Use RIMPAC for Future Naval Force Development
By Colonel Vincent J. Goulding, U.S. Marine Corps (Retired)
The Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) conducted an experiment in July that merits the attention of both “blue” and “green” members of the naval service. The event was embedded in the Commander Third Fleet’s biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational exercise. Although not a stated objective, the Enhanced Company Operations (ECO) experiment represents an approach to answering those who categorize amphibious operations as an unnecessarily expensive and outdated endeavor. It also addresses more recent and specific concerns that, though primarily those of Marines, fall well within the bursting radius of the entire Department of the Navy. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates explained the amphibious situation in the 13 August 2010 Los Angeles Times :
