PERADUAN MENGARANG ESEI MARITIM (PMEM) TLDM 2019

Tajuk Esei : Suitable Platforms for Littoral Waters Operations

Kategori : Bahasa Inggeris

Penulis (No/Pangkat/Nama)

PKK NURUL AFIAH BINTI SOLUR NV/8706182

Markas : MAWILLA 1 Unit/Bahagian/Cawangan : PALAPES LAUT

UMP

No Telefon : 0184054548 Tarikh : 5 DISEMBER 2018

Bilangan Patah Perkataan : 3271 Bilangan Muka Surat : 9+2 muka surat
patah perkataan
Nama Mentor : Lt Muhammad Hairul Amri Bin Ibrahim TLDM N/404840

Abstrak :

When it comes to execute missions on littoral waters area, there are two importand
aspecs that needed to be taken into considerations. The important aspect were the
design and ship used for the littoral missions operation and the environmental area of
the mission being conducted. This essay would be discussing about both of the aspect
in term of area suitability, signifance of guarding the littoral area, the benefits of having
littoral water zone, specifically designated ship for the mission uses.

Rangka Penulisan Esei :

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INTRODUCTION
Littoral water operations is a complex and dynamic operating domain
characterized by dense commercial and maritime traffic, diverse terrain features and
environment. Bypassing littoral waters by projecting power ashore from a distance
may work temporarily, however, operations will eventually require naval forces to
operate in the littorals .Difficulties associated with tactical network operations and
management make the littorals particularly challenging for naval forces. From the
military point of view, the littoral is comprising two operating segments sea war done
consisting of the area from open sea to the shore that has to be controlled to support
ashore operations and landward one the inland area that can be defended or
supported from the sea About 80 percent of world states bordering the sea and the
same percent of world capitals are located within the littoral area.

All seaborne trade has the origin and terminates within the littoral area. In 2013,
like volume, 80 percent of the global trade was carried by ships. The above
considerations along with the actual security challenges occurring not only within the
Black Sea or Baltic Sea basin area, but also at global level make as the Navy
including our very own Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) and other military services to
consider the littoral area as having at least the same relevance with open sea battle
space. Naval operations in the littoral environment waters, where geography and
battle space geometry allow an adversary to concentrate. In the face of this
unremitting threat, a surface platform's self- recent war games and exercises
has recommended to the RMN. Difficulties faced in the littoral environment are
especially evident across several hotbeds of tension, such as the Baltic and South
China Seas where the dispute of having regional sea conflict.

Battle space awareness is a networked assets that can provide leadership with
a more complete and timely understanding of the environment in which forces are
operating. More than 70% of the world is covered by water, 50% of the world’s
population lives within 16 miles of the coast and between 80 and 90% of the world’s
trade is moved via the ocean. The littorals provide homes to over three-quarters of the
world's population, locations for over 80 percent of the world's capital cities, and nearly
all of the marketplaces for international trade. Inside the littorals, the waters are

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narrow and shallow; the oceanographic and environmental conditions impact sensors
much more than in blue water and you constantly have to consider the threat
constituted from weapons ashore.

A blue-water navy now faces much greater and more-diverse threats in the
littorals than in the past. Littoral includes areas of water, close to coasts, from which
shore-based weapons can be a threat to major vessels afloat, where submarines can
hide silently on the bottom, and small craft can make speedy attacks from hiding
places. In order to create and maintain sea control in this contested littoral
environment, forces need to understand the battle space and its impact on their ability
to integrate forces and aggregate their collective effects.

Not only focused on the aspect of keeping sovereignity of the nation’s littoral
waters zone, littoral waters operation also must be conducted in order to safe guard
our national interests in terms of economical values and the living area for the people
of the country.

Choosing Suitable Platforms for Mission Operations

When it comes to choose the suitable platforms for executing the littoral
missions type, there are two aspects that needed to be taken into consideration. First
thing is the environmental area for mission execution and the environment of that
regional area. Next thing to be considered is the type of ship or gear needed to
perform such task and mission. This essay going to eloborate more on the aspects
needed to perform such mission. Briefly explained, the ship must meet certain design
criteria in order to achieve full scale mission accomplishment. The kind of type that
suitable for this kind of mission currently are the Littoral Mission Ship (LCS) and
Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). Both which are being developed by the choosen
contractor working for the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) as the essay being written.
Not only that the ship is specifically designated for the mission purpose but the area of
mission execution are also important. The operations mainly executed in the littoral
water area. This term will be thoroughly explained in the next section of the maritime
essay.

