Availability of Container Shipping Needed to Meet Wartime Ammunition Sustainment Requirements

摘要

The paper examines current military and commercial sealift infrastructure to explore its ability to provide for all stated DoD ammunition sustainment requirements. A background overview of U.S. strategic sealift summarizes the evolution of our current sealift infrastructure. Subsequent chapters deal with individual research questions. The container has revolutionized the shipping industry but it places unique limitations on the movement of ammunition aboard ships. The physical determination of which ships get used depends on the time and unique constraints of each individual ammunition movement. The impact of the growing size of containerships and the resulting throughput limitations that this size places on the three CONUS ammunition ports are examined. Bigger is not necessarily better for shipment of ammunition. The paper addresses current and short-term capabilities versus stated requirements in an attempt to identify potential shortfalls. The paper also explores the difference between MRS BURU and actual operational plaining requirements for wartime ammunition. It finds a disparity between the numbers due to the fact that MRS BURU requirements drive DoD funding, while current operational plans deal with the transportation feasibility of actual shipping capacity.