FINDING EFFICIENCIES IN OPERATION BOXTOP Maj S.G. Marshall JCSP 42 PCEMI 42 Master of Defence Studies Maîtrise en études de la défense Disclaimer Avertissement Opinions expressed remain those of the author and Les opinons exprimées n’engagent que leurs auteurs do not represent Department of National Defence or et ne reflètent aucunement des politiques du Canadian Forces policy. This paper may not be used Ministère de la Défense nationale ou des Forces without written permission. canadiennes. Ce papier ne peut être reproduit sans autorisation écrite. © Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as © Sa Majesté la Reine du Chef du Canada, représentée par represented by the Minister of National Defence, 2016. le ministre de la Défense nationale, 2016. CANADIAN FORCES COLLEGE – COLLÈGE DES FORCES CANADIENNES JCSP 42 – PCEMI 42 2015 – 2016 MASTER OF DEFENCE STUDIES – MAÎTRISE EN ÉTUDES DE LA DÉFENSE FINDING EFFICIENCIES IN OPERATION BOXTOP Maj S.G. Marshall “This paper was written by a student “La présente étude a été rédigée par un attending the Canadian Forces College stagiaire du Collège des Forces in fulfilment of one of the requirements canadiennes pour satisfaire à l'une des of the Course of Studies. The paper is a exigences du cours. L'étude est un scholastic document, and thus contains document qui se rapporte au cours et facts and opinions, which the author contient donc des faits et des opinions alone considered appropriate and que seul l'auteur considère appropriés et correct for the subject. It does not convenables au sujet. Elle ne reflète pas necessarily reflect the policy or the nécessairement la politique ou l'opinion opinion of any agency, including the d'un organisme quelconque, y compris le Government of Canada and the gouvernement du Canada et le ministère Canadian Department of National de la Défense nationale du Canada. Il est Defence. This paper may not be défendu de diffuser, de citer ou de released, quoted or copied, except with reproduire cette étude sans la permission the express permission of the Canadian expresse du ministère de la Défense Department of National Defence.” nationale.” Word Count: 20 933 Compte de mots: 20 933 i TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... i List of Figures ................................................................................................................................ ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ii Introduction ....................................................................................................................................1 History .............................................................................................................................................8 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................8 2. History of the Region, Early Expeditions, and the Station’s Namesake ................................8 3. Determination for the Location of CFS Alert ......................................................................14 4. Mission and Early Years ......................................................................................................18 5. The Apex of Operations and Modern CFS Alert .................................................................19 6. History of Operation BOXTOP ............................................................................................23 7. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................30 Methods to Reduce the Cost of Operation BOXTOP ...............................................................32 1. Introduction ........................................................................................................................32 2. Financial Costs ...................................................................................................................32 3. Operational Options for Cost Reductions to Operation BOXTOP ....................................45 4. Focused use of Weekly Service Flights and use of the CC-177 Globemaster III..............47 5. Other Cost Reduction Options ...........................................................................................50 6. Infrastructure ......................................................................................................................51 7. Conclusion .........................................................................................................................54 Other Alternatives .......................................................................................................................56 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................56 2. Alternatives to Thule AB for CFS Alert Sustainment .......................................................56 3. Commercial Airlift .............................................................................................................61 4. Energy Saving Measures....................................................................................................68 5. Inventory Control ...............................................................................................................71 6. Food Logistics ....................................................................................................................72 7. Conclusion .........................................................................................................................73 Impact of Proposed Changes on Arctic and Global Air Mobility Operations .......................74 Conclusions ...................................................................................................................................76 Bibliography .................................................................................................................................79 ii List of Figures 1.1 HMS Alert Wintering at Cape Sheridan 10 1.2 CFS Alert Above Dumbbell Bay 11 1.3 HMS Discovery 12 List of Tables 2.1 Operation BOXTOP Total Costs and Total Hour Flown 43 3.1 Anticipated Annual Electricity and Fuel Savings Implementing Proposed Short Term and Long Term Efficiency Measures 70 1 The future Air Force must be capable of sustaining itself to project power effec- tively and quickly, anywhere and at any time. Air Force sustainment must be mobile, robust, flexible, responsive, technologically superior and fully interop- erable. It must balance capabilities and requirements for both material and per- sonnel. In essence, it must be constant and consistent to be relevant and combat effective. -CFAWC, Projecting Power: Canada’s Air Force 2035 INTRODUCTION Canadian Forces Station (CFS) Alert is a Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) facility operated in the High Arctic on behalf of the Government of Canada by the Canadian Armed Forces. “The role of CFS Alert is to operate and maintain signals intelligence and geolocation facilities.”1 While its primary mission is SIGINT, it also conducts sovereignty missions and supports scien- tific research. Due to its remote location and hostile environment it needs to be re-supplied by air. That sustainment operation is called BOXTOP. Operation (Op) BOXTOP is the primary source of fuel and logistics sustainment to both CFS Alert and Fort Eureka each year. It is done over two separate periods, one in the spring after daylight returns, and one in the fall before full darkness. Each Operation is planned for a period of approximately three weeks during which time Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) aircraft will be staged out of Thule Air Base (AB), Greenland with one aircraft based at CFS Alert. The sin- gle aircraft staged from Alert will be dedicated to the transport Ultra-Low Sulphur Diesel (ULSD) from Resolute, Nunavut, while the preponderance is used for air-bridge sorties between CFS Alert and Thule AB. 1 Canadian Armed Forces, Canadian Forces Organization Order (CFOO) 261200z - 0208 CFS Alert (Ottawa, ON: Canadian Armed Forces, 2008). 2 The spring, or wet, Operation BOXTOP is focused on fuel re-supply; Jet Propellant 8 (JP-8) for aircraft, DF-82 for heating, and ULSD for vehicles. The fall, or dry, Operation BOX- TOP is focused on ferrying the supplies shipped by barge from the Port of Montreal to Thule AB early in the summer, and usually consists of construction materials, dry goods, spare parts for equipment and machinery, and a fuel farm top-up. On average the modern Operation BOXTOP is a round-the-clock operation which consists of approximately 50 augmentees at CFS Alert and 100 Thule AB. The personnel come from a number of trades which include pilots, air combat systems operators (formerly navigators), flight engineers, load masters, maintenance technicians, logistics, and traffic techs in mobile air movement sections (MAMS), along with a number of other trades in support roles. The RCAF normally tasks 3-4x CC-130 Hercules, 1x CC-177 Globemaster III (RCAF designation for the Boeing C-17), and 1x CC-150 Polaris (RCAF desig- nation for the Airbus A310-300) for passenger transport and light cargo between 8 Wing Trenton and Thule AB during the deployment and re-deployment phases of the operation. During the two Operation