QUANTICO, Va. — The Navy’s amphibious ships and their embarked aircraft, landing craft and Marines provide an array of power that can influence world events and reinforce U.S. interests in a region, a Navy official said, listing five roles of the forces.
The primary purpose of an amphibious ready group (ARG) is to provide a means for a Marine Air-Ground Task Group to conduct amphibious assault, Frank DiGiovanni, deputy director of expeditionary warfare, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, last week at the Modern Day Marine expo at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia.
DiGiovanni said the second role was presence, noting that “[t]he fact that you have a three-ship ARG with a bunch of firepower on it and 2,000 Marines” tells nations in the region that the power of the United States is present, “that there is someone else here, too.”
Third, he said, is reassurance.
“The people in this region need to know the United States of America is on watch, and we have combat capability within our reach,” DiGiovanni said.
Deterrence is the fourth role, one that discourages aggression from nations intent on aggression or harassment.
The fifth is logistics.
DiGiovanni mentioned “not only the logistics to support the Marines ashore by the ship to shore, but once that ship is empty, and the Marines are being sustained, what should we do with those ships? Do they serve a purpose to support other logistics needs, particularly in a contested environment? It’s a hypothesis we’re thinking about it.”
