Chapter 3

CRITICAL FORCE ENHANCEMENTS

Today's U.S. force structure is significantly smaller than the force necessary during the Cold War. The force structure outlined in Chapter 2 reflects the results of a wide range of analytical efforts undertaken by the Department of Defense that have further refined the results of the 1993 Bottom-Up Review (BUR). To date, follow-on analyses have upheld the basic tenets and findings of the BUR, while guiding DoD in making modest adjustments in plans and programs. U.S. forces will continue to be capable of carrying out the Administration's ambitious strategy of engagement and enlargement, provided that DoD implements the critical force enhancements recommended in the Bottom-Up Review. These enhancements will improve the capabilities, flexibility, and lethality of U.S. conventional forces. They are geared especially toward ensuring that U.S. forces will be able to bring a large amount of firepower to the conflict in its opening stages and quickly halt the aggression. In most cases, if U.S. forces can accomplish this critical objective promptly, it is far more likely that objectives in later phases of the conflict (including reducing the enemy's warmaking capabilities, ejecting enemy forces from captured territory, and decisively defeating them) can be achieved sooner and at less cost and risk.

These enhancements fall into three broad categories:

• Improved effectiveness of early arriving forces.
• Strategic mobility enhancements.
• Improved Army reserve component readiness.

IMPROVED EFFECTIVENESS OF EARLY ARRIVING FORCES

Several enhancements will dramatically improve the ability of U.S. forces to halt an enemy armored advance and destroy critical fixed targets in the first phase of conflict. A discussion of these enhancements follows.

Advanced Munitions

Advanced munitions provide tremendous leverage to military forces for halting an enemy in the initial stages of attack. Enhancements in this area are discussed below.

• The United States has greatly expanded the precision delivery capability of U.S. combat aircraft. Since Operation Desert Storm, the number of fighter/attack aircraft that can deliver precision-guided munitions against fixed, hardened targets has virtually doubled and will remain roughly at this level of capacity into the next century.
• At the same time, the development and procurement of the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and the Joint Standoff Weapon (JSOW) will give the majority of U.S. strike aircraft the capability to deliver highly accurate weapons in adverse weather and at night, by relying on a combination of inertial guidance and the Global Positioning System to guide the weapons to desired impact points.
• The Air Force has also begun procurement of the CBU-97B/Sensor Fuzed Weapon (SFW), the first of the air delivered advanced antiarmor munitions. SFW provides a dispenser-delivered, wide-area, adverse-weather submunition that gives aircraft the capability to disable or destroy multiple armored vehicles in a single pass. The addition of an inertial guidance unit to the SFW dispenser (the wind corrected munitions dispenser kit) will allow these weapons to be delivered accurately from medium and high altitudes. The Navy is incorporating SFW BLU-108 submunitions into a JSOW variant that will be operational in 2000.
• The Wide Area Munition (WAM), which is still in development, will be highly effective in disabling armored vehicles and will allow large areas to be sown with smart mines that should be difficult to neutralize. Based on the same design as SFW, WAM can be deployed on either aircraft or missiles. Limited stocks of the WAM should be fielded in FY 1997.
• The Army is improving its antiarmor capabilities as well. The Longbow fire control radar system, combined with the Longbow Hellfire missile, will give the already effective Apache helicopter even greater capability by adding a fire-and-forget weapon system and improved target acquisition and tracking, particularly in conditions involving adverse weather and battlefield obscurants. The Initial Operational Capability (IOC) is expected in 1998. In addition, the Army began to field the Javelin man-portable antitank system in 1996. The Javelin combines fire-and-forget technology with top-attack or direct-fire modes to provide a significant increase in the antitank capability of infantry forces.
• The Army is also developing BAT, the Brilliant Antiarmor submunition, to be delivered by long- range Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) missiles. This potent, deep-strike system will become operational in FY 2001 and will be capable of effectively attacking a wide range of armored vehicles. An extended-range ATACMS carrying upgraded versions of BAT, which will have a much wider target array, including stationary or moving armored and soft targets, will be operational in FY 2004. The Army is also procuring the Sense and Destroy Armor (SADARM) submunition, which can be fired by 155mm howitzers. It is scheduled to be fielded in FY 1999.
• Planned improvements in U.S. standoff attack capabilities continue. The baseline Conventional Air-Launched Cruise Missile (CALCM) is being improved with increased accuracy, a better warhead, and reduced cost. The FY 1995 through FY 1997 budgets provide for converting 300 excess air-launched cruise missiles to CALCM, with the CALCM deliveries occurring in the period from 1996 through 1998. The accuracy and flexibility of the Tomahawk Land Attack Missile (TLAM) -- a proven weapon employed most recently against Iraqi and Bosnian-Serb targets -- will be increased with the development of TLAM Block IV Phase 1 (IOC expected in 2000). The Standoff Land Attack Missile (SLAM) is being improved through a remanufacture program to enhance its standoff range and penetration capability. The JSOW will enhance the survivability, standoff, and range (relative to older munitions) of selected U.S. attack platforms. Similarly, the Enhanced Fiber Optic Guided Missile (EFOG-M) antiarmor system, currently in advanced technology development, will provide a significantly improved precision antiarmor capability to forces deployed on the ground. The EFOG-M will allow engagement and destruction of targets at longer ranges with increased precision. Finally, the Air Force and the Navy are jointly sponsoring a new program, the Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), to develop a weapon with enhanced standoff capabilities. These systems should significantly increase platform survivability.

Taken together, these advanced munitions and sensors will provide U.S. forces with more accurate firepower to help blunt a conventional enemy ground attack and destroy critical targets in the opening phase of a regional conflict.

Battlefield Surveillance

Accurate and timely information on the location and disposition of enemy forces is a prerequisite for effective military operations. Hence, current planning envisions the early deployment of reconnaissance and command and control aircraft and ground-based assets to enable U.S. forces to see the enemy and to pass information quickly through all echelons. Advances in areas ranging from satellite communication and surveillance to digitization will ensure U.S. forces have a decisive advantage in tactical intelligence and communications.

New sensors that provide adverse weather surveillance of the battlefield at significantly increased depth of view and wide-area platforms that provide continuous coverage are essential to U.S. forces' capability to bring force to bear effectively. Several such sensors and platforms are undergoing final stages of development testing and will be fielded in the next few years.

• The Joint Surveillance Target Attack Radar System (JSTARS) enables U.S. forces to detect moving vehicles deep in enemy territory and across a broad swath. It also permits forces to characterize stationary targets with its spot mode. The first operational JSTARS aircraft was delivered in FY 1996, with the full fleet of 19 aircraft reaching the field by 2005.
• Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of several types will be able to carry a variety of surveillance sensors and provide long endurance reconnaissance over the battlefield.
• The United States is also improving other airborne reconnaissance and command and control capabilities, such as the Guardrail Common Sensor, which provides real-time signals intelligence and precise target emitter location capabilities to multi-Service sensor platforms.
• Navy initiatives in Battlefield Surveillance include use of imagery from F-18 and U-2R aircraft to command and control ships, flagships, and aircraft carriers via a common high bandwidth data link which interfaces with computers/displays/processors that control the airborne sensors.
• Numerous improvements to U.S. theater command, control, and communications (C3) capabilities are also underway. U.S. forces are now fielding a new defense information architecture that will greatly enhance the timely flow of critical intelligence information and command directions throughout the theater. This new system is the Global Command and Control System (GCCS), which provides worldwide access to a common picture of the battlefield. The Joint Tactical Information Distribution System (JTIDS) provides rapid, secure, jam-resistant communications and data for theater-wide joint force operations. In addition, the Milstar communications satellite constellation will ensure secure global communications capability. The migration towards common communications links will facilitate the fusion of real-time information that can be shared among joint components, as well as with allied and coalition forces.

Long-Range Bomber Enhancements

Heavy bombers can play unique and important roles in short-warning conflicts and bring massive firepower to bear during the opening hours and days of conflict. Programs are underway that will increase bomber survivability, sustainability, and precision weapons delivery capability. Once in place, these enhancements will enable the U.S. bomber force of B-1s, B-2s, and B-52s to attack a full range of enemy targets. When armed with the air-delivered advanced munitions previously discussed, the bomber force will be able to quickly and effectively destroy high-value targets, cut lines of communication in rear areas, degrade enemy airfields and theater missile infrastructure, and disrupt and destroy advancing enemy ground forces.

Enhanced Carrier-Based Airpower

The Navy is examining a number of innovative ways to improve the firepower aboard its aircraft carriers. First, the Navy will acquire stocks of new smart antiarmor weapons for delivery by attack aircraft. In addition, increased numbers of LANTIRN equipped, ground attack capable F-14s will be added to carrier air wings. The Navy also will fly additional F/A-18s and crew members to forward-deployed aircraft carriers responding to crises. These additional aircraft and crews would increase the striking power of the carriers during the critical early stages of a conflict.

STRATEGIC MOBILITY ENHANCEMENTS

An essential element to being able to prevail in even one major regional conflict, much less two, is strategic lift capability. U.S. lift assets are the foundation of the force's capability to project combat power around the globe. The first priority in the opening phase of a war would be to get U.S. forces to the fight in a timely manner. In many scenarios, U.S. forces would have no more than two weeks to get to the fight if they are to support an effective defense. This places a high premium on forward stationed and deployed forces, forces whose main equipment items can be prepositioned in or near a theater of potential conflict, and forces that can deploy from their home bases very rapidly and deliver effective combat power.

Lift assets are also used in nearly every humanitarian and peace operation undertaken by U.S. forces. These unique lift capabilities will continue to make U.S. participation in many multilateral operations a key to their success. DoD is making substantial enhancements to U.S. strategic mobility -- most of which were first identified in the 1992 Mobility Requirements Study (MRS) and validated in the 1995 MRS Bottom-Up Review Update (BURU). These steps will better posture selected forces for early deployment to potential conflicts.

Strategic Airlift

Given current Operating Tempo, DoD has programmed sufficient funds to ensure that its military air mobility fleet (C-141s, C-5s, C-17s, KC-135s, and KC-10s) remains capable of deploying and supporting forces as required. The Department plans to continue increasing U.S. strategic airlift capability, replacing its aging C-141 fleet with C-17s. The C-17 program is executing a seven year procurement for a total of 120 aircraft by 2003 (last C-17 delivered by 2004). Twenty-nine C-17s have been delivered as of January 1997.

Strategic Sealift and Surface Transportation

DoD is also expanding and modernizing its sealift forces. In 1996, two roll-on/roll-off (RO/RO) ships were added to the Ready Reserve Force (RRF), increasing to 31 the number of vessels acquired for this fleet in recent years. Eleven large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off (LMSR) ships also will enter the surge sealift force in coming years. In order to meet the MRS and MRS BURU recommendation of 36 total RRF RO/ROs, five additional ships (or equivalent capacity) are required. These ships will provide surge capacity for transporting equipment and supplies to distant theaters. DoD continues to maintain a viable Joint Logistics Over The Shore (JLOTS) capability. JLOTS is the employment of a multiservice force to load and unload ships in the absence of fixed port facilities or in cases where the fixed port is damaged or inadequate.

Finally, DoD is funding various measures to improve the flow of personnel, equipment, and supplies from their locations in the United States to the ports from which they will embark. Some of these improvements include expanding rail and airheads at contingency force installations, constructing a containerized ammunition facility on the West Coast, and purchasing and prepositioning over 1,000 railcars for heavy/oversized cargoes.

