Blast from the past....PROPOSING A MODERN HIGH SPEED TRANSPORT – THE LONG RANGE PATROL VESSEL

Article here (it's well worth the read)...

Absalon Command & Support Ship.

I didn't know it but Tom points out that this type ship had once been a part of the US Navy's battlefleet during WW2 and into the Korean War conflict.

By another name you could call these fast transports.

This is also what Ogden was getting at in his concept art of such a vessel.

Why do I think this is a better way to go than the small amphib that the USMC/USN is currently pursuing?

1.  I think the Stern Landing Vessels are too small to actually perform well on the high seas.

2.  The  Stern Landing Vessels  while intriguing lack self defense capability and could not add to the sea battle.  Instead they'd be another asset that needed to be carefully protected.

3.  An Absalon class can conduct independent ship operations short of war without difficulty.  In a time of peer vs peer combat they would add not only to the amphibious assault but also to the sea battle due to their weapons fit and potential aviation assets.

4.  The Absalon could easily flex into the current MEU concept (that Reinforced MEU I've called for but with Absalons instead of a MLP).

In short (as I said in yesterday's blog post), the Stern Landing Vessels they're looking at is good, but the Absalon would be better.

Finally I don't buy the idea of "disposable" warship that you're willing to attrit. That is not the way of the US military...at least with manned platforms it isn't.

So what would be ideal?  Buy both.  The Absalon for your company landing teams and dispersed forces.  The Stern Landing Vessel to deposit your HIMARs/Anti-Ship missile forces and to augment LCACs for large scale amphibious assaults where you're actually 200 miles from the beach and need to make numerous surface runs to get mass ashore.