The U.S. Navy’s Amphibious Assault Renaissance: It’s More Than Ships and Aircraft
George Galdorisi and Scott C. Truver
December 12, 2018
Over the summer, the Smithsonian Channel featured a series, The Pacific War in Color. Amphibious assaults on Japanese-held islands, such as Tarawa, Peleliu, Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and others were a prominent part of the program. Viewers witnessed armadas of amphibious ships and hundreds of landing craft that were part of each forcible-entry operation where an attacking force needed to come ashore in the face of significant opposition.
In the post-Cold War era, amphibious assault forces have not been the most capable part of the U.S. Navy. In the years after 9/11 — while the Marine Corps was engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan and not embarked in amphibious ships — the amphibious-assault fleet was, at best, an afterthought. Today, the Marine Corps is largely disengaged from land-centric conflicts and, in a move spearheaded by two former commandants, is “returning to its amphibious roots,†signaling a new emphasis on amphibious warfare.
https://warontherocks.com/2018/12/the-u-s-navys-amphibious-assault-renaissance-its-more-than-ships-and-aircraft/
