The Arsenal Ship concept: vulnerabilities to special operations

Abstract

The United States Navy has solicited proposals for a revolutionary class of ship, the Arsenal Ship. Despite reduced funding for the project, the concept is still viable for future development. We show how the development of a new unparalleled weapon system or platform will evoke a response by potential adversaries, based on capabilities and asset investment, by unconventional means. The Arsenal Ship is a formidable threat, yet is vulnerable relative to other high value. units. These reasons make it an inviting target across the spectrum of conflict. This thesis will describe threats that are usually overlooked and examine the Arsenal Ship's vulnerability to them. In addition, we will show how these vulnerabilities arise as the Arsenal Ship operates through the range of geographic areas. Further, this thesis describes possible strategic and tactical defensive actions to enable the Arsenal Ship to counter these unconventional threats. Each recommended action has a direct implication upon the engineered design and the proposed Concept of Operations (CONOP). In addition, the recommendations will influence the strategy for employing any future platform based on the Arsenal Ship concept, anywhere in the world