Fight Like You Train

What’s wrong with these pictures?  Take a look at these pictures of amphibious assault training exercises.  They all have one thing in common and it’s a problem.  See it?  Look them over and then I’ll tell you what the problem is if you haven’t spotted it.

CARAT 2015

Australia Training Exercise

Philippines Exercise Balikatan

Bold Alligator 2012

Bold Alligator 2012

Bold Alligator 2012

The common characteristic is that in the backgrounds you can see the amphibious assault ships several hundred yards offshore.  Wait, what now?!  I thought Navy/Marine assault doctrine was to stand 25-50+ miles off out of fear of land based anti-ship missiles?  So why are we training with the ships several hundred yards offshore?  Don’t we train the way we intend to fight?

Well, if you’ve followed this blog for any period of time you know that the current assault doctrine is complete fiction and can’t be executed.  The Navy/Marines have no connectors capable of transporting the assault element to shore from 25-50+ miles in fighting condition.  That’s why you see the training being conducted from several hundred yards offshore – we flat out can’t do what our doctrine says we need to.

Train like you fight, fight like you train.   …..  Uh, oh.  Houston, we have a problem.

The AAV is only good for a couple of miles of swimming, according to the Marines.  Beyond that, the AAVs will be delivering seasick Marines who only want to lay down and puke until they die.

The LCAC is very limited in numbers and considered non-survivable in a contested environment.  It is envisioned as part of the follow on and sustainment effort, not as part of the initial assault.

The LCU is quite effective but considered non-survivable in the initial wave of an opposed landing.

Helos are very limited in transport capacity and a transport helo is probably the least survivable platform on the battlefield.

So, how do we get the initial assault element ashore from 25-50+ miles?  The short and brutal answer is we can’t, today.  The sad follow up to that is the fact that we’re not even seriously trying to solve this problem.  Instead, the Marines are obsessed with buying the F-35B to the exclusion of their main reason for existing – assaults.  The Navy doesn’t really care about assaults.  They do the minimum they have to in order to keep the Marines from complaining too much but their focus is carriers, submarines, and AAW/BMD.

Now, there’s a huge caveat here.  Given the likely enemies and likely combat scenarios, I just don’t see much of a need for opposed assaults.  That being the case, there’s no real need for 25-50+ mile standoffs.  Of course, that also means there’s no real need for a large amphibious assault fleet or a large Marine Corps.

Setting aside my opinion, the Marines seem to think assaults are still part of their job.  Fine.  So, why aren’t they pursuing the means to conduct an assault instead of trying to become a third air force?  Why have they screwed around for the last couple of decades trying to come up with an AAV replacement?

But wait, you say, the Marines have just announced that a new replacement AAV has finally been selected.  That will solve the problem, wont’ it?  No!  The new AAV/ACV will still be limited to a couple of miles swimming.  It can’t do the 25-50+ mile assault.

The Marines have talked about using JHSVs, LCACs, or whatever to transport AAVs to within a few miles of the beach and then letting the vehicles swim ashore the last couple of miles.  Of course, the same survivability issues exist for the JHSV/LCAC/whatever.  Guided missiles and artillery will not be kind to those vessels and won’t care about a couple of mile standoff.  Let’s assume, though, that this approach is what we’re going with.  That brings us right back around to training.  Why aren’t we training this way?  It’s because, currently, those vessels can’t discharge vehicles at sea.

No matter how you slice it, our amphibious assault doctrine is total fantasy and our training proves it.

Train like you fight, fight like you train.    ….   We’re in trouble!

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