A Renaissance in Amphibious Warfare

摘要

Amphibious warfare has come under increased scrutiny in recent years. While there have been small-scale landings in recent decades, the last major amphibious assault was conducted during the Korean War. Today, American and European marines tend to be airlifted into theatres of operation, and deploy hundreds of kilometres inland. Some critics have even advocated abolishing amphibious units or reducing and incorporating them into the army. However, this negative atmosphere is changing. Taking only the United States Marine Corps (USMC) as an example, the force is reducing personnel but investing heavily in modernisation and new operational concepts that will reinvigorate amphibious capabilities. European navies retain their own marine corps and naval commando units, while Russia and China rely on them for offensive operations in the Black Sea and Arctic or for a potential invasion of Taiwan. The demise of amphibious warfare seems a thing of the past.