Navy Reshuffle Will Move Thousands Of Sailors to Brown-Water Duties

Navy Reshuffle Will Move Thousands Of Sailors to Brown-Water Duties

NORFOLK, VA— The Navy plans to tackle terrorism and other unconventional threats via a massive reorganization that will shift thousands of sailors from traditional duties. This new approach will permit the sea service to conduct operations on land and close up in shallow water.

Between 40,000 and 50,000 sailors will transition during the next two years, “from the blue water, all the way into the brown water,” said Rear Adm. Donald K. Bullard, head of the Naval Expeditionary Combat Command.

The NECC only has been in existence since October, but is viewed as a linchpin in the Navy's strategy to become more relevant in so-called “irregular” warfare, such as counterinsurgency operations in Iraq. The command will oversee units ranging from the naval coastal warfare groups and the master-at-arms forces, to the Seabees, bomb-disposal crews and expeditionary logistics specialists. It also will manage the Navy's new riverine squadrons.

“They didn't have an overarching command to bring them together to provide the continuity and man, train, equip, resource. That was the spark,” said Bullard in an interview at Fleet Forces Command headquarters.

In the U.S. Central Command area of operations in the Middle East, Bullard said, about 5,000 to 7,000 sailors are supporting the Army and Marine Corps. The NECC will have to ensure they get the proper training for these non-traditional jobs, he explained.

The command will have the ability to stand up and train new capabilities that may be required to handle emerging threats. A case in point is a three-squadron riverine force that will replace the Marines' disestablished small-boat companies in Iraq.

But Bullard cautioned that his command is not about to organize a naval infantry or duplicate what the Marine Corps does.

Beginning this month, Bullard said the command will begin to bring in forces in a phased approach so it doesn't disrupt current operations.

“I think it'll take a couple of years, possibly longer, till we get to full maturity,” said Bullard. “This is an evolutionary process. But I think by the end of '06, we should be able to have an organization that is the focus point for this battle space. And we'll be able to identify the seams we need to close with the Marines, with the SEALs, with air forces, with surface forces.”

New “concepts of operations” and specific equipment requirements for NECC are still being defined, said Bullard. “We'll be looking for better effective training, more efficient training, capitalizing on our synergies in our different training programs.”

The importance of preparing sailors for “civil-military operations” has been underscored not only by the ongoing operations in Iraq, but also by last year's tsunami and hurricane relief efforts, Bullard said.

The NECC also brings the Navy one step closer to being able to execute its ambitious “sea basing” concept, in which a joint military operation could be launched and supported from ships 25 miles from the coast.

The command expects to have equal status as other commands in the service, such as the air forces, the surface forces, the submarine forces and network warfare.

But there is a distinction, said Bullard. “This is a combat service and a combat service support organization…We're not an offensive arms maneuver force.” Yet because of the environment the force likely will encounter, combat training will continue.

Forces under NECC also will be trained to help non-U.S. coalition partners in areas such as port security, harbor operations, logistics flow and customs.

“That's pretty powerful,” Bullard said. Tighter security in foreign ports, he noted, could help stem the movement of terrorists and illegal weapons.

NDM article