Download - Royal Australian Navy

172 australian maritime issues 2009: spc-a annual
Specific to the ADF’s requirement, as Australia’s POE has limited port and airfield
infrastructure to support the landing of heavy forces, sea basing will reduce the
challenge of deploying and sustaining forces within this area. 29 As the majority of
Australia’s population resides near the coast, and in view of the limited infrastructure
in many costal areas in the north, sea basing will be as advantageous for domestic
operations as it is for foreign operations. Arguably, the greatest benefit of sea basing
is that it improves logistical efficiency, including the provision of supplies, transport,
medical, and maintenance support. 30 Sea basing provides for more efficient storage,
repair and distribution of equipment and supplies. 31 Maintenance of aviation assets
afloat allows for a dedicated, secure and clean workspace with increased repair
capability that results in increased aircraft availability. 32 Similarly, dedicated equipment
and medical facilities allow for enhanced provision of medical support. All of these
benefits back the adoption of the sea basing concept as it supports current doctrine and
increases operational flexibility and efficiency. Unfortunately, even with these great
benefits, there are still some major drawbacks that must be considered.
The Drawbacks of Sea Basing
Depending on the scale of sea basing being considered, it can be prohibitively
expensive. The cost of specialised ships, the price of modifying systems and procuring
equipment to facilitate logistic delivery ashore, and the expense of procuring extra
land force equipment that can be pre-embarked on the ships could be a major barrier.
Specifically designed sea base logistic ships cost upwards of US$1 billion each. 33 On
top of this, extra rotary wing assets and landing craft would be required to fulfil a
dedicated just in time logistic function. Lastly, true sea basing requires pre-loaded
and pre-positioned ships necessitating the procurement of an extra brigade’s worth
of heavy armour, protected mobility vehicles, artillery and support equipment.
A second challenge to be overcome is the development of new doctrine and the
requirement to change military culture. A significant amount of time and staff
horsepower would be expended to re-write documentation, conduct experimentation
and to convince ADF personnel that sea basing enhances operational capability.
Finally, sea basing requires reliable and secure communications. Effective command
and control of troops ashore from onboard a ship and the management of just in
time logistic support from ship to shore and back, relies heavily on communications.
Should communications fail, even for a short period, effective C2, the timely supply
of ammunition, rations, spares and the quick response to medical cases would cease.