Mobile offshore base
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A Mobile offshore base or MOB is a concept for supporting military operations where conventional land bases are not available.
A Mobile Offshore Base could be built using similar concepts to an oil rig. A platform would be towed or driven under its own power to a location then left there. More platforms could be towed and connected forming an even larger platform. This continues until the cluster could have an air strip that could hold a large aircraft such as the C-17.
The idea was first voiced when the United States entered Operation Desert Shield. The United States was forced to request the use of allied bases. With this concept the U.S. could have a base anywhere in the world in as little as a month. The base has unlimited capabilities, and most of its creators do not envision a floating air strip but a town-sized base.
A report presented to the United States Congress in April 2000 identified that such a base was technologically feasible and could be built by United States industry. A further report in 2001 by the Institute for Defense Analyses concluded that the estimated US$5 billion to US$8 billion was less cost effective than alternate solutions. [1]
Once positioned, the MOB would operate as a base for an extended period, so would need to have port-like facilities for unloading and loading conventional container and Roll On/Roll Off ships.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Mobile Offshore Base. GlobalSecurity.org. Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
- ^ (1998-04-01). "Cargo Container Transfer Requirements for the Mobile Offshore Base" (PDF). National Institute of Standards and Technology. Retrieved on 2006-06-18.
