Compass Points - Articles & Info
Index of Articles, Mission & Values, and Legal Notice
Compass Points - Articles & Info
Index of Articles, Mission & Values, and Legal Notice
July 12, 2026
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Sunday is a good day for reflection.
This Sunday is a good day for reflecting on the direction of the Marine Corps. There is growing agreement that the focus of the Marine Corps on a plan to place a string of sensor and missile units off the coast of China has been at best an unnecessary distraction.
From the very beginning seven years ago the plan was controversial and, instead of fading away over the years, the concerns about the focus of the Marine Corps have increased.
For example, one organization of senior retired Marines, the Chowder Society II, has gathered an index of numerous articles which identify dangerous issues with the Marine Corps’ controversial Force Design plan.
How many articles express concerns?
The latest update of the Index of Articles is version 14 of July 1, 2026. The primary index (topic areas A-J) consists of 249 articles, authored or coauthored by 133 different writers, and published in 57 different media outlets. The index of supporting articles (topic area K) consists of an additional 206 articles, authored or co-authored by 165 different writers, and published in 75 different media outlets.
The damage to the Marine Corps’ global warfighting capabilities has not been inflicted by some outside adversary. Instead it has been the acts of very senior Marine leaders who abruptly changed the focus of the Marine Corps from global to local, from offense to defense, from locate, close with, and destroy, to sit as a Pacific sensor node. Misguided senior leaders have done great damage to the Marine Corps’ ability to serve as a worldwide crisis response force, forward deployed on Navy amphibious ships, ready to deter, assist, rescue, strike, and fight.
As explained in the Index of Articles.
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Force Design 2030 (now Force Design) is fatally flawed. One of its biggest flaws is the unvalidated assumption that offensive operations are no longer possible in a mature precision strike environment, accepting instead that the defense is now the dominant form of warfare. We reject that assumption and propose an alternative vision, which we have published as Vision 2035. Our vision leverages technology to restore maneuver in the age of precision munitions.
— Index of Articles
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There are some signs that the Marine Corps is beginning to rebuild, enhance, and upgrade the Corps’ crucial ability to serve as the Nation’s always ready global, crisis response, force of Marines. More upgrades are needed. This does not mean, for example, bringing back the same armor the Marine Corps so rashly removed. It means finding new solutions to the need for mobile protected firepower and a host of other needs.
Compass Points salutes the hundreds of authors who have written hundreds of articles warning the Marine Corps of danger, and calling the Marine Corps back to its primary duties. Practical upgrades and enhancements are needed now. China is not waiting for the US Marine Corps to recover. The Philippines have no time for excuses from a depleted US Navy and Marine Corps team. Around the world, including in the Middle East and the Western Hemisphere, there are nations like the Philippines — allies of the US — under constant threat from some bully nation or terrorist group, including Russia, China, Iran, North Korea and many others.
Nations allied with the US are willing to standup, they are willing to fight, and they are willing to fund their own defense. But they cannot do it alone. They need help. They need the support of the United States. What help can the US provide whenever events in one corner of the globe threaten to blaze into a broader conflagration?
There is no better answer, no better way to immediately help keep the peace than by sending in the Marines. Marines on amphibious ships continually deployed around the globe provide the rapid readiness the US must have to help maintain peace. When Marines arrive at the scene of any crisis, allies are reassured and adversaries are worried. It is time for the US to rapidly rebuild, enhance, and restore the global, forward deployed Navy and Marine Corps team. Around the world, troubles are on the way. It is vital when violence and terror troubles are arriving that the Navy and Marine Corps team is already trained, equipped, and positioned to deter them.
Compass Points thanks the Chowder Society II for continually updating the Index of Articles. The link to the entire Index of Articles is included below along with Compass Points Mission & Values, and the Compass Points Legal Notice.
Compass Points also salutes all readers who in their own ways are faithfully continuing to build the discussion about a stronger Marine Corps, and particularly thanks all our readers who served as seminar leaders this week by providing a cornucopia of topics, articles, and comments. Many thanks!
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- - - - - Compass Points Mission & Values - - - - -
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Compass Points Mission
Provide an independent source of broader thinking, deeper understanding, and better decisions, for a stronger Marine Corps.
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Compass Points Values
We believe the Marine Corps must be responsive, relevant, and ready today, and more so tomorrow.
We believe the Marine Corps is never owned by any small group of people, but is always held in sacred trust by every Marine and friend of the Corps, past, present, and future.
We believe Marine Corps success in garrison, in the field, and in operations is a complex ecology of the physical, the intellectual, and the spiritual.
We believe in the complexity of combat.
We believe good data is good, but waiting for more and more data is not necessarily better.
We believe no information system can or will sweep away the fog of war.
