Seabasing is a national capability that allows naval forces to exploit the sea’s maneuver space and provide global force projection. It is a capability that will incorporate Joint and Coalition Forces as well as inter-agency capability. In short, Seabasing translates into options and flexibility for the President, ensuring we can rapidly respond to emerging crises or surge to provide critical humanitarian assistance without first securing permission for establishing bases ashore.
The Seabasing Joint Integrating Concept (JIC) defines joint Seabasing as “the rapid deployment, assembly, command, projection, reconstitution, and re-employment of joint combat power from the sea, while providing continuous support, sustainment, and force protection to select expeditionary joint forces without reliance on land bases within the Joint Operations Area (JOA). These capabilities expand operational maneuver options, and facilitate assured access and entry from the sea.”
Seabasing is a concept that provides a solution to the challenge of conducting Joint, Multinational, and Interagency missions across a range of operations from the sea, across the littorals, and ashore. It is characterized by an interdependent and interconnected system of systems that includes everything from major combatants to inshore patrol craft, surface and aerial connectors to cargo handling gear, and command suites to medical centers.
Seabasing is a complementary component to the larger system of main operating bases, forward operating sites, and cooperative security locations in a given theater. As the only maneuverable component of this theater system, it enables us to overcome challenges to access and better support proactive engagement, crisis response, deterrence and, when necessary, warfighting. While it does not replace our need for all overseas bases, Seabasing does reduce the requirement for ports and airfields in the area of operations.
Seabasing is a national imperative, brought about by reduction in land bases, increased impediments to basing ashore in many regions, and an increased requirement for flexible, capable, widely-competent forces with the ability to “wage peace” as capably as they can “wage war.” Seabasing will allow for use of the world’s oceans as bases for operations without dependence on port or airfields ashore.