Land-based Marine Corps units could move back to sea: Facing a shortfall of amphibious ships that won't go away anytime soon and an unwavering need to launch operations from the sea, the commandant has a message for Marines: If it floats, you may have to deploy on it.
"As Expeditionary Force 21 emphasizes, we need to modify traditional employment methods and augment amphibious warships by adapting other vessels for sea-based littoral operations," Gen. Joseph Dunford wrote in his planning guidance, released Jan. 23. "We will aggressively develop concepts of employment for alternative platforms that are consistent with mission requirements and platform capabilities."
Dunford said the Corps has tried to make up for the dearth of amphibs by creating new land-based crisis response units, but it doesn't substitute for Marines operating from the sea. He doesn't expect an increase in the number of new amphibs, he wrote, so he's tasked the service with developing ways to use all sorts of Navy ships to quickly put Marines and their gear into hot spots.
He's starting by developing a concept of operations for two land based units: Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force-Crisis Response-Africa, a Spain based unit that responds to emergencies in Africa, and Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, based in Australia. Additionally, he'll develop a plan for using alternative ships, which will be implemented this year, he wrote.
"Alternative platforms," literally means every blue water vessel in the Navy, said Jim Strock, the director of the Seabasing Integration Division in the Combat Development and Integration office at Headquarters Marine Corps.
