• Mission: Ship to shore movement of the landing force and its essential equipment.
• Functions: ATF Commander has overall control of ship-to-shore movement.

Planning

Embarkation

Rehearsal

Movement

Assault

Landing Force Support Party (LFSP)

Purposes of special attachments:

• defense of Beach Support Area
• liaison personnel
• specialized tasks

Swift incursion into or temporary occupation of an objective followed by a planned withdrawal.

Goal of raid may be to destroy targets, harass the enemy, capture/neutralize key personnel, obtain information, create diversion, evacuate personnel or materiel, or establish/support/coordinate unconventional warfare activities.

Establishment of a landing force on a hostile or potentially hostile shore.

• A forcible entry operation (others are airbore operations, airborne assault operations).
• Concurrent forcible entry operations are simultaneous but distinct operations. 
• Integrated forcible entry operations are conducted in the same operational area with mutually supporting objectives.

When LF is embarked, CATF assumes full responsibility.  CLF responsible for ops ashore.  Parallel chains of command.  CLF may assume command of op after sufficient combat power ashore, requests from CATF to assume control.

Amphibious Assault Ship (General Purpose)

USS Tarawa LHA-1

• Mission: embark, deploy, and land elements of a Marine Landing Force in an amphibious assault
• Characteristics:
  • Full length flight deck
  • Well deck
  • ITAWDS - computerized support
  • flag spaces for PHIBGRU & MEF

Amphibious Assault Ship (Multipurpose)

USS Wasp (LHD-1)

• Mission: Embark, deploy, and land elements of Marine landing force in an amphibious assault.  Secondary is sea control and power projection.
• Characteristics:
  • Full length flight deck
  • 2 elevators port side
  • Shorter superstructure
  • Expanded flag data display.

Amphibious Transport Dock

USS San Antonio LPD-17 Class

USS Austin LPD-4 Class

• Mission: To trasport and land troops and their essential eqpmt & supplies in an amphibious assault by embarked landing craft or amphibious vehicles augmented by helo lift.
• Characteristics:
  • San Antonio - Advanced C2 suite (C4ISR), SWAN

Dock Landing Ship

USS Anchorage (LSD-36) Class

USS Whidbey Island (LSD-41) Class

USS Harpers Ferry (LSD-49) Class

Mission: To transport and launch loaded amphibious craft and vehicles with crews & embarked personnel in amphibious assaults; can provide limited docking repair service.

Guided Missile Cruisers (CG, CGN) - MK 45 x 2, Surface to surface missiles

Destroyers (DD, DDG) - MK 45

Per study guide - LHAs, but not in reality.

Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC)

• Mission: To land heavy vehicles, eqpmt, personnel, & cargo in amphibious assaults.
• Characteristics:
  • High speed
  • Over-the-Horizon capability (12-100nm)
  • Travel over land and water
  • Limited impact of tides, weather

Landing Craft Utility (LCU)

• Mission: To land heavy vehicles, equipment, personnel & cargo in an amphibious assault.
• Characteristics:
  • Self-sustaining
  • High durability, built-in redundancy
  • Anchor starboard aft to retract from beach

Landing Force Support Party

• Mission: Facilitate ship-to-shore movement and provide initial combat support & combat logistics support to the LF.
• Composition:
  • Task organized from Navy and LF elements
  • HQ, Shore Party, Beach Party, Special Attachments, Ship's Platoons
• CONOPS: centralize responsibility for unity of effort.
• Is subordinate element of LF under CLF

• LF Component of the LFSP.
• Nucleus is the Landing Support BN
• Organization:
  • HQ
  • Shore Party Group - responsible for colored beach
  • Helicopter Support Element - terminal guidance, refuel/arming.
  • Shore Party Special Attachments - Support throughput operations (e.g. EOD for countermine ops),