An Aging Amphibious Warfare Fleet Will Not Deter China
By Dan Gouré
August 06, 2022
Events of recent weeks have underscored the correctness of the Biden administration’s view that China is this country’s “pacing threat,” one that is racing to create a military that would challenge that of the United States. The U.S. military is seeking to alter both the design of its forces and how they operate in peacetime to provide a credible deterrent and, if necessary, a war-winning capability. To that end, the U.S. Navy is proposing both a quantitative and qualitative buildup. One part of the fleet that must be enhanced in both respects is the amphibious warfare force.
The Chinese military buildup has been progressing at an alarming speed. So too has the escalation of Beijing’s bellicose behavior. In response, the Navy has revised its Fleet design to primarily reflect the need to deter China in the Indo-Pacific. The 2022 Navigation Plan calls for some 355 manned ships and approximately 150 unmanned vessels. This larger Navy will also be more modern.
Yet, the Navy seems to be uncertain of how it wants to modernize and expand its amphibious warfare fleet. In the wake of the Marine Corps’ publication of its Force Design 2030, which proposed creating a Stand-in Force comprised of small, mobile land units backed up by a new class of small amphibious warfare vessels, more than a few Navy and Pentagon officials came to the erroneous conclusion that the nation no longer needed large amphibious warfare ships.
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2022/08/06/an_aging_amphibious_warfare_fleet_will_not_deter_china_846627.html
