The Power Of Amphibious Operations In The 21st Century (From RealClearDefense)

To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of amphibious warfare have been greatly exaggerated. The rise of the anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) threat has served to increase the value of amphibious forces. Forward deployed amphibious forces would be inside an adversary’s defensive umbrella. This might seem to be a vulnerable position, but, if properly sized and equipped, these formations could act from the opening of hostilities to blow holes in enemy defenses. Much needs to be done to exploit the potential of amphibious warfare forces in the 21^st Century. First and foremost, the Navy needs to acquire additional amphibious warfare vessels. I have written about the future of amphibious warfare for RealClearDefense here.