The Next EFV: Aligning Marine Corps Capabilities With National Security
Abstract
A fast amphibious tracked vehicle such as the EFV is currently neither affordable, nor addresses national security goals of countering the hybrid threat or supporting partner capacity-building. Hovercrafts can project power from the seas by delivering a land Fighting Vehicle that is specifically tailored for land combat and therefore engineering sacrifices are not made in protection, armament, or range. The proven hovercraft such as the commercial-off-the-shelf EPS M10, if retrofitted with modern weaponry, is the ideal amphibious capability. Specifically, its low cost, 50kt speed, 500nm range, low radar and acoustic signatures makes it the perfect platform to penetrate Anti-Access, Area-Denial environments, deliver Marines and their fighting vehicles ashore, generate partner capacity-building opportunities, reinvent the skirmisher role, and balance the future networked fleet a balanced fleet for peace and war and designed to go in harm s way in the chaotic littorals. The permanent forward basing of five Marine Corps Hovercraft Flotillas in strategic locations aligns with the QDR and National Security Strategy. A modern retrofitted hovercraft will implement these strategies as it embodies the core capabilities delineated in Naval Operations Concept 2010: Forward presence, Maritime Security, HA/DR, Sea Control, Power Projection, and Deterrence.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 09, 2011
- Accession Number
- ADA553369
Entities
People
- In H. Ha
Organizations
- Naval War College