It has been a long time since I considered myself an expert in the art of moving seamlessly from march column to a tactically sound position in an assembly area. But I like to remember we were highly proficient when I was in armor and armored cavalry units. Given a good advance party, properly reconnoitered and selected terrain, and the teamwork that comes from working together for a long time, we could move armored formations from point A to point B and flow almost ballet style off the route. After following guides and cues, we would be parked in the right location and ready within minutes for whatever the next event might be—meal, maintenance, commander's call, or an operations order.
Defining Fast Sea Transport
Now think of that same operation in different terms: point B is a fast sea transport (FST) and the next event is transit to a distant trouble spot to support national objectives. Roughly 75% of the world's population, more than 80% of the world's capital cities, and nearly all marketplaces for international trade are in the littorals-areas within 150 miles of the coast, characterized by large urban areas, well-populated coasts, and intersections of land and sea trade routes.
Just as the assembly area needs to be reconnoitered and selected properly—designed, if you will—so must the FST be properly designed. Rather than roll-on/roll-off ships or any of the generic workhorses that do many tasks slowly, I have in mind a fast ship that could move, for example, an Army M-1 tank battalion, fully organized with doctrinal attached and supporting units and supplies to fight for the designated number of days.
If the FST is configured correctly and its primary mission is to quickly embark the battalion and move it to the mission area, it should be able to have the battalion on board in hours, not days. The FST means to me a vessel that cruises at 50 knots. The United States has developed advanced hulls and power plants that make such a transport possible from an engineering standpoint. This kind of speed could get the battalion to almost any port city on earth just days beyond the 96-hour response goal established by the Army for airlifted units. The Army has not specified the timeline for getting its future interim brigades and the requisite number and type of aircraft linked up at the airport, but only that the brigade will be deployed anywhere in 96 hours from "wheels up."
Of course, the problem is not simple. Getting the tank battalion to a port where the FST can be berthed consumes time. And, as with airlifted units, planners must consider all the moving parts: mustering the necessary FSTs, linking bases with ports, staging units in accordance with embarkation plans, and many other critical details.
Should the Navy lead the FST project? As the Marine Corps found with maritime prepositioning, getting the Navy on board can be a challenge requiring great perserverance. Perhaps it should not be funded by a specific service or even the Department of Defense exclusively. After all, the FSTs are strictly transports; they would not provide fire support, sweep mines, or perform any combat task other than self-defense. The U.S. government could lease them from shipping firms. Civilian contractors support the Army's National Training Center, and Brown and Root Services support peacekeeping forces throughout the world.
Funding Alternatives
Between contingencies, there could be several alternative uses for the FST fleet. Even if they were only break-even propositions from the standpoint of costs, the fleet could be maintained and ready for military deployment on short notice. For example, if the sea transport industry could be convinced to use FSTs in lieu of commercial vessels, those ships and trained crews would be available for military use in crises. A ship that can carry 100 track vehicles can carry hundreds of autos and other cargo to Europe and Japan. Time is money in the commercial world and rapid transport would offer major advantages.
There might also be a tourist market. Living modules could be installed in tank stowage places and people could take fast rides to foreign ports and carry their autos or campers with them. Rapid international movement of perishable fruits and vegetables is yet another between-contingency market that could offset FST costs and operating expenses. When considering volume, small changes—time savings—can return an investment quickly. A study backed with firm data and business estimates would provide additional ways to economize the FST effort.
The Way Ahead
I have used the battalion as the sizing factor for the FST. That may not be the right size, but this is one of the tradeoffs to be made in an analysis of alternatives to determine how many FSTs it takes to move a brigade—the building block for the divisions the Army deploys for extended commitments. Potential sponsors for study and evaluation of the FST concept within the Quadrennial Defense Review process include the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Strategy, Executive Director of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, and Joint Forces Command.
If a rigorous assessment proves the fast sea transport concept to be feasible for Army responses to distant contingencies, its development has the potential to provide a critically needed boost to the U.S. shipbuilding industry and to spawn unimagined follow-on systems and platforms for fast commerce over great distances. As noted, time is money in the commercial world—time in the military world is options, outcomes, and lives.
General Childers is a program manager of joint and international weapons and concepts for American Systems Corporation in Dumfries, Virginia.