The Marine Corps is gingerly introducing its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle to its intended habitat—the coasts of Asia—two years after two surf rollovers led the Corps to suspend the vehicle’s water operations.
One requirement: no big waves.
Before using the ACV to land Marines in a combined U.S.-Korean exercise this summer, the Corps ran a “detailed hydrographic study” that assessed the beach, waves, current, and surf, a Marine Corps spokesperson said.
After the Marines determined that there was a “negligible surf zone” on the planned beach, the ACV got the thumbs-up for the Aug. 26-Sept. 7 Exercise Ssang Yong 24. That marked the Korean peninsula debut for U.S. ACVs, which are also operated by South Korean forces.
The careful use of the ACV, which followed a similar May exercise in the Philippines’ Palawan province, was carefully monitored to glean data about how to safely operate the vehicle. The exercises are part of the first ACV’s first deployment, with the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which also included the vehicle’s first overseas ship-to-shore operations.
“Part of this deliberate fielding includes understanding how the ACV responds when operating in its intended environment,” the spokesperson said.
The use of the ACV in Korea comes nearly two years after the four-year-old vehicle rolled over in two different incidents in the surf zone near Camp Pendleton. While no Marines were injured in either incident, the Corps subsequently restricted operations to land or the Del Mar Boat Basin, which offers protection from waves.
Subsequent Corps statements noted mechanical problems with the ACV design and cited a need to retrain crew members familiar with the Corps’ previous system, the Amphibious Assault Vehicle. In July 2023, the first class of an improved version of ACV training graduated from their course.
The Corps previously used the decades-old Assault Amphibious Vehicle for amphibious landings and operations. In 2020, one AAV sank during a training exercise off the coast of California, killing eight Marines and a sailor. Those Marines were preparing for a previous deployment with the 15th MEU.
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