1. Much Ado About Nothing? Command Relations in Amphibious Operations CAPT Don Inbody, USN

2. “You can get your planes to do anything you want, but we can’t get the Air Force to do a goddam thing!” Lt. Gen. Patton to VADM Hewitt July 1943

3. At Issue What is the best command relationship between CATF and CLF? –OPCON Command (Doctrinal) –Support Command (Test) Joint Pub 3-02 Test Pub 3-02

4. OPCON Command

5. Support Command

6. Amphibious History Historical Examples Examine Command Relations –Landing Force Commander –Navy Force Commander Determine major contentious issues for the commanders

7. Historical Examples (33) Veracruz Expedition Civil War Western Campaign Gallipoli Guadalcanal North Africa Sicily Salerno New Guinea Campaign (15 landings) Tarawa (2 landings) Marianas (3 landings) Normandy Southern France Leyte Iwo Jima Okinawa Inchon

8. Command Relations Regimes Cooperation (Support Command) OPCON Command Expeditionary OPCON

9. Gallipoli Cooperation Technical problems with landing Technical problems with C2 No problems related to command relations

10. Guadalcanal Expeditionary OPCON –Landing Force Opcon to ATF Issue: CVs supporting ATF Issue: CATF Controlling movements of landing force.

11. Sicily Cooperation Issue: Air/CV Support Airborne movements not coordinated

12. Salerno Cooperation (Support Command) Withdrawal from landing beach Issue: Air Support (cooperative) CV Support

13. New Guinea Campaign Cooperation (3 landings) OPCON (12 landings) Issue: CV support MacArthur presence (Strong CinC) Mitigated command relations problems

14. Leyte OPCON Command Issue: CV Support of ATF

15. Marianas OPCON Command Issue: Corps Control of Separated landings (resolved)

16. Iwo Jima Issue: Pre D-day NGFS –resolved for Okinawa

17. Summary

18. Cooperation (Support) Issues GallipoliC2 from ship to shore New GuineaCV Support (x3) SicilyAir/CV Support SicilyAirborne coordination

19. Expeditionary OPCON Issues GuadalcanalCV Support

20. OPCON Command Issues SalernoAir Support New GuineaCV Support (x8) MarianasCLF Corps Cmd LeyteCV Support Iwo JimaPre D-day Fires

21. Summary of Issues

22. Conclusions Air/CV Support is principal issue –Large carriers never under CATF control –Land Based Air power not responsive to CLF control CATF & CLF relationship –Different command relationship would not have solved most issues

23. Conclusions (cont) Landing Force Commander must have equal access to higher headquarters Strong JFC can mitigate coordination issues –JFC’s presence MacArthur (SWPA, Inchon) Spruance –Clear commander’s guidance

24. Conclusions (cont) CATF will ultimately support CLF

25. Implications for Joint Force Cdr JFC must provide clear guidance for air support JFC must provide clear commander’s guidance to CLF and CATF

26. Much Ado About Nothing? Maybe so...

27. “Land Officers have no pretense to command at sea. Sea Officers have no pretense to command on land.” Royal Navy Signal Book 1744