
ships are over 1000 feet long, displace almost as much as a Nimitz class aircraft carrier,
can carry more than 6000 20-foot shipping containers and will cost an estimated
US $1.5 billion each. 4 These dimensions and price tag are far beyond the requirement
and budget of most medium sized navies.
One suggestion for the provision of sea basing is the use of chartered civilian vessels.
This system has been suggested to the USN by the Maesrk Line with an option to
convert existing merchant vessels for use as seabases, thus reducing the financial risk
to the chartering government. 5 However, many medium sized navies belong to nations
who have reduced their merchant fleets to a minimum level and would, generally, be
unable to charter a nationally flagged vessel to support military operations of the type
envisioned by the sea base concept.
Traditional amphibious units are loaded to enable assault waves to be discharged in
accordance with a tactical plan; once loaded it is usually impossible to manoeuvre loads
internally. During the Falklands War the British Amphibious Task Group was required
to unload and then tactically reload their equipment at Ascencion Island before sailing