Future amphibious assaults will most likely look nothing like the famous WWII Iwo Jima attack, which was largely linear, straight ahead and led by thousands of committed Marines willing to absorb enemy fire to take the beachhead.
Now, the advent of autonomy, AI-enabled unmanned systems, long-range sensors and weapons, not to mention 5th-Generation close air support, have radically altered the strategic equation regarding how amphibious warfare would likely be conducted.
AI-Enabled Long Distance Warfare
Dispersed, yet closely network fleets combined of a mix of armed platforms to include surface ships with “over-the-horizon” missiles, ship-to-shore connectors loaded with Abrams tanks, undersea, aerial and surface drones conducting reconnaissance looking for weak or less defended points along the enemy coastline and of course Ospreys and even amphib-launched F-35Bs supporting the approach.
AI-enabled large and small, surface and undersea drones will coordinate operations, share pressing target information and even conduct high-risk attacks while Marines and sailors perform command and control at safer standoff regions.
At the risk of oversimplifying, future amphibious warfare will not only rely heavily upon unmanned systems and a new generation of air support … but also one simple word. Range. This is critical from both an offensive and defensive standpoint, meaning amphibious attacks will need to operate with the understanding that advanced enemies operate extremely accurate and precise long range weapons, sensors and guidance systems.
Over-the-Horizon Weapons
These dynamics and combat variables are likely part of the conceptual inspiration for why the Marine Corps recently shot off the Raytheon-built Naval Strike Missile from land-based vehicles, introducing an innovative and as of yet unprecedented adaptation of a ship-launched “over-the-horizon” weapon now arming Littoral Combat Ships and planned for the Navy’s new Constellation-class Frigate.
The recent Marine Corps live-fire event, which took place from Point Mugu Sea Range, Calif., last November, involved shooting a high-tech, precision-guided weapon over the horizon from land.
This adaptation took a ship-launched weapon and made slight modifications to ensure it could fire successfully from land, introducing new tactics to modern amphibious warfare. The Marines call the nascent program Ground Based Anti-Ship Missile, or GBASM.
