Navy Math and the RCN’s Three Lines of Readiness Effort
The RCN’s mission is to generate1 maritime forces for operations. From a readiness perspective, the RCN’s tasks may beaggregated into three interdependent lines of effort that drive the numbers of ships, aircraft and submarines needed in themaritime force, which is determined through operational research. Domestic operations are the RCN’s first line of readiness effort. The key driver here is the sheer size of Canada’smaritime estate, coupled with the fact that we border on three widely separated oceans. One ship and its crew are keptready to sail with eight hours’ notice in both Halifax and Victoria.
Called the Ready Duty Ship, it is used for search-andrescue, domestic contingencies and emergent support to other government departments. The latter includes, for example,the need to intercept traffickers as they approach our home waters. The fleet relies heavily on maritime domain awareness,generated in our Marine Security Operations Centres, to determine precisely where and when it is needed in our Atlanticand Pacific home waters, which are readily accessible from our East- and West-Coast ports, respectively.
The Arctic,however, requires a forward-deployed posture, given the distances involved in getting there. It is also necessary to operateindependently on extended patrols in the Arctic without the need to refuel. These were two of the key considerations thatdrove the requirement for the planned delivery of six high-endurance Harry DeWolf AOPSs, as well as the Nanisivik NavalFacility at the eastward entrance to the Northwest Passage, which will serve as the RCN’s Arctic forward logistics site.
Forward-deployed continental and international operations are the RCN’s second line of readiness effort.
The driver in this case is the need to maintain a presence overseas that is consistent with Canada’s strategic interests, including the need to support ongoing global engagement efforts and promote stability in the global system.
Based on operation alanalysis of RCN deployment history, the RCN requires the capacity to maintain one major combatant forward-deployed in two separate theatres of strategic interest to Canada. However, sustaining our presence in a theatre of interest on aconsistent basis (for example with few gaps) requires three or four others in the operational cycle. (This number is not exact, as it depends on a range of factors.
Contingencies are the RCN’s third line of operation. It maintains a Naval Task Group at high readiness that can rapidlydeploy in defence of Canada or North America, as well as lead international maritime operations and contribute towardlarge and complex coalition/Alliance operations in the event of crisis or conflict. Units of the Naval Task Group are oftenforward-deployed on an anticipatory basis, acting as vanguards of the Naval Task Group, supporting our second line ofreadiness effort. This also puts the focus on “navy math”.
Three enhanced command and control (C2) ships, of the 15 Canadian Surface Combatants planned, and two or three Queenston-class support ships are needed, at a minimum, toensure that one of each will always be available for contingency deployment, regardless of other taskings. Maintaining ahigh-readiness task group requires careful fleet-wide sequencing and synchronization of the RCN’s shore-based materiel,technical and organizations to ensure that the right number of platforms is always available.Behind these three lines of effort is a multi-year operational cycle that takes an individual ship or submarine from periodic andintensive maintenance periods and refits through a rigorous grooming process that includes technical trials, readiness trainingand warfare certifications necessary for deployed operations. For every combatant deployed there are several others at variouspoints in their operational cycle, moving in and out of Canada’s maritime industry as well as through the navy’s materiel,technical and individual and collective training systems.
The RCAF employs a similar approach toward managing its twomaritime air fleets.Operational research has consistently determined that the RCN requires a fleet of more than two dozen surface combatantwarships supported by a minimum of three support ships as well as submarines. Today Canada has 25 such surface combatants, comprising 12 frigates, 1 destroyer and 12 coastal defence vessels, while it manages a support-ship gap through leasing arrangements until 2017, when 1 Interim AOR will enter service. Canada’s four Victoria-class submarines are nowoperating at home and abroad, providing additional fleet capacity and a unique set of strategic capabilities .Current projects aim to see the legacy fleet’s capacity of 27 surface combatants and three support ships fully restored, althoughthe acquisition of a third Joint Support Ship remains optional. Six AOPS are being added to the fleet to meet the new demands ofdomestic operations in the Arctic, while plans to extend the life of the Victoria-class submarines into the mid-2030s are beinginvestigated as a bridge toward a new submarine capability.
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