amphibious

To cool the war over amphibs, the Navy and Marines need a clearer justification

Congress should not shoot the messenger, but help the Navy and Marine Corps explain why 31 amphibs is the right number, CSIS's Mark Cancian argues in this op-ed.

By Mark Cancian

Allies

SecDef & Marines Want To Disperse Across Pacific, But It’s Hard

Concerns over a new Okinawa airfield, and how to get Marines across vast swaths of ocean, are complicating American plans to spread forces across the Pacific.

By Paul McLeary

Allies

New 2nd Fleet To Confront Russia From Day One

The Navy has created a new fleet, and is sending it straight into the Baltic Sea to test new ways of doing business.

By Paul McLeary

Crafting A Pacific Attack & Defense Enterprise: The Strategic Quadrangle

The pivot to the Pacific started more than a century ago. The United States first became a Pacific power in 1898, the year the US first annexed Hawaii and then gained Guam and the Philippines (as well as Puerto Rico) from Spain after a “short, victorious war.” The United States is at a turning point […]

By Robbin Laird

Naval Warfare

Textron Wins Navy Hovercraft Contract To Replace Aging LCAC

After repeated delays, an industry team led by Textron Inc. has won a $212.7 million contract for the next-generation hovercraft transport to carry Marine forces from ship to shore, the Navy announced at 5:01 today. The blandly named “Ship to Shore Connector” (SSC) will replace the aging Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC), also built by […]

By Sydney J. Freedberg Jr.

Naval Warfare

Marines Sail Back To Future With Bataan Deployment

Libyan rebels, Somali pirates, Osprey tiltrotors, and a long, long time at sea: The future of the Marine Corps post-Afghanistan can be seen in what you might call “Yoda and Bart’s Great Adventure,” an extraordinary ocean journey that began a year ago Friday. This Yoda and Bart aren’t fictional characters, but the radio call signs […]

By Richard Whittle