Defense Technology International - January/February 2008 - (Page 26) DISPATCHES GLOBAL the NRF 10 rotation were certified in a simulation exercise, Steadfast Jaw 07, in Norway last December. France built the Tonnerre and Mistral as nominal command ships for maritime command and control (MCC) and amphibious operations. They are equipped with an 850-sq.-meter (9,149-sq.-ft.) command center that accommodates a full naval general sta of 180 o cers or more and joint task force operations. The ships can together accommodate 270 o cers, says the Tonnerre’s commander, Capt. Edmond Darron. For Noble Midas, Tonnerre carried a 107-person command sta , including six French army and air force o cers plus 10 allied o cers, augmented by a 60-man “crisis component” drawn from AV-8B Harrier II-Plus jump jets at the last minute to fill in for British Harriers needed elsewhere (read Afghanistan). Gen. Patrick De Rousiers , head of France’s air defense and operations command, says the main problem for maritime operations is not to get the strike aircraft per se, but the logistics behind them, although he admits helicopters and transports are in short supply. The primary constraint on the French naval side is the 18-month absence of the Charles de Gaulle. The country’s only aircraft carrier, which is being overhauled, is the nominal command ship for carrier group operations. To keep command experience sharp while the de Gaulle is down, the carrier group command team trains with the U.S. Navy in Norfolk, Va. ROYAL NETHERLANDS NAVY The joint operations room in the Johan de Witt has 42 workstations and access to planning cells, briefing rooms and advanced satellite communications gear. allied nations. The vessel also served as hospital ship for the exercise, qualifying its intensive surgery capability. Like the Mistral, Tonnerre is equipped to handle four landing craft or two LCACs (landing craft air cushioned), 60 armored vehicles, 700 troops, six deployable command shelters and 16 helicopters, including the NH Industries NH90, Eurocopter Tiger and Sikorsky CH-53. The Tonnerre carried a partial complement of equipment and personnel for Noble Midas, including just five helicopters. Rear Adm. Hinden insists this was in line with the requirements of the exercise. He acknowledges, however, that if the naval assets engaged in Noble Midas matched 85-90% of requirements set for the NRF, obtaining commitments for air and land resources would be more di cult. Italy, for example, was forced to add 26 French Marfor can additionally draw on up to four support and replenishment ships and two Type F 67 antisubmarine frigates of the Tourville class for other command duties. Although French Marfor functions as the two-star MCC for NRF 10, it is set up to lead one-star naval components simultaneously, including an amphibious task group and a carrier group, either for NATO, EU or national missions. In mid-2006, the French battle staff assumed joint command of the U.N. noncombatant evacuation mission in Lebanon from Mistral, even though the vessel was not fully commissioned. French Marfor also commanded the Charles de Gaulle carrier group during the Agapanthe 07 mission in the Arabian Sea last spring, during which it supported air operations over Afghanistan. This marked the first time the French navy’s Dassault Aviation Rafale F2 strike fighters were used in combat. Other commands in 2007 included the multinational Task Force 150 anti-terrorist fleet in the Indian Ocean, the Indian Ocean mine-clearing force and NATO’s amphibious exercise Skreo. French Marfor is scheduled to again lead the NRF maritime command in 2010, as part of the NRF 15 rotation. During Noble Midas, the French Marfor-led task force had to deal with what NATO calls a “situation force”—a term for opposing forces encountered during exercises. The situation force was led by Netherlands Marfor, the one-star maritime battle sta formed in 2005. Netherlands Marfor was created by merging the command teams of the BelgianNetherlands Maritime Task Group and the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps, as well as those of the Dutch navy’s minehunting and submarine flotillas. In addition, army, air force and international liaison o cers are part of the 65-strong staff, which would be augmented to around 150 in contingencies. Noble Midas saw Netherlands Marfor deploy on board the Dutch navy’s air defense and command frigate HrMs Tromp, leading several Dutch surface combatants, eight Croatian fast-patrol craft, German and Turkish submarines and fighter and maritime patrol aircraft from Italy. Tromp, with its powerful radars and specialized air controllers, was also responsible for flight safety. The main command and control platform, however, is the Dutch navy’s new LPD, the 16,600-ton HrMs Johan de Witt that was commissioned on Nov. 30 as the headquarters for Netherlands Marfor during Bright Archer 07, o the coast of Wales. During Bright Archer, the Johan de Witt deployed with the Dutch navy’s other LPD, the 12,300-ton HrMs Rotterdam, a partly simulated force of eight Dutch ships, two battalions of Royal Netherlands Marines, six NH90s and coalition forces. Netherlands Marfor Commodore Pieter Bindt says his battle staff was responsible for assuring that force elements were integrated and operated seamlessly. “The sta can provide command and control for di erent operations, from mine countermeasures to the largest and most complex amphibious operations,” he says. Typical operations that can be planned and staged by Netherlands Marfor are capturing a port and securing it for a main land force; evacuating civilians; and www.aviationweek.com/dti DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 http://www.aviationweek.com/dti
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