Compass Points - CMC CPG - Sec 20
Littoral Maneuver - Comment and Analysis
Compass Points - CMC CPG - Sec 20
Littoral Maneuver - Comment and Analysis
October 5, 2024
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The Commandant recently issued the Commandant’s Planning Guidance (CPG) which provides his personal, broad review of the Marine Corps highlighting issues, challenges, and opportunities.
Nearly at the beginning of the new CPG, the Commandant sets a clear expectation that the CPG is to be read and discussed throughout the Marine Corps, "I expect all Marines to read this Planning Guidance and leaders to discuss its key concepts with their Marines."
It is good to hear the Commandant wants robust discussion about the CPG. In fact, not only does the Commandant call for discussion at the beginning of the CPG, when he reaches the conclusion, he once again calls for robust CPG feedback: "Sergeant Major Ruiz and I look forward to hearing your feedback, and we expect and need your bottom-up refinements to this top-down guidance."
Marines are not shy and Marines on active duty and veteran Marines are wading into the CPG page by page.
Compass Points has begun receiving detailed, insightful, and often pointed CPG comments and analysis. If the Commandant and the Sergeant Major "look forward to hearing your feedback" they should subscribe to Compass Points and benefit from the wisdom and experience of Compass Points readers.
The CPG is divided into 25 sections from INTENT to CONCLUSION.
Readers are encouraged to read the CPG and provide comments on one or more of the 25 sections. Below are comments and analysis of the CPG section 20, Littoral Maneuver.
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39th Commandant’s Planning Guidance
Comment and Analysis
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Section 20. LITTORAL MANEUVER - p 16
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LITTORAL MANEUVER
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CPG -- An organic shore-to-shore surface connector capability is critical to supporting the mobility and sustainment of MLRs and the SIF. The procurement of no fewer than 35 Medium Landing Ships (LSM) remains the Marine Corps’ main effort to build this capability and is separate from the congressionally mandated 31 AWS. The LSM is not an amphibious warship; it is a connector that provides a unique capability. Based upon the current procurement schedule for the LSM, the Service requires a near to mid-term Littoral Maneuver Bridging Solution (LMBS) that provides a level of organic mobility to the SIF until the LSM fleet is fielded. The two leased Stern Landing Vessels scheduled to complete delivery in FY26 are vital to Service experimentation but will not satisfy our near-term mobility requirements. We must exploit existing commercial and military capabilities that require minimal modification and can provide sustainment and littoral mobility until the LSM is fully procured. This effort will be temporary in nature, intended as a hedge to support near-term requirements.
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Comment & Analysis –
The MLRs and SIFs need Navy ships for logistical support. But according to the Force Design theory, the waters around the MLRs and SIFs will be too dangerous for Navy warships. If the waters will be too dangerous for existing Navy ships, how can the MLRs and SIFs receive the logistical support they need?
When the Marine Corps implemented Force Design 2030, central to the rationale was the claim that Navy ships would be challenged to operate inside the Chinese weapons engagement zone. For example, Navy operations around the globe often include the powerful Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers (DDGs):
-- speed in excess of 30 knots,
-- range of 4,400 nautical miles,
-- variety of sensors and processing systems including surface and air search radars,
-- optical and electro-optical sight systems,
-- electronic warfare systems to detect enemy targeting,
-- fire-control radars to actively jam targeting,
-- terminal guidance radars,
-- decoy systems able to launch chaff and infrared decoys,
-- 5-inch gun,
-- Phalanx close-in-weapons-system,
-- two 25mm machineguns,
-- four 0.50 caliber machineguns,
-- 90 vertical launching systems for a mix of surface-to-air missiles, cruise missiles, and anti-ballistic missiles,
-- and an MH-60 helicopter.
While the DDG is critical to Navy operations, the Medium Landing Ship (LSM) does not exist. It is a small, theoretical connector. The Medium Landing Ship is reported to have a speed of 14 knots, two 30mm cannons, and six 0.50 machine guns. To argue that the LSMs will be able to operate where the DDGs will not is simply ludicrous. Compounding the problem, the LSM is to carry 60 Marines in addition to its crew. If not built to Navy “survivability standards” the LSM is likely to be a death trap for those Marines and Sailors. In addition, the plan is for the LSM to run and hide when shooting begins. How could Marines be supported then?
The elephant in the room is that the Marine Corps still has no existing method to position, reposition, and logistically support the MLRs and SIFs. The Marine Corps has no plan for doing any of this other than the LSM. Even if the LSM existed, which it does not, the LSM cannot survive in waters too dangerous for a DDG. The LSM is not a viable concept, which is why the Navy has already reduced the requirement from 35 to 18 and why Congress continues to drag their heels on funding it. With or without the LSM, the MLRs and SIFs are unsupportable. Why not admit the obvious and adopt a different operating concept that is relevant and supportable?
For decades the Marine Corps organized, trained, deployed, and fought as MAGTFs with great success. Increasingly it appears that the Corps is continuing its mis-guided effort to use the SIF to supplant the MAGTF. Why?
Force Design and SIFs are little more than pipedreams until the Marines solve the problems with positioning, repositioning, and logistically supporting the MLRs and SIFs. After more than 4 ½ years of ineffectually addressing the problems, the Marines are no closer to solving them than when they started. It is time to move in a new direction of an enhanced, upgraded, and restored, combined arms MAGTF, for a stronger Marine Corps.
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Compass Points appreciates all the insightful discussion about the current Commandant’s Planning Guidance and about the future of the Marine Corps.
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Compass Points – New CMC CPG
Wading into the Guidance
September 10, 2024
https://marinecorpscompasspoints.substack.com/p/compass-points-new-cmc-cpg
I think we're buying the cart before we have the horse. Amphibious assaults are out of the question until there is a way to counter Chinese missiles. If a DDG can't operate in an area then non warships are just targets. China had done the math. They know how many VLS a DDG has. Politicians and the Navy at this critical time have decided to decommission the cruisers with 144 VLS each. All China needs is enough missiles to force the Navy to use all it's missiles in defense plus a few more to overwhelm the CIWS. And then we have a Navy with only submarines that can go in a contested area. Current Navy aircraft don't have the range to attack and allow the carrier to remain outside missile range. A WWII Japanese zero has better range. That means no support for any land force no matter how well equipped or trained. Unless the military planners are looking to reenact the Macon Island raid, I don't think we have a plan that can work with the ships we have. And a 14 knot LSM? That speed is in calm water. The slower you travel in a combat zone, the longer you are a target.
If war comes with China, I don't think they will give us a starting date. It may be a long war. I think the first part of the war will be an Air Force and submarine war long before we can hope to capture and control territory near China. With the LSM we will just be killing hard to come by Marines.
LSMs and narco submarines, when is this theorectical pipe-dream going to end?? It's been over four years and HQMC still doesn't have a hull in the water or real answer. Like CP argues, if a Navy destroyer can't get into the WEZ, then how is a lightly armed landing craft going to survive? If they want littoral insertion, go with the Swedish CB90. If they want to sink Chinese ships, buy a couple of squadrons of amphibious aircraft. They were extremely beneficial in WWII. Using the ocean as a maneuver area, I'm sure they can be armed with an anti-ship missile. They can also be used for inserting small MARSOC teams. The SIF is nothing short of a suicide mission!