The U.S. Marine Corps and Navy are stepping up a joint drive to shore up the nation’s limited amphibious fleet, a push framed by leaders as essential to national security.
At the Sea-Air-Space Conference, Gen. Eric Smith outlined a path forward that rests on a “unified sense of purpose” between the services.
“We’re in complete agreement that our current inventory of 31 amphibious ships is not sufficient to meet our new presence that our combatant commanders are requesting and requiring,” Smith said during his speech.
That judgment underpins a three-pronged strategy to lift readiness, expand capacity, and accelerate procurement.
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As of April 2026, four amphibious ships were deployed across North America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. The current deployments reflect a broad demand for rapid response options in multiple theaters.
The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group, which includes the USS Tripoli and the amphibious transport dock ships USS San Diego and USS New Orleans, were sent to the Middle East in mid-March as reinforcements for the war in Iran.
The USS Boxer has also deployed to the Middle East from the Pacific.
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In 2025, the readiness rate of amphibious ships dropped to 41 percent amid heightened U.S. operations in Latin America and the Caribbean to counter drug cartels.
The lack of ships readily available caused a five-month delay in Marine Expeditionary Unit deployments last year.
During his speech, Smith said that the Navy and Marine Corps are “optimizing maintenance schedules” and fourth-generation runs to get more out of the ships they already have.
Secondly, the two groups will invest in service life extensions for the “best of breed” ships that are in the best mechanical and physical shape.
Lastly, Smith said that they are moving forward with the procurement of new and more capable ships with the help of Congress.
The commandant noted that they are seeking “increased, sustained and predictable investments” in the amphibious shipping industry to achieve this expansion and heightened availability of the fleet.
He added that a steady funding foundation is essential to protect the fleet’s long-term readiness.
Smith continued that the fiscal year 2027 budget proposed by President Donald Trump was a considerable “down payment” for this generational effort to build up the amphibious fleet, but it’s insufficient.
He highlighted that this project will require ongoing political and budgetary backing to move from plan to capability.
“To build the amphibious fleet that our nation needs and deserves will require continued commitment of leaders in uniform and the support of leaders in our government,” Smith noted.
He stressed that the work cannot stall and must adapt to shifting strategic demands, including global maritime competition and regional instability.
Smith said that they can “never walk away from” bolstering the traditional amphibious capabilities, but they are also focusing on littoral mobility — the ability for Navy and Marine forces to move and operate to and from shore.
Littorals encompass most of the Pacific, and the commandant referred to the Indo-Pacific as the world’s most challenging environment due to scale and distance.
In December 2025, the Navy and Marine Corps selected the Dutch shipbuilder Damen LST-100 design as their new medium landing ship, which Smith highlighted in his speech as having “game changing capability” for allowing the forces to maneuver and self-sustain in a resilient and reliable manner.
The choice signals a shift toward ships that combine speed, reach, and survivability to support rapid, island-hopping-style operations in contested waters.
Support for a stronger amphibious fleet has drawn a broad chorus of lawmakers and security thinkers who see a robust naval land-attack capability as central to deterrence and crisis response.
The Trump administration has argued that a stronger forward presence helps secure allies, deter adversaries, and reduce regional flashpoints before they escalate.
The War Secretary, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, has echoed that view by linking funding to a broader strategy of U.S. leadership in maritime security and a resilient national defense.
The sea services are illustrating a willingness to rethink logistics, maintenance cycles, and replacement timelines to deliver results sooner rather than later.
They argue that the cost of delay is measured in missed deployments, delayed missions, and risk to service members who rely on dependable platforms. The combined effort seeks to ensure that ready ships are available when combatant commanders call, not merely in theory but in operational reality.
The process will require patience and persistence, but the leadership tone is clear. The nation cannot afford to let its amphibious capabilities erode while strategic threats grow more complex.
The plan is to turn recommitment into tangible capability, with a stronger fleet able to operate across the littorals and project power where it matters most.
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