The Navy and Marine Corps are examining the possibility of deploying Marines on the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), a senior general recently said.
Maj. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who is leading the Marine Corps’ quadrennial force posture review known as a QDR, raised the possibility at a Navy League breakfast last week when he was asked whether the Marines could increase response time by serving on smaller, faster vessels rather than large amphibious ships.
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| The Littoral Combat Ship USS Fort Worth (LCS-3). Photo by Defense Daily. |
“I would argue–and this is just my opinion–the LCS platform is an ideal platform for putting small numbers of Marines that could be employed, as are some other platforms that are out there,” McKenzie said.
McKenzie noted that in the post-World War II era, Marines have stuck to serving on amphibious vessels and only played limited security or ceremonial roles on Navy ships. He emphasized that no decision has been made on whether Marines could operate on the Littoral Combat Ships.
“We are looking at that as we go forward in concert with our Navy partners,” he said. “I cannot tell you that we reached an end state on that.”
Asked later to elaborate, McKenzie said it was “too early to tell” what type of missions LCS-based Marines would carry out, but that it was actively being discussed by Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and Marine Commandant Gen. James Amos.
The Navy plans to buy 52 Littoral Combat Ships, although that number could drop significantly given the budget constraints facing the Pentagon. So far, three LCSs have been delivered to the Navy and a fourth is expected to arrive soon. The Navy has said it is committed to building out to the program of record.
The Navy is developing three swappable mission modules for the ships for surface warfare, anti-submarine warfare and mine counter measures. The service is also exploring other possible uses for the LCS, citing its versatility.
The LCS program, however, remains under scrutiny by members of Congress and others who question the survivability of the vessels and the costs associated with building two variants.