Page 68: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (June 1998)

orders to the U.S. Sixth Fleet air- craft carriers. During the Russian

Okean 70 exercise, the Soviet Fleet found that their shore-based com- mand links were inflexible and unresponsive. The exercise showed that the command loops were so long that their fleet could not react fast enough to developing situations to avoid destruction at the hands of the more agile

Western navies. The result in this case was a crash program to devel- op at-sea flagships and the testing of those links in the subsequent

Okean 75 exercise.

A number of navies are now attempting to move beyond the confines of their proximate lit- torals and project naval power sig- nificantly further from home. In so doing, they will incur the added expense of providing for organic naval aviation and at-sea com- mand facilities. However, to most of those who live on the sea, the most visible attribute of naval power will remain the maritime patrol craft and offshore patrol vessels used to maintain law and order on the high seas. While nobody now takes claims that effective surface combatants can be built on anything less than a 203 to 230 ft. (62 to 70 m) hull seri- ously, 184 and 203 ft. (56 and 62 m) offshore patrol craft carry most of the burden of preventing marine crime. These patrol craft are prop- erly thought of as police craft.

They are responsible for prevent- ing piracy, controlling smuggling and all the other aspects of main- taining the rule of law at sea. To the crew of a yacht or pleasure craft in difficulties, there is no more welcome site of a coastguard cutter offering assistance.

Marine policing also requires dedicated command facilities which add to the cost burden of maintaining a naval presence.

The operations of coastal patrol craft are best controlled from inshore, coordinating the actions of the OPCs and OPVs with radio monitoring, maritime patrol air- craft, shore-based observers and citizens who become aware of a sit- uation that requires professional assistance. Shore-based radar net- works are necessary to control shipping movements through restricted waters and to alert emergency services when an acci- dent does occur. It is interesting to note that in some areas, most notably the Malacca Straits and

English Channel, the data load generated by controlling shipping movements approximates to that required for air traffic control. The

June, 1998 techniques used by the operators are similar, the only difference being that the maritime situation develops much more slowly than that involved with aircraft move- ment. Overall, maintaining a naval presence in littoral waters, whether for military operations or for maritime policing revolves around obtaining the information needed to plot the situations in question, then analyzing the key factors of those situations in order to determine the correct course of actions. Forecast International's detailed studies have shown that modern computer command con- trol technology is providing the necessary answers to these prob- lems but also indicate the high level of cost that can be incurred.

This, problem too, is being addressed by modern technology.

Computers designed for the civil- ian market are being exploited for military use, dramatically reduc- ing costs while, apparently, not involving any great loss of military capability. This approach, knows as COTS (Civilian off-the-shelf) may well provide answers to the littoral warfare C4I crisis within reach of regional and local navies.

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