The Chief of Naval Operations’ recent strategy document, “A Design for Maintaining Maritime Superiority,” calls for the fleet to be agile and ready for high-end combat. With the return of great power competition and the potential for armed conflict with an adversary that possesses the tools of full-spectrum naval warfare, is today’s Combat Logistics Force (CLF) ready? Manned and operated by the Military Sealift Command (MSC), a federal civilian agency, the at-sea logistics force of replenishment ships represents a critical vulnerability for the Navy and its ability to conduct prompt and sustained combat operations at sea.
The vulnerability of the CLF comes from three sources: low inventory of ships, no means of self-defense beyond small arms, and operational limitations resulting from civilian manning.
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