THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 6, 1996 TAG: 9603050211
SECTION: MILITARY NEWS PAGE: A8 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: DALE EISMAN
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium: 69 lines
Even as the Pentagon unveiled its 1997 budget proposal this week, some Navy leaders were quietly working on a strategic plan that could help their service grab more of the nation's defense dollars in the future.
A draft long-range plan for the sea service being circulated by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Boorda, states the Navy's case against further downsizing and argues that naval power today is more important than ever. Boorda's ability to sell that notion could define the shape of the Navy for decades to come.
``Seapower must be a critical element of any U.S. military strategy,'' says the draft, entitled ``2020 Vision - for the Navy of 2020.'' ``The ability to maneuver and strike (an enemy) at will is based on unchallenged control of the seas and the airspace above them. With control of the sea, U.S. forces can be deployed and sustained anywhere in the world.''
The 17-page paper argues for a Navy and Marine Corps that remain robust and on patrol near world trouble spots even as the Army and Air Force continue to close overseas bases. For American power to be credible, the paper asserts, it must be visible.
Since the military began shedding troops and equipment after the end of the Cold War, leaders of all of the services have argued that the smaller forces can be as effective - or more so - than their predecessors thanks to the development of precision-guided weapons.
Because computer-guided cruise missiles and ``smart'' bombs can be targeted so accurately, the thinking goes, the nation can get by with fewer of those weapons and the ships, planes, tanks and troops needed to deliver them.
2020 Vision accepts that argument, but only to a point. ``In view of the challenges and tasks ahead,'' the draft says, ``it would be risky to plan for a small number of highly capable platforms. This would permit adversaries to focus their efforts on disabling a small number of critical units. Also, no matter how capable it may be, one ship or aircraft can be in only one place at a time.''
The draft warns Navy people that the dollars needed to expand the fleet significantly are unlikely to be forthcoming. ``Replacing a whole platform every time a weapon system becomes obsolete is impractical and unaffordable,'' it says.
Instead, the draft argues that the Navy needs to learn to adapt the ships and planes it already has and use them to deliver a constantly changing array of weapons.
Much of 2020 Vision is an outgrowth of the littoral warfare strategy the Navy adopted in ``From the Sea,'' a plan published in 1993, and ``Forward From the Sea,'' a year later. Those plans envisioned the Navy as a ``911'' force, forward deployed and able to engage the enemy until the big guns of the Army and heavy bombers of the Air Force could arrive.
The new draft says the Navy should continue that ``expeditionary warfare'' but also be equipped with the kind of massive firepower needed to strike a decisive blow.
That could come from the ``arsenal ship'' Boorda has had surface warfare planners working on for almost a year. Unmentioned in the draft, the arsenal ship is envisioned as simple to build, and run by a crew of 50 or less. But it would carry up to several thousand missiles, to be used both in supporting forces ashore and defending the fleet.
Though copies of the 2020 Vision draft are circulating widely among senior Navy leaders, one officer familiar with the drafting process said significant changes still could be made. And a cover letter signed by Boorda suggests the final document will be revised every two years, ``to ensure that the Navy's vision remains clear (and) continues to evolve with new technology and changes in the security environment.'' by CNB