Logistics, Logistics, Logistics: Can We Get the Army to the Fight?

Important question posed by David Larter ar Defense News The US Army is preparing to fight in Europe, but can it even get there?

The decline of U.S. surge capacity has been raising alarm bells in Washington as the National security structure comes to grips with facing dual threats from China and Russia, and has spurred efforts in Congress to try and get the Navy moving on a new class of logistics ship — also suggesting a look on the open market for used commercial ships to bridge the modernization gap.

But the list of issues the Ready Reserve Force faces in the meantime is ponderous. And solving them is going to mean the Navy, on the hook for the funding, will have to spend a lot of money on ships that largely stay in port during anything but national emergencies. This at a time that the Navy is trying to buy a new class of ballistic missile submarines, frigates and a new large surface combatant.

Shaking the dust off its long-range logistics plans has been a priority in the Army. A recent Navy report to Congress from March estimated that about 90 percent of all equipment used by the Army and Marine Corps in a major contingency would be transported by sea and the Army has been practicing moving large numbers of troops and equipment to Europe.

Go read it.

Not our first visit to this topic, see:
Warning Shot: "[T}he rapid depletion of the U.S. commercial fleet size" and a shortage of civilian mariners as threat to National Security

Sea Power Logistics: Fourth Arm of Defense:Sealift and Maritime Logistics in the Vietnam War by Salvatore R. Mercogliano and links therein.

Not Sexy But Important: "IG launches review of Military Sealift Command readiness problems"

Protecting the Military Sea Logistics Stream

and

Submarine Warfare Against Aircraft Carriers: Lessons the Chinese are Studying

Interesting piece by U.S. Naval War College Associate Professor Lyle J. Goldstein at The National Interest "How to Sink a U.S. Navy Carrier: China Turns to France For Ideas"

The revelation that a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier group could be so vulnerable to a nuclear submarine did not make the mainstream media, and no mention was made by the many attentive defense analysts on this site, so it seems. However, the Chinese defense media does not miss much, especially concerning the capabilities of U.S. Navy carrier groups. In fact, a special issue of 兵工科技 [Ordnance Industry Science and Technology] (2015, no. 8) covered this “event,” featuring an interview with Chinese Submarine Academy professor 迟国仓 [Chi Guocang] as its cover story under the title: “A Single Nuclear Submarine ‘Sinks’ Half of an Aircraft Carrier Battle Group.”

There are a whole bunch of caveats, but the need for strong U.S. anti-submarine warfare skills is certainly suggested by the article.

If it's not one thing, it's another: "Marine Life gets Drowned Out as Oceans get Noisier"

Ocean News and Technology reports: Marine Life gets Drowned Out as Oceans get Noisier:

Obviously, the seal never heard it coming . . .

Human-generated noise, predominately caused by shipping, has been rising since at least the 1960s in line with trends in global trade. Now researchers are concerned that this increased noise is masking vocal communication between marine mammals, such as whales and dolphins, limiting the range over which they can communicate.

In response to increased levels of noise in the oceans, recent research suggests that marine species may be changing their behaviour; something which could impact on individual survival and population levels.

And, of course, this add-on:

There is also growing evidence to support the idea that climate change will also impact noise levels in the oceans as much of the carbon dioxide linked to global warming is absorbed into sea, causing it to become more acidic. This increased acidity reduces the ocean’s ability to absorb sound, meaning global noise levels may rise in line with trends in carbon dioxide levels.

Sailing ships are much quieter, but it is hard to carry meet demand for all those iPads, etc when you are facing a transit lasting - what? - several weeks if not months. The sail boat record to Hawaii from LA is about 6 days and that boat wasn't hauling Nissans or Kias.

Personally, I blame "continental drifting" - and whoever caused the continents to be too far apart to allow us to use high speed rail . . . . .

Bring back Pangaea!

It might also help if we could get those damn noisy shrimp to stop their cavitation ruckus and shut up.