Navy Logistics Over the Shore: A Capability Worth Retaining

摘要

Military forces have extraordinary logistics demands. The Marine Corps, when operating in MEF-sized units, is no exception. While the Navy has developed the capability to land Marines on an unimproved beach at high speed and at long range, their ability to support them with logistics has lagged. The ability to off-load ships without the benefit of fixed port facilities is called Logistics Over the Shore, or LOTS. While LOTS capability rests with both the Army and Navy, the ability of the Navy to conduct LOTS on their own has been required in the past and may be needed again. A historical examination of naval logistic support to amphibious operations illustrates the need for the Navy to improve its LOTS capability to be ready for future missions. This paper first takes a look at the history of LOTS operations at Guadalcanal, Da Nang, and Desert Storm, and then examines the Navy's current ability to conduct LOTS. The author concludes that while a Navy LOTS capability exists now, it is inadequate to the needs of Marine Corps forces. Equipment improvements and aggressive logistics exercises are required to fulfill the Navy's operational requirement to sustain amphibious forces.