Warfare, Amphibious

Amphibious warfare involves military operations that are launched from the sea by an amphibious force embarked in ships or craft. The primary purpose of these operations is the introduction of a landing force ashore. This landing force can be offensive, defensive, or humanitarian in nature. The ultimate goal of amphibious warfare is to contribute substantially to the attainment of those national strategic objectives that require the ability to project combat power onto a landmass from the sea. Modern major amphibious operations are complex and require extensive specialized sea- and air-based logistical support. As such, they can be undertaken and sustained only by nations with well-developed land and sea combat capabilities.