Marine Corps Force Design 2030 Removes Tanks, Sees Lighter, Faster, More Lethal Amphibious Force

Video Above: US Sends Drone Boats to Ukraine

By Kris Osborn – President & Editor-In-Chief, Warrior Maven

Island-hopping amphibious sea-land attack, operating dispersed, yet networked formations linked by air and surface drones and conducting integrated, fast-moving land-assaults with tactical vehicles armed with destructive anti-tank weapons … all represent the operational vision of the evolving US Marine Corps as outlined in the service’s “Force Design 2030” strategy document.

The Corps’ transformation shifts the force away from tanks, heavy armor and slower-moving, heavy operations in favor of a faster, lighter, more disaggregated yet highly-lethal attack and reconnaissance force able to both destroy the enemy from standoff ranges and close-with-an-enemy for lethal close contact.

“The Marine Corps must be able to fight at sea, from the sea, and from the land to the sea; operate and persist within range of adversary long-range fires; maneuver across the seaward and landward portions of complex littorals; and sense, shoot, and sustain while combining the physical and information domains to achieve desired outcomes,” Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger writes in the Force Design 2030 document.

Lighter, faster and more dispersed forces, fortified by precision fires and hardened networking, can operate with a reduced footprint or signature requiring less logistics and being less visible to an enemy.

“Focus on capabilities required to develop a truly DO-capable force that can mass effects while minimizing signature; maximize efficient tactical mobility; reduce logistics demand; and expand the range of mutual support across all tactical echelons,” the document explains.