AUSA 2026: US Army mariners could expand role as marine shipping needs evolve

The US Army has begun the process of replacing its legacy Landing Craft Mechanized-8 (LCM-8) class of vessels via Maneuver Support Vessel Light (MSV(L)) programme, shown here. (8th Theater Sustainment Command)

US Army mariners as a military occupational specialty (MOS) could “expand their aperture and value proposition” in the US Army Pacific (USARPAC) area, where large expanses of water and distributed forces make for challenging logistics, according to Major General Frederick L Crist, commanding general of 8th Theater Sustainment Command.

“The maritime distribution problem will not be solved entirely by army watercraft; it's going to be a broad portfolio of systems-of-systems to be able to do that,” Maj Gen Crist said during a 12 October briefing at the Association of the United States Army's annual symposium in Washington, DC.

“Army watercraft, with army mariners, will be of course one aspect of it,” he said. “We also look forwards to the opportunity to be able to leverage US TRANSCOM's [US Transportation Command's] contracting capability to leverage operational support vessels that are commercially owned and commercially operated.”

“We're considering ways of being able to have commercial vessels that become manned by army mariners,” Maj Gen Crist noted.

“And then we're also moving into the autonomous lane, where just in August, USARPAC had the opportunity to conduct an experiment by retrofitting an existing commercial vessel … with a kit to provide autonomous navigation”.

Such changes and advances mean “the operational environment and the requirements are involving quicker than a schoolhouse can”, Maj Gen Crist said. “When it comes to integrating with autonomous systems, when it comes to integrating with the operational support vessels, I totally look towards my army mariners and my chief warrant officers to be able to provide that key integration.”