We believe nothing is more uncertain than certainty.
We believe planning is good, but first plans rarely survive first contact.
We believe Marines must prepare to battle skilled, devious, and unpredictable adversaries.
We believe Marines must be always ready to locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver, or repel enemy assault by fire and close combat.
We believe in combined-arms, multi-mission capable Marine Corps units that can quickly arrive anywhere, and address any conflict or crisis.
We believe the Marine Corps must experiment with new technology constantly, and adopt it prudently.
We believe in practicing and perfecting proven methods, while also experimenting with and adopting new methods.
We believe in the Marine Corps culture of teamwork, trust, creativity, and courage.
We believe in candid culture among Marines, never cancel culture.
We believe the strength of the Marine Corps comes from the valor at the heart of each Marine. Each Marine draws strength from the entire Corps of Marines. Together, all Marines are joined across time and geography by a single minded mission:
From the Halls of Montezuma
To the shores of Tripoli;
We fight our country’s battles
In the air, on land, and sea;
— Marines’ Hymn (excerpt)
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- - - - - - - - - LEGAL NOTICE - - - - - - - - -
Marine Corps Compass Points is an educational site intended only for comment, discussion, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research.
Marine Corps Compass Points is independent and not a part of, or authorized by, the Marine Corps, or any other government agency, organization, or enterprise.
For educational purposes only, Marine Corps Compass Points posts links and excerpts to articles and information focused on the Marine Corps and national security.
The words Marine Corps Compass Points, Compass Points, and the Compass Points logo image are protected, including under copyright. All rights reserved.
Information posted on Marine Corps Compass Points is posted under the copyright Fair Use exception, U.S. Code Title 17 Section 107 - Fair Use.
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Marine Corps Compass Points uses member information to provide information and services.
Marine Corps Compass Points does not sell our member information.
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- - - - - COPYRIGHT - - - - -
Excerpts posted on Marine Corps Compass Points from articles originally published somewhere else remain the property of the original copyright holder. All comments posted on Marine Corps Compass Points become the property of Marine Corps Compass Points. Original material posted by Marine Corps Compass Points including introductions, commentary, and replies are the property of Marine Corps Compass Points.
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Articles Index - 07/01/2026
INDEX OF PROMINENT ARTICLES ADDRESSING CONCERNS WITH FORCE DESIGN 2030 and TALENT MANAGEMENT 2030
https://mega.nz/file/drxQBYgR#rKaIc1cixbQac7oAwvRbfKqRAP-x0Ais_YwqouDv_Yc
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I am wondering how many LHA and LHD ships are now just sitting and waiting to be scrapped? It was brought up that these are steam ships and therefore not really all that important. I suspect that those ships that haven't already become totally rotted out could be reconditioned and put back to use. These ships don't need to be nuclear powered as the larger carriers are, and should be put back into service. Just my opinion.
Respectfully remind the 2 USN Captains Retired, currently serving as the Acting SecNav and PTDO Under Sec Nav of your concerns. Remind them that the Department of the United States Marine Corps and United States Navy honors the USMC by it’s Precedence in the Department by placing Our Colors, and Our Marines and the Marine Corps before the USN in march and in referring to Marines and Sailors in speech and writing. Grok Expert”As of July 2026, the US Navy’s amphibious warfare ship fleet totals approximately 31–32 ships (meeting the statutory minimum of 31, which requires at least 10 big-deck LHA/LHD amphibious assault ships plus 21 LPD/LSD-type ships). navytimes.com
The fleet faces ongoing readiness challenges. Reports from 2025 noted readiness rates around 41%, with roughly half the ships in poor material condition due to age, deferred maintenance, and high operational tempo. The Navy and Marine Corps are addressing this through service-life extensions (e.g., on Wasp-class ships), optimized maintenance cycles, and new construction. navytimes.com
“Big deck” refers to the large amphibious assault ships (LHA/LHD classes) with full-length flight decks capable of operating fixed-wing aircraft like the F-35B alongside helicopters and supporting a full Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). These form the core of Amphibious Ready Groups (ARGs).
Big-Deck Amphibious Assault Ships (LHA/LHD) — 9 Active
These are the primary focus (“big deck only”).
America-class LHA (2 active):
• USS America (LHA-6): Homeport Sasebo, Japan (forward-deployed). Operational in standard forward-deployed naval forces (FDNF) rotation.
• USS Tripoli (LHA-7): Homeport San Diego. As of July 2026, operating in the Indian Ocean as flagship of the Tripoli ARG with elements of the 31st MEU. Operational/deployed. news.usni.org
Wasp-class LHD (7 active):
• USS Wasp (LHD-1): Homeport Norfolk, VA. Service life extended by 5 years to 2034 following a study. Status typical of maintenance/operational cycle.
