Defense Technology International - January/February 2008 - (Page 28) DISPATCHES GLOBAL humanitarian aid in the wake of a natural or man-made disaster. Netherlands Marfor is working up to full operational capability status, which it is to achieve in July. The one-star battle sta is to assume command in January 2009 of the amphibious task force/landing force assigned to NRF 12. Strike Force NATO headquarters in Norfolk, Va., will take on the two-star role of maritime component commander. Both LPDs of the Dutch navy, a hydrographic survey ship, a fleet-replenishment ship and a medical surgery team, will also be on standby as part of NRF 12, as will 12 Lockheed Martin F-16AMs of the Royal Netherlands Air Force. The embarked amphibious forces will be British and Norwegian. During the work-up phase for this commitment in the second half of 2008, Netherlands Marfor will work with the French who will provide up to two LPD ships, landing craft and “hopefully, army aviation helicopters,” Bindt says. Beyond the NRF 12 standby period (which ends in July 2009), Netherlands Marfor is scheduled to play a key role in a U.K.-Netherlands rapid reaction unit under the EU’s battle group concept. While Netherlands Marfor is a onestar operation, the Johan de Witt can house a two-star headquarters for a division-size combined/joint task force. The ship is, consequently, suitable as a replacement for the nearly 40-year-old USS Mount Whitney, a dedicated command ship that supports U.S. and NATO operations in the Atlantic and Mediterranean. Johan de Witt’s command and control facilities and hotel capacity support more than 400 sta o cers and NCOs. (Alternatively, an embarked force of 555 Marines can be taken on board, in addition to the ship’s crew of 146.) The ship can serve as a dedicated sea-based command platform, or as an LPD with its own battle sta to plan and lead an amphibious landing. The Johan de Witt has a full-size JOR, with 32 workstations for operations and communications o cers and 10 for the ship’s combat information center. The JOR is surrounded by planning cells and briefing rooms, including ship-to-objective maneuver, joint-force fire support, information operations, and communications and information systems. One deck is an office complex that houses the intelligence cell, spaces for a joint-force air component command sta , and special operations and civilmilitary cooperation planning sections. The ship’s C4I concept is based on the embarking sta bringing their own laptops. There are five local area networks, two of which can be used for digital information-sharing operations. Johan de Witt is equipped with satellite communications terminals, including SHF (superhigh frequency) and AEHF (advanced extremely high frequency). Having a joint headquarters deployed o the coast of a crisis region, permits forces to be controlled in a focused and coordinated manner, says Capt. Ed Veen, commanding o cer of the ship. “This can prevent a conflict from escalating. The fact that the sta is sea-based means it is less dependent on a base in a potentially insecure area, and makes it easier to exit from the area if the situation becomes untenable.” Johan de Witt was built by Schelde Naval Shipbuilding and christened in May 2006. Problems with the dieselelectric propulsion systems, though, have delayed handover of the ship to the navy. The Johan de Witt is expected to be fully operational by March. Its primary roles are amphibious operations, strategic lift and sea-based command. Secondary roles are as a helicopter platform for anti-submarine operations; disaster relief and humanitarian aid; civil-military cooperation; mine countermeasures operations; and counter-terrorism. The vessel has a maximum speed of 20 kt. and a range of 10,000 naut. mi., carrying six landing craft, six NH90-size helicopters, 32 Leopard 2 main battle tanks and an embarked headquarters or landing force. With the Rotterdam LPD, Johan de Witt can transport a marine battalion and its supporting units and supplies anywhere in the world, land the force and support its operations, Veen says. I With Michael A. Taverna on board the Tonnerre. Read Janssen Lok’s posts on DTI’s weblog, Ares, updated daily: AviationWeek.com/ares ROYAL NETHERLANDS NAVY Netherlands Marfor Commodore Pieter Bindt watches as a landing craft returns to the Rotterdam during NATO’s Bright Archer exercise off Wales. 28 DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY INTERNATIONAL JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2008 www.aviationweek.com/dti http://AviationWeek.com/ares http://www.aviationweek.com/dti
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