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STATEMENT
OF
RADM JOSEPH J. KROL, JR.
ASSISTANT DEPUTY CHIEF OF NAVAL OPERATIONS
BEFORE
THE HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE
SPECIAL OVERSIGHT PANEL ON TERRORISM
JUNE 28, 2002
Mr.
Chairman, distinguished members of the oversight
panel, thank you for this opportunity to share
with you Navy's efforts in the war against
terrorism.
I would also like to take this
opportunity to express my appreciation for the
work this panel has done in focusing the efforts
of this nation against those elements who seek
to destroy our way of life.
You and the other distinguished members
of the Armed Services Committee have been
leaders in calling attention, both nationally
and within the Department of Defense, to the
changing nature of the national security
challenges we face.
The
Navy's efforts since September 11th
have been dynamic and determined.
On that day, the USS ENTERPRISE was
returning from deployment when satellite
television provided the first pictures of the
war on our soil.
Within minutes, the ENTERPRISE came about
at flank speed to provide combat options to the
President and an immediate and visible forward
presence. By
the next morning, ENTERPRISE was within striking
distance of Afghanistan.
The "Big E" quickly had help on the
way as the USS CARL VINSON Battle Group steamed
at high speed to the scene, her strike package
of Tomahawk cruise missiles and strike aircraft
at the ready.
Other naval forces, including the USS
PELELIU's Amphibious Ready Group, en route
from Australia, and the USS KITTY HAWK, destined
to serve as an afloat forward staging base for
joint special operations forces, got underway
from Japan.
Within six months, the Navy/Marine Team,
acting in full consonance with our Joint and
Coalition partners, had dedicated six carrier
battle groups and four amphibious ready groups
to Operation Enduring Freedom.
At
home, shipmates looked after the families who
lost loved ones in the Pentagon and elsewhere in
the attacks.
Meanwhile, the USS GEORGE WASHINGTON, the
USS JOHN F. KENNEDY, and the USS JOHN C. STENNIS
took station off the East and West Coasts of the
U.S. along with more than a dozen cruisers and
destroyers, guarding against a follow on strike
by air or sea.
Shortly thereafter, hospital ship USNS
COMFORT and auxiliary ship USNS DENEBOLA arrived
in New York City to provide support for rescue
workers and firemen toiling in the ruins of the
World Trade Center.
The War on Terrorism was in full swing,
and the Navy-Marine Corps Team was immediately
active at home and abroad.
This
conflict began where we work and live.
It takes us forward, across the globe, on
land and sea.
It is warfare that demands that we do
things differently.
We must use creative force packaging,
ally with coalition forces, increase going
ashore with naval forces in substantial numbers,
bring real-time intelligence to the cockpit, and
work with Special Forces throughout the entire
spectrum of operations on a global scale.
This war has no borders.
Therefore, the Navy's expeditionary
forces will continue to adapt, transform, and
step up to the unique challenges of this new
war. More
importantly, our nation will win this war, both
"at home and away."
It
is important to describe this war against us.
Our enemies are adept at using
globalization against us-exploiting the freer
flow of money, people, and
technology-attacking the vulnerabilities
presented by political and economic openness.
Globalization has produced demographic
and economic imbalances.
These imbalances have exacerbated some
endemic conditions, such as large numbers of
unemployed youth, western culture penetration,
declining living standards, corrupt and
ineffective governments, decaying
infrastructures, and an extremist message that
attracts "globalization's losers."
Terrorists are striking at the
free world.
As the leader of the free world and
beacon of democracy, the target was our
homeland. The
attack essentially committed fratricide on
global openness, freedom, and our way of life.
Operationally,
this war is as different as our enemy.
Joint partners, Navy carrier-based
aircraft, Special Operations personnel, Seabee
Construction personnel, and Tomahawk cruise
missiles helped lead the strike team in the
early stages of the war. At times, Navy Special Warfare (NSW) forces constituted the
majority of the unconventional warriors in
central Asia.
