Amphibious Operations in a Mine Environment

The intended audience for this paper is those individuals with a working knowledge of naval concepts in littoral regions, specifically with reference to amphibious operations in a mine environment. As such, liberty is taken to not fully explain all mine warfare and amphibious terms and concepts referred to within. Basic mine warfare concepts of employment and capabilities are assumed to be within the common knowledge of the reader. Department of the Navy officers, acquisition professionals, government research and laboratory personnel, and defense contractors involved in solving the Navy-Marine Corps challenges in achieving the full intent of Operational Maneuver From the Sea are encouraged to discuss the contents and concepts in this paper. The intent of this paper is to explain the problem in marking clear access areas to littoral penetration points in the conduct of amphibious operations in a mine environment and recommend concepts of operations to address existing shortfalls in tactics and equipment. The research methodology used was a combination of MCM operational experience of the author with traditional professional journal and historical documentation research. The findings of this paper should raise the level of understanding concerning the criticality of the current shortfall in lane marking capabilities as it affects operational maneuver doctrine. Recommendations will be presented as the first step in achieving a solution to marking clear access through mined waters to littoral penetration points.