Title: Viewing the Future of Seabasing through the Lens of History: A Historical Analysis of Seabasing and What it Says About the Concept's Future Applicability.
Creator: Kemp, Jesse A. (Major)
Date: 2008
Publisher: Quantico, Virginia. Marine Corps University, Command and Staff College (CSC).
Description: Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited.
Type: thesis
Format: 41 pages, 1819 KB PDF
Sponsoring Agency/Branch: United States Marine Corps
Abstract: Seabasing is not a revolutionary concept. In fact, seabasing has been used as a method of supporting military operations as far back in American history as the Revolutionary War. During the course of 20th century modem warfare, it has played a prominent role, employed in both large scale and limited combat operations from World War II to as recently as Operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. Current proponents of seabasing argue that, because of rapidly advancing technology, future seabasing concepts will revolutionize employment and support for forces on the battlefield. In these concepts, seabasing is seen as a large-scale, joint force enabler providing long-term operational level logistics. Using a series of historical vignettes from World War II, The Falkland Islands, Vietnam, and Operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom, this paper builds a case that, regardless of the steady-and at times-rapid advance of technology throughout the evolution of warfare, seabasing has always possessed inherent limitations. These limitations can be categorized by three main themes: vulnerability to security threats, a constrained throughput rate, and an incompatibility with the evolving character of modern warfare. Additionally, the paper examines two modem examples of successful seabasing: the Marine Corp's Special Landing Force in Vietnam and Marine Task Force 58 in Afghanistan in order to draw conclusions as to what the appropriate role of seabasing might be in the future.