What is the MLP? Mobile lighterage....I think.

Chinese version (notice the box like structures on the platform?...I believe they give it mobility)

US version, notice the LCU ramped up to the platform...further modifications and an enlarged platform MIGHT have accomplished our goals.

Via SLD

Admiral Buzby:  The USNS Montfort Point is our newest ship and it’s our newest type of ship.  It’s a float on/float off ship that was basically conceived from an existing BP Alaska-class tanker design that we modified to give us a float on/float off capability that’s going to be essentially a pier at sea.
It’s going to integrate with the maritime prepositioning force that we currently have.  These two squadrons of ships provide the ability to deliver a brigade’s worth of combat equipment and sustainment from large medium speed roll on/roll off ships in stream or inport.  MLP enhances the in stream off load capability.
This will give us the capability to have a lot of throughput as it’s currently envisioned.It will give us the capability to have connection to the beach to move the material off those LMSRs much quicker than we do today using lighterage that is typically carried on the MPS ships.
It’s a big empty deck, it’s 80,000 tons and 800 feet of use your imagination.It’s a big empty deck from which you can put almost anything to move pretty much anywhere.

I'm really hoping that I'm being overly skeptical on this.  I really hope that these ships deliver on the promise of transforming amphibious operations....

But I just don't see it.

Question.  And I'm a Marine Corps supporter extraordinaire', but short of deploying a Marine Expeditionary Brigade (and I want to remind you that a MEB is about equal to an old fashioned Army Division plus) why would we draw stocks from MPS ships in a hasty fashion?

Next question.  Why the focus on the MEB instead of working to enhance the MEU?  The real workhorse of Marine formations?

I ask the question regarding the MEB vs. the MEU because this ship seems designed to be an enabler for a formation that hasn't seen use since the Iraq War 1 & 2(and rarely in the time before that), wasn't highlighted in the amphibious feint during Iraq War 1 and has been a non-factor in the current war.

I hope many of you can change my mind on this but I just don't see this ship as really being useful in the near term.  Quite honestly I really believe that it will probably be completely converted to SOCOM use and will serve 99.9 percent of its career serving those guys instead of its intended role as part of the amphibious fleet.

Again I hope you can change my mind but this ship has the smell and texture of being a huge shiny cow patty.