Ready-to-Fight Force Conducts Amphibious Assault During RIMPAC 2022

MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII — With the theme of “Capable Adaptive Partners,” the 2022 Rim of the Pacific exercise has featured a wide range of capabilities, projecting the inherent flexibility of maritime forces and helping to promote a free and open Indo-Pacific, culminating with an amphibious assault in Hawaii.

During the exercise, 26 nations, 38 surface ships, four submarines, nine national land forces, more than 30 unmanned systems, approximately 170 aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel trained together while operating in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California, June 29 to Aug. 4.

Following weeks of workups, and then intensive training together when the exercise began, RIMPAC amphibious forces conducted a simulated assault on a beach and airfield at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay on the island of Oahu in Hawaii.

RIMPAC has been led by the commander of U.S. 3rd Fleet, Vice Adm. Michael Boyle. Republic of Korea navy Rear Adm. Sangmin An served as the commander of Combined Task Force 176, RIMPAC’s amphibious task force, aboard his flagship, amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD 2). His deputy was  U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Michael Baze, commander of Expeditionary Strike Group (ESG) 3.

In the scenario, a fictional armed radical organization known as Draco has captured a beach and airfield and adjacent areas from a fictional friendly nation called Orion. The amphibious task force employed a multi-domain assault to capture it back.

By definition, an amphibious assault involves the establishment of a landing force on a hostile or potentially hostile shore. An amphibious force consists of an amphibious task force and a landing force. Both partner and partner nations and allies provide the forces that are organized equipped and trained for these specialty mission sets.

According to Col. Ricardo Miagany, assistant chief of staff for operations with Marine Forces Pacific, the ship-to-shore phase showcases multilateral interoperability approach.

“A flotilla of coalition naval vessels is supporting this amphibious assault. Each ship possesses unique capabilities that will be harnessed to dislodge the occupying forces,” he said.

In addition to Essex, the assault force included the ROKN landing helicopter platform ROKS Marado (LPH-6112); the Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra (L02); and the Mexican navy landing ship tank ARM Usumacinta (A412), the ex-USS Frederick (LST-1184).

“Each ship possesses unique capabilities that will be harnessed to dislodge the occupying forces. Today’s training highlights some of the capabilities of the forces of the amphibious partners in the region as we operate together for a collection of naval platforms and functioning as one joint naval task force,” said Miagany.

USMC F/A-18 Hornets and AH-1Z and UH-1 aircraft provided fire support, and USMC CH-53E Super Stallions and MV-22 Ospreys delivered troops to the landing zone, USAF A-10 Thunderbolt IIs, a USAF MQ-9 Reaper and a USAF C-17 airlifter.

The ground assault included forces from Australia, the Republic of Korea, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Chile, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Kingdom of Tonga and the U.S.

Miagany said the “ready-to-fight force embarked on amphibious assault vehicles, small boats and aircraft, and attacked from the sea to the shore in one of the most complex and difficult form of maneuver and amphibious operations.”

Force Modernization

“For years we have practiced amphibious operations together, and many of the participants in sporting experience have experience working with Marine Expeditionary Unites. These will remain key facets of our crisis response roles in support of our alliances and security partnerships in the years ahead,” Miagany said. “These challenges in the constant evolution of military technology are focusing the Marine Corps and many of our partners on force modernization efforts. Marine Corps investment and experimentation efforts will enhance our collective security and improve U.S. crisis response capabilities.”

Miagany said “the amphibious assault today demonstrates the flexibility and strength of integrated and interoperable amphibious forces, the synergy of network allies and partners, the enduring value of amphibious crisis response capabilities, and provides a glimpse of the U.S. Marine Corps’ emerging core mission of providing stand-in forces which defend our allies and partners.”

According to Miagany, amphibious assaults are one of the most complex of all military operations.

“Only a small collection of militaries around the world are capable of planning and executing them. This form of a maneuver warfare projects naval forces from ship to shore into contested spaces. Accomplishing this requires a tremendous amount of professionalism, partnership, compatible operating concepts and interoperable technology. When training and practicing these maneuvers throughout Hawaii in preparation for this mission, our nations are building relationships with each other and strengthening our interoperability. For years we have practiced amphibious operations together, and many of the participants this morning have experience working with Marine Expeditionary Units. These will remain key facets of our crisis response roles in support of our alliances and security partnerships in the years ahead.”

In addition to the operational demonstration, Marines from the 3d Littoral Combat Regiment displayed  their tactical systems, including sensors such as the AN/TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar and weapons such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.

At the conclusion of the demonstration, Lt. Gen. Steven R. Rudder, commander, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific and commanding general of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, congratulated the forces that had been training on the ground for the past month and a half, and referred to the assault as the “RIMPAC graduation exercise.” 

“The blue water ops that have been  that have been transpiring has been shaping this environment so that we can conduct this amphibious assault today,” Rudder said. “It’s the first time we’ve done an amphibious assault with nine countries during the RIMPAC exercise. Although bilateral is such a key part of all of our nation’s military exercising in the Indo-Pacific,  the biggest operations are by nature joint, and are by nature multilateral.”