Foreign Flag Sealift: A Risky Business for The Combatant Commander

Abstract

It is important for the Combatant Commander of US Joint Forces to be able to project combat power wherever it is needed around the globe. Sealift, both from foreign flagged and American flagged merchant ships, plays a key role in meeting this power projection requirement. The purpose of this paper is to prove that foreign flagged sealift presents significant risks to the Combatant Commanders deployment mission during hostilities; however, these risks can be mitigated if the strategic lift assets are prudently managed during the deployment process. Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm as well as Operation Iraqi Freedom provide valuable lessons learned in the deployment process, where both foreign flag and US flag sealift, were used. This paper will explore ways to minimize the risks associated with utilizing foreign flagged ships for sealift as well as providing for some strategies that will also enhance the sealift fleet.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 14, 2005
Accession Number
ADA464333

Entities

People

  • Greg S. Thornton

Organizations

  • Naval War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Combatant Commanders
  • Command And Control
  • Commerce
  • Department Of Defense
  • Deployment
  • Force Protection
  • Governments
  • Iraqi-War
  • Lessons Learned
  • Logistics
  • Military Equipment
  • Second World War
  • Shipbuilding
  • United States
  • United States Transportation Command
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Strategic Security Studies