If you haven't already read it you might want to look at the report that CSIS published about the wargaming it did on a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. In the wargames they found the new Marine Littoral Regiments of limited usefulness. Politics didn't generally allow them to be forward deployed before the conflict started (deemed too provocative?). Once hostilities began, resupply proved extremely difficult due to Chinese air power.The Marines seem to have been captured by the Australian shipping industry.
Could they end up following the example of De Meuron's and De Watteville's Regiments?
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This Weird Little Ship Could Be the Future of Amphibious Warfare
It’s no secret that the U.S. Navy and U.S. Marine Corps want to buy smaller, cheaper amphibious ships for landing troops and equipment on enemy shores. Could this be it?nationalinterest.org
Cargo Ships | Naval Architects, Consultants & Surveyors
SEATRANSPORT has a broad experience in cargo ship design, work vessel design and conducting feasibility studies for such vessels intended for coastal shipping operations.seatransport.com
The USMC seems to be finding ships that they want operating in the waters they want to operate in.
Easier to marry a local duckbilled platypus than get the USN to spec one.
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Kidding aside part of the advantage of the design may be in that very long bifold ramp
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If you haven't already read it you might want to look at the report that CSIS published about the wargaming it did on a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. In the wargames they found the new Marine Littoral Regiments of limited usefulness. Politics didn't generally allow them to be forward deployed before the conflict started (deemed too provocative?). Once hostilities began, resupply proved extremely difficult due to Chinese air power.
I'm not sure what the solution is for the Pacific theatre. Ships...even small, fast ships that can't defend themselves are probably not very survivable if they attempt to get within useful range of Chinese forces. Adding escorts defeats the purpose of dispersed operations by making the flotillas larger and making them more easily detected through their EM signatures. We're nowhere near the point that troop carrying submarines are economically feasible.
I think at this point long-range aircraft carrying long range missiles, theatre range ground-launched missiles and submarines are likely the most effective types of assets that we could use in a war with China. The "new" Marine Corps structure is likely better suited than the old one, but probably only marginally so.
Thinking more like oil rig platforms, along with some infilling.
You still need bases on those islands as a political statement. Just as the Chinese have done.
Yes you do, because the most of the islands are uninhabited and there presence and ownership dictates oil, mineral and fishing rights. china's policy is to use a "all of government and industry approach to gaining the islands" Failure to preempt them has led to China claiming several important islands, which will have severe implications for generations to come.Do you need a political statement that creates physical targets with a population that has mixed feelings about the presence of "outsiders"? Or is it enough that the local government declares its willingness to permit the deployment of "allied" forces should the situation require it?
China just has to believe that the US threat is a real one that could have a real impact on China's real plans.
The Americans can deploy from Japan to Taiwan and from Australia, Micronesia and Polynesia to the Phillipines and Indonesia.
The are always adding to their bag of tricks - like the one I mentioned the Aussies want to emulate
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Australia developing ‘shoot and scoot’ capability using C-130s and rocket artillery
With plans to purchase the US-made expeditionary rocket system known as HIMARS, Australia wants to turn its C-130 cargo transports into a long-range precision strike system.www.flightglobal.com
In the case of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, the USMC and America will commit more than a single littoral regiment. If America commits to Taiwan, it will be several carrier strike groups, to protect the big ships full of bodies. Bodies will be army, marines, and navy, likely combined with a coalition of Japanese, and South Korean forces.If you haven't already read it you might want to look at the report that CSIS published about the wargaming it did on a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. In the wargames they found the new Marine Littoral Regiments of limited usefulness. Politics didn't generally allow them to be forward deployed before the conflict started (deemed too provocative?). Once hostilities began, resupply proved extremely difficult due to Chinese air power.
I'm not sure what the solution is for the Pacific theatre. Ships...even small, fast ships that can't defend themselves are probably not very survivable if they attempt to get within useful range of Chinese forces. Adding escorts defeats the purpose of dispersed operations by making the flotillas larger and making them more easily detected through their EM signatures. We're nowhere near the point that troop carrying submarines are economically feasible.
I think at this point long-range aircraft carrying long range missiles, theatre range ground-launched missiles and submarines are likely the most effective types of assets that we could use in a war with China. The "new" Marine Corps structure is likely better suited than the old one, but probably only marginally so.
Yes you do, because the most of the islands are uninhabited and there presence and ownership dictates oil, mineral and fishing rights. china's policy is to use a "all of government and industry approach to gaining the islands" Failure to preempt them has led to China claiming several important islands, which will have severe implications for generations to come.
In June 2012, the Philippine government, under pressure from Chinese claims to their seas, agreed to the return of American military forces to Clark.