Amphibious Operations in the Day of Modern Warfare - Essay Example

Have amphibious operations become obsolete in the day of "modern" warfare? Or will emerging concepts and technologies (MV-22) facilitate their continued relevance. Modern warfare, originated at the time of World War II, is related to some concepts, methods and technologies related to warfare. The innovative concepts and technologies promote the development of modern warfare. Amphibious operation (AF), well known for its mobility and flexibility, plays the vital role in modern warfare. Whereas, the foretold emerging concepts and technologies facilitate their continued relevance in future ventures. The war policy is undergoing a dramatic change and it aims on tactical, operational and strategic battle information. Here, the attempt is to investigate the role and effectiveness of amphibious operations in the modern world. Thesis statement: Amphibious operations- obsolete or relevant in modern warfare. Before exploring the significance of amphibious operations, it is essential to understand its role in modern warfare. After the World War II, there was a tremendous change in warfare. Now, amphibious operations are extreme complex and it requires exceptional unity and operational stability. Amphibious operations require trained forces for extensive air participation. The amphibious operations, which are handled by Amphibious Forces (AFs), should be well organized and equipped for different combat functions. Its mobility and flexibility makes its unique among other forces. During an amphibious operation the most risky part is the combination of diverse forces. The most responsible officer in an amphibious operation is its supreme commander, The Commander Amphibious Task Force (CATF). The AFs’ ability to concentrate the strength and power of different forces in U.S Forces helps it to excel in extreme dangerous situations. The amphibious operation aims to hit the rival forces at most advantageous location and time. Its unity as a group helps to apply combat power in the most efficient manner. The success of an amphibious operation is in the ability to integrate both land-based and maritime air defense resources in a most efficient manner. A major development in naval amphibious history is its self sustainability and capacity to handle difficult tasks. The modern U.S. Navy amphibious assault ships are used as landing ships for amphibious operations. The amphibious warships are specially designed to attack from the sea and to defend the attack from other side. As amphibious operations are conducted on a sudden, it exerts less impact on the political sensitivities which exist in some countries. This is evident in amphibious operations conducted in Middle East countries through the sea. It is a fact that the U.S. amphibious force is the largest and most capable in the world. This proves the importance of amphibious forces and their operations in modern warfare. So, it is evident that amphibious operations are not out dated, but its role is crucial in modern warfare. The emerging concepts and technologies facilitate the continued relevance of amphibious operations in modern warfare. There are innumerable advantages for amphibious forces because most of modern operations are sea based. The most important is that AFs is self sustained in the sea base and can co-operate in joint attack on land. The security of embarked units in a warfront is an important problem. But amphibious forces can overcome this threat because they are trained to deal with extremely dangerous situations. Moreover, it is equipped with highly tactical fighter aircrafts like Joint Strike Fighter (JSF). This will not reduce the relevance of amphibious operations because it acts as a supplement to other forces. The JSF aims to replace fighter aircrafts like F-16, A-10 etc. So the inclusion of JSF strengthens the amphibious operations and its relevance in modern warfare. The changed situation and global threat of terrorism raises new questions on strike force of the Army, the Navy and the Air force. So it is essential to include new fighter aircrafts to the security forces. The V-22 Osprey is a multi mission military aircraft, with is capable of defending unexpected threats from rival forces. Its unique design helps it to perform its duty in critical situations. Its initial operators were the US Marine Corps and Air Force. All these high tech aircrafts increase the strike force of amphibious forces. The Marine Corps war fighting philosophy underwent change but amphibious force is still unchanged. This creates a false impression that amphibious operations are outdated and irrelevant in modern warfare. But the problem is not that of amphibious forces but it is at doctrinal level. If the doctrine on amphibious operations undergoes change, it can excel in the warfront. After World War II, U.S. Army, Naval Forces and Air Forces underwent doctrinal changes and adjusted to technological change. But, the doctrine on amphibious forces was not revised and it remained unchanged for a long time. So it is essential to go through a serious review of doctrinal principles related to amphibious operations. Then, emerging concepts and technologies will facilitate the relevance of amphibious operation in modern warfare. It is evident that a serious review of amphibious doctrine can help it to be more than a complementary force. This revision is required because it is essential to incorporate the Marine Corps doctrine of maneuver warfare into the Navy’s Warfare Commander (CWC) concept. Amphibious warfare is not outdated because it demonstrated its worth during World War II and the following years. The concept of CWC was developed by the navy to enable their fleet to carry out any multi-threat defense. It can be seen that the war fighting philosophy of the Marine Corps underwent change but amphibious doctrine did not change. Craig C. Felker in ‘Testing American Sea Power: U.S. Navy Strategic Exercises, 1923-1940’ points out that: “Amphibious operations fit within the framework of modern naval war.”(Felker 93) amphibious operations are not obsolete in the day of modern warfare, but it fit best within the framework of modern naval war. The current amphibious doctrine is not suitable to the concept of CWC. More than that, amphibious operations try to co ordinate different services and it is a tedious effort. So, the commanders face the problem of proper co ordination and co operation. Here, the key commanders face the problem on the selection of doctrines on warfare. So, there must be some revisions which result in the integration of the ATF and the Carrier Battle Group (CVBG). The senior officer must be appointed as the commander of the joint amphibious force. These types of modifications in existing amphibious doctrine can help it to excel in future ventures. So, it is evident that a serious revision of amphibious doctrine will result a positive change in amphibious operations and raise its relevance. In brief, it is to be pointed out that the problem is not with the theory of amphibious operations but in its outdated doctrine. The forces other than amphibious forces accepted the change and become modern in outlook. But the outdated doctrine hindered the growth of amphibious forces and the importance of amphibious operations. The emerging concepts and technologies supplement the growth of amphibious operations because no concept and technology can survive without an effective doctrine of practice. So, it is evident that the future warfare is that of joint combat and the amphibious forces and its operations will have a vital role to play in future battlefields. Works cited Felker, Craig C. Testing American Sea Power: U.S. Navy Strategic Exercises, 1923-1940. Texas A & M University Press, 2007. Read More