*  C-SB GALAXY. The Air Force devel-            initially relied on support and provisions from
      oped a new version of the C-S airlifter      Marine Corps supplies. They were quickly
      and doubled the size of the C-S fleet,       followed by two MPS MEBs, which provided
      greatly increasing the capacity to move      additionalfirepowerandgreatersustainability.
      outsized cargo via air.                      The heavy Army forces essential for modern
                                                   mechanized warfare followed in turn - first
   *  FAST SEALIFT SHIPS (FSS).        The         the 24th Mechanized Division, primarily via
      Navy purchased and modified eight            fast sealift, and subsequently the 101st Air
      SL-7fast sealift ships capable of making     Assault Division, the 3rd Armored Cavalry
      over 30 Knots for rapid deployment of       Regiment, the 1st Armored Cavalry Division,
      Army equipment. The SL-7s are main-          and associated corps command element, also
      tained in 96 hour readiness status in        via sealift.
      peacetime. Two large hospital ships
      (one on each coast) are maintained in a            Strategic sealift was crucial to deploy-
      similar status.                              ing Army forces. Although the soldiers were
                                                   flown to the Gulf, the bulk of the equipment
   *  READY RESERVE FORCE (RRF). In                and supplies was too large to transport by air.
      the late 1'970s, theNavy began purchas-      The main exception is the 82nd Airborne Divi-
      ing militarily useful ships to bolster the   sion, which is lighter than other Army divi-
      aging :mothballed fleet of World War 11      sions, has-less organiesustainability, and is the
      era cargo ships. Over the next ten years,    lead Army division for rapid deployment.
      the RRF grew to 96 ships - mostly roll-      Otherwise, most Army unit equipment and
      on/roll-off ships, barge carriers,           resupply moved by sea.
      breakbulk ships, and small tankers.
      These ships are maintained at various              Prior to the late 1970s, sealiftwas heavily
      U.S. porb~ by the Maritime Administra-       dependent on the U.S. flag fleet and the Na-
      tion in an inactive status, without crews.   tional Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) of
      The RRF program was designed to al-          mothballed World War 11-era ships. The pro-
      low activation of ships in 5, 10, or 20      curement of APS, FSS, and RRF ships in the
      days depending on readiness status.          1980s offset the decline in availability of mili-
      Upon receipt of an activation order,         tarily useful commercial shipping and the de-
      RRF ships are towed to a shipyard for        teriorating condition of the NDRF. Sealift
      mechanical preparation to sail. Crews        forces were sized for a global war growing out
      are draw~ from available U.S. civilian       of a conflict in the Persian Gulf in which the
      merchant mariners.                           initial Army deployment in the Gulf would be
                                                   supported entirely by U.S. shipping. The eight
      Those strategic lift assets were designed    SL-7 fast sealift ships were designed for rapid
to support a rapid buildup in combat power         deployment of a heavy division. Deployment
based on the concept of joint force sequencing.    of succeeding divisions would depend on ac-
The first ground-combat forces on scene for        tivation of the RRF, use of U.S. flag ships in the
DESER~ SHIELD/STORM were two brigades              Sealift Readiness Program, charter of commer-
of the 82nd Airborne Division, which arrived       cial vessels, and, if necessary, requisition of
via airlift to provide both initial presence and   additional U.S. flag ships.
security for airbases and ports. These forces


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