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Accession Number:
ADA516465
Title:
Naval Surface Fires Support -- Not Just a Platform Problem
Descriptive Note:
Research paper
Corporate Author:
MARINE CORPS COMMAND AND STAFF COLL QUANTICO VA
Report Date:
2004-02-01
Pagination or Media Count:
17.0
Abstract:
Long gone are the days of the 16-inch guns of Iowa class battleships and the proficiency to match. From World War II through the early 1990s, the Iowa class battleships loomed off enemy shorelines with one goal in mind effective and deadly fire support. Current Naval Surface Fire Support NSFS doctrine fails to meet the needs of the Marine Corps within the littoral battle space. Gun ranges are inadequate to support operations inland from the shoreline and present NSFS lacks the lethality to eliminate hardened enemy targets. Furthermore, current NSFS lacks the psychological effect and force projection that came hand-in-hand with the blazing offshore presence of an Iowa class battleship. The greatest deficiencies may lie in the poor gunnery skills, lack of training, and the overall mindset of the Navys surface warfare officer SWO community as they pertain to the role of NSFS. The Navy must support the Marine Corps as it expands its strategic reach with concepts such as ship-to-objective maneuver STOM and operational maneuver from the sea OMFTS. While the Marines transition from ship to shore, the Navy must recommission the single-mission Iowa class battleship to fill the present fire support gap and eliminate the mindset that exists within the SWO community that NSFS is irrelevant.
Distribution Statement:
APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE
