Robust discussions and ramped up training are preparing Army logisticians for their pivotal role in support of the major expansion to the ADF’s amphibious capabilities that will be provided by the RAN’s two Canberra class Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs).
While Army logisticians have supported joint amphibious operations since the 1970s on Balikpapan class Landing Craft Heavy, since the early 1980s on the Landing Ship Heavy HMAS Tobruk, and since the start of the decade on the Landing Platforms Amphibious Manoora and Kanimbla, the two 27,800-tonne LHDs represent an exponential jump in capability.
The advent of HMAS Choules in 2012, with its ability to accommodate 32 Abrams tanks or 150 light trucks and a normal load of 356 troops, has provided an ideal stepping-stone to the new era.
Yet the logistics issues associated with Choules pale beside the complexities involved in deploying and supplying on each LHD an embarked force of 1,000 troops, 110 vehicles, and up to eight medium-sized helicopters – 18 if the light vehicle deck is also utilised.
These complexities are exacerbated by the demands of what will be the ADF’s first experience of sea basing.
This issue was highlighted early last year by Chief of Army Lieutenant
General David Morrison, who pointed out that the ADF had yet to come to grips with the unique and substantial logistic challenges that sea basing would involve.
“It will be essential to our ability to conduct operations from the sea and it will entail a large amount of Army’s inventory spending time afloat,” he noted.
The ability to base and deploy land forces from the sea reduces the logistics, command and administrative footprint ashore and thus the risk of attack against personnel and equipment. In disaster relief, sea-basing avoids forces deployed ashore becoming a burden on a damaged and fragile infrastructure.
With the first of the two LHDs entering service early next year and the second in 2015, Lieutenant-Colonel Sue Graham, Staff Officer for Logistics Policy within the Directorate of Army Logistics, acknowledges that the clock is ticking but “we’re happy where we are”.
In addition to existing processes, additional logistics expertise has been gained from exchange postings with the US Marine Corps and the UK Marines, lateral transfers from the latter, attendance at exercises, and time aboard the Spanish Navy’s LHD counterpart, Juan Carlos.
“The key benefit from these international exchanges is appreciating scale,” LTCOL Graham explained to ADM. “Whereas previously we would have assumed we’d be at sea for a time then return to port to resupply, the assumption now is that the LHD will remain at sea and be resupplied from other platforms.
“Sea basing is really looking at minimising what we put ashore, and what we need to hold on board. For example, the ship can produce fresh water so we don’t need to bring that with us. There’s a lot of discussion on what we call classes of supply, the cost-benefit of retaining stores on board, and the requirements of the embarked force in a number of contingencies.”
Exercise experience
Exercises focused on HMAS Choules have involved elements of Townsville-based 2RAR, the unit designated to spearhead the enhancement of Army’s amphibious skills, with logisticians concentrating in the first instance on the support required by the so-called Amphibious Ready Element.
This comprises an infantry company with supporting elements and enablers, altogether about 350 strong. An Amphibious Ready Group, a battalion-based combat team with enablers that will involve about 2,000 troops and require both LHDs to transport, is scheduled to be operational by 2017.
A logistics synchronisation exercise held in Brisbane earlier this year pulled together all the key players – Navy, Joint Logistics Command, Deployable Joint Forces Headquarters, Headquarters 3rd Brigade, and 2RAR down to the logistics manager level – to look at specific activities and track their support, maintenance and supply requirements.
This was followed by a multi-agency conference in September that examined key lessons learnt to date and agreed on areas that would benefit from further integration.
“One of the biggest challenges for both sides has been recognising where we do things the same and where we do things differently. If we do them differently, what’s the best way of doing them together,” LTCOL Graham said.
“Part of that is confidence in both sides knowing what the other side requires. It’s like going into somebody’s house; you’re not quite a guest because you’re going to be there quite a while. So Army is telling Navy we require this of you rather than just making the assumption we can get it on board, and Navy knows we’ll be asking for it and they should have it on board.”
LTCOL Graham acknowledges what she describes as “robust discussions” in a multi-agency amphibious working group looking at equipment tracking details and common inputs to the MILIS (Military Integrated Logistics Information System). The challenge being addressed is Army having fixed and fast access to MILIS in barracks but reverting to a deployable system on operations, as does Navy but with a system which is similar “but slightly different”.
Different loading types
LHD loadings are defined as either administrative or combat. If administrative, the load is maximised with no concern about the order in which it is to be disembarked. With a combat load, disembarkation priorities are set and sufficient flexibility is built in to allow fast access to a particular piece or equipment, or to a maintenance facility.
Once decisions have been made on supply requirements for a particular tasking, Joint Logistics Unit North in Darwin and Joint Logistics Unit North Queensland in Townsville together with supporting elements of Joint Logistics Command in Sydney will be vital in providing the necessary flexibility.
Next year will see intensive training to ensure that the 430-strong ship’s company – which includes 56 Army specialists – and 2RAR are comfortable with the loading process.
“There are large spaces, there are ramps between the decks, so negotiating those with different sizes of equipment is something has that to be learnt. The more familiar the soldiers are with their surroundings the more they can assist with the process of loading and tying down before moving to a designated accommodation area,” LTCOL Graham said.
“Subsequently we’ll be going through a series of trials with helicopters and all the equipment that Army plans to embark, to validate the conditions under which they’re tracked and brought on board.”
A load management system aboard the LHD, yet to be purchased, will integrate not only with hotel services but also with other of the LHD’s systems to advise on platform stability and trim.
