Army Builds New Fleet of Tank-Transporting “Watercraft” for Pacific

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

US Navy amphibious assault ships, Expeditionary Fast Transport vessels and emerging new amphib-launched ship-to-shore connectors are all fast-increasing methods of moving heavy armor through maritime war environments including islands, coastal areas and even large countries.

Beneath the more visible threshold of these well-known, modern tank-transporting platforms and technologies, the Army is fast-expanding its own maritime expeditionary capability in the form of new watercraft. These new composite watercraft are intended to support the joint force with equipment and troop transport, weapons and platforms for the Army, Navy and Air Force. 

New Navy Textron-built ship-to-shore connectors (SSC) extend sea-land attack beyond the Landing Craft Air Cushions they are replacing by introducing the ability to move Abrams tanks from ship-to-shore from large, off-shore amphibs into coastal and island areas for decisive land attack. The size and scope of the People’s Liberation Army, for instance, is likely driving a Pentagon requirement to operate greater numbers of tanks and heavy armor in the Pacific, provided they can be transported.

In support of this effort, the Army will be massively expanding its watercraft fleet in the Pacific to, in large measure, strengthen deterrence and support forward war operations in the event of conflict, Gen. Charles Flynn, Commanding General, US Army Pacific, told reporters recently according to an Army provided transcript.

“We have Army watercraft permanently stationed here in Hawaii. We have Army watercraft stationed forward in Japan, in Yokohama North Docks. Of course, we have a couple of piers there in Yokohama North Docks in Tokyo Harbor. We also have a couple of piers down in Naha, down in Okinawa. Those Army watercraft are used routinely out here in the Pacific to move joint capabilities,” Flynn said.

Building upon this, Flynn also said that early work is now underway on a new composite watercraft construction company to be based in and operated out of Japan.