Will the Military Sealift Become Our Achilles Heel?

Abstract

The declining merchant marine force, both ships and mariners, is creating a vulnerability to our nation's military sealift capability. A survey of the sealift requirements and capability presently available to the Military Sealift Command is conducted, followed by a review of successes seen and deficiencies evidenced in Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Long range limitations in the need for surge capability and mariners are discussed with present programs to correct these problems. Key areas that military staffs must consider in planning for another possible emergency in the future are delineated, with strict caution toward the logistic uniqueness of Desert Shield; e.g. availability of POL, no attrition, outstanding infrastructure, and international cooperation.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 20, 1991
Accession Number
ADA240640

Entities

People

  • Robert E. Houser

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Cargo Ships
  • Deployment
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Law
  • Lessons Learned
  • Logistics
  • Maritime Industry
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Personnel Management
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Shipping
  • Transport Ships
  • Transportation
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Readers

  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.