Marines en route to the Straits of Ormuz. USS Tripoli carries capabilities that no aircraft carrier has.

Multi-tasking USS landing vessel Tripoli (LHA-7) type America He left the base in Japanese Sasebo and heads for the Middle East. On board is the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit – about 2,500 Marines along with air and combat components. According to U.S. officials, the spread of this formation will take from one to two weeks.

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In practice, this means that one of the most flexible rapid response formations in the world will emerge in the Middle East. On board the ship are, among others, F-35B fighters capable of vertical landing, MV-22 transport aircraft Osprey, heavy CH-53K helicopters, AH-1Z impact helicopters and Marine combat component capable of operating both at sea and on land.

The decision to send the unit was made at the request of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM) and was approved by the Secretary of Defence. However, the fact that it has been taken shows something far more significant than just another shift of ships in the region.

The power of carriers – and its boundaries

In the Middle East, three US aircraft strike groups are already operating. In the Red Sea, USS operates Gerald R. Ford, in the Arab Sea of the USS Abraham Lincoln, and in the eastern Mediterranean the USS provides support Harry S. Truman.

In total, this means more than 200 aircraft on board, about 20,000 sailors and a concentration of naval forces that the world has not seen since the Gulf War.

Although this potential is impressive, its possibilities are in practice quite clearly defined. The aircraft carriers are primarily used to carry out intensive air operations on board this ship.

The difference, however, is that they are not a tool for everything. They do not clear minefields, they do not escort tankers through narrow straits, and they do not conduct special operations in mountainous terrain. They are also not a platform to take over or secure installations on land.

USS Tripoli – a ship with a different philosophy of action

This is where the role of the USS comes in. Tripoli. Type units America designed as ships capable of carrying out expeditionary operations which are unable to carry out classical aerodrome groups.

The presence of marine infantry is a key element of this concept. The Marine Expeditionary Unit is in practice a self-sufficient combat formation covering infantry, reconnaissance, bomb squads, explosives neutralizing specialists, and its own aviation component allowing rapid deployment of forces inland.

In the appropriate flight configuration of the USS Tripoli can function in the so-called concept. Lightning Carrier, allowing to base up to about 20 F-35B Lightning II aircraft and carry out intensive air operations from the shipboard.

In practice, in some analyses, ships of this class are referred to as so-called light aircraft, although formally they remain multi-tasking aircraft of the type America.

These aircraft are the only fifth generation fighters capable of taking off from short deck and vertical landing. They do not require launch catapults or braking ropes used on classic aircraft carriers.

In practice, this allows the ship to be used as a platform for conducting air operations against land and sea purposes, including coastal missile batteries.

But why the Marines were sent

Although the aviation component is important, sending USS Tripoli is primarily operational at land level.

Marine Expeditionary Unit is prepared to run landing operations, actions in an urbanised environment, fighting in underground installations or mission to rescue hostages. In recent years, these units have also been intensively trained in operations in difficult terrain and rapid deployment of helicopter forces.

In practice, this means the ability to take over or secure key facilities which cannot be neutralised by air strikes alone.

Operations not performed by the aircraft carrier

From an operational perspective, the appearance of the USS Tripoli shows the limitations of aviation-only activities.

Although American aviation is able to destroy targets on land and conduct deterrence, this does not solve several key problems of the region.

Above all, it is about the safety of shipping in Ormuz Strait. This narrow transport trail, only a few dozen kilometres wide, can be paralyzed even by a small number of sea mines. In such a situation, the ability to escort merchant ships, carry out special operations on land, and the rapid displacement of forces capable of responding to a crisis becomes crucial.

It is worth noting that just basking ship of this class He talks a lot about the preparations of the United States Armed Forces. The sending of a multi-tasking landing ship with several thousand Marines is not just a demonstration of force. In practice, this means preparing for operations that will not be resolved by air strikes themselves, ranging from securing shipping in the Ormuz Strait to expeditionary operations directly from the sea.

Ladies and gentlemen, as a former (and in part also present) enthusiast of modern-day on-board aviation of the U.S. Navy and US Marine Corps, I would like to ask you to correct the information contained in the text:

1) Where does the USS Harry S. message come from? Truman was involved in an operation against Iran? According to my public information, the aircraft carrier and its aviation group are most likely in the "service and training" part of the cycle. In the Middle East, however, the USS George W. Bush was on his way (it can be assumed that the purpose of loosening Ford).

2) It is not true that USS Tripoli or USS America landing helicopters offer opportunities that large aircraft carriers do not have. In 1993, the USMC helicopter contingent was tested on USS Theodore Roosevelt. In 1994, during operations in Haiti, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was a floating base of U.S. Army helicopters(!). In 2001, USS Kitty Hawk became a base for special forces helicopters in Operation Enduring Freedom.

3) As far as accuracy is concerned, the Tripoli or America mentioned are the two worst suited for landing operations by American helicopters, as they are the only ships of the currently used types Wasp and America do not have a dock. Using them as "Lighting Carriers" would mean no space on the aircraft and in the helicopter hangar (not counting those for rescue and delivery purposes).

One comment

Jacek Zemło
14/03/2026 / 19:24 Reply
Ladies and gentlemen, as a former (and in part also present) enthusiast of modern-day on-board aviation of the U.S. Navy and US Marine Corps, I would like to ask you to correct the information contained in the text:
1) Where does the USS Harry S. message come from? Truman was involved in an operation against Iran? According to my public information, the aircraft carrier and its aviation group are most likely in the "service and training" part of the cycle. In the Middle East, however, the USS George W. Bush was on his way (it can be assumed that the purpose of loosening Ford).
2) It is not true that USS Tripoli or USS America landing helicopters offer opportunities that large aircraft carriers do not have. In 1993, the USMC helicopter contingent was tested on USS Theodore Roosevelt. In 1994, during operations in Haiti, the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was a floating base of U.S. Army helicopters(!). In 2001, USS Kitty Hawk became a base for special forces helicopters in Operation Enduring Freedom.
3) As far as accuracy is concerned, the Tripoli or America mentioned are the two worst suited for landing operations by American helicopters, as they are the only ships of the currently used types Wasp and America do not have a dock. Using them as "Lighting Carriers" would mean no space on the aircraft and in the helicopter hangar (not counting those for rescue and delivery purposes).