Overview
- Gen. Eric Smith said Thursday that every regional commander has asked for an Amphibious Ready Group with a Marine Expeditionary Unit, a level well above the Corps’ goal of three deployed at all times and roughly double it.
- Lt. Gen. Jay Bargeron said the fleet will probably need about 40 amphibious ships to keep a steady presence, even though the law sets a 31‑ship minimum and the Navy lists 32 today, with only about 45% ready to surge in a crisis.
- An ARG‑MEU pairs three amphibious ships with about 2,200 Marines to deliver crisis response, from embassy reinforcement and evacuations to strikes and disaster relief.
- To cover near‑term gaps in U.S. Southern Command, the Marines plan to task the 24th MEU to use alternate platforms such as Expeditionary Sea Bases and Expeditionary Fast Transports after the 22nd MEU returns, with ESBs serving as afloat bases and many EPFs limited by civilian mariner shortages.
- The services stood up the Amphibious Force Readiness Board to cut maintenance delays and increase availability, and they are weighing longer deployment cycles that could yield two seven‑month cruises per cycle plus extending Wasp‑class ship lives, with USS Wasp now cleared to serve until 2034.