In the early days of the conflict,
hundreds of Navy Sailors stood
shoulder-to-shoulder with Soldiers, Airmen, and
Marines in Afghanistan, a land-locked country
hundreds of miles from the sea.
Since last September, this war has
demanded the deployment of more than one-half
the carrier battle groups and one-third of the
amphibious force in our total combat inventory. Nearly 60,000 Sailors and Marines have deployed to Central
Command (31,000 are there today), and 13,000
Reservists have been mobilized.
Navy
aircraft flew 7,000 strike sorties in
Afghanistan, dropped 5,000 precision weapons,
and were backed up by another 4,000 support
missions. Eighty
percent of the strike missions' targets were
unknown to the pilot at aircraft
launch-that's called flexibility. Naval forces also define lethality-dropping
50 percent of all the precision ordnance
expended in Afghanistan-by hitting at least
one target in 85 percent of all strike missions.
The magnificent performance of the
Navy/Marines/USAF, UK, and SOF forces was a case
study in joint and coalition warfare.
Along with our joint partners, Navy was a
key player in tactical strike and overland
manned surveillance, a role central to the joint
SOF mission.
Coalition
forces, including over 100 ships from eleven
different countries, were involved in Operation
Enduring Freedom.
This is a remarkable force, not equaled
in size or complexity since Operation
Overlord in 1944.
Led by our Navy contingent in theater,
they continue with efforts in maritime and
terrorist leadership interdiction efforts.
The standards set and the
interoperability displayed will stay with our
allies and us for decades to come.
And when the detailed historical lessons
learned for OEF are written, a crucial fixture
of any future military operation will be the
strength of the global maritime coalition.
Special
warfare personnel were pivotal to many aspects
of Operation Enduring Freedom. Naval
Special Warfare Task Units, SEAL Platoons, EOD
Mobile Unit Detachments, SEAL Delivery Vehicle
Platoons, Rigid Inflatable Boat Detachments,
Seabee Detachments, and Mk V Combatant Craft
operated in the area from the Kuwaiti coast to
the mountains of Afghanistan.
They executed operations ranging from
preparing runways to combat search and rescue,
to clearing minefields, providing medical
support, and interdicting maritime traffic.
For example, a Naval Special Warfare Task
Group formed the nucleus of Task Force K Bar (TF
K Bar). This
Task Force was comprised of over 2,800 personnel
from eight nations.
It completed 42 special reconnaissance
missions, 23 direct action/sensitive site
exploitations, searched 12 non-compliant ships,
detained 107 enemy soldiers, called in 147 air
strikes for close air support or to strike
targets of opportunity, and destroyed more than
one-half million pounds of enemy explosives and
weapons. Most
of this occurred during the crucial early days
of the conflict, and their vital work continues
today.
Terrorism
is a dark overture to the new millennium.
The threat of cyber war, the
proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD),
continued trans-national terrorism, and the
havoc that accompanies weak, turbulent, or
failed states are now the current and future
challenges.
Importantly, these threats do not replace
the specter of state-on-state conflict.
They simply add to the danger and
uncertainty, providing new sparks to already
combustible situations.
It follows that today's world is more
dangerous in many ways than that which existed
when we faced the global strike and sea denial
capabilities of the Soviet Union in a bi-polar
world. To
ensure future combat success in this uncertain
strategic environment, sovereign naval forces
are being transformed to better prevent crises
-- and should deterrence fail -- project
decisive offensive and defensive power ashore.
Accordingly, we are increasing
operational mobility, lethality, speed, power,
stealth, precision, and firepower.
We
are transforming to become a 21st century Navy
of awesome capabilities: strategically and
operationally agile; technologically and
organizationally innovative; networked at every
level; highly joint; and effectively integrated
with allies.
Invigorated naval capabilities will
include deterrence options spanning the full
range of threats facing our nation.
The ability of on-scene naval forces to
shape events and control crises by both kinetic
and non-kinetic means will be of increasing
importance in a world threatened by terrorism
and weapons of mass destruction.
