e. g., (1) number and skill of support personnel, (2) power requirements 
and other utilities necessary for mission and housekeeping functions, 
(3) habitability and life support systems. While habitability is 
principally characterized by conditions imposed upon manning personnel 
performing functional missions, considerations must also be directed to 
personnel comforts and recreation - and a psychological feeling of 
security. 
Support Facilities. Considerations should include such items as 
(1) space requirements for storing, servicing and repairing of all 
types of air and sea craft, (2) water and POL needs for mission functions 
and storage locations, (3) schemes for docking all types and sizes of 
ships, (4) transfer of dry and liquid cargo, (5) drydocking for ship 
repair, and (6) special functions as may be determined in the interim 
through mission analyses. 
Vulnerability 
Due to its large size and relative lack of mobility, MOBS will be 
vulnerable to a whole host of threats, both from enemy weapons systems 
and the open sea environment. Vulnerability models should be developed 
which account for the physical properties of the candidates and which 
will assess the likelihood that certain critical platform subsystems 
.ill be susceptible to damage or destruction from offensive weapon 
systems, and wave effects should be studied analytically and experiment- 
ally. Investigations in total should include damage assessment with 
options for repair and/or replacement of damaged portions. 
Scheduling 
All of the studies discussed above are essential milestones to 
determine the relative worth of competing MOBS platform configurations. 
Table 6.1 presents an estimate of the criticality of the various phases 
in accordance with the following definitions: 
Gr iticalire kepleuusnaelnch ietechnology, ackine te athkeasitadnw patat. 
Necessary 9. jer eluel os vs ee cechnollogysin\hand sbutmsolutsonsy/, 
data for applications are lacking. 
Adequate ...... . . . technology in hand, sufficient data 
available to engineer a solution. 
Selection, design, fabrication, and testing of the optimum concept(s) 
could begin by the mid 1970's by attending to the milestones through an 
orderly process of development. Priorities can be established on the 
basis of necessary lead time together with RDT&E criticality; suggestions 
are offered in Table 6.2. Some condensing of the program is possible; 
or extending as necessary within budget limitations. 
