Page 193 - MDSL Final

THE ENABLERS OF MARITIME POWER
of medical support, maintenance support, and personnel support. The
strategic, operational and tactical levels of logistics consist of many
support organisations manned by uniformed and civilian staff and
contractors. Uninterrupted logistic support is a paramount importance
to combat success.

The ship is the very reason for a Navy to exist. A Navy should have
sufficient number of fleet units in her fleet to operate in the sea area
claimed by the country concerned and as a means of protecting its
power. The harbour facilities are required to maintain and sustain the
fleet. Further, the technical support is a prerequisite for a fleet and is
vital to maintain and sustain the fleet’s fighting capabilities. No fleet or
maritime force can operate to its potential without shore based logistic
support to provide fuel, ammunition, repair facilities, technical support
from the base staff and other store demand of provisions need for a
fleet to operate in full operational condition.

Technical Support

The technical support and logistics go hand in hand. Most of the time
technical support is required to build infrastructure for logistic operations.
The construction of piers, storage facilities, boatyards, workshops are
essential enablers for a fleet to sustain. Further, availability of repair
facilities capable enough to undertake battle damages is essential to
maintain the operational state of the fleet. The marine, mechanical,
automobile, electrical and electronics and even the civil engineering
support is included in the notion of ‘technical support’.

Engineering is an important, fundamental and a critical enabling
function for maritime capability. In order to control the trajectory of
naval engineering as it necessarily evolves, it is essential that we all
understand where we are heading and how we plan to operate as an
integrated professional engineering network.
At the initial stages when the facilities in the Dockyard in Trincomalee
were taken over by RCyN, there were only two main workshops, the
Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) workshop and Senior Marine Engineer’s
(SME) factory. Since then, many other workshops were established to

To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea 173