At the Heart of the Critical Vulnerability: Exploring Organizational and Technological Flexibility in Coastal Defense Anti-Ship Missile Warfare
2022 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
In coastal defense operations, anti-ship missile (ASM) attacks on amphibious assault high value targets (HVT) constitutes a window of opportunity with decisive potential. However, in war, the availability and performance of ASM-forces is uncertain and most likely less than ideal. This thesis explores how organizational and technological flexibility can be a solution to such uncertainties. This is achieved by modeling representative examples of weapon redundancy, weapon versatility, and a flexible balance between offensive and defensive powers. A Two-Layer Defense HVT Acquisition Missile Salvo Model is developed, as an extension of Hughes Missile Salvo Model, to enable detailed study of sub-saturation attacks that rely on missiles leaking through target defenses. The result of this study shows that organizational and technological flexibility can potentially enhance ASM-attacks directed at the HVTs of an amphibious assault in multiple ways. Mentionable key-findings are that additional ways of challenging target defenses, additional firepower, and increased lethality through characteristics such as precision will create tolerance to loss and tactical benefits.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2022. , p. 77
Keywords [en]
Anti-Ship Missile, Coastal Defense, Naval Tactics, Anti-Surface Warfare, Organizational Flexibility, Technological Flexibility, Redundancy, Versatility, Balance, Missile Salvo Model
National Category
Other Social Sciences
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:fhs:diva-10914OAI: oai:DiVA.org:fhs-10914DiVA, id: diva2:1673423
Subject / course
War Studies, Thesis
Educational program
Högre officersprogrammet (HOP)
Supervisors
Examiners
2022-06-222022-06-202024-03-12Bibliographically approved