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DISCUSSIONS

What is Littoral Zone? - Definition of terms

What is littoral zone? The littoral zone is the part of a sea, lake or river that is
close to the shore. In coastal environments the littoral zone extends from the high
water mark, which is rarely inundated, to shoreline areas that are permanently
submerged. It always includes this intertidal zone and is often used to mean the same
as the intertidal zone.(Rusu, 2018). However, the meaning of "littoral zone" can extend
well beyond the intertidal zone. What is regarded as the full extent of the littoral zone,
and the way the littoral zone is divided into subregions, varies in different contexts
(lakes and rivers have their own definitions). The use of the term also varies from one
part of the world to another, and between different disciplines. For example, military
commanders speak of the littoral in ways that are quite different from marine
biologists.

The adjacency of water gives a number of distinctive characteristics to littoral

regions.(Gómez, Juanes, Ondiviela, & Revilla, 2014). The erosive power of water
results in particular types of landforms, such as sand dunes, and estuaries. The
natural movement of the littoral along the coast is called the littoral drift. Biologically,
the ready availability of water enables a greater variety of plant and animal life, and
particularly the formation of extensive wetlands. In addition, the additional local
humidity due to evaporation usually creates a microclimate supporting unique types of
organisms.

There are two types of littoral zone, which are in oceanography and marine
biology, and also in freshwater ecosystems. In oceanography and marine biology, the
idea of the littoral zone is extended roughly to the edge of the continental shelf.
Starting from the shoreline, the littoral zone begins at the spray region just above the
high tide mark. From here, it moves to the intertidal region between the high and low
water marks, and then out as far as the edge of the continental shelf. These three
subregions are called, in order, the supralittoral zone, the eulittoral zone and the
sublittoral zone.

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 The supralittoral zone (also called the splash, spray or supratidal zone) is the
area above the spring high tide line that is regularly splashed, but not submerged by
ocean water. Seawater penetrates these elevated areas only during storms with high
tides. Organisms here must cope also with exposure to fresh water from rain, cold,
heat and predation by land animals and seabirds. At the top of this area, patches of
dark lichens can appear as crusts on rocks.

The eulittoral zone (also called the midlittoral or mediolittoral zone) is the
intertidal zone also known as the foreshore. It extends from the spring high tide line,
which is rarely inundated, to the spring low tide line, which is rarely not inundated. The
wave action and turbulence of recurring tides shapes and reforms cliffs, gaps, and
caves, offering a huge range of habitats for sedentary organisms. Protected rocky
shorelines usually show a narrow almost homogenous eulittoral strip, often marked by
the presence of barnacles. Exposed sites show a wider extension and are often
divided into further zones. In freshwater situations, littoral zones occur on the edge of
large lakes and rivers, often with extensive areas of wetland. Here, the effects of tides
are minimal, so other definitions of "littoral" are used. For example, the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources defines littoral as that portion of the lake that is less
than 15 feet in depth.(Britannica, 2018).

The littoral zone may form a narrow or broad fringing wetland, with extensive
areas of aquatic plants sorted by their tolerance to different water depths. Typically,
four zones are recognized, from higher to lower on the shore: wooded wetland, wet
meadow, marsh and aquatic vegetation. The relative areas of these four types
depends not only on the profile of the shoreline, but upon past water levels. The area
of wet meadow is particularly dependent upon past water levels, in general, the area
of wet meadows along lakes and rivers increases with natural water level fluctuations.

Littoral Waters Operations continuity to Sea Control

Sea Control is the raison d’être for any Naval Force not only obligated to the
Royal Malaysian Navy. The littorals have become and will increasingly be critical to
the global economy and joint operations. To be relevant a fleet must have the ability to
secure the littorals, dispute them, or just as importantly exercise in them in the face of
an enemy who will contest them. Different platforms perform each of these tasks,
some more effectively than others, which should drive fleet architectures. As the

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proliferation of weapons changes the littoral environment, the Navy will be forced to
re-examine fleet architectures and make some significant changes to remain viable.
This is due to the poor staying power of surface vessels in relation to their signature in
the face of these rising threats. This new deadly environment will have tactical,
operational, and strategic implications for the fleet and require significant changes if
the fleet wishes to remain effective.

What is sea control? As the Royal Navy puts it, it is “the condition in which one
has freedom of action to use the sea for one’s own purposes in specified areas and for
specified periods of time and, where necessary, to deny or limit its use to the enemy.
Sea control includes the airspace above the surface and the water volume and
seabed below.”

