An overview of operational security considerations for husbanding service providers of the U.S. navy
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An overview of operational security considerations for husbanding service providers of the U.S. navy Malcolm L. Elliott 1 & Shannon E. Percival 1 & James M. Steele 1 & Simon Véronneau 1 & Geraldo Ferrer 1 Received: 12 August 2020 / Accepted: 8 September 2020/ # his is a U.S. government work and not under copyright protection in the U.S.; foreign copyright protection may apply 2020
Abstract The United States is continually facing threats from state and non-state actors. Operating in and around the areas where these entities have influence poses unique threats to the ability to carry out the mission of sustained forward presence. Husbanding service providers (HSP) are the primary source of logistics support for U.S. Navy ships calling to foreign ports. The nature of HSP work necessitates access to sensitive information, which can provide clues to the nature of naval operations. Properly vetting third-party and contracted logistics support providers is crucial in maintaining security of operations. The purpose of this paper is to provide a general overview of operational security implications of contracting HSPs to serve the U.S. Navy abroad. Keywords Husbanding service provider . OPSEC . Operational security . Port visit
logistics . Contracting
Introduction Maintaining a forward-deployed presence worldwide is integral to the mission of the Department of the Navy (DoN; Spencer 2017). Husbanding service providers are key suppliers of logistics support for ships operating in a forward-deployed environment, particularly during foreign port visits, but sensitive information passed to HSPs to coordinate port visits present a security vulnerability for the U.S. Navy. Understanding The views expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of Defense or the U.S. Government.
* Simon Véronneau [email protected] Geraldo Ferrer [email protected]
1
Naval Postgraduate School, 1 University Circle, Monterey, CA 93908, USA
Elliott M.L. et al.
with whom the Navy conducts business is a first step towards mitigating this threat. This article describes the purpose and methodology used to review the processes the U.S. Navy has in place for vetting HSPs. The DoN’s mission is to “recruit, train, equip and organize to deliver combat ready naval forces to win conflicts and wars while maintaining security and deterrence through sustained forward presence” (Spencer 2017). The Navy uses a network of organic, host nation, and contractor-furnished support to operate and conduct port visits in other nations. HSPs are the contractors that are the primary providers of logistics support for ships replenishing in ports not supported by organic Navy assets (Department of the Navy 2018). The Navy contracts with these companies to provide husbanding services and coordinate delivery of supplies and provisions at various ports around the world where a U.S. Navy logistics footprint does not exist (Gundemir et al. 2007). HSPs are key enablers to maintain a global force required to c
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