Marine Corps’ Builds New Littoral Regiment, Eye On Fake Chinese Islands

[Gary]

The Corps is looking for a unit that is "very low signature and that give us the firepower that we need to be a relevant force that provides consequences, should we get past the deterrence phase," Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, assistant deputy commandant of Combat Development, said.
By PAUL MCLEARYon September 22, 2020 at 6:01 PM

Marines maneuvering near the Whidbey Island-class amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown.
WASHINGTON: The Marine Corps is moving quickly to develop a new kind of infantry unit to challenge Chinese claims on small islands in the Pacific, while the Navy is developing new and smaller ships to move and supply them once they deploy.
The new Littoral Regiments won’t be fully fleshed out for several years, but Marine Corps leaders said today they will be bolstered by logistics and air defense battalions once they’re ready to go.

The Corps is wargaming “what assets would we be able to place in that battle space that are very low signature and that give us the firepower that we need to be a relevant force that provides consequences, should we get past the deterrence phase,” Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, assistant deputy commandant of Combat Development, told reporters at the virtual Modern Day Marine event today.
The Corps envisions three new regiments, with two based in Japan and one in Guam.
Plans call for the regiment to undergo wargames and experimentation for about three years until a unit is fleshed out and ready to actually deploy.

“Much like our [Marine air-ground task forces] that we have now, there are support elements to it,” Iiams said. “So, we’ll have a littoral combat team; we’ll have a littoral logistics battalion; and we’ll have an anti-air battalion,” Iiams added.
The units are part of the Corps’ effort to move toward building a fast-moving, hard to detect “inside force” that can operate within range of Chinese and Russian weapons ranges while packing a potent offensive punch.


Over the summer, the Navy met with shipbuilders to talk about plans for a new class of logistics ship that can operate under fire and resupply Marines deep within the range of enemy precision weapons. The Next Generation Medium Logistics Ship would resupply both ships at sea, as well as small, ad hoc bases ashore.
There is also the Light Amphibious Warship, or LAW, which the Navy is working to define, which will be able to carry Marines as well as fuel and supplies — but also have the capability to share information with other parts of the fleet hundreds of miles away. “I see these LAWs as part of Marine organizations,” Marine Maj. Gen. Tracy King said last month, adding, “and those larger Marine organizations being part of an Expeditionary Strike Group — that’s a little bit new. We’re evolving not only the stuff that we’re acquiring, but the way in which we’re going to use it and the way in which we’re going to fight it.”
The Navy and Marines eventually hope to build over twenty LAWs, if the designs and cost per ship works out.

Marine Corps' Builds New Littoral Regiment, Eye On Fake Chinese Islands - Breaking Defense

The Corps is looking for a unit that is "very low signature and that give us the firepower that we need to be a relevant force that provides consequences, should we get past the deterrence phase," Maj. Gen. Kevin Iiams, assistant deputy commandant of Combat Development, said.

breakingdefense.com

 

[Spkrdctr]

The Marines are being set up to be over run by the enemy. Putting yourself inside the enemies gun range means you will receive a lot of artillery rounds that have to explode somewhere. As they explode that is your material and men absorbing the blast. Just does not seem well thought out. Way too many years fighting terrorists with no airpower or artillery support. There is a reason artillery was named " The King of Battle" in WWII. It will take an aircraft carrier to keep the skies above the Marines clear of enemy air dropping bombs on them. I don't know how they wargame this stuff, but it looks like it is being done by people with no appreciation of taking real damage from a near equal or equal military force. The Marines will be blown off the island with their small unit and then they will have to reinvent themselves again.

 

[You]

...I was in the USMC 82-90 and on 4 ships..LPH, LHA and 2 LSTs ..all decommisioned .....the LSTs carried about 500 Marines--how much smaller do they want the ships? .....these were flat bottomed that could go up to shore with thrusters on the front
....yes, they are bigger targets ......
....doesn't seem like the ''smaller'' ships would be able to carry enough supplies, fuel, etc as much as the standard Gator ships = less range - less loiter time....
...looks like a ship for more options- which is good