Marine Commandant Gen. David Berger’s last update to Force Design 2030 pushes for more new smaller amphibious ships while officials said the timeline for the units using such vessels are on track to be operational by 2025.
This latest update was made public on Monday and Berger explained in the document that while last year’s version traced the history of the Force Design ideas, “this report describes FD2030’s progress to date and directs follow-on actions for the next 12-24 months.”
The update said while there has been “significant progress” since the work initiated in 2019 and they are seeing “tangible results from our modernization efforts today,” it said current funding for the Landing Ship Medium (LSM) vessels limits their ability to be operational relevant.
The LSM is the new designation of the former Light Amphibious Warship.
“Given that current force structure plans call for three MLRs, we will ultimately require 35 LSM to account for operational availability and mobility for those units. However, current plans for LSM funding (beginning in FY25) limits our ability to bring this capability online within an operationally relevant timeframe,” the document said.
The Navy’s FY 2024 budget request planned to procure up to six LSMs by 2028 (Defense Daily, March 13).
However, Marine Corps officials have said with each LSM planned to hold 75 Marines each, nine vessels are needed to field one of the three Marine Littoral Regiments (MLR), requiring 35 total LSM-type ships when including extras to account for normal maintenance schedules.
The update reiterated the Marine Corps has adapted to these issues by developing several “bridging solutions”: modified commercial Stern Landing Vessels (SLVs), Landing Craft Utility (LCU) vessels, and Spearhead-class Expeditionary Fast Transport ships and other “vessels of opportunity.”
In March, a service official outlined how the Marine Corps Warfighting Lab (MCWL) plans to conduct four stages of experimentation with the first SLV, contracted from Hornbeck Offshore Services [HOS]. The lab expects to receive the second and third SLVs in 2024, incorporating modifications from lessons learned in testing with the first vessel (Defense Daily, March 6).
However, while these bridging solutions aim to inform the eventual use of the LSM, “they will fall short of desired capabilities if called upon in an operational setting. Our modernized expeditionary forces need a comparably modern mobility platform to bring the full weight of their capability to bear on competitors or adversaries, particularly in littoral regions.”
In January, Brig. Gen. Marcus Annibale, director of expeditionary warfare (OPNAV N95), sad the Navy and Marine Corps have agreed to an initial capacity of 18 LSMs, which means vessels 19 – 35 could include a mix of other craft similar to the bridging solutions (Defense Daily, Jan. 17).
However, in this latest Force Design update, Berger’s document noted the bridging options cannot match the LSM in an operational setting.
Relatedly, officials told reporters the timeline for the 3rd Marine Littoral Regiment being operational is starting later this year, while it will be fully operational in two years.
“Pretty confident where we are. I think we are absolutely on timeline. So we’re looking for IOC in 23, FOC in 25. And I think we’re making good progress,” Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, Deputy Commandant for Combat Development & Integration, told reporters ahead of the document release on June 2.
He said the service is “very comfortable with where we are, and the progress being made” with the MLRs.
Heckl argued the Marine Corps style for any concept or piece of equipment is to give it to the individual Marines and they end up using it faster and in ways the planners did not consider or think possible.
He noted the Third MLR participated in the annual U.S-Philippines Exercise Balikatan in April and “we have a lot of good progress there.”
Heckl said the service is currently “shaking out some issues” with the first SLV because they had to harden its deck to support heavy equipment to be loaded n it when used in testing in Hawaii.
“But we’re going to get that out to Hawaii as quickly as we can and get it into the hands of [III Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF)] and Third MLR to do more experimentation.”
Heckl said the MLR is just a type of Marne Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) that is being oriented around providing tools to Lt. Gen. James Bierman, commanding general of III MEF, to address the threat in his area of operation, but he said the commander can tailor the units to their specific needs in the future.
“The MLR is just a MAGTF and right now we’ve only got one and the plan is for three and they will all three be under the control of III MEF. So they will largely look the same, but that will be Lt. Gen. Bierman’s decisions…The MAGTF commander can tailor those those units as he sees fit for task and purpose.”