Joint Doctrine for Amphibious Operations - Historic Naval Ships ...

Executive Summaryjoint environment. Under Joint Publication (JP) 0-2, UnifiedAction Armed Forces (UNAAF), the establishing authoritymay choose from a variety of command relationship optionsbetween the CATF, CLF, and other designated commandersinvolved in amphibious operations.ApplicationsAmphibious operationscan be used in many waysto support the joint forcecommander’s (JFC’s)campaign or operationplan.Conducted alone, or in conjunction with other militaryoperations, amphibious operations can be designed for thefollowing purposes.Achieve campaign objectives in one swift stroke by capitalizingon surprise and simultaneous execution of supportingoperations to strike directly at enemy critical vulnerabilitiesand decisive points in order to defeat operational or tacticalcenters of gravity (COGs).Comprise the initial phase of a campaign or majoroperation where the objective is to establish a militarylodgment to support subsequent phases.Serve as a supporting operation in a campaign in order to denyuse of an area or facilities to the enemy, or to fix enemy forcesand attention in support of other combat operations.Support military operations other than war in order to deterwar, resolve conflict, promote peace and stability, and supportcivil authorities in response to domestic crises.Types of Amphibious OperationsAmphibious operationscan generally be brokendown into five majortypes: assaults,withdrawals,demonstrations, raids, andother amphibiousoperations.Amphibious Assault. The establishment of an LF on a hostileor potentially hostile shore.Amphibious Withdrawal. The extraction of forces by sea inships or craft from a hostile or potentially hostile shore.Amphibious Demonstration. A show of force conducted todeceive with the expectation of deluding the enemy into acourse of action unfavorable to it.Amphibious Raid. A swift incursion into, or a temporaryoccupation of, an objective, followed by a planned withdrawal.Other Amphibious Operations. The capabilities ofamphibious forces may be especially suited to conduct otherxJP 3-02