Compass Points - On land or sea?

A mobile, sea-based force?

Compass Points - On land or sea?

A mobile, sea-based force?

January 8, 2024

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In his famous poem, "Paul Revere's Ride" Henry Wadsworth Longfellow includes the line, "One, if by land, and two, if by sea." Longfellow was describing how many lanterns should be displayed at the top of the Old North Church back in 1775 to warn whether the British were advancing by land or by sea.

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Nearly 250 years later, in the Pacific today, the JSDF - Japan Self Defense Forces, are asking a similar question, "by land or by sea"? Japan wants to use a new Aegis system to deter and defend against China. How should they do it? By land or by sea?

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Writing for the Asia Times, reporter Gabriel Honrada writes, "Japan scrapped earlier plans to deploy a land-based Aegis Ashore ballistic missile defense system." After spending time and money, Japan has decided that a land-based Aegis system is too limited and immobile. A fixed land-based system makes an easy target. Instead of a land-based system, Japan is changing to a mobile, sea-based system.

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Japan’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) has allocated substantial funding to build two massive Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV), marking a pivotal shift from land-based systems to a more dynamic and versatile naval approach to countering ballistic missile threats from China and North Korea.

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. . . Naval News describes the ASEV as similar to two Maya-class ships with a Mk-45 (Mod.4) 5-inch/62-caliber (127 mm) main gun, SM-3 Block IIA and SM-6 missiles. The ASEVs are set to be upgradeable throughout their projected 40-year service lives.

-- Asia Times

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In answer to the question, "by land or by sea" Japan has decided the Aegis missile defense systems need the flexibility and mobility that only basing at sea can provide.

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Perhaps the Marine Corps could learn from Japan?

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Over the last few years, the Marine Corps has been focusing on placing small units of Marines with missiles on isolated islands in the Pacific. The idea is the Marine missile island units could strike Chinese naval ships. If these Marine missile units were in place and operating on islands today -- they are not -- they would be virtually immobile. All the Osprey tilt rotors are grounded and there is not even one Landing Ship Medium (LSM) to supply, transport, or evacuate the Marines.

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Which is better? "By land or by sea?" Where should Pacific Marines be? Should a Marine deterrent and response force in the Pacific be 1) on land, on isolated islands, or 2) on sea, onboard amphibious vessels?

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In World War II, in the Pacific, the losing side tried placing isolated units on islands. The Marines in the Pacific used a mobile "island hopping" approach to often bypass enemy units on islands, only attacking and destroying enemy island units when necessary. Now, Marines are planning to occupy the losing side of the Pacific island-hopping approach. Why?

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When the question is "by land or by sea" the better answer for Marines is the global crisis response force embarked on amphibious ships, ready to deter, assist, and fight.  Compass Points salutes all those who are -- as Longfellow said -- “ready to ride and spread the alarm" about the Marine Corps' misguided decision to strand small units of Marines on Pacific islands.

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Asia Times (asiatimes.com) 12/25/2023

 Japan pouring billions into sea-based missile defense

Aegis System Equipped Vessel project marks hard shift from land to naval missile defense, with an eye on China and North Korea

by Gabriel Honrada

https://asiatimes.com/2023/12/japan-pouring-billions-into-sea-based-missile-defense/