Advancements in modern weaponry have caused some to question whether offensive amphibious operations are still feasible for the U.S. military. In 2010, then-Defense Secretary Robert Gates even remarked: “Looking ahead, I do think it is proper to ask whether large-scale amphibious assault landings along the lines of Inchon are feasible. New antiship missiles with long range and high accuracy may make it necessary to debark from ships 25, 40, or 60 or more miles at sea.”1
Secretary Gates' comment reflects a hard reality for the United States' joint force. Conducting offensive amphibious operations has become markedly more difficult. Potential adversaries have developed and are fielding space-based intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; advanced ballistic and cruise missiles; underwater mines; lethal drone swarms; attack submarines; advanced cyber-attack capabilities; electronic warfare; and fourth- and fifth-generation strike fighters, all supported by advanced training in combined arms operations.2 U.S. strategists must find new ways of accomplishing offensive amphibious operations.
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