READY FOR TODAY – EVOLVING FOR TOMORROW
Barge on the River Thames
canals, inland seas, lakes, inter-island or limited coastal routes and for ship to shore discharge. It is particularly suited to the carriage of heavy and bulky equipment, stores, fuel and bulk nonperishable food. 3 Within Europe there are 37,000 kilometres of navigable Inland Waterways and 21 of the 28 member states have usable inland waterways( and thirteen are interconnected by them). It is possible to transit cargo from the Northern Ports to the Black Sea in the South( a distance of 3200km) using the Rhine and Danube systems, with a barge capacity of 20-500 Standard ISO containers.
Inland Waterway Transport has become a major player in the commercial intermodal mix, especially when carrying containers between sea ports and their hinterland. However, from a military perspective it is seen as slow and therefore, frequently disregarded as an option. During World War I there appears to have been little desire among corps and army officers to reduce dependency upon the faster method of transport until the French railways were incapable of meeting the demand; 4 a view that has not changed in the contemporary environment.
The use of a slower, reliable and more resilient network that complements the faster modes is not a novel idea. The Northern Distribution Network( NDN) for
Afghanistan was established in 2011 in response to the failings of the Pakistani landline of communication and to increase capacity. However, this was a reactive solution to a known issue; the integration of IWT as part of a multimodal movements plan from the outset, with appropriate planning, has the potential to greatly increase the strategic and operational movements capability.
A reliable and efficient forward supply chain is but one benefit of adding IWT to the intermodal mix. It has the potential to remove some of the pressure on the road and rail routes – the movement of battle damaged vehicles out of theatre, stores and as history has shown, the movement of battle casualties away from the battlefield. A subject worthy of investigation in itself, inland waterways offer the option to have floating R2, holding wards and for rearward movement of casualties; freeing up capacity in forward hospitals and going someway to regulating the flow of P2 and P3 into home base hospitals. This is not a novel capability but it has been neglected.
Feasibility Assessment
Inland Waterway Transport tends to be slow, but it is reliable, simple to operate and can be invaluable as a means of maintaining a regulated, even flow of supplies. Commercially, the feasibility and the extent of the network throughout the NATO AOR is well known and well-travelled 5; this part of the network requires a more detailed understanding for use in a military capacity.
Further work is required as to the actual extent of the navigable network, beyond what is commercially used, with smaller craft and loads- what would the extent of the network be with a load of 10 TEU rather than the much large commercial minimum? Or the potential use of the extensive lake systems in the Baltics for shorter journeys?
Conclusion
In a congested battlespace with road and rail operating at maximum capacity, IWT is proving to be a force multiplier in the commercial world. With a synergistic approach, IWT – where possible – offers a simple, economic addition to the intermodal mix that is reliable and more robust to enemy interdiction. Used as a coordinated part of the M & T plan rather than as a reactive solution, it can enhance the ability to deliver timely provision of sufficient logistics to sustain the force.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Maj Phil Lawrence is currently a Planning Officer in the Support Division branch at HQ Allied Rapid reaction Corps.
ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS 51