Without sea control, all other attributions and capabilities for a fleet are
irrelevant. As noted by the classic naval strategist Sir Julian Corbett, control (he used
the word “command”) of the sea is fleeting and “the only positive value which the high
seas have for national life is as a means of communication.” Given the fleeting status
of command/control then, accomplishing it must be in support of further goals. Corbett
breaks down his concept of control of the sea into three distinct areas: securing
command, disputing command, and exercising command. Where securing enables
exercising command, the disputing may deny or at least reduce the ability of an
opponent to use the sea for his own purposes.

So it would appear a navy unable to accomplish Corbett’s three elements is

unbalanced, particularly if it cannot do so in the critical littorals. Execution of Corbett’s
three areas can roughly be translated into three current mission areas: scouting,
maritime-interception operations (MIO), and destruction. Enemy forces, and merchant
ships, must be located through scouting. While ships and merchants could be simply
swept from the sea, more often than not there is a need to be present to shape events
and conduct visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) or MIO in support of sanctions,
proliferation reduction, or other operations short of unrestricted warfare. VBSS/MIO is
critical when there is a need to confirm the identity or contents of a vessel.

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Characteristics of Different Possible Platforms– Ships and Environmental Area
The characteristics of different platforms drive their strengths and weaknesses
within these three mission areas. In the past, aircraft carriers were the best platforms
to secure command of the sea. That role is being contested in anti-access/area-denial
environments created by competitors. The air wing provided excellent scouting
capabilities, but the U.S. Navy has determined land-based maritime-patrol aircraft
(MPA) are best capable of searching large volumes of water, as long as the airspace
is not being contested.

The carrier is an inefficient vessel for VBSS. It is only used in the most extreme
circumstances and limited in capacity. Further, because so many other mission
capacities are tied up in one platform, using the carrier for VBSS (or humanitarian
aid/disaster relief, for that matter) denies these capabilities to other missions during
the duration of the operation. The carrier air wing is currently the best platform for
destruction thanks to the volume of fire it can produce, and the mobility of the carrier
as a home base, though it can be argued surface ships could be more cost-effective in
this role. MPA can be effective in destruction but are limited by the fixed operating
location of their airfield. Submarines are poor scouting platforms with limited
perception of the area around them, but they can enter anti-access areas often denied
to surface ships and carriers. While they are poor VBSS/MIO platforms and have not
been used in that role, submarines have an oversized impact on destruction. Their
weapon of choice, as seen in the Falklands War, can be extremely deadly, and the
psychological shock of an unlocated submarine can neutralize an enemy fleet.

Surface ships are good scouting platforms, particularly if equipped with

helicopters and/or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). They are good platforms for
destruction if armed with appropriate weapons. The U.S. Navy has long vacillated
back and forth regarding arming them with Harpoon or other antiship cruise missiles
(ASCMs) mostly because of target-identification challenges. Surface ships are the
best platform for conducting VBSS/MIO, if there are sufficient numbers of ships. Today
Arleigh Burke –class destroyers are conducting VBSS/MIO off the coast of Africa and
other locations. Given the cost and other mission capabilities, does it really make
sense for these air-defense destroyers or other large capital ships to conduct
VBSS/MIO?
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 A suitable platform for littoral waters operations should take place at coastline
which valuable Malaysia in term of the five major interests in the region, namely trade,
tourism, the palm oil industry, marine industry, and sea transportation/connectivity.
The coastline stretching from the Sulu Sea westward to the Indian Ocean is one of the
platforms considered to operate littoral water operations. Therefore, we need these
four littoral platforms to be made in China. They will be delivered to RMN in 2019-
2020. Though the enclosed Sulu Sea region is a haven for several enterprises, the
threat situation is becoming a blight to businesses and potential investors. Tri-border
trade runs into million through so-called barter trade which is goods for cash. The
trade balance, where Malaysia gains 5-fold and 3-fold with the Philippines and
Indonesia respectively must be considered. Kudat, Sandakan, and Tawau are exit
ports for the eastern frontiers supplying goods to Mindanao and Sulawesi.

