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The Libyan Crisis: Beyond “Bosnia ’96″
How the New Amphibious Ready Group Expands the President’s Options
By Robbin Laird
03/05/2011 - The
Libyan crisis is occurring in a period of challenges to the USAF and
USN’s ability to deliver capabilities useful to the President. Part of
the problem is the significant commitment of dwindling assets for use in
the region. Even though there are elements of this crisis which look
like 1996, President Obama has not nearly the assets President Clinton
had. Part of the problem is the relatively inflexible quality of those
assets. The USAF can line up its AWACS and air fleet to do “Bosnia
1996″, but given the constrained geography of the Middle East, this is a
major operation. The USN can move a carrier battle group to engage
Libya and support a no fly zone. And then there is the desire to move US
and allied airlift into the area to support humanitarian missions,
although that requires securing an airfield to execute the mission,
something only Special Forces or the USMC can do, either by seabasing or
air drop. But this requires air defense assets as well.
None of these are great options and each will be executed with a
deliberate Presidential decision, which will indicate to the Libyan
leadership a virtual act of war.
Fast forward to the newly configured USMC Amphibious Ready Group (ARG).
- The new ARG built around the LPD 17 has a larger deck to operate from, with modern C2 capabilities.
- The F-35B can be
launched as the picket fence operating on the border of Libya able to do
electronic warfare, C4ISR and preparation for kinetic or non-kinetic
strike.
- The CH-53K can take off from the amphibious ships and carry three times the cargo or passengers of a CH-53E.
- The USMC Ospreys can support insertion operations with speed and range.
The force can of course secure an
airfield for humanitarian airlift; the picket fence of the F-35s replace
the AWACs and can guide coalition airpower into Libyan airspace to
support agreed upon missions. The USAF does not need to move a large
air operation into place to send combat air; the USN does not need to
move a large aircraft carrier battle group into place to prepare to
strike Libya.
What the newly equipped ARG does is provide a significant shaping
function for the President. And this shaping function allows
significant flexibility and, is in fact, a redefinition of the dichotomy
between hard and soft power.
The USN-USMC amphibious team can provide for a wide-range of options for the President simply by being offshore, with 5th
generation aircraft capability on board which provides 360 situational
awareness, deep visibility over the air and ground space, and carrying
significant capability on board to empower a full spectrum force as
needed.
And if you add the LCS to the USN-USMC amphibious team you have even
more capability and more options. As a senior USMC MEU commander has
put it:
You’re sitting off the
coast, pick your country, doesn’t matter, you’re told okay, we’ve got to
do some shaping operations, we want to take and put some assets into
shore, they’re going to do some shaping work over here. LCS comes in,
very low profile platform. Operating off the shore, inserts these guys
in small boats that night. They infill, they go in, they’re doing their
mission.The LCS now sets up — it’s a gun platform. It’s a resupply,
refuel point for my Hueys and Cobras.
Now, these guys get in here, okay. High value targets been picked out,
there’s an F-35 that’s doing some other operations. These guys only
came with him and said hey, we have got a high value target, but if we
take him out, we will compromise our position. The F-35 goes roger, got
it painted, got it seen. This is what you’re seeing, this is what I’m
seeing. Okay. Kill the target. The guys on the ground never even know
what hit them.
In short, simply by completing the procurement of what the USN and
USMC are in the course of doing in a very short period, the nation gains
significant flexibility to deal with ambiguous strategic situations. US
Army Special Forces or USAF special operations Ospreys can be deployed
on the decks of the amphib force ready to do insertion operations. UAVs
can be launched off of the decks of the amphib force as well.
Simply by
completing the procurement of what the USN and USMC are in the course
of doing in a very short period, the nation gains significant
flexibility to deal with ambiguous strategic situations.
I couldn't say it better myself. Future operations with the gear that's due to come online soon will not lessen the danger but will make them more "do-able"...we're still capable-still formidable, but the effort to carry out these wide ranging missions will strain current systems.
The F-35, Upgrades to the AAV and upcoming ACV...the LCS...CH-53K...further development of the MV-22B and systems coming online with our sister services should hold us in good stead.
