Much has been made about the consternation that the US Army feels about being left out. Whats been ignored is the fact that once we're out of these conflicts, the American people will have no stomach or will for extended combat missions in far off lands.
The operative word is extended. Add to the situation, the economics of the day and you have frugality and doing more with less winning the day.
According to an article by General Gardner in Defense News, the US can do more with less via Amphibs, the F-35B and the US Marine Corps. Read the article for yourself here, but a tidbit for you to consider....
The aging Harrier used in Libya and recently in Yemen is being replaced by the F-35B STOVL Joint Strike Fighter, a world-class aircraft in terms of stealth, sensors and range. When you only have room for a few aircraft (amphibious assault ships will carry six to 20), those aircraft need to be multifunctional and effective.
Whether operating from ships or damaged runways, the F-35B fills that bill. No surprise: A fifth-generation stealth aircraft that can take off from a ship without catapults and return to land vertically costs more than today's carrier aircraft that cannot fly off an amphibious ship (an F-35B will cost about $118 million per aircraft, compared with $90 million for an F18E/F).
For this premium, the U.S. will nearly double its strike-capable capital ships (there are nine amphibious assault ships, with plans to go to 11), making the fleet more effective in more places for less money long into the 21st century.
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