Landing ship medium part of the Force Design 2030 plan.
The Marine Corps is set to test a new ship this spring designed for littoral warfare with innovative formations. In 2020, as part of a reorganization and reforms under Force Design 2030, the Marines introduced the landing ship medium. This is a smaller vessel than conventional amphibious counterparts, which is expected to be contracted in 2025.
Tests throughout 2024 will help the Marines refine their requirements for the ship.
Deputy Commandant for Marine Corps Combat Development and Integration Lieutenant General Karsten Heckl stated, “We’re just simply trying to get the requirement right while still trying to move at pace. If you start moving too quickly, you might end up jumping to a conclusion that you probably should have taken a little more time to look at.”
This landing ship medium is a component of the Marine Expeditionary Advanced Base operations concept, which supports intelligence gathering and long-range strikes against adversarial ships in island-hopping scenarios. The U.S. Navy also plans to acquire 18–35 of these ships, having recently released a request for proposals for the program.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For wisdom for Secretary Carlos Del Toro as he heads the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps.
- For USMC and naval leaders as they seek to source the landing ship medium vessels.
- For General Eric Smith’s continued recovery from surgery so he may resume duties as the Marine Corps Commandant.
Sources: Military Times, Defense News
