Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future) Capability Assessment

Navy and Marine Corps Sea Basing concepts envision the development of capabilities that will allow the rapid deployment, assembly, command, projection, reconstitution, and re-employment of expeditionary forces from the sea. The RAND Corporation assessed alternative structures for the proposed Maritime Prepositioning Force (Future), or MPF(F), squadron and how these changes would affect abilities to support a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (MEB) in operations ranging from counterinsurgency to special operations to major combat operations. This assessment of the capabilities of alternative structures for the MPF(F) considers the need for both logistics support and casualty evacuation and care in assessing MPF(F) capabilities. Most of the variations considered entail removing large-deck ships from the squadron. RAND researchers also explored the possibility of an MPF(F) construct where only surface connectors, and no aircraft, could be used for supporting a MEB. The researchers found that degradation to logistics throughput resulting from eliminating large-deck ships from the MPF(F) could be offset by substituting CH-53K helicopters for MV-22s, with air connectors from other ships also helping provide adequate throughput capacity. Although eliminating all large-deck ships would also eliminate major medical capabilities, the squadron would otherwise retain the ability to provide logistics support for a full range of major combat, counterinsurgency, and special operations.