Military Sealift May Need More Help to Get Combat Vehicles to Europe

By Kris Osborn

Kris Osborn is a Senior Fellow atThe Lexington Institute

As the Pentagon accelerates its pivot toward great power competition and moves beyond 15 years of counterinsurgency, the US military continues to build up forces, increase training and conduct exercises with regional allies in both the European and Pacific theaters.  

This is widely known, as NATO and US Army Europe continue to launch visible allied interoperability operations and — simply put — continue a substantial buildup of military power. Of course, much of this is intended to send an unambiguous “deterrence” message to Russia.

However, all of this highlights the massive US deficit when it comes to actually “getting there,” — sending forward deployed forces and sustaining Ready Reserve Forces. US Military Sealift Command is, according to Congressional and Pentagon authorities, operating with insufficient personnel and boats for transport. C-5s, C-17s and other air assets can of course forward position troops, supplies and needed equipment –but how does the Pentagon get enough tanks and heavy armored vehicles to Europe without enough modern transport ships and sealift assets? How does the US counter Chinese incursions in the Pacific and ensure secure transit of vital international waterways? How can land assets such as artillery systems and armored vehicles get to key island locations in the Pacific?

The fleet is not only too small but drastically in need of upgrades and aggressive modernization. Many of the boats use antiquated steam propulsion and, perhaps of greatest significance, the ships simply cannot move the heavy assets needed to meet the great power threat posed by both Russia and China. Roll-on/Roll-off ships need upgrades — new ones are needed.

For example, in an interview with Defense News last Fall, retired Rear Adm. Mark Buzby told the paper the average age of the fleet is 43 years. Of the 46 ships in his reserve force, about 23 or 24 need urgent attention, Buzby said, according to the article.

Congressional perspectives are aligned with Buzby, echoing serious concern about a US Military Sealift readiness crisis. The 2019 NDAA requires the Navy to submit a business case analysis for getting the Ready Reserve recapitalized.
“In order to procure more than two such vessels, the Secretary would need to certify that the U.S. Navy has initiated an acquisition strategy for the construction of no fewer than 10 new sealift vessels, with the lead ship anticipated to be delivered by not later than 2026,” according to an explanatory statement released by Congress, cited by Defense News.All of this may lead to longer term progress, but what kinds of near-term funding and modernization efforts might be needed to address the readiness crisis “today?” — given the seriousness of great power threats in both Europe and the Pacific. Part of the needed Military Sealift increase involves a need to recover from a 2012 personnel and equipment efficiency and cost-saving reduction to the force.