Analysis of Fuel Logistics Support of a Marine Littoral Regiment Operating in the INDOPACOM AOR

Abstract

With the emergence of China as a competitor for global dominance, the United States has adopted new military concepts such as Expeditionary Advanced Based Operations (EABO), Distributed Maritime Operations (DMO), and Littoral Operations in a Contested Environment (LOCE) to counter Chinese aggression in the INDOPACOM AOR. As a result, the United States Marine Corps (USMC) created Marine Littoral Regiments (MLRs). This study analyzed the employment of Light Amphibious Warships (LAWs), Next Generation Logistics Ships (NGLSs), and the potential logistical and readiness benefits of adopting a JP-5 Single Fuel Concept (SFC) to support a MLR operating in a contested environment. A scenario involving a MLR operating with United States Navy (USN) ships in a contested environment in INDOPACOM was applied to the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS)-developed Replenishment at Sea Planner (RASP) model. From RASP, the authors determined the best number of LAWs and NGLSs to support the MLR under a dual fuel concept and an optimized support schedule. The team ingested these results into the NPS developed Fuel Usage Study Extended Demonstration (FUSED) model to examine the potential benefits and efficiencies gained by switching from a dual fuel concept to a JP-5 SFC. This study determined, through experimentation, the most successful combination of future platforms to support a MLR operating in a contested environment over a thirty-day span and quantified the benefits of adopting a JP-5 SFC.