The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT), asymmetrical warfare, and globalization spell uncertainty, and strategic responsiveness can be the key to winning our nations wars The US defense strategy requires pre-positioning posture to enable faster force closure and be more flexible; more expeditionary; more survivable against anti-access threats; more joint and supportive of emerging joint warfighting concepts; and consistent with new DOD basing initiatives. Since the mid-1970's, the Department of Defense has relied on military pre-positioning programs as a means to project combat power. The Army's pre-positioning program has three land (APS-2, APS-4, APS-5) and one set pre-positioned afloat (APS-3), containing five combat maneuver brigades and sustainment stocks. Marine Corps Maritime Pre-positioning Force (MPF) and the Maritime Pre-positioning Ship (MPS) Program contain three maritime preposition squadrons (MPSRONS) afloat, and a land-based pre-position assets in Norway (NALMEB). The Navy is a predominantly a forward-positioned, forward-deployed force, and pre-positions various classes of supply, logistics capabilities, combat engineering force equipment (SeaBees), and combat hospitals. The Air Force's pre-positions materiel as Starter Stocks, Swing Stocks, and as Stocks and Standard Air Munitions Packages (STAMP), consisting of five categories: Basic Expeditionary Airfield Resources (BEAR) equipment, consumables, vehicles, and medical. The equipment content of these programs and the Services' pre-positioning concepts are reflective of a Cold War strategy: a European-focused theater, engagement and forward basing, and conventional warfare against a predictable adversary. Post 9-11 events reflect a change from a predictable enemy to an unpredictable enemy, thus dictating the need for DOD to re-look how they employ their pre-positioning concepts. Predominantly, the pre-positioning concepts are service specific and lack joint integration, joint doctrine, and joint training. Joint pre-positioning begins with developing common operation and logistics systems. Beginning with command and control, DOD must identify a command and control structure (C2) capable of integrating the capabilities of all the services. The Enhanced Networked Seabasing concept offers a C2 structure afloat with the Navy, lending platforms to the Army and Marines for conducting ship downloads in areas where foreign nationals deny the US access to air- and sea ports. From determining and developing common user parts, to asset visibility, to over all theater distribution, DOD must resource ways to integrate service pre-positioning concepts into a joint integrated program that is "plug and play". The Army must redesign the contents of its pre-positioned unit sets to provide modern, state of the art equipment in modular sets focused on capabilities. Adding Objective Force (OF) equipment offers a means to provide a lethal force quickly into an area of operations and minimizes the strategic lift resources. The Air Force must reduce it dependence on large forward basing by pre-positioning its BARE base equipment and critical munitions afloat or by relocating current storage sites to new geographical areas of interest to the US. DOD must invest in capability packages that are pre-positioned afloat and dispersed them geographically. Additionally, DOD can foster a partnership of "share security" by designing a joint exercise program that offers an opportunity for joint forces to draw and employ these packages in areas of political interests to US. Pre-positioning is an integral part of our National Military Strategy. Through a power projection capability, pre-positioning equipment and materiel can offer a wide range of options ranging from military combat operations to humanitarian assistance. Pre-positioning programs serve as a springboard for deployments.

ADA429752 Approved for public release; Distribution is unlimited. The opinions and conclusions expressed herein are those of the student-authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College or any other governmental agency. (References to these studies should include the foregoing statement.)