Military bases at sea: no longer unthinkable.

• Author: Erwin, Sandra I.

Staging a military campaign the size of Operation Iraqi Freedom entirely from ships at sea--with no access to land bases--would seem inconceivable to most defense planners.

Nonetheless, the notion of "sea basing" forces has gained momentum at the Pentagon in recent months. Advocates point to the decision by Turkey to deny staging rights to U.S. Army units preparing to invade Iraq last year as the reason why sea bases should not be viewed as extravagances, but as necessities, if the United States is to remain a global power.

An August report by the Defense Science Board endorsed the sea base idea, dubbing it a "critical joint military capability" that should be supported by all the services.

So far, however, it appears unlikely that a large-scale sea base could be deployed for at least 20 years, given the technical hurdles and multibillion-dollar price tags associated with a project of this magnitude, experts said. Another issue that may deter future efforts is the potential vulnerability of massive seaborne platforms to missile or submarine attacks.

A sea base, notionally, would combine a carrier strike group, an amphibious ready group (with augmented firepower from submarines and destroyers) and a flotilla of sophisticated cargo vessels that also would serve as both warehouses and maintenance facilities for ground combat vehicles and aircraft. The ships would be staged about 25 miles offshore, but 2,000 miles from a major land base, such as Guam, covering the East Asian theater, or Diego Garcia, supporting the Middle East theater.

Every ship would he part of a multi-service command-and-control network, noted the DSB study. "Special operations forces, soldiers and Marines would assemble together with their equipment, on the sea base.... This combination would enable rapid force projection over the shore."

Among the staunchest advocates of sea bases are Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Vernon Clark and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Michael Hagee. Clark made "sea basing" one of the pillars of his vision for the Navy of the 21st century, called "Sea Power 21."

In the future, "access is going to become more difficult," Hagee told an industry conference in Panama City, Fla., hosted by the National Defense Industrial Association.

He said U.S. forces must be able to "project combat power from the sea, to enable major operations ashore." To a degree, that is done today, with carrier strike groups and amphibious ships. The Marine Corps has been doing...