Survivability is a critical consideration for the U.S. Navy’s fleet of amphibious connectors. Current operating concepts and an evolving threat environment demand that the Navy and U.S. Marine Corps re-evaluate survivability of connectors in their analysis for the current and future fleet. Connectors that were deemed survivable for missions in a different threat environment might not be survivable when operating against an evolved adversary.

Connector Survivability in the Current Operating Environment

Colin D. Smith, Stephen Webber

ResearchPublished Oct 4, 2023

China and Russia are widely acknowledged as near-peer threats to the United States and its allies. Engagement with these adversaries could involve amphibious operations of various degrees. New U.S. Marine Corps strategies and the need for more expeditionary flexibility by the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force require modernization of U.S. capabilities in source—port, ship, shore—to objective movement in contested environments. Amphibious ship-to-shore connectors fall into this category, but might not provide sufficient lift, survivability, and speed for future requirements. Survivability is a critical design component of the U.S. Navy's fleet of amphibious connectors. Current operating concepts and an evolving threat environment demand that the Navy and Marine Corps reevaluate survivability of connectors in their analysis for the current and future fleet. Connectors that were deemed survivable under different concepts in a different threat environment might not be as survivable when they operate in a contested environment against an evolved adversary.

The Navy and Marine Corps must address the survivability of their current fleet of amphibious combat craft, which they rely on for maneuver and sustainment of troops and large equipment. Current operational concepts—distributed maritime operations (DMO), Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations (EABO), and Stand-In Forces (SiFs)—recognize a new threat environment, and current requirements for survivability might not be sufficient for this environment.

Key Findings

  • The Navy and Marine Corps designed and developed its current fleet of connectors for a different era and different operational concepts.
  • Current concepts, such as DMO, EABO, and SiFs, recognize that the Navy and Marine Corps face a new threat environment that will require them to operate differently.
  • The Navy and Marine Corps have demonstrated different levels of prioritization of survivability in the face of trade-offs between survivability and cost, ship availability, maneuverability, and other factors.
  • The Naval Services should address the survivability of their current fleet of amphibious craft, which they rely on for maneuver and sustainment of troops and large equipment and consider how to apply the established survivability framework to developing updated requirements.

Recommendations

  • Develop and formalize an analytic framework for connector survivability and use it to develop requirements for future connectors.
  • Invest in the survivability of the current connector fleet to enhance the viability of current platforms.
  • Develop tactics, techniques, and procedures and associated training to support the Marine Corps' new operating concepts.
  • Elevate the role of operational and tactical intelligence for amphibious forces.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

RAND Style Manual
Smith, Colin D. and Stephen Webber, Connector Survivability in the Current Operating Environment, RAND Corporation, RR-A1922-1, 2023. As of September 4, 2024: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1922-1.html
Chicago Manual of Style
Smith, Colin D. and Stephen Webber, Connector Survivability in the Current Operating Environment. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2023. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA1922-1.html.
BibTeX RIS

Research conducted by

This research was sponsored by the Office of the Secretary of Defense and conducted within the Navy and Marine Forces Program of the RAND National Security Research Division (NSRD).

This publication is part of the RAND research report series. Research reports present research findings and objective analysis that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors. All RAND research reports undergo rigorous peer review to ensure high standards for research quality and objectivity.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.