Significance of Littoral Waters Operations Other Than to Show Power

These ports create volumes of activity which may be lost to Tarakan and
Menado, Indonesia if not managed well. In term of tourism aspect, activity like
snorkeling, diving or just a tranquil stay at the resorts, rake in millions. Seafood
restaurants, homestays, tour operations or just transport services between the shore
and resorts are essential enterprises which are worth considering. This will affect
countries social economy wise. Besides that, the Palm Oil Industry Cluster (POIC)
with upstream and downstream products are valuable areas which has the potential to
make millions as envisaged. The investments require potential investors to enhance
activity and use the multimillion-dollar facilities that have been constructed. Therefore,
security protection is needed to guard these assets to provide confidence of investor
into our country. The pristine waters in the Sulu Sea as a magnet for marine
aquaculture industry is another potential money spinner. Aqua culture farming like
seaweed, scallop, pearl, shrimp, lobster and caged fishing are the many areas worth
enhancing.

Coastal communities are best to harvest these agricultural industries besides

of their involvement in cottage industries like food and souvenirs. Sea transportation
for the tri-border communities and safety of international shipping are as important.
While designated ports meet international security and safety compliance
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requirements, they should also cater for smaller ports to handle the volume in the tri
border area. To provide such security in such area required ship such as the Littoral
Mission Ships (LMSs) which is a more versatile and faster combat patrol
boat.(Wikipedia, 2018). It’s much more agile and maneuverable than the other types
of combat patrol vessels. An analyst at the National Defense University of Malaysia,
said the nation’s demand for the ships is based on current needs.

Process Progress
The Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Littoral Mission Ships (LMS) are being
developed in a current Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) as part of the 15 to 5
Transformation program to improve force maneuverability, cost saving approach as
well as to modernise the RMN’s fleet. The concept behind the littoral combat ship, as
described is to "create a small, fast, maneuverable and relatively cost savings and
eco-friendly. The ship is easy to reconfigure for different roles, including anti-
submarine warfare, mine countermeasures, anti-surface warfare, intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance, homeland defense, maritime intercept, special
operations, and logistics. Due to its modular design, the LCS will be able to replace
slower, more specialized ships such as minesweepers and larger amphibious-type
assault ships.

The Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN) is building a fleet that is not adapted to either
the future mission set or rising threats. It is being built cantered around five new class
of ships including the LMS and the LCS. Surface ships like the New Generation Ptrol
Vessel (NGPV) class are being constructed as either escorts for the Multi-purpose
Command Support Ships, nation’s waters patrolling duty or as ballistic-missile-
defences platforms. While the littoral combat ship (LCS) was originally intended for
sea-control operations in the near-shore environment, its current design is best
employed as a mother ship for other platforms to enter the littorals. The result of all
this is a brittle and thus risk adverse fleet that will not give us influence, may increase
the likelihood of conflict, and reduce the range of mission options available to the
national command authority. This trend is not unique to the RMN. Like other services,
it has been operating since the end of the Cold War in unchallenged environments.
Due to the proliferation of precision-strike-regime weapons and sensors, these

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domains are increasingly being contested, and the sea, particularly in the littorals, may
become one of the most threatened of all these domains.

As stated earlier in the essay, the characteristics of different platforms needed

to drive their strengths and weaknesses within these three mission areas. Many
aspects were taken into consideration and the Royal Malaysian Navy is at the right
path on chasing the goals.

CONCLUSIONS

In conclusion, there are many aspects that need to be taken into consideration
before execution of this kind of water operations. However, there are only two aspects
that considered crucial in this kind of operations which are the area for mission
execution and the ships used for. The suitable water area for this operations are the
littoral zone which are oceanography and marine biology, and also in freshwater
ecosystems. This littoral zone consist of the subregions called supralittoral zone, the
eulittoral zone and the sublittoral zone. Next, the ship used for this missions. The ship
must be specifically designated for the mission and operations purpose. As stated
above in the essay, the most suitable ship is the LCS and the LMS which currently
being developed by the RMN. The ship must meet certain kind of design area that
must be suitable for the the littoral water zone. Briefly said, the ship need to be small,
fast and manueverable in the shallow water.

Words: 3460

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References

Britannica, T. E. of E. (2018). Littoral Zone. Retrieved from

https://www.britannica.com/science/littoral-zone
Gómez, A. G., Juanes, J. A., Ondiviela, B., & Revilla, J. A. (2014). Assessment of
susceptibility to pollution in littoral waters using the concept of recovery time.
Marine Pollution Bulletin, 81(1), 140–148.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.02.004
Rusu, E. (2018). Volume XXI 2018 ISSUE no . 1 MBNA Publishing House Constanta
2018 SBNA PAPER • OPEN ACCESS Black Sea littoral military operations -
environment impact, XXI(1). https://doi.org/10.21279/1454-864X-18-I1-091

Wikipedia. (2018). Littoral combat ship.

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