Australia's Army to be amphibious in nature.

Phil sent me this article(thanks!) regarding the Australian Army's plan to become amphibious in culture throughout.  In other words a Marine Corps in everything except name!  Read the whole thing here but...

Lieutenant General Morrison said, "the Army's Deployable Joint Force Headquarters will foster and develop an amphibious culture across Army, but it will take some time to master. The important point is that the Army is committed to developing this aspect of its operations."

To reinforce Army's commitment, the Chief of Army has designated the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2RAR) to form the core of Army's contribution to a future amphibious force as this developmental work is done.

"2RAR will work on a day to day basis with Navy and Air Force on the LHDs and other amphibious platforms to further develop this joint capability."
In his inaugural year as Chief of Army, Lieutenant General Morrison expressed his confidence in Plan BEERSHEBA to deliver an Army that is robust, relevant and capable for the tasks directed by Government.

"Our modern Army is moving into the future with a new perspective and a smarter way of doing business and delivering capability within the resources we have," Lieutenant General Morrison said.

"Plan BEERSHEBA will ensure that Army can continue to contribute forces to operations including Afghanistan, until the mission is complete, and will successfully transition to a force that maintains high levels of readiness to react to the range of Australia's Defence needs as they arise.

"On operations and at home, it means we will derive the full value from our Army."

Wow.

UPDATE:
With the Australian Army making a move in this direction and with the Canberra Class having a well deck, does it make sense for them to move toward either an LCAC type landing craft or an AAV type IFV?  I think so but time will tell.  Either way its crystal clear why the Marine Corps was invited to establish a base in Northern Australia and not a US Army unit.