AAR: Running on Empty

After Action Report for 'Running on Empty'

A scenario by Clemens

'Running on Empty' is a new HCE scenario for the Westpac battleset. I played the scenario from the BLUE side using GE Build 2009.064 and the HCDB database.

Scenario Background

China's declared exclusion zone and subsequent attacks on ships has caused shipping insurance companies to stop offering insurance to any ship that comes within 500 miles of the conflict area. The consequence of this is that Japan is down to two weeks worth crude oil and natural gas. The only solution the Japanese have been able to come up with is for the government to buy several ULCC's, and LNG carriers and have the JMSDF operate them. These ships must reach the Tokyo area for unloading as soon as possible.

Orders

I am in charge of a large formation of ships (32 in all) comprised of roughly half warships and half commercial shipping (mostly oil tankers and LNG (liquid natural gas) carriers). All but one of the warships (the Bunker Hill class cruiser USS Chosin) belong to the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF), including the new 'carrier' Shirane. Having just cleared the Malacca Straits, the group must now make the perilous journey to Tokyo, some 3,000 nautical miles distant. With People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships largely undergoing supply, the threat is considered to be mainly aircraft from the People's Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and PLAN Air Force (PLANAF) and - perhaps worse - submarines. The threat is considered extreme.

What Happened

In the face of the threat, I had fair numbers of aircraft (including a sizeable air wing aboard Shirane and her escorts) arrayed at airfields at the old (reclaimed) Clark AFB in the Philippines; Naha in Okinawa; Tokyo; and at the distant outpost at Andersen AFB, Guam. Some of these were the cream of the crop, including F-22A Raptor, B-1B Lancer, EA-18G Growler, F-35A/B JSF and F-15, as well as ample numbers of airborne early warning (AEW), maritime patrol and electronic intelligence (ELINT) assets.

The Chinese attacked almost immediately, with an attempt to pummel my closest airfields with a mixture of ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, followed up by standoff precision guided munitions. The air battle was fast and furious, but I managed to stave them off.

My biggest fear - beyond having my forward airfields put of action early - was enemy discovery of the rather isolated and vulnerable naval group. It didn't take long for those fears to be realized.

Somewhere off the Anambas Islands, I came under a submarine launched cruise missile attack. By surprise, of course, as they almost always are.

The supertanker Norbay was struck by an SS-N-27 Sizzler missile, inflicting serious damage and slowing her to just 8 knots.

Friendly helicopters soon localized and eliminated the threat, a Chinese Project 636 (NATO Kilo II) class sub, but the damage was done.

With the better part of the 3,000 mile journey still facing me, I could not afford to saunter along at 8 knots. The tanker Norbay was cut loose and left to her own fate, and the rest of the group pushed on.

I didn't get far.

Probing the waters ahead, a minefield was discovered in the chokepoint off the Natuna Islands. It would have to be cleared. Fortunately, a contingent of Japanese MCH-101 helicopters made the task tedious but not impossible.

Despite early exposure to enemy attack, the Chinese air forces seemed hampered by the sheer distances involved. They could not project power enough from their own shores to seriously threaten my ships.

At least not until I got closer. Perhaps beyond the Spratly archipelago.

I therefore had breathing room. Time to get my act together, and take the fight to the enemy before my ships were forced by geography to come within lethal range.

First order of business: Destroy the Chinese outpost in the Spratlys and thereby deny the enemy its first, best opportunity to rediscover my naval group and launch concerted attacks on it.

The EA-18G Growlers and MALD (Miniature Air Launched Decoy) equipped F-16s proved their value here, keeping enemy forces occupied while SEAD/DEAD (suppression/destruction of enemy air defenses) weapons did their work.

Next up, Guangzhou East. And that is how it went.

Shifting my best, most capable assets into a position where they could exert the greatest possible force against enemy strongpoints - one at a time.

One component at a time, I dismantled the Chinese air threat.

I had out maritime patrol and ASW aircraft out on long distance missions, sniffing for enemy subs, but the oceans were so vast that any encounter was almost purely by chance.

By the time my ships had approached the coast of Brunei, the entire enemy shore based infrastructure (four airfields and over 600 aircraft) had been razed.

Now it seemed to be simply a matter of bringing as many ships as possible safely through the subsurface threat and eventually - hopefully - to Tokyo.

Japanese submarines - despite being conventionally powered - proved invaluable here.

Time after time they were able to detect Chinese submarines at range (typically 28,000 yards) and either engage and kill them on their own, or call in friendly air (P-3 Orion or P-8 Poseidon) to do the job.

The sub vs sub action was especially hot in the chokepoints. Such as, for example, in the Bashi Channel.

Here the Soryu class sub Unryu battled another PLAN Kilo II. Successfully, but not without being forced to evade a hostile torpedo.

This was also where the Chicoms decided to lay another minefield. It was a large one, and took some time to clear, even with the help of minesweeping assets.

Once this minefield had been cleared, my ships shuttled through and onward past Okinawa, the remainder of the journey was uneventful.

The task group, and every ship except Norbay, which was still creeping forward slowly, pulled into Tokyo Bay with 2 days 22 hours to go.

Comments

I did not trigger any victory conditions, presumably because of the absence of Norbay, but I had essentially annihilated the Chinese force with the loss of just five aircraft.

(Most of these were P-3 or EP-3 types that I had been using to snoop along the periphery of enemy airspace).

Thanks for taking the time to put the scenario together, Clemens. It was a good bit of fun.