The Need for the United States Army to Possess a Landing Craft with Maneuver Capabilities

Abstract

The Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM) was used in Army and Joint combat, stability, and support to civil authority operations for over 50 years. The LCM is the Army's smallest, most practical capability to conduct operational maneuver within the littorals to achieve tactical success, move operationally ready forces by water to austere access points, and rapidly enable sustainment operations via inland waterways. The LCM has exceeded its operational lifecycle and does not meet the Joint Task Force Commanders' required capabilities for waterborne operations. Those requirements include: to carry an M1A2 tank, to maneuver "combat ready" Stryker vehicles, and to rapidly maneuver and deploy combat forces. The Army concept framework together with the Army Transportation Corps' Capability Based Assessment (CBA) of Army watercraft and historical landing craft uses provides a case study into the landing craft capability gap. The Army must decide whether to retain, divest, or pursue a new material landing craft solution that meets the needs of the Joint Task Force Commander.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 12, 2015
Accession Number
ADA623986

Entities

People

  • Philip S. Raumberger

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Amphibious Operations
  • Boats
  • Case Studies
  • Combat Forces
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Inland Waterways
  • Joint Military Activities
  • Logistics
  • Military History
  • Military Operations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Organizational Structure
  • Task Forces
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Maritime Security/Maritime Homeland Security