Design Report Guided Missile Submarine SSG(X) - AOE - Virginia ...

SSG(X) Design – VT Team 3 Page 99
Appendix A - Mission Need Statement (MNS)
MISSION NEED STATEMENT
FOR A
COVERT MISSILE-LAUNCH PLATFORM
1. DEFENSE PLANNING GUIDANCE ELEMENT.
The Department of the Navy's 1992 white paper, "From the Sea", outlines a significant change in priorities from
a "Blue Water Navy fighting a traditional Super Power". The rapidly changing global political climate, and seven
major theater operations conducted over the following 22 months, prompted the Department of the Navy to publish
a revised white paper, "Forward from the Sea", in December 1994.
"Forward from the Sea" emphasizes the importance of action against aggression of regional powers at the
farthest points on the globe. Such action requires a rapid, flexible response to emergent crises which projects
decisive military power to protect vital U.S. interests (including economic interests), and defend friends and allies.
It states, "...the most important mission of naval forces in situations short of war is to be engaged in forward areas,
with the objectives of preventing conflicts and controlling crises". Naval forces have five fundamental and
enduring roles in support of the National Security Strategy: projection of power from sea to land, sea control and
maritime supremacy, strategic deterrence, strategic sealift, and forward naval presence.
Most recently, the Quadrennial Defense Review Report, the Department of the Navy’s whitepaper, “Naval
Transformational Roadmap”, and CNO’s “Sea Power 21” vision statement provide additional unclassified guidance
and clarification on current DoD and USN defense policies and priorities.
The Quadrennial Defense Review Report identifies six critical US military operational goals. These are: 1)
protecting critical bases of operations; 2) assuring information systems; 3) protecting and sustaining US forces while
defeating denial threats; 4) denying enemy sanctuary by persistent surveillance, 5) tracking and rapid engagement;
6) enhancing space systems; and 7) leveraging information technology.
The “Naval Transformational Roadmap” and “Sea Power 21” provide the US Navy’s plan to support these
goals including nine necessary warfighting capabilities in the areas of Sea Strike – strategic agility, maneuverability,
ISR, time-sensitive strikes; Sea Shield – project defense around allies, exploit control of seas, littoral sea control,
counter threats; and Sea Base – accelerated deployment & employment time, enhanced seaborne positioning of joint
assets.
This Mission Need Statement specifically addresses critical components of Sea Strike and Sea Shield
consistent with operational goals 1), 3), 4) and 5) of the Quadrennial Defense Review. While addressing these
capabilities, there is also a need to reduce cost, minimize personnel in harms way, prevent compromise of sensitive
technology, and prevent nuclear environmental incidents.
2. MISSION AND THREAT ANALYSIS.
a. Threat.
(1) The shift in emphasis from global Super Power conflict to numerous regional conflicts requires
increased flexibility to counter a variety of threat scenarios which may rapidly develop. Two distinct
classes of threats to U.S. national security interests exist:
(a) Threats from nations with either a superior military capability, or the demonstrated interest in
acquiring such a capability. Specific weapons systems that could be encountered include
ballistic missiles, land and surface launched cruise missiles, significant land based air assets
and submarines.
(b) Threats from smaller nations who support, promote, and perpetrate activities which
cause regional instabilities detrimental to international security and/or have the potential for
development of nuclear weapons. Specific weapon systems include diesel/electric submarines,
land-based air assets, and mines.
(2) Since many potentially unstable nations are located on or near geographically constrained bodies of
water, the tactical picture will be on smaller scales relative to open ocean warfare. Threats in such an
environment include: (1) technologically advanced weapons - cruise missiles like the Silkworm and