Oh boy, here we go. The Marines know - be the firstest with the mostest.
Gen. James Conway, Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, said Jan. 14 he is concerned about the amphibious fleet after reviewing the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR), due to be made public Feb. 1.The Commandant just gave you all the I&W you need that this will be a fight. Good, I like creative friction.
“The most stressed capability are our amphibious ships,” Conway said at a gathering of the Surface Navy Association near Washington. After the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), new submarines, surface ships and other Navy requirements, “amphibious [vessels] are not at the top of the priority list,” Conway said. “Yet I think as a maritime nation we have to retain that capacity.”
Here is Chapter 436 of "Phib wishes he wore a loop again and was sitting in the cheap seats."
Conway said he has discussed shipbuilding priorities with Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. The Marine Corps is “being fairly adamant” about the need for amphibious vessels. “This is a capacity the nation has seen dwindle,” which can put the country at risk, he said.CDR Hendrix, Galrahn - call your office.
The construction of large-deck amphibious ships lacking a well deck also worries Conway. “If ships are built without wells, we don’t think it’s wise,” he said. Ships must “be multicapable. It will be a bit more expensive and require some redesign,” but the result will be a ship that is “exactly the size it needs to be.”Byron - go put a few pounds of mudbugs on a boil while Sid makes a beer run - 'dis is go'n be a good'un.
Additionally, Conway said he is looking at various ways to take advantage of the capabilities inherent in the Navy-Army Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) and the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS). “Is the [JHSV] a ferry? A troop carrier?” he said. Might the LCS host a module that would transform it into a Marine troop carrier? “We think it can,” Conway said. “We have to do more exploration to determine the utility of that type of vessel.”
