Joint Interagency Multinational Sea-Based Logistics Platforms

U.S. national security depends in part on the Nation's ability to respond effectively to disasters, both at home and abroad. Recent responses have relied heavily on airlift, commercial and military, and U.S. Navy surface combatants. The per-ton cost of airlift is vastly more expensive than sealift and the operating costs of a Navy combatant can be as much as 20 times that of a strategic sealift ship. Still, planners virtually ignore sealift capabilities for disaster response. This paper examines a concept to utilize national strategic sealift assets to provide Geographic Combatant Commanders with dedicated sea-based logistics platforms to support theater engagement activities including but not limited to humanitarian and civic assistance (HCA) and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HA/DR) operations. Other benefits of this program would include improved coordination among responders, ultimately reduced dependence on the military, and -- with the platforms prepositioned in theater - the strategic messaging of American "humanitarian power projection."

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