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What missions does the Amphibious Ready Group excel at?

Once the Battalion Landing Team hits the ground it lacks ground-based mobility, armor, sustainment, and firepower, although it does have air support. The Marines are essentally rifleman so it is not like a MEU is very useful if one nation invades another nation, like Iraq did to Kuwait. Using that example, if an MEU was put in Saudi Arabia it could be run over by Iraqi tanks.

However, civilian evacuations and rescues from hostile areas is a prime use since they are forward deployed and equipped with gunships and Super Stallions. CSAR makes sense for the same reasons. Peacekeeping in very, very low-intensity situations could work as well. But if it is that low-intensity, the ARG's rapid response probably isn't needed anyway. A standard deployment could be made.

Sudden, amphibious assaults seem a bit over the top nowadays to me, although that's a large part of their training and equipment inventory.

It seems like its most vital capability is quick entry, quick exit; suddenly send a flight of Super Stallions and Cobras to evacuate an embassy beseiged by angry, violet civilian protestors and return to the Assault Ship. Or rescue a pilot in enemy territory.

Given that, I'm wondering if the Marines could be combined with the Army to enhance the ARG's range. One, Algol Class, Fast Sealift Ship could probably carry a reduced Armored Cav Squadron (14 Abrams, 16 Bradleys, 4 Artillery). The Fast Sealifts cost $4 million / year just to keep in port so they might as well use them. Another ship would hold the reduced squadron's personnel and some additional supplies. These two ships would join with the regular three ships of an ARG.

Now the ARG would retain its light infantry Marines for evacuations and rescues but it would also have armor, so, using the example of Iraq invading Kuwait, it could enter port in Saudi Arabia within days of the invasion. Like the ARG's MEU has now, the reduced Squadron would have about two week's supplies, giving the U.S. military enough time to arrange resupply until combat reinforcements arrive.

There would have to be a friendly port for the tanks to offload from but with armored escort, the ARG would take 'power projection' to a whole new level.

Edited by - ViperTTB on Aug 10 2003 8:19 PM

The MEU is a moment of pause. A tripwire.

If the US lands a MEU, the aggressor knows that speed bumping it will be an act of war. So it's useful, even if it is woefully light.

I like your idea, good luck selling it to the navy though.

"Trample the wounded, hurdle the dead."

The USMC already has an MPS squadron of ships in the MED, Diego Garcia and the Guam area each carrying the equipment and supplies to support a Brigade for 30 days. If additional troops are needed they are flown in. Some or all of these ships can unload moored offshore or a at a pier. They can unload amphibious vehicles directly into the water. They carry LCM craft, a warping tug ,carry pontoon causeway sections and have a large helicopter platform. Heres a sample listing of equpment carried by the 4 ships MPS-1.

"Partial list of a sample loadout of the four MPSRON One ships:

Quantity Item
5.2 Million gallons cargo fuel
2,174 50,000-pound cargo containers
76 TOW missile launchers
24 Light armored vehicles (LAV)
105 Amphibious assault vehicles (AAV)
30 Combat tanks (M1A1)
30 155mm howitzers
123 Electrical generators
1 Field hospital (200 beds)
14 50,000-pound container handlers
8 25-ton cranes
16 7.5-ton cranes
47 Floodlight sets
7 Tactical airfield fuel dispensing systems
6 Motorized road graders
4 Wheeled scraper trackers
104 3,000-gallon collapsible fabric tanks
50 Tractors (various types)
107 Forklift trucks (various types)
41 Reverse osmosis water purification units
203 Cargo trailers
89 Powered trailers (various types)
282 5-ton cargo trucks
42 5-ton dump trucks
22 5-ton wrecker trucks
530 Cargo/troop carriers (HMMWV"


Heres a link to start: http://globalsecurity.org/military/syst ... ft-mps.htm

MEUs are woefully light but they can be enhanced relatively quickly.
Heres the TOE also from globalsecurity.org:

The Ground Combat Element (GCE) of a MEU is a Battalion Landing Team (BLT), is a reinforced infantry battalion of approximately 1,200 Marines, including three Rifle Companies. These attachments normally include artillery, engineers, light armored infantry (LAI), antiarmor, assault amphibian, and division reconnaissance units.

Artillery battery configured with six 155mm howitzers. The artillery battery includes its own truck platoon with a mix of 1-ton and 5-ton trucks for carrying ammunition and other supplies, and for towing artillery pieces.
Light Armored Reconnaissance (LAR) detachment configured with seven to sixteen Light Armored Vehicles (LAV) provides mobile reconnaissance screening and strike capability with its LAVs and organic infantry/scouts.
Assault Amphibian Vehicle (AAV) platoon configured with fifteen AAV's: provides amphibious-assault, ship-to-shore movement and ground mobility.
TOW platoon: provides a heavy anti-armor capability with 8 TOW anti-armor missile launchers.
Tank platoon (when required for a specific operation) configured with four M1A1 main battle tanks.

Heres the TOE for an MEU from "Ships and Aircraft of the US Fleet".
5 Tanks
8 155mm Howitzers
8 81mm mortars
9 60mm "
32 Dragon anti-tank
8 TOW anti-tank w/ additional launchers on the SeaCobras
12 Assault Amphibian Vehicles
5 Stinger teams

A MEB has 17 Tanks and an MEF 70.

This from the official Marine site:

Ground Combat Element- Built on an infantry battalion, which becomes a Battalion Landing Team (BLT) with the addition of tanks, artillery, engineers, amphibious vehicles, light armored vehicles, and other combat support assets.

2200 Troops, 4 Tanks, 13 Amphibious Assault Vehicles (AAVs), 22 Helicopters, 6 Tactical Aircraft and 6 Artillery Howitzers




Edited by - rickusn on Aug 11 2003 08:35 AM

Thanx Rick.

"Trample the wounded, hurdle the dead."