• USS Essex (LHD-2): Homeport San Diego. Participating in RIMPAC 2026 near Pearl Harbor, Hawaii (July 2026). Operational. news.usni.org
• USS Kearsarge (LHD-3): Homeport Norfolk. Recently participated in events in New York City; preparing to depart (operational as of early July 2026). news.usni.org
• USS Boxer (LHD-4): Homeport San Diego. Operating in the Arabian Sea as flagship of the Boxer ARG with the 11th MEU (as of July 2026). Operational/deployed. news.usni.org
• USS Bataan (LHD-5): Homeport Norfolk. In standard rotation (specific recent location not detailed in public trackers).
• USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7): Homeport Mayport, FL. Completed a 10-month deployment with the 22nd MEU and returned to homeport area in early June 2026. Post-deployment/reset phase (operational overall). news.usni.org
• USS Makin Island (LHD-8): Homeport San Diego. Returned to homeport on or around July 3, 2026 (post-deployment). news.usni.org
Notes on big decks: One Wasp-class ship (USS Bonhomme Richard, LHD-6) was decommissioned after a 2020 fire. No big-deck ships are publicly listed as fully inactive or stricken beyond normal cycles. A significant portion of the older Wasp-class fleet spends time in maintenance/repair due to age and backlog, contributing to overall low readiness. Deployments typically support 2+ ARGs/MEUs at a time, though demand often exceeds availability.
Under construction / being built (big decks):
• USS Bougainville (LHA-8): Under construction at Huntington Ingalls Industries (Ingalls Shipbuilding) in Pascagoula, MS. Launched September 2023, christened December 2023. Delivery delayed multiple times (recent estimates point to 2026–2027 window); still in outfitting/fitting-out phase as of mid-2026. Pre-commissioning unit (PCU) crew is active and training. news.usni.org
• USS Fallujah (LHA-9): Under construction (laid down earlier); launch/delivery further out (planned ~2027+).
• USS Helmand Province (LHA-10): Advanced procurement and planning stage; construction start targeted around 2026.
Future LHA procurement continues at a measured pace (one roughly every few years).
Other Amphibious Classes (for completeness)
San Antonio-class LPD (Amphibious Transport Docks): 13 active (LPD-17 through LPD-29, including recent Flight I ships like USS Richard E. McCool Jr., LPD-29, commissioned 2024). Many actively support ARGs (examples as of July 2026: USS Portland (LPD-27) with Boxer ARG; USS New Orleans (LPD-18) with Tripoli ARG; USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) in Caribbean; USS San Antonio (LPD-17) operating in Caribbean after brief maintenance). news.usni.org
Flight II ships are in production: USS Harrisburg (LPD-30) launched ~2024 and fitting out; USS Pittsburgh (LPD-31) under construction; additional ships on order. These will help replace older LSDs.
LSD (Dock Landing Ships — Whidbey Island and Harpers Ferry classes): Roughly 8–10 remaining active (1980s–1990s vintage). Some still support ARGs (e.g., USS Comstock (LSD-45) and USS Rushmore (LSD-47) mentioned in recent trackers). Many face decommissioning in the 2024–2026 timeframe (e.g., USS Germantown (LSD-42) planned for September 2026) as the class is phased out in favor of LPDs and future Medium Landing Ships (LSMs). news.usni.org
Command Ships (LCC): USS Blue Ridge and USS Mount Whitney remain active in their roles but are not core amphibious assault platforms.
Summary of Status Categories
• Operational/Deployed: Several big decks and LPDs/LSDs actively supporting ARGs/MEUs in the Middle East/Indian Ocean, Pacific (RIMPAC), and Caribbean as of July 2026.
• In for repair / awaiting repair / maintenance: Not all ships have public ship-by-ship breakdowns, but a substantial share of the fleet (especially older vessels) is in various maintenance phases. This contributes to the noted readiness shortfalls.
• Post-deployment/reset: Ships like Iwo Jima and Makin Island recently returned and entering this phase.
• Being built: LHA-8 (Bougainville) in advanced construction/outfitting; additional LHA and LPD Flight II ships progressing (with some delays due to shipyard capacity/labor issues).
The Navy’s shipbuilding plan continues investment in amphibious ships (LHA, LPD Flight II, and new LSMs) to sustain and grow the force while extending existing hulls. Marine Corps leadership has emphasized that current numbers and readiness fall short of combatant commander demands. breakingdefense.com
For the most granular real-time ship locations or maintenance status, official sources like USNI News Fleet Trackers or Navy.mil provide periodic updates. Specific maintenance details for individual ships are often not publicly detailed until after the fact.“