Navy Details Future Amphibious Ready Group Structure for Maritime Attack

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

The Navy is transforming the shape, composition and mission scope for its Amphibious Ready Groups to accommodate a new generation of technologies, support disaggregated and more independent operations and introduce paradigm-changing dimensions to amphibious assault tactics.

Future Amphibious Ready Groups 

The Future ARG, as it is called by the Navy, will consist of an LHA America-class amphibious assault “mothership,” supported by an LPD 17 flight 1 Amphibious Transport Dock and an LPD Flight 2 Dock Landing Ship to deliver aircraft, equipment, Marines and weapons from ship to shore in support of amphibious operations. 

The existing ARGs are composed of a LHD or LHA “mothership” big-deck amphib, supported by the existing LPD 17 Amphibious Transport Dock and LSD 41 Dock Landing Ships. In its current configuration, ARGs are designed to operate in close proximity with one another as part of an integrated or coordinated multi-faceted mission, with each ship performing a specific and more narrowly defined set of operational functions.

The ARG of the future, however, will open up paradigm-changing dimensions to amphibious warfare by leveraging a new generation of communications and aviation technologies able to support dispersed or more disaggregated operations. During the 2022 Surface Navy Association Symposium, Amphibious Warfare Program Manager Capt. Cedric McNeil said the new ARGs will operate with a capacity to transport larger and heavier aircraft and vehicles, incorporate new command and control systems and fire a greater range of weapons to improve survivability. 

The improved ARG warfare capability, enabled to a large extent by the arrival of the F-35 and new networking technologies, can support the Navy’s Distributed Maritime Operations strategy designed to optimize long-range weapons and sensors and support security networked, yet dispersed operations.

The LPD 17 Flight 2 ships are now being built to replace the Navy’s existing fleet of LSD 41 Dock Landing Ships known for launching Landing Craft Air Cushions (LCAC) capable of transporting Marine, weapons and supplies in support of an amphibious warfare operation. While different from the LPD 17 Flight 1 Amphibious Transport Dock, the new LPD Flight 2 use a similar LPD 17 hull yet incorporates a number of key modifications to fit the Dock Landing Ship mission requirements.

“We’re going to continue to make sure that capabilities are relevant and ready to support all sorts of operations across the spectrum for the Marine Corps and the Navy going forward into the future.” McNeil said.