NATO Industrial Advisory Group (NIAG) Mission Modularity Studies
This paper outlines the range and depth of the series of NATO Industry Advisory Group (NIAG) modularity studies conducted by industry over the past ten years that examined the operational benefits, capabilities and costs of modular fleets for naval forces and makes comparisons with traditionally designed organic vessels. Commencing in May 2010 NATO has commissioned five MissionModularity studies. This work drew together over 50 defence contractors from 14 countries in the Alliance. In total 78 representatives attended working meetings to contribute expertise in all branches of engineering and science for the design, procurement, operation and support of naval ships and systems. The main sponsor for these studies was the NATO Ship Design Capability Group SDCG (formerly Maritime Capability Group MCG-6) with guidance of members of the United States Department of Defence (DoD NAVSEA), United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (D Ships) and the Netherlands Ministry of Defence (DMO). The ubiquity and cheapness of the ISO (International Standards Organisation) container suggested wide application for transportation and pre-outfitting to form a Mission Module and for the first NIAG study SG- 150 (Reference 1) the standard ISO Twenty foot Equivalent Unit container (TEU) was considered for Civil- Military Co-Operation (CIMIC) operations, specifically Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief (HADR), Harbour Protection (HP) and Counter Piracy (CP). The base vessel types considered were Landing Platform Dock/ Joint Support Ship (LPD/JSS) which provided necessary space and loading/unloading facilities without major design modifications. Subsequently it was realised that a prepared package of equipment (a module), designed to be self-contained with suitable ship-to-module interfaces (space, power, communication links etc.) that could be quickly installed in a host ship, could provide an alternative means of enhancing the organic (i.e. built-in) capability of naval vessels for other types of missions. Where a threat exists, ISO TEUs need ...
