Maritime Prepositioned Forces MPF

1. Maritime Prepositioned ForcesMPF

2. Learning Objectives • The student will comprehend/discuss the use of Maritime Pre-Positioned Forces to rapidly deploy large forces. • The student will understand the capabilities and methods of implementing a Maritime Pre-Positioned Forces deployment. • The student will understand/discuss how the MPF relates to the Themes of Amphibious Warfare, MCDP1, MCDP3.

3. How does the military get to the fight? Marines Army Navy Air Force

4. Getting to the fight • WWII • Korea • Vietnam • Desert Shield/Storm • Afghanistan • Iraqi Freedom

5. What is MPF? • 3 Squadrons of 4-5 merchant ships • MEB worth of gear on board • Remember: MEB 5-15,000 Marines, BGen Commanding, responds to nations crises • Expeditionary – FORWARD DEPLOYED • Can reach any destination in 5-14 days • 30 days of organic support aboard for MEB • Fuel, water, food, ammo, supplies • Offloaded in a secure port or in-stream

6. Port Timeline based on: Piers Infrastructure Staging space Requires a secure port Host nation support In-Stream Uses literage Takes a little longer Requires secure beachhead Need for steady sea states Types of Offload A MEU may be tasked with seizing and defending a port, or establishing a secure beachhead.

7. Locations • II MEF – Camp Lejuene, NC • MPSRON-1 – Mediterranean • 4 Ships • I MEF – Camp Pendleton, CA • MPSRON-2 – Diego Garcia • 5 Ships • III MEF – Okinawa • MPSRON-3 - Guam • 4 Ships

8. MPF Structure

9. Structure • MEB • CE – MEB Headquarters • GCE – Infantry Regiment (Reinforced) • 3 Infantry Battalions • 1 Tank Battalion (52 Tanks) • 1 Artillery Battalion ( 3 Batteries x 6 guns) • 2 AAV Companies • 1 Combat Engineer Company • 1 LAR Company • ACE -Marine Air Squadron • LCE – CLR

10. MPSRONs • 4- 5 Ships • Civilian crew • Combat loaded • Tight Load • Per ship (average) • 90K Gal Bulk Water • Able to produce 100K Gal potable water per day • 1.4 mil gal of fuel • ~500 containers

11. Why an MPF? • Remember Maneuver Warfare: • “Maneuver warfare is a warfighting philosophy that seeks to shatter the enemy’s cohesion through a variety of rapid, focused, and unexpected actions which create a turbulent and rapidly deteriorating situation with which the enemy cannot cope.”[1] • With its rapid response rate and global, forward-deployed status MPF facilitates the use of the ocean as maneuver space

12. Video: 4:25

13. MPF Operational Phases • Phase 1: Planning • Phase 2: Marshalling • Phase 3: Movement • Phase 4: Arrival and Assembly • Phase 5: Regeneration

14. Echelons/Scheme of Maneuver • Advanced party • Fly-in-Echelon (Main Body) • Follow-on Echelon

15. Advance Party • Logistically intensive (Day 1-10) • Offload Preparation Party (OPP) arrive aboard MPSRON • Preps the gear for debarkation • Arrive in port (or area of operations) • Port Operations Group (POG) • Arrival and Assemble Operations (each element) • Offload equipment and distribute it out to each element (CE, GCE, ACE, CSSE)

16. Fly in Echelon • Day 2-6 • Main Body • Fly into a secure air base • Transported to their assembly area • Link up with their AAOE who is organizing all of the unit’s equipment • Prep the equipment for combat

17. Follow-on Echelon • Day 10+ • Additional personnel and equipment to reinforce the existing structure. • May be flown in or arrive on amphibious shipping

19. Flow Fly-in-Echelon ACE AAOE GCE AAOE CE AAOE Fly-in Echelon Arrivals ASP CSSE AAOE Staging Area POG COT LOT MPS Ship Port Port

20. Recent Examples • Operation Desert Shield – Saudi Arabia, 1990 • 2 MPSRONs (approx 9 ships) • Secure ports in Saudi Arabia • Main body flew into Saudi air bases • Within 30 days – 2 MEBs in Saudi ready for combat operations • Next several months follow-on forces (Marines and Army) moved into theater

21. Recent Examples • Operation Restore Hope – Somalia, 1993 • MEU conducted an amphibious landing to secure a port and airfield at Mogadishu, Somalia in Dec 1992. • MEU initiated limited humanitarian operations • 1 MPSRON (approx 4 ships) begins to offload in Jan 1993. • Offload in secure port in Mombassa, Kenya • Fly in Echelon flew into Mogadishu • Humanitarian and Security mission • Problems: • Limited port availability (1 ship at a time) • a lot of equipment taken off ships not needed for operations (had to take everything off ships to get at the gear/materials they needed)

22. Recent Examples • Operation Iraqi Freedom – Kuwait, 2003 • Mid Jan, Advance Parties deployed to Kuwait • Late Jan, Main Body deployed to Kuwait • By end of Jan, 10 MPF ships had been offloaded in a secure port in S. Kuwait • 2 MEB – (forming the start of I MEF) • GCE: 5th Marines, 7th Marines – N. Kuwait • ACE: 3d MAW – Kuwaiti air bases • CSSE: 1st FSSG – N. Kuwait, 2nd FSSG Central Kuwait • CE: I MHG – Camp Commando • Early Feb – I MEF conducting combat training • By end of Feb – Follow-on forces (1st Marines) arrive in theater. • March 20, 2003 – I MEF attacks into Iraq.

23. Problems of the Tadpole The landing itself is rarely the key problem The problems of command The amphibious invasion is a means to an end, not an end to itself The influence of terrain and geography The amphibious operation as a form of envelopment The inherent chaotic and decentralized nature of landings The development of amphibious technology and techniques Discussion:Themes of Amphibious Operations

24. Discussion: Warfighting and Expeditionary Operations

25. Questions