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Department of the Navy Policy Paper
"...From the Sea" Update
FORCE SUSTAINMENT "...FROM THE SEA"               
May 1993
 
     Tomorrow's Navy and Marine Corps team will continue to be
called upon to deploy throughout the world to promote and preserve
important U.S. National Security interests.  Force sustainment --
the comprehensive and responsive logistics support system that
includes air and sealift, replenishment ships, mobile repair
facilities, and advanced logistics support hubs -- underpins the
ability of Naval Expeditionary Forces to operate locally,
worldwide.  Furthermore, this ability to move and sustain naval
and other U.S. forces at great distances from our shores will
become even more crucial as we reduce our overseas base structure
in response to post-Cold War realities.
 
     "...From the Sea", the Navy and Marine Corps White Paper,
outlines a new strategic direction for naval forces in the 21st
Century.  This new direction responds to requirements for naval
forces to be strategically positioned in important regional
littoral areas of the world, both as representatives of national
policy in peacetime and as lead elements of national and
collective international response to crises, and to enable and
sustain larger joint or combined military operations when
necessary.  The ability to sustain ourselves on-scene, for
extended periods in important regions where U.S. security
interests are affected, provides America with the opportunity to
shape the environment without undo dependence on the support of
local foreign governments.
 
     Better than any other nation, the United States has
effectively extended its strategic frontiers far away from
American shores, onto the shores of foreign countries.  Force
sustainment gives us the ability to preserve the security that
distant frontiers provide, and the ability to bridge that distance
at-will when security interests dictate.  U.S. Naval Forces are
alone among the Navies of the world in their ability to conduct
sustained, extended-range maritime operations.  This capability is
provided through:
 
     -- Transportation of personnel, equipment, and supplies in
support of naval operations.
 
     -- Strategic sealift, afloat prepositioning, and supporting
systems to enable joint and combined operations for the theater
commander.
 
     -- Combat Logistics Force ships capable of providing the full
range of logistics required by the fleet.
 
     -- Maintenance, repair, shipboard inventories of repair
parts, salvage, and supportive services.
 
     -- Engineering support to facilitate initial contingency
operations by forces and sustainment of follow-on operations by
joint and combined forces.
 
     -- Forward logistics support capability, including extensive
transportation channels which provide long term replenishment
capability.
 
     -- Protection of shipping by maintaining sea lines of
communication.
 
INITIAL FLEET SUSTAINMENT
 
     A typical deployed naval expeditionary force has in its
storerooms enough spare parts and consumables to last for over 60
days; enough food to feed the force for 45 days; and enough
ammunition to conduct both offensive and defensive operations.
Also, accompanying most battle groups are Combat Logistic Force
(CLF) ships, carrying a full range of combat stores, including
fuel.  The fuel and ammunition on these ships will sustain the
battle group for about 30 days, depending on the tempo of
operations.
 
EXTENDED FLEET SUSTAINMENT                                       
 
     The combination of Combat Logistic Force ships, the backbone
of on-station resupply for naval forces, plus over 22
strategically-located, world-wide fuel-storage sites, gives the
U.S. Navy the ability to remain on-station as long as required.
Combat Logistic Force ships are capable of providing the full
range of logistics required by the fleet such as fuel (20 to 30
days), ordnance (scenario dependent), food (75 days), spare parts
(90 days), and a wide range of services (salvage, towing, repair,
maintenance, diving and fire fighting).  These Combat Logistic
Force ships are usually strategically located or deployed to react
to the needs of the fleet.  Fleet oilers, for instance, shuttle
fuel from fuel storage sites back to the battle group, and can
resupply individual units of the battle group, as well as any
accompanying combat stores ship.  This ability to sustain itself
indefinitely, anywhere in the world, enables the projection of
U.S. influence worldwide.
 
     Navy capabilities often make it the first force on scene in
the event of potential crises.  Navy sustainment capability
provides the flexibility for the commander to increase or decrease
force as the situation dictates.
 
SUSTAINMENT OF JOINT LITTORAL OPERATIONS                         
 
     "...From The Sea" also recognizes the shift in national
strategy from a global threat focus to one of regional threats.
This shift places far greater emphasis on joint and combined
operations to which the Navy and Marine Corps provide
indispensable and unique capabilities.  Even in this new
environment however, one precept of naval planning for force
sustainment remains constant:  adequate lift to support the
defense strategy must be available.
 
     This new emphasis highlights the traditional Navy sealift
role in support of the Army and Air Force.  Sealift provided 95
percent of all equipment and supplies during Desert Storm and
Desert Shield.  Sufficient strategic sealift assets are required
to support both afloat prepositioning near expected areas of
conflict and the surge combat and support equipment from
continental United States.  This ability to move massive amounts
of sustainment is crucial to the new Navy and Marine Corps
strategy.  These ships provide the lift capability to sustain
joint ground forces through the duration of their operation.
 
     The support of Marine Corps operations is accomplished by
three Maritime Prepositioning Ship (MPS) squadrons totaling 13
ships.  After amphibious assault ships and their Marine Corps
complements project forces ashore to secure beach heads and air
heads, these MPS units deliver critical equipment.  Each MPS
squadron carries the equipment and supplies necessary to sustain
the first-ashore brigade-sized Marine Air-Ground Task Force
(MAGTF) for up to 30 days in a combat environment.  Naval
Construction Force (Seabee) elements are also assigned to the
Marine Air-Ground Task Force to support engineer requirements.
These capabilities pave the way for deploying ground forces and
sustaining them in action.  Secure points of debarkation are vital
to projecting forces ashore.  Through these points must move the
plethora of equipment and supplies which sustain the ground
troops.
 
     The Navy logistics system also provides support ashore in the
form of Advance Logistic Support Sites.  These sites provide
in-theater services such as cargo handling for air and surface
lift, storage material handling support and additional Seabee
elements for engineer requirements at the port/airfield or inland
distribution points.
 
CONCLUSION
 
     Force sustainment empowers Naval Forces to remain on station
for as long as required and to be supported independent of land
bases; thereby, providing the U.S. with its most effective means
for influence and power projection.  A key operational capability,
force sustainment enables the Navy and Marine Corps team to
concentrate on littoral warfare and maneuver from the sea.
Clearly, this maritime capability is particularly well suited for
our nation's forward engagement and crisis response missions that
are articulated in the National Military Strategy.
                               -USN-