The US Marine Corps has a bold new strategy in the event China makes good on decades of threats and attacks Taiwan.
One problem, however: the US Navy amphibious ships that are supposed to carry the Marines into battle are in such poor condition that many of them may not even be able to leave port, much less take part in an epoch-defining conflict with a powerfully-armed foe.
“Amphibious warfare ships are critical for Marine Corps missions, but the Navy has struggled to ensure they are available for operations and training,” the US Government Accountability Office concluded in a December report.
Shockingly, some of the Navy’s 32 amphibious ships have not been available “for years at a time,” the GAO revealed.
The Corps fought for years to get a law passed establishing a 31-ship floor for the Navy’s amphibious flotilla. In theory, the fleet has one more amphib than it’s required to have. In practice, few of the ships are ready when they’re needed.
The problem comes down to poor planning and inadequate maintenance. The Navy has consistently underfunded repairs to the amphibs, which are big, slow and lack heavy weaponry. The Navy would rather spend its budget on carriers and their aircraft, nuclear submarines and powerful surface warships. The sea service, left to itself, would not have as many amphibs as it does. The Navy has entirely cancelled vital maintenance for older amphibs it proposed to decommission, but which Congress has ordered it to retain in service.
The US Marine Corps has a bold new strategy in the event China makes good on decades of threats and attacks Taiwan.
One problem, however: the US Navy amphibious ships that are supposed to carry the Marines into battle are in such poor condition that many of them may not even be able to leave port, much less take part in an epoch-defining conflict with a powerfully-armed foe.
“Amphibious warfare ships are critical for Marine Corps missions, but the Navy has struggled to ensure they are available for operations and training,” the US Government Accountability Office concluded in a December report.
Shockingly, some of the Navy’s 32 amphibious ships have not been available “for years at a time,” the GAO revealed.
The Corps fought for years to get a law passed establishing a 31-ship floor for the Navy’s amphibious flotilla. In theory, the fleet has one more amphib than it’s required to have. In practice, few of the ships are ready when they’re needed.
The problem comes down to poor planning and inadequate maintenance. The Navy has consistently underfunded repairs to the amphibs, which are big, slow and lack heavy weaponry. The Navy would rather spend its budget on carriers and their aircraft, nuclear submarines and powerful surface warships. The sea service, left to itself, would not have as many amphibs as it does. The Navy has entirely cancelled vital maintenance for older amphibs it proposed to decommission, but which Congress has ordered it to retain in service.