Strategic Resource Allocation: Selecting Vessels to Support Maritime Irregular Warfare

Abstract

The US Navy is at a critical juncture in determining the types and numbers of ships it will acquire, retire, and sustain to support an evolving US military strategy. In addition to determining how many aircraft carriers, cruisers, amphibious assault craft, fighters, and helicopters it will need, the Navy must determine how it will confront maritime irregular warfare. Assuming an environment of resource scarcity, where new vessel acquisition to support maritime irregular warfare may be increasingly difficult or unlikely, we introduce a method for evaluating the capability and costs of candidate vessels that are in the current Department of Defense inventory, or widely available from the commercial sector to conduct such a mission. Our method combines wargaming with cost analysis to aid Navy leadership in developing maritime irregular warfare concepts of operation as well as resource allocation decisions.