America’s most powerful allies in the Pacific, Australia and Japan, are building up their amphibious forces, buying amphibious vehicles, V-22 aircraft and big new warships. While far smaller than the Marine Corps, the Australian and Japanese units could assist America in stabilizing the region and deterring China — if they can overcome their self-imposed limitations. Japan is preparing for high-end warfare against China, but only in its backyard; Australia is ready to operate more broadly, but not at the high end.
Congress has received notification of a potential $3 billon sale of 17 Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and support equipment to Japan, according to a Tuesday announcement from the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency.
In its statement, DSCA (pronounced dis-kah) said the potential sale would expand the ability of the Japanese Self Defense Forces (JSDF) to operate more closely with the U.S. and extend the range of their ground forces.
“Japan is modernizing its transport fleet to better support its defense and special mission needs. The proposed sale of V-22B Block C Osprey aircraft will greatly enhance the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s humanitarian and disaster relief capabilities and support amphibious operations,” read the DSCA statement.
“This sale will promote burden sharing with our ally and interoperability with U.S. forces. Japan will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.”
The agency notified Congress of the possible sale on Tuesday.
In addition to the Osprey’s the deal’s outline would also include night vision goggles, a variety of radars, spare parts and training equipment.
Japan has been considering the buy at least since 2013 with 17 Osprey’s planned for as part of the country’s five-year mid-term defense program update as part of an emerging amphibious capability modeled on the U.S. Marine Corps, according to a January report in Flight Global.
Ospreys are key to the U.S Marine Corps posture in Western Pacific thanks tho their ability to fly further and faster than traditional helicopters and still land on a variety of ships.
For it’s part, Japan has commissioned the first of two Izumo-class large helicopter carriers that would make ideal launching platforms for the V-22s. U.S. Marines have also successfully tested V-22s on the onboard Japan’s Hyuga-class DDHs in 2013.
The announcement of the potential sale follows closely with a revision of U.S.-Japan guidelines that allow Japan and the U.S. closer operations.
Across the Pacific Rim, regional powers are creating new marine infantry units.
Fast, highly-trained and designed for military missions originating from the sea, marines are invaluable for the kinds of conflicts Asian and Pacific nations might fight in the future.
Since 2009, India, Australia and Japan have all announced the creation of seagoing infantry forces.
These units are tiny in comparison to the U.S. Marine Corps. But Asia’s regional powers are not just creating mini-marine forces of their own, they’re buying the landing ships and transport aircraft to carry troops to danger zones and—if necessary—into battle.
It’s an expensive insurance policy for a region where Pacific Ocean shipping lanes serve as economic lifelines. Losing control of these sea lanes will have dire consequences for billions of people.
But as these three countries are discovering—there’s a lot to learn when it comes to amphibious warfare.
The Japanese defense
ministry has brought forward a proposal to construct at least one large
amphibious assault ship that will enlarge the country’s naval aviation
capability. The program may also enhance sales prospects for the Bell
Boeing V-22 Osprey.
Entry into service for the ship is
now targeted for the fiscal year from March 2019; previous plans implied
it would be commissioned in the early 2020s, if at all. The ministry
will request funding for studies of the ship for the budget year
beginning April 1, 2015, Jiji news agency reports.
Japanese Defence Minister Itsunori Onodera has said that Tokyo is to consider the purchase of at least one amphibious assault ship.
"We are intending to acquire a transport ship capable of promptly sending out Self-Defense Force (SDF) units on missions to defend Japan's remote islands," Onodera told reporters after inspecting the Wasp-class assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) at the US Navy's San Diego base on 7 July.
"It's a multifunctional transport ship capable of providing assistance in a timely manner when a major disaster breaks out," he said.
The Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) already operates three Osumi-class tank landing ships (LST), JS Osumi , JS Shimokita and JS Kunisaki , which all have a well deck embarking two Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) hovercraft and a parking deck that can embark land vehicles.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) has built a prototype for an amphibious vehicle, a spokesman told IHS Jane's on 8 April.
MHI - Japan's largest defence company - has conducted research and development into amphibious vehicles for some time, he said.
"It's true that we have built a prototype of an amphibious vehicle but it is at an early testing stage and is not complete," said the spokesman. "We are still in the process of trial and error through internal development; it's not a production order for the Ministry of Defense [MoD]."
The spokesman would not release details such as the vehicle's size and potential armament, but a source who has seen an image of the prototype told IHS Jane's that it was tracked and featured waterjets to aid propulsion at sea.
