A Mobile Offshore Base (MOB) is a very long floating platform comprised of interconnected modules. It will provide logistic support of United States' military operations where fixed bases are not available or adequate. As follow-on to previous ISOPE papers that described the technical research program and identified potential research spin-offs, this paper first identifies the major risk areas associated with technical feasibility. These risk areas include size, metocean conditions, connectors, global response, validated design tools, multi-body dynamic positioning, constructibility, design standards, survivability, and cargo transfer. The paper finishes with a general assessment about how technically feasible a MOB is today.
The concept of a Mobile Offshore Base (MOB) reflects the United States' need to stage and support military operations, including humanitarian operations, anywhere in the world. MOB is intended as a logistics facility that directly supports existing military assets, including aircraft carriers. MOB will provide a basing platform for marrying the troops to their materiel at a location very close to the area of conflict, but remain far enough away at sea to be easily defendable. A MOB is a self-propelled, floating, prepositioned base that would accept cargo from airplanes and container ships and discharge resourcesto the shore via a variety of surface vessels and aircraft. There are two envisioned modes of operation. First, as independent semisubmersiblemodules, the MOB could provide logistic support for air (rotary wing or short take-off), land, and sea forces in several locations around the world at the same time. Second, serially-connecting multiple modules would form a long runway suitable for landing and takeoff of conventional fixed wing aircraft, including the Boeing C-17 cargo transporter.
