400 Marines deploy in Eastern Europe as part of US response to Ukraine war

[Boats]

Marines’ have a 2023 wish list includes funding a ship the Navy plans to cancel
By: Megfan Eckstein - Martine Times - 04-01-22
Re: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/nav...ans-to-cancel/

Photo link: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/res...ZLAHQ5AURA.jpg
A Force Reconnaissance Marine with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit clears the flight deck of the amphibious dock landing ship Ashland (LSD 48) during a visit, board, search and seizure training exercise with the amphibious transport dock ship Green Bay (LPD 20). (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Markus Castaneda/Navy)

WASHINGTON — At the top of the U.S. Marine Corps’ 2023 spending wish list is funding for an amphibious warship the U.S. Navy doesn’t plan to buy.

The Navy announced in its March 28 fiscal 2023 budget request rollout that it would buy one last amphibious transport dock, LPD-32, and then end the production line.

The Marines’ number-one item in the so-called unfunded priorities list is $250 million in advanced procurement funding for LPD-33.

Advanced procurement funding allows the contractor, in this case Ingalls Shipbuilding, to start buying materials and ship systems that take longer to deliver, with the expectation that the rest of the ship’s cost would be funded in a future year.

The two services clearly have had different perspectives on the future of the amphibious force — which the Marines need to get around, but the Navy must pay for in ship acquisition, manning for ship’s company, ship maintenance and modernization and other costs.

Throughout the late 2010s, the Marines touted a 38-ship requirement, though the Navy would discuss a fiscally constrained goal of 33 amphibious ships.

The Navy’s most recent long-range planning documents show an amphibious ship force of 24 to 28. An amphibious ship requirements study, which is still ongoing and should be concluding soon, will determine the exact requirement.

Note: The Marines say this is way too low.

Marines say 31 ships — 10 amphibious assault ships that can carry fixed-wing jets, and 21 LPD Flight I and Flight II ships that carry helicopters, connectors and ground equipment — is now the right number. 28, they argue, adds risk to their ability to respond to an emergency in a timely manner. Leaders haven’t addressed what a 24-ship force would mean for their operational and training plans.

It’s unclear what will ultimately decide the fate of the LPD production line. Congress has been highly supportive of the ship program in the past, continually adding ships to the program of record throughout the 2010s until the Navy decided to build another 13-ship batch of Flight II LPDs. Now the Navy plans to truncate that at just three Flight IIs. Lawmakers could side with the Marine Corps and add funding for LPD-33, keeping the line at Ingalls Shipbuilding open for now despite an uncertain future.

2nd photo link: https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/res...OTMT3JP7EM.jpg
Aviation Boatswain’s Mate (Handling) Airman Ryan Sharland directs an UH-1Y Venom assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 161 (Reinforced) on the flight deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS San Diego (LPD 22) on Dec. 20, 2017. (Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Dalton Caples/US Navy)

Elsewhere in the unfunded priorities list, the Marines also have $2.3 billion in spending items to support the Force Design 2030 transformation effort.

This includes $456 million for 12 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radars, $358 million for three additional F-35B vertical takeoff-variant Joint Strike Fighters; $313 million for three additional F-35C carrier-variant JSFs, $253 million for two additional KC-130J transport and refueling aircraft, $250 million for two additional CH-53K King Stallion heavy lift helicopters and $117 million for Joint Light Tactical Vehicles and trailers.

This Force Design 2030 funding also invests in spares and trainers for the aircraft, research and development for an air traffic control function for the G/ATOR radar and the Marine Air Defense Integrated System (MADIS) Increment I.

The overall UPL also includes $120 million for MV-22 Osprey nacelle improvement efforts kits and a common configuration block upgrade program, digital interoperability efforts to connect forces in the air and on the ground, extreme cold weather gear for reserve component forces, and a range of construction projects to improve facilities like barracks and hangars.

About this writer: Megan Eckstein is the naval warfare reporter at Defense News. She has covered military news since 2009, with a focus on U.S. Navy and Marine Corps operations, acquisition programs, and budgets. She has reported from four geographic fleets and is happiest when she’s filing stories from a ship. Megan is a University of Maryland alumna.
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Personal note: Marine Corp Op's are slightly different than the Navy Op's.
Marines want to get in fast and sustain less losses in the process. Though
they are tied to the Navy outlines - the Marines have operations more in
close and need a rapid response operation in areas of concern. They don't
want to sustain WWII beach landings losses like WWII in the process.
Their equipment is slightly different than offshore battling. Their Ops
require they get in - get to their target or mission with as little cost of
personal.
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Their ops are first to get there - land quickly - and take out their targets
as quick as they can - thereby limiting losses in the process. All servicemen
and women are brother's and sister's - but each has a slightly different roll
or task - when called upon to do their jobs. Offshore or in the air - those
battles are different - then on shore - where its one-on-one combat.
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