USMC underscores continued importance of amphibious fleet

The keel was recently laid for the Flight II Harrisburg (LPD 30). (HII)

Even as the US Navy (USN) works through a study of the future fleet makeup, the US Marine Corps (USMC) plans to rely on the traditional amphibious forces, according to the USMC's Force Design 2030 Annual Update May 2022, released this month to coincide with Modern Day Marine conference that started on 10 May in Washington.

“There is no other naval platform that provides more flexibility or the ability to operate in a greater diversity of mission sets than amphibious warfare ships,” USMC Commandant General David Berger wrote in the update.

“Amphibious warfare ships are one of the cornerstones of maritime crisis response,” the update said. “They persist forward and are globally deployable. A three-ship ARG (amphibious readiness group) partnered with an MEU (marine expeditionary unit) provides a geographic combatant commander with an array of missions across the spectrum of conflict and crisis response. The flexibility of L-Class amphibious ships is also reflected in the need for these platforms to help counter so-called maritime ‘gray zone' activities and their growing ability to launch uncrewed air, surface, and subsurface vessels.”

“Given our requirements for operational and tactical mobility, we must invest in the littoral manoeuvre capabilities that will enable the assured deployment and dynamic employment of our forces,” the update added.

However, with the USN conducting a study of the amphibious fleet to analyse and determine the best future acquisition profiles for such ships, there is some concern about the navy's financial commitment for those vessels.