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.