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Political Science Question

Post ID: 3510883

Overview

NC&S Online: Joint Capabilities (JMO2) A01

SA 2 - North Africa Vignette

A. Summative Assessments (SA’s) are ‘open book’ but individual effort, only. Any student evaluated as “not yet” meeting expectations on an SA will be assigned appropriate remediation by the professor. (See p.10-11 of the syllabus for the Academic Honor Code; p.7 for remediation.)

B. Submission Requirements:

  • Due Date: 2359ET on Thursday of the week assigned (unless otherwise directed by your professor).
  • Length: 6-7 pages.
  • Format: MS Word (.doc or docx), 12pt Times New Roman font, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, student first and last name on each page (header or footer).
  • File Name: Last name, First name_SA#
  • No cover sheet, bibliography, paragraph headings/titles, etc. are required for this assignment.
  • Use parenthetical citations to indicate passages from the case study which support your arguments, for example: The Japanese operational objective was X (Hime, Leyte, p#). There is no expectation that students consult resources beyond course materials; if you choose to do so, they must be fully cited in footnotes using the Chicago Manual of Style.
  • Caution: substantial use of direct quotes, paraphrases, or recounting of the vignette will generally not meet expectations.

Prompt: As an NAVEUR Operational Planning Team lead, you must recommend an appropriate Combined Joint Task Force (CJTF) composition to respond to the (fictional) situation in Morocco. Given the information contained in the Service Capabilities Vignette for North Africa Scenario and relevant course material, answer the following:

  1. Given the objective (mission), conduct a preliminary analysis of Factor Force. Suggest and briefly justify the enemy and friendly operational centers of gravity. Determine which Moroccan capabilities are insufficient and require augmentation and recommend U.S. / coalition forces with the most appropriate capabilities and capacity (size/quality) for the joint/combined task force. What do you assess to be the key Force-Time challenge?
  2. In your preliminary analysis of Factors Time and Space, what impact do strategic lift requirements have on the forces you’ve recommended? Do strategic lift considerations drive you to choose certain forces over others with similar capabilities? What major lines of communication and bases of operation do you anticipate will be necessary for CJTF forces? What protection might be necessary to secure them?
  3. What command and control structure would be most suitable as the U.S. prepares to operate with host nation and coalition partners in this case? Why? In your proposed C2 diagram, indicate at least the appropriate level of command for the CJTF and component commanders. Ensure you address command relationships / authorities. What are one or two risks you anticipate with this C2 structure?

In answering the above questions, it may be helpful to consider the following (your professor may provide alternate guidance):

  • What is the objective (mission) and what do you assess to be the key time, space, and force considerations? Hint: when can Algeria invade vs CJTF deployment timelines?
  • Based on (brief) CoG and relative combat power analysis, what capabilities does Morocco need most urgently? A good way to break this down is by domain (air, ground, maritime, etc) and in some cases by specific threat (chemical weapons?). The Joint Functions may be helpful when considering capabilities.
  • Consider the tangible and intangible elements of force. Roughly how much of each capability is needed? If you determine a need for sea or air control/denial in certain places, what capabilities do you think are required to achieve it? (NB: 3-to-1 advantage is the very general rule of thumb for attacking forces).
  • The U.S. military has many other force and strategic lift commitments, worldwide. This will be an economy of force effort. You may assume the following U.S. forces are available in EUCOM; all other capabilities must come from CONUS, but the minimum necessary should be the goal:
  • 1x carrier strike group w/ 3x CG/DDG (Central Med)
  • 1x amphibious ready group, no escorts, w/ embarked MEU (Central Med)
  • 2x P-8A based in Sigonella, Sicily
  • 173rd Airborne Brigade (2x battalions) in Vicenza, Italy
  • 1x F-16 squadron based in Aviano, Italy
  • Coalition partner capabilities are listed on page 14 of the North Africa Vignette without unit sizes. You may assume the following:
  • Ground capabilities offered are battalion-sized, including seaborne troop insertion (which comes w/ amphibious lift).
  • Maritime capabilities consist of 2-3 destroyers/frigates per country (plus the carrier for France). These provide all the capabilities offered (ASW, SUW, naval gunfire, etc – warships are multi-mission). Nations offering submarines provide a single one, each.
  • Air capabilities are squadron-sized (10-12 a/c), except Airborne ASW capability = 1x maritime patrol and reconnaissance a/c.
  • Deployment timelines can be estimated: 1 day preparing to deploy, # days transit (air/sea, minimum 1), 2 days RSOI.
  • What implications do the scenario timelines, strategic lift requirements, and geography have on the various capability options you identified? How will forces get to the JOA, where will they be based (bases of operations), and how will they be sustained in general terms (lines of communication)? Do chosen bases or lines of communication require protection?
  • What is your recommended C2 structure? Is Morocco likely to place its forces under foreign command on home soil? What command relationships are would be appropriate between U.S. and coalition forces?
  • What level of command is necessary for the forces you’ve chosen? Can you suggest commanders (by command, not name) for the roles of JTF and component commanders? (For example: a ground force of 2-3 divisions typically requires a corps level HQ / commander).
  • What risks do your C2 recommendations entail? Unity of command is always desired, but rarely (if ever) achieved – especially in coalition operations. How can your C2 structure help ensure unity of effort? Coordination of Intelligence, Information, and Cyber Ops may be factors to address here.

Note: Do not address these points individually in your response. Use them to analyze the situation, potential capability requirements, stratlift considerations, and to justify your recommended C2 structure.