Successful
transformation will yield a dispersed, yet
networked fleet that deters adversaries, assures
access to friends and allies, conducts precision
strikes, gathers real-time intelligence,
exercises joint command and control, and
preserves the priceless advantage of sea
control, free from the restriction and
limitations of relying on host nation basing.
In short, it will be a fleet that serves
as the vanguard of America's defense -- around
the world, around the clock.
The
missions described above determine our Navy's
posture, programs, and capabilities.
It defines our character.
Expeditionary naval forces are central to
the National Military Strategy and every
Regional Commander's plans for combat
operations.
While some ships and squadrons are
homeported overseas, the majority of the fleet
deploys rotationally from the continental United
States. Forward-deployed naval forces -- immediately employable,
operationally agile, and capable of sustained
combat operations against any adversary -- are
critical to America's defense. This has been especially true since the end of the Cold War,
in our role as a globally engaged world leader.
The
United States withdrew two-thirds of its
permanently stationed military forces from
Europe following the collapse of the Soviet
Union. In
the Middle East, all of the services fulfill
presence requirements with rotational units.
With the exception of Korea and Japan,
naval forces or flyaway units from the United
States cover Pacific commitments.
This draw down of permanently stationed
overseas forces amplifies the importance of the
expeditionary Navy-Marine Corps team.
Accomplishing our missions has become
steadily more challenging as the Navy's force
structure declined 41 percent since 1991, from
538 to 318 ships.
Yet, the Global War on Terrorism has
increased the call for forward-deployed naval
forces. We
routinely have nearly one-half the fleet at sea
and one-third deployed around the world. Interestingly, the use of amphibious forces in contingency
operations more than doubled in the last decade. In view of this larger requirement, we are investigating
innovative methods of increasing the presence
and striking power of naval forces.
One construct is to complement Amphibious
Ready Groups with surface combatants and
submarines, producing Expeditionary Strike
Groups equipped to destroy terrorist elements,
conduct amphibious operations, or conduct MIO-LIO
on a scale not realized before.
We intend to deploy two Expeditionary
Strike Groups in 2003 as an experiment to better
distribute global power.
We are also experimenting with flexible
manning strategies that may produce greater
efficiencies in conducting prolonged on-station
missions, such as guarding international straits
or other locations of exceptional strategic
value.
The
Navy's contribution to the Global War on
Terrorism is a vital component of our national
effort to secure a safer world.
It is, however, stressing our force
considerably.
There is little elasticity in our force
structure to allow for growth in civil and
overseas defense operations, and offensive
missions associated with the on-going campaign.
Although
naval forces are ideally suited for this global
war, the high OPTEMPO and new requirements
created significant challenges in funding our
current operating accounts.
The Navy has been able to fulfill
essential and urgent requirements through quick
intervention and action by Congress in approving
the defense emergency response fund and
supporting the supplemental funding requests.
Specifically, and of note to this panel,
significant portions of this timely infusion of
funds have been specifically allocated to fund
force protection, increased worldwide posture,
offensive counter terrorism, and additional
flight hours and ship steaming days.
The
Navy's security posture has remained high
since September 11th, both ashore and at sea.
Our facilities ashore have added more
security personnel, sophisticated detection
devices, security barriers, and, since much of
our shore infrastructure is bounded by water, we
have added armed security boats, anchored
barriers, and high intensity lighting to these
facilities.
Where we must, physical setbacks are
being constructed in existing facilities and in
new construction to minimize potential blast
effects. Anti-terrorism
and force protection investments also include
chemical/biological/radiological detection and
incident reaction capability for use both here
and aboard.
Some
organizational re-alignments proved worthwhile
in protecting our shores from a host of
potential threats.
The assignment of Navy patrol craft to
the Coast Guard is an example of a maritime
partnership formed to provide a layered defense
for both military installations and the civilian
community.
