USMC Seeks 40 Amphibious Ships to Support 3 MEUs

Navy and Marine Corps leaders have reached an agreement that the Marine Corps needs 40 amphibious ships to maintain three Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) simultaneously. Currently, the Navy has only 31 such vessels, which is the minimum mandated by Congress.

MEUs, consisting of about 2,200 Marines, are typically embarked on Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs), which include an assault ship, two transport docks, and other support vessels. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith prioritizes maintaining a 3.0 ARG/MEU presence, which requires three MEUs to be deployed at all times.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations Adm. James W. Kilby and Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps Gen. Bradford J. Gering have collaborated to determine the number of ships needed to achieve this goal. They concluded that 40 ships are required, including 13 large-deck amphibious assault ships and 27 amphibious transport docks.

The 40-ship requirement represents a sharp departure from former Commandant Gen. David Berger’s Force Design 2030 plan, which called for fewer large-deck ships and more smaller vessels due to concerns about threats like anti-ship missiles and drones.

Marine Corps officials, including Shon Brodie, director of Maritime Expeditionary Warfare, stated that the current fleet of 31 ships is insufficient. The biggest need is for additional large-deck amphibious assault ships, which are required by law to be at least 10, but the fleet currently has only nine due to the scrapping of the USS Bonhomme Richard.

Brodie and others are preparing to approach Congress to request more funding and shipbuilding support. However, the new Democratic majority in Congress may complicate efforts, as defense spending is under review for potential cuts and reallocation to domestic programs.