deployment of the PLA Navy ships in the - Information Resource ...

NAVAL DESPATCH
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Strike force, ships with long range weapons
could launch standoff weapons or use the
tactical mobility to close adversary's shore to
launch their weapons, and submarines could
be deployed based on their weapon range to
ensure assured retaliation.
• Number of Platforms. Considering the
factors of limited mobility incase of land vectors
and availability of intelligence on land and air
vectors; the dispersion and the number of land/
air vectors required to ensure sufficient
survivability would be large. However, incase of
sea vectors the inherent advantages of
identification problems in international waters
and stealth provided by submarines due
submerged capability would require fewer units
to ensure the same degree of survivability.
• Command & Control Network. For
C2 networking Land and Air vectors have the
advantage of secure land lines/ physical
connectivity in addition to wireless and satellite
communications. Land based vectors are more
susceptible to EMP and DE weapons than Sea
vectors due to their lack of mobility. Sea Vectors
are restricted to established satellite
communication and other traditional wireless
communication networks with limited security.
In the case of submarines, due their inherent
submerged operations passing of info/
commands after a First Strike could be severely
limited considering that land based VLF stations
would also be a part of adversary's First Strike
target list. A few ways to obviate this severe
handicap could be to decentralise development
of airborne VLF assets.
• Escort Requirements. Considering their
strategic nature, all three vectors would require
a certain amount of escorting. This would mean
anti-air and anti-missile protection for all three
vectors and additionally anti-submarine
protection for ships at sea. However, in case of
availability of a large number of nuclear assets,
the option of some of them especially ships being
deployed unescorted for tactical reasons such
as availability of integral anti-air, anti-missile and
even anti-submarine defence systems could be
considered. These unescorted ships would then
prove difficult to identify and target, however,
chance encounters should be factored into the
survivability calculations.
• Logistic Requirements. The logistical
infrastructure requirements for basing and
relocating of Land vectors including the need
for integral C3 infrastructure would require
significant noticeable build up at all primary/
alternate sites. Similarly, for operation of Air
vectors, significant logistics build up would be
necessary to sustain operations at the primary
and alternate air bases. These would then assist
adversary's identification and targeting
problems. However, sea vectors are designed
to be self contained/ independent and can
sustain at sea for prolonged durations, sufficient
to ensure an assured Second Strike.
Summation of Vector Analysis
Land vectors have the advantage of secured
lines of communication and physical proximity to C2
infrastructure. However, they are limited to land
boundaries, subject to easier identification and
restricted in mobility due requirement of road/ rail
network.
Air vectors enjoy the advantage of high speed
and less reaction time. However, they are subject to
targeting on ground during a First Strike and over
enemy airspace during the Second Strike. Moreover,
Air vectors need significant logistic support for
sustained ops from primary/ alternate bases.
Sea vectors on the other hand are independent,
difficult to identify, less susceptible to WMD, offer high
mobility, can close enemy shore for weapon launch
remaining in international waters and can sustain ops
for long durations. Carrier borne aircraft could be
deployed to deliver Second Strike weapons swiftly
while keeping the Carrier Task Force beyond
adversary's weapon range. However, ships rely on
Satellite Communication for vital C2 information and
submarines are further restricted in ability to exchange
information while remaining submerged.
Additionally ships would require protection in all three
dimensions to ensure assured delivery of the weapons
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