Dialogue and intelligence exchange with
other government agencies, combined with a
global maritime coalition formed to find
terrorist organization leadership and
contraband, will be useful anti-terror tools in
the years to come.
Our
forces at sea are not impervious to terrorist
activity. They
do, however, present a harder target than
critical infrastructure ashore.
Underway, our ships and submarines have
been outfitted or are programmed to receive
enhanced close-in defensive systems, greater
allowances to expend training ammunition, and
armed with an awareness of the ever-present
threat.
Additional
Anti-Terrorism/Force Protection (AT/FP)
personnel requirements are putting a strain on
ashore and afloat manpower planning.
In FY05, Naval Security Force growth from
6,400 to 10,783 will be complete.
From then on, Reserves will still be a
vital component of our manpower.
However the requirement will be tied to
specific posts that Reserves will be called to
man beginning 30 days after setting FPCON
Charlie and 60 days after setting FPCON Delta.
Reserve augmentation has been critical to
meeting our more stringent requirements for
AT/FP. Approximately
5,400 Naval Reservists have been called up to
augment the security of ships, naval bases, and
other military installations.
We will continue to rely on the Reserves
to support all facets of security readiness.
However, paying Reservists to remain on
active duty is expensive and has contributed to
the need for supplemental funding.
A
very high priority current readiness issue is
ordnance. Our
forces have expended a large number of
precision-guided munitions (PGMs) during Operation
Enduring Freedom, both to improve lethality and to avoid collateral
damage. These
PGMs represented over 90 percent of the ordnance
dropped by Navy F-14 and F/A-18 aircraft, and
have become the "ordnance of choice"
at a time when our inventories still consist
primarily of non-precision gravity bombs. Funding has been requested for $973M to help replenish
inventories of PGMs, which includes tactical
land-attack Tomahawk cruise missiles and
precision ordnance delivered from Navy and
Marine Corps aircraft.
High
OPTEMPO in the War on Terrorism has also
directly affected our aviation readiness
improvement goals.
While deployed carrier air wings normally
fly an average of about 115 hours per day over
the course of a typical deployment, they were
averaging 252 hours in October 2001.
At the end of February 2002, deployed
carrier air wings were still flying an average
of 193 hours per day.
Today, this aggressive tempo largely
continues.
It translates into increased fuel usage,
more need for replacement parts, quicker
aircraft depot maintenance requirements, and the
demand for faster engine replacements.
Some
critical lessons learned, starting with the
attacks on our homeland and coming to light in Operation
Enduring Freedom, demand that we overhaul
some training curricula, alter the way we do
business at sea and in the field, and re-direct
some procurement lines.
Thanks to superb leadership in the fleet
and the full support of the American people and
Congress, our Navy is making solid progress in
addressing some long-standing issues,
particularly concerning manpower and current
readiness.
These
are some of the areas in which we need continued
focus in order to maximize our warfighting
advantage. We need to continue to improve
several areas, including:
interoperability with allies for
networking, particularly aboard ships,
intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance to
both theater decision-makers and
trigger-pullers, and command and control (C2)
capabilities.
With the continued high OPTEMP, we need
to ensure a well-trained, sufficient force of
key personnel such as Maritime Interdiction
Operations boarding team personnel, targeteers,
linguists, and analysts in order to maintain our
maximum warfighting capability.
We
are building on a winning team, leveraging both
current and transformational capabilities
against an elusive but not immune enemy.
Presence.Power.Precision.
These words epitomize Navy's response
to the events of September 11th.
They are also testimony to the dedicated
service of our active and reserve Sailors, and
our Marine and civilian shipmates in the
Department of the Navy.
It underlines the mobility, lethality,
and global reach of naval forces.
You, Congress, have challenged us, and we
have challenged ourselves, to transform the
Navy's ability to be even more responsive and
more capable of meeting any current and future
crisis. I
thank this panel for your continued strong
support of our Navy, our Sailors, and their
families. Working together, we are ready to stand and fight to achieve
success in the War Against Terrorism.
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