Prepositioning

Prepositioning heavy combat equipment and supplies ashore and afloat can greatly reduce both the time required to deploy forces to distant regions and the number of airlift sorties devoted to moving such supplies. In October 1994, when Iraqi Republican Guard and other units moved toward Kuwait, U.S. prepositioned heavy brigade sets of equipment in Kuwait and afloat allowed U.S. forces to arrive quickly to contribute to the defense of Kuwait. Before these prepositioning efforts, only about one-third of the U.S. ground forces that deployed or were scheduled to deploy in October 1994 could have been on station within the same time frame.

Currently, three Maritime Prepositioning Ship Squadrons -- 13 ships total -- provide equipment and 30 days combat sustainability to support the flexible employment of three Marine Expeditionary Forces. These assets are strategically deployed in the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and Pacific Ocean, with the ability to relocate to other regions as needed. Additionally, funding for three additional ships has been appropriated for the Maritime Prepositioning Force Enhancement (MPF(E)) Program. MPF(E) will add one ship to each squadron, providing increased combat capability, mobility, sustainment, command and control capability, as well as an expeditionary airfield, fleet hospital, and a naval construction battalion set of equipment. The Marine Corps also maintains the Norway Air Landed Marine Expeditionary Brigade as a cost-effective land-based prepositioning program that supports the protection of NATO's northern flank.

The Army has established an armored brigade set of equipment afloat in 14 ships which is available to be sent to either Southwest Asia or Northeast Asia. These ships, stationed in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, provide material for an armor brigade and selected support units. Deliveries of LMSRs began in 1996 to replace seven of these 14 ships, which are RO/RO ships on loan from the RRF. When the Army's afloat prepositioning program is completed in FY 2001, it will consist of 16 ships. Included will be eight new LMSRs, the size of which will allow the Army to increase the amount of equipment prepositioned from 1.0 million square feet to 2.0 million square feet, as recommended in the MRS and the MRS BURU. As LMSRs are fielded to the Army program, the seven RO/ROs will be returned to the RRF for use as CONUS surge fleet assets.

The Army has also prepositioned one brigade equipment set ashore in Kuwait and is beginning to establish a second heavy brigade and a division base in Qatar (equipment to support an armor battalion task force was put in place in January 1996) and a brigade set in South Korea. Efforts continue to expand Air Force stocks of preferred munitions in Southwest Asia. Additionally, the Air Force is reworking the loads onboard its three prepositioned ammunition ships to maximize cargo space for transportation of additional ammunition needed early in a conflict. The Navy will also add a prepositioned ship with naval munitions in FY 1999.

IMPROVED ARMY RESERVE COMPONENT READINESS

The Department of Defense has undertaken several initiatives to improve the readiness and flexibility of Army National Guard (ARNG) combat units and United States Army Reserve (USAR) forces in order to make them more readily available for major regional conflicts and other operations. Toward this end, 15 ARNG brigades have been designated as enhanced brigades. Within the overall Army reserve component force structure, readiness initiatives will focus on these 15 enhanced brigades and early deploying ARNG and USAR combat support and combat service support units. In the ARNG, these 15 enhanced brigades will be resourced sufficiently with personnel and equipment to be ready to begin deploying approximately 90 days after each brigade's respective mobilization. For major regional conflicts, the ARNG enhanced brigades provide additional capability to deal with uncertainty and risk. They can increase Army combat power that can be made available by reinforcing or augmenting deployed active divisions and corps. The ARNG and USAR have implemented tiered resourcing programs to concentrate readiness initiatives on maintaining a high level of readiness in their early deploying contingency units.

CONCLUSION

These enhancements will substantially increase the capabilities of U.S. forces to conduct military operations in the post-Cold War era. To a large extent, the ability of the United States, in concert with regional allies, to fight and win two nearly simultaneous major regional conflicts in the future depends on the enhancements described above. DoD will continue to ensure that funding for these enhancements receives priority in budgetary deliberations.