Modest proposal to my readers.
Can we please put the idea of firing artillery from ships to bed forever?
The problem as I see it is that no matter what ship or landing craft you decide to bastardize to do this task it is going to be less than suboptimal.
The only way this has ever worked (EVER) is by modifying a Landing Craft Tank (ROCKET) and using it to do the deed.
Could we do that today? I don't see the platform where it would make sense. From an LHD/LHA? It wouldn't work with the Marine Corps we know and love and it certainly doesn't fit with Berger's abomination.
A modern day LCM? Maybe but it would be better used to get vehicles ashore in the Old Marine Corps and in the new one I don't even know if they'll be in service much longer.
JHSV? Nope. Too fragile. Army landing craft? That's a possibility but I'm betting they're looking to do a "one up" on the Missile Marines and get their own ship killing MLRS ashore so they'll be tied up doing missions too.
There is one thing that gives me pause.
I seriously doubt the Missile Marines or the US Army will be able to do the Expeditionary Operating Base/Forward Operating Base or whatever they want to call it from all of these notional areas they're hoping for.
China has been working the politics of this thing for awhile now.
There isn't ONE Asian nation that will allow us to use their land to fire on the Chinese least they get drawn into the conflict.
Which means that the US Army might decide to float some of their landing craft with a few HIMARS to do the "distributed operations" thing tucked in close to the Japanese mainland (maybe S. Korea but I doubt it), provide their own anti-air cover (integrated with the Navy and Air Force of course) while taking shots at the Chinese Navy and then puttering away at 20 or so knots to rearm/refuel and do it again...all while dogging enemy targeting.
But the Navy/Marine Corps tying up a landing craft for that type thing?
Not happening.
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