U.S. Marines with Amphibious Vehicle Test Branch, Marine Corps Tactical Systems Support Activity, drive a new Amphibious Combat Vehicle ashore during low-light surf transit testing at AVTB Beach on Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, Calif., Dec. 18, 2019. US Marine Corps Photo
The Marine Corps this week awarded BAE Systems $184 million for 36 additional Amphibious Combat Vehicles, the company announced today. Read More
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Austin McBain, a fire support specialist with 1st Air Naval Gunfire Liaison Company, I Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) Information Group, monitors a radio during exercise Summer Fury 20 in Yuma, Ariz., on July 14, 2020. US Marine Corps Photo
This post is part of a series of stories looking back at the top naval news from 2020.
2020 was a turning-point year for the Marine Corps. After previewing changes to come in his Commandant’s Planning Guidance released last year, Commandant Gen. David Berger released a Force Design 2030 document this year outlining major changes in how the service would operate and equip itself. No longer would the Marine Corps be a service schlepping around tanks for sustained ground operations; rather, it would be light and mobile, using small ships to maneuver around islands and shorelines to attack an adversary from all angles and challenge their ability to track and target the small and on-the-move units. Read More
Remains of Marines and sailor killed in AAV incident arrive in Dover Air Force Base, Del., on Aug 12, 2020. US Marine Corps Photo
The Marine Corps on Wednesday transported to Dover Air Force Base the bodies of the seven Marines and one sailor who died during a recent Amphibious Assault Vehicle accident. Read More
Marine Corps AAV-P7/A1 assault amphibious vehicle driver with Bravo Company, Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, drives an AAV-P7/A1 up the well deck ramp of the amphibious landing dock USS Somerset (LPD 25) during training to increase Navy-Marine Corps interoperability in the eastern Pacific on July 27, 2020. US Navy Photo
The following post has been updated to correct the personnel recovered from the AAV.
After salvaging the Amphibious Assault Vehicle that sank last month in the waters near southern California, the Marine Corps is maintaining a halt to AAV water operations as the service continues an investigation into the mishap. Read More
U.S. Marines with 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, currently attached to 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, conduct morning accountability before dawn on April 5, 2019 during Exercise Balikatan at the Navy Education Training Command, Philippines. US Marine Corps Photo
CAPITOL HILL – The next commandant may need to reduce the size of the Marine Corps and focus on a smaller number of priority missions, to ensure that the service can stay ready to meet its requirements under the National Defense Strategy in a resource-constrained budget. Read More
Japan Ground Self-Defense Force soldiers depart an MV-22B Osprey, assigned to the “Greyhawks” of Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 161, on the flight deck of the amphibious transport dock ship USS Somerset (LPD-25) on Jan. 31, 2019. US Navy Photo
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. – In the morning chill, Marine Corps and Japanese military officers watched a platoon of Japanese amphibious assault vehicles swim ashore in choppy, storm-driven seas, landing with a Marine Corps AAV trailing at the rear. Read More
USNI News polled its writers, naval analysts and service members on what they consider the most important military and maritime stories in 2018. This story is part of USNI News year-end series.
2018 brought the Marine Corps such rapid advances in its next ground vehicle that the service canceled an interim upgrade program, new details on a large Group 5 unmanned aerial vehicle and a plan to upgrade amphibious warships over time to better support future Marine operations. Read More
Marines with Bravo Company, 3rd Assault Amphibian Battalion, enter the ocean with their Assault Amphibious Vehicle (AAV) on Camp Schwab beach, Okinawa, Japan, June 29, 2018. US Marine Corps Photo
MARINE CORPS BASE QUANTICO, Va. — The Marine Corps has canceled its Amphibious Assault Vehicle Survivability Upgrade effort with SAIC and will instead focus its efforts on the Amphibious Combat Vehicle that will eventually replace the AAV. Read More
U.S. Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) return to Royal Australian Navy amphibious ship HMAS Adelaide (L01) after picking up ground troops on the island of Hawaii on July 22. The U.S. and Australian forces proved their equipment was more effective together than either was separately, during the Rim of the Pacific 2018 exercise. USNI News photo
ABOARD HMAS ADELAIDE, OFF THE COAST OF HAWAII – As U.S. Marine Corps amphibious assault vehicles (AAVs) lined up in the well dock of the Australian amphibious assault ship HMAS Adelaide (L01) to head to the big island of Hawaii, the vehicle operators had all the hatches open. Read More
BAE Systems and Iveco Defense partnered to create this entrant for the Marines ACV 1.1 competition. Photo courtesy BAE Systems.
After years of stops and starts, the Marine Corps has selected BAE Systems to build the service’s next generation of armored amphibious vehicles designed to protect Marines in transit from sea to shore, the service announced late Tuesday afternoon. Read More
