Naval Amphibious Capability in the 21st Century

Now, more than ever, the rapid-responsiveness, readiness, flexibility, precision and strategic mobility of maritime forces are essential to ensuring continued access and security in the global commons and the littoral regions that border them. As the Nation prepares for an uncertain future, its maritime and amphibious capabilities are essential to deterrence, building alliances, denying sanctuary, projecting influence and, when required, projecting power against increasingly lethal and asymmetric adversaries. Rapidly evolving security and fiscal environments, however, demand corresponding changes in our forward-deployed, crisis response force to include operational thinking, concepts, education, training, capabilities, and partnerships. Increasingly more capable and irregular threats to our national interests require an integrated, multidomain approach informed by continuous innovation in naval war fighting, littoral maneuver, and amphibious operations. Amphibious capability has an aggregate utility across the range of military operations that is reflected in combatant commander demand. Approaches such as single naval battle, an integrated naval expeditionary system, broadened combined arms, and special operations integration are an effective counter to increasingly capable anti-access and area denial (A2AD) threats that seek to limit our freedom of action. Above all, we guard against surprise and preserve our nation's readiness through vigorous professional education, training, war gaming, experimentation and exercises that integrate the naval, special operations forces (SOF), joint, inter-agency and multinational force. Future fights are most likely short warning, --come as you are challenges from an irregular threat. As the joint, expeditionary force in readiness the Marine Corps, and its Navy partner, will maneuver from the sea to apply influence and power at a time and place of its choosing. In doing so, the naval team mitigates risk and sets initial conditions for the joint and inter-agency force