Marine Corps Says It Needs 40 Amphibious Ships, Has 31
Navy and Marine leaders agree the Corps needs 40 amphibious ships to keep three Marine Expeditionary Units deployed at once. The Navy has 31, TWZ reported.
Featured photo: the amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio (file photo). Photo: U.S. Navy, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Navy and Marine Corps leaders have agreed that the Corps needs 40 amphibious ships to keep three Marine Expeditionary Units deployed at the same time, nine more than the 31 the Navy has today, TWZ reported on Nov. 5, 2026. Thirty-one is the minimum mandated by Congress, and an effort is underway to convince lawmakers to grow the fleet.
How they got to 40
Shon Brodie, director of Maritime Expeditionary Warfare at the Corps’ Combat Development and Integration directorate, told reporters that analysts from both services concluded it takes “13 big decks and 27 LPDs,” according to TWZ. Big decks are the Wasp- and America-class amphibious assault ships.
Brodie said Commandant Gen. Eric Smith’s top priority is keeping three units ready: one from the East Coast, one from the West Coast and one in Japan.
What a unit needs
Marine Expeditionary Units have about 2,200 Marines and typically sail on Amphibious Ready Groups of an assault ship and two transport docks or dock landing ships, TWZ reported.
What to watch
Assessment: The number is a request, and TWZ said added shipbuilding money will likely face stiffer headwinds after the midterm elections changed control of Congress. Whether the 40-ship figure appears in the Navy’s next shipbuilding plan will show how firmly the Pentagon backs it.
