USS Ponce acts as "mothership" for Special Forces

By: Michael Ruiz

The U.S. Navy is using a converted transport ship, the USS Ponce, as a mother ship for Special Forces operations in the Persian Gulf. The new approach illustrates the importance of special ops in Americas ongoing military strategy. Originally scheduled for retirement, the Pentagon decided instead to retrofit the Ponce for operations involving U.S. Navy Seals and other U.S. Special Forces. The ship can act as a staging base for up to 12 smaller boats including stealthy, rapidly deployable rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs). Additionally, the USS Ponce has a flight deck capable of handling up to four helicopters and it has a command center with sophisticated communication equipment. The ship also has special cranes that can lift mines out of the water. Joins other US warships The Ponce is joining the aircraft carriers, the USS Enterprise and the USS Lincoln, along with their battle groups in the Persian Gulf where Iran operates a large number of bases along their coast on many small islands. The naval battle groups receive additional support from amphibious ships of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and from U.S. Air Force fighters like the F-15C and F-22. Iran utilizes asymmetrical warfare tactics and equipment including the extensive use of mine warfare and small boat swarm attacks. The Ponce will act as a floating staging base where forces like the Navy Seals can operate with maximum flexibility. Rising importance of special operations Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and unmanned combat air vehicles (UCAVs) like the MQ-1 Predator and the MQ-9 Reaper, and Special Forces teams have become integral to U.S. Armed Forces missions across the world.

The Navy Seals operation that took out Osama bin Laden highlighted clearly the importance of U.S. Special Forces particularly in the so-called war on terrorism. Because enemy units do not deploy on the conventional battlefield, but instead choose to hide among civilian populations, the military must use more precise tactics to minimize civilian casualties. The raid on the bin Laden compound employed stealth helicopters designed to avoid detection by enemy sensors. Stealth technology uses absorbent composite materials and smooth body curves rather than sharp angles to decrease its signature to radars and other types of sensors. Additionally, stealth helicopters fly at very low knap of the earth altitudes to make detection even more difficult. In this way, the Special Forces teams can surprise the enemy during raids, which usually take place under the cover of darkness. The troops wear infrared imaging goggles that allow them to see even in the lowest light conditions. Ponce will help counter Iranian special ops Iran also deploys its own special operations units that gained experience during its long war with Iraq. During that conflict, Iran developed a strategy of using small high-speed boats in swarm attacks against larger ships. The nation has since developed its own special attack speedboats equipped with guided missiles and homing torpedoes. Iran also employs mines as an asymmetrical response to the Wests aircraft carriers and guided missile cruisers. The Ponce is able to launch its own high-speed special operations boats including RHIBs for covert sea action. Combat utility and mine countermeasure helicopters can operate off the ships flight deck. Originally an amphibious transport dock The Ponces original mission was to support amphibious operations as a transport dock ship. The conversion in 2012 to an Afloat Forward Staging Base, Interim (AFSB-I) involved the addition of substantial anti-mine warfare capabilities. Four minesweeping MH-53 Sea Dragon helicopters and cranes will allow the ship to clear large areas of enemy mines. The Ponce was originally an Austin-class amphibious transport dock that displaced 16,591 tons with a full load. The boat is 173.7 meters long with a beam of 30.4 meters at its widest. The Ponces standard armament consisted of eight .50 caliber machine guns and two Phalanx 20mm close-in weapons systems. Special Forces capacity The USS Ponce is able to accommodate several hundred Special Operations troops that can deploy to distant locations using helicopters or speedboats.

Special Forces personnel live in modular barracks added to the deck during the retrofit. The units are capable of carrying out underwater dive missions, reconnaissance, counter terrorism and other missions.