Back to ship: Marines need ships to fight. Will they get them?
By Todd South
Mar 24, 11:49 PM
Fewer Marines than in recent history have spent time aboard ship. For those who transited the world’s oceans to fight in Iraq or Afghanistan, the Navy ship they sailed on served as a kind of taxi service on the beeline to combat.
As most Marines have spent much of the past two decades in land battles, the Navy pushed its maritime priorities, leaning on deep-sea firepower and reluctantly funding a few closer-to-shore projects like the littoral combat ship, which has faced fielding, maintenance and employment woes.
But the sea services are moving ahead with a plan to get hulls in the water that may carry a new kind of Marine fighting force into the combat role it envisions for fighting against a well-armed and prepared adversary such as China.
Questions loom, however, as to whether existing ship priorities and a new ship design — the light amphibious warship — will be funded, fabricated, floating and fighting in time to keep the Corps relevant.
https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-military/2022/03/24/back-to-ship-marines-need-ships-to-fight-will-they-get-them/
