The US Capability to Conduct Amphibious Operations - Essay Example

Explain why you think the United s still needs the capability to conduct amphibious operations. An Amphibious operation is one where the attack is launched from the sea or ocean by deploying the power of the navy and the landing forces on the hostile areas (Speller and Christopher, 2001). The U.S Military has a very significant history when it comes to amphibious operations, especially during the Second World War The Military has a strong force trained and deployed for the amphibious operations, in the even that any need arises. While the amphibious operations provide a definite advantage to the U.S military in terms of equipping it with unique and advanced capabilities, the need of an amphibious force has come under media scrutiny in the recent times because a full-fledged amphibious operation has not been conducted ever since the end of World War 2 (only small scale operations have been conducted). Additionally, the cost of maintaining an amphibious force is also very high (Mullen, 2008). However, the amphibious force provides some specific advantages to the military power, given the volatile relationship that the United States has with several nations across the globe. This study takes a look at some of the reasons because of which United States still needs the capability to conduct amphibious operations. Advantage of an Amphibious Force in a Military Attack Most of the operations that are conducted in the modern day are of a joint nature, where all the branches of the military collaborate to achieve the mission. In any joint operation, the presence of an amphibious force provides a certain edge (Forbes, 2012). For instance, because of the advancement in technology related to military aircrafts and artillery, most countries anticipate air-raids and ground operations and therefore, do not pay enough attention to protects it littoral area (area which is near to the shore of a water body). Such areas are often only protected by a small coast card and small navy units deployed in certain points. In such cases, an amphibious attack can prove to be successful because the hostile nation will not be able to defend the littoral region against the strong and powerful amphibious attack of the US military. Even if the littoral area is defended by the forces, the amphibious force has the capacity to respond in a rapid manner and this provides the military with a strong forward presence (Speller and Christopher, 2001). One of the main tactics of a joint operation is to disperse the forces so that the hostile military is not able to focus on one particular region and respond in a strong manner. In such a scenario, the amphibious force proves to be a strong point because it can simultaneously launch both sea and land operations and thus, carry out the attacks in a strong manner (Forbes, 2012)). The amphibious force also has the advantage that it can get the access for the operation in any region which is close to the sea. As most sea areas have open access, it facilitates movements and the political or geographical obstacles can be overcome (Forbes, 2012). The deployment of the Amphibious force can also complicate the strategic approach and the process of decision-making because as it really puts the pressure on the military resources of the hostile nation as the number of avenues that they should protect increases rapidly. It also helps in distracting the forces from the main operations. The U.S military used this strategy effectively during the gulf war of 1991 in the Iraq coast (Forbes, 2012). Therefore, given the tense situation in regions such as the Korean Peninsula, the volatile relationship with China and so on, having an amphibious force does provide a definite edge to the military force. Supplementary role of an Amphibious force during an operation Apart from directly getting involved in an attack, the amphibious force is also useful in providing supplementary support to the forces. For example, there are certain areas where access through airfields or roads is not possible. Here, the amphibious force can transport the ground forces, aiding the operation which is in progress. Similarly, if a military has the capacity of amphibious warfare, then it also opens up an additional means of transporting the troops to the region where they are needed (Speller and Christopher, 2001). Such transfers can be done in a rapid manner, when compared to the transfers that the navy carries out. The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle or the EFV is one such vehicle which was exclusively deployed for transporting the US marines from the naval vessel to the shore at a fast pace. The V-22 Osprey is also an aircraft used by the amphibian operations for similar purposes as it has the capacity of vertical landing and take-off. A similar support is provided by the F-35B aircraft (Mullen, 2008). These aircrafts help in supporting the transportation of the troops without increasing the dependency on huge aircraft carriers. Over the past decade, there has been an increasing threat of pirates the region around Strait of Malacca and the Kingdom of Sudan. The amphibious forces possess the capacity to conduct operations to counter the pirate activities in these regions. It is important to reduce the threat of piracy because it may affect the movement of troops from one region to another due to presence of pirates (Mullen, 2008). Therefore, it can be said that it greatly reduces the pressure on the naval aircraft carries when it comes to battling pirates. Also, the commercial ships can move around without threats. Hence, it is clear that the role played by amphibious operations is not limited to engaging in a direct warfare with the hostile regions, but it also proves to be a strong support system to the main operations because of its unique capabilities. Advantage of an Amphibious Force in a non-combat scenario The amphibious forces also exhibit great efficiency in carrying out humanitarian actions and supporting disaster response missions (Conway et al, 2007). This is true in case of both natural disasters as well as wars. When it comes to natural disasters such as an earthquake, it is seen that access routes such as airstrips or roads get destroyed and prevents the rescue missions and aid missions to provide assistance at the right time. However, as the amphibious force can provide access through a water body and the troops are skilled at fast movement even in a hostile condition, they can help in assistance. When the forces carry out major theater war, (multi-phase assault where a large portion of the military forces are involved), there is a high probability that the level of damage inflicted may be high, and this may need immediate support and assistance. The amphibious force has been equipped to provide this support (Flynn, 2009). The amphibious war vehicles are equipped with high-end communication devices as well as the ability to carry out airlifts and sea-lifts. This makes them suitable for providing medical services and rapid relief, which are essential in disaster management. This ability of the amphibious forces to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster management support is a clear demonstration of how the United States is committed to the cause of supporting crisis situations - be it for the friend nations or for the hostile nations (Flynn, 2009). Conclusion Overall, it can be said that having an amphibious force is useful as it can help in direct military operations, provide support to the main operations and help in provide humanitarian assistance and disaster management support. In spite of the high maintenance expenses that the force has, the advantages are immense, especially in a politically volatile atmosphere. It is therefore recommended that the amphibious force should continue to be deployed. References Conway, James T., Gary, Roughead and Thad, Allen. ,U.S. Coast Guard, A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government. 2007. Print. Flynn, George. Amphibious Operations in the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: Department of Defense. 2009. Print. Forbes, Randy. Why U.S. Needs Amphibious Skills. thediplomat.com. 12 Feb 2009. Web. March 7, 2013. Mullen, Michael G. U.S. Navy, Capstone Concept for Joint Operations. Washington, D.C.: Department of Defense. 2008. Print. Speller, Ian & Tuck, Christopher. Amphibious warfare, Strategy and tactics series. Stroud: Spellmount. 2001. Print. Read More