via FoxNews.
The amphibs...more precisely the big deck amphibs are the ships most desired by a variety of forces.
*Riverines want them as a base and as transport.
*SOCOM wants them for the same reason.
*Army Aviation sees it as a way to get into action displacing Marine aviation.
*Surface Navy sees them as a mine sweeping platform (aerial minesweeping has made tremendous strides lately...don't be fooled...the mission module for LCS will be a SeaHawk with appropriate mine sweeping gear)
*Naval Aviation sees them as an adjunct to the carrier in the sea control sphere.
The Marine Corps better get a little less purple and start protecting assets. The seabase as a concept is dead for Marine Corps operations. If you can't get it in the assault phase then you better leave it to your ship to shore connectors from your MPS ships. The seabase is designed for extended counter insurgency operations OR extended conventional warfare.
These are not future Marine missions.
Lets get light. Lets fight right and lets jettison the idea of enhanced logistics. A medium weight force that arrives by sea with enough on hand logistics to support 15 (MEU), 30 (MEB) or 45 (MEF) days of sustained combat without support.
The guidebook has been established. We just need to follow it instead of heading off on tangents.
And how about we focus on Marine Corps issues AND needs...not the joint forces.
NOTE:
This idea is pure craziness. Don't be fooled into thinking that this won't be one of the most monitored ships in the Navy. And in addition to the SEALs they better have a detachment of Marine Special Ops or Rangers on board because I can imagine speedboats, anti-ship missiles, enemy aircraft, pirates, lions and tiger and bears oh my! will be watching and ready to take a whack at this ship.
Electronic monitoring...visual monitoring...sat monitoring...everyone and their mother will be watching this thing. So much for secret ops!
Don't be confused by this move.The U.S. Navy is working to place a 'mothership' for Special Operations Forces in the Middle East, Fox News confirms.The USS Ponce, which was most recently being used as a dock in the Mediterranean Sea for the Libyan operation, was scheduled to be decommissioned in December. Navy officials now tell Fox News that the ship will be transformed into a flotilla to be used by Navy SEALs
The amphibs...more precisely the big deck amphibs are the ships most desired by a variety of forces.
*Riverines want them as a base and as transport.
*SOCOM wants them for the same reason.
*Army Aviation sees it as a way to get into action displacing Marine aviation.
*Surface Navy sees them as a mine sweeping platform (aerial minesweeping has made tremendous strides lately...don't be fooled...the mission module for LCS will be a SeaHawk with appropriate mine sweeping gear)
*Naval Aviation sees them as an adjunct to the carrier in the sea control sphere.
The Marine Corps better get a little less purple and start protecting assets. The seabase as a concept is dead for Marine Corps operations. If you can't get it in the assault phase then you better leave it to your ship to shore connectors from your MPS ships. The seabase is designed for extended counter insurgency operations OR extended conventional warfare.
These are not future Marine missions.
Lets get light. Lets fight right and lets jettison the idea of enhanced logistics. A medium weight force that arrives by sea with enough on hand logistics to support 15 (MEU), 30 (MEB) or 45 (MEF) days of sustained combat without support.
The guidebook has been established. We just need to follow it instead of heading off on tangents.
And how about we focus on Marine Corps issues AND needs...not the joint forces.
NOTE:
This idea is pure craziness. Don't be fooled into thinking that this won't be one of the most monitored ships in the Navy. And in addition to the SEALs they better have a detachment of Marine Special Ops or Rangers on board because I can imagine speedboats, anti-ship missiles, enemy aircraft, pirates, lions and tiger and bears oh my! will be watching and ready to take a whack at this ship.
Electronic monitoring...visual monitoring...sat monitoring...everyone and their mother will be watching this thing. So much for secret ops!
No idea why you would leak that to a news agency
ReplyDeleteI really don't get this "freighter" looking platform either, it just seems like a large target. You would need so many resources to protect this ship, if it cannot protect itself in hostile waters, it defeats the purpose of not pulling away naval resources. I thought smaller ships like the USS America (LHA-6), USS New York (LPD-21) and USS Freedom (LCS-1), were all designed for these "raid" like missions in littoral waters, what's going on??? I really would prefer we build an aircraft carrier submarine!
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