New amphibs face budget shortfall; big decks now eyed as unmanned 'motherships'

By Jason Sherman / December 8, 2021 at 12:35 PM
SIMI VALLEY, CA -- The Marine Corps needs more money in fiscal years 2023 and 2024 to buy Light Amphibious Warships, critical to service plans to establish new littoral units that can nimbly move shore-to-shore inside China's striking range, while contemplating a radical new use for its big-deck combatants: "Motherships" to unleash unmanned air and undersea systems. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger said his new concept for stand-in forces, published last week, has budget implications that are not yet...

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