The Marine Reserve will acquire four or five small boats in spring 2023 for testing and experimentation that could support future acquisition of similar watercraft for the active force.

The 4th Assault Amphibian Battalion, a Reserve unit based out of Tampa Bay, Florida, plans to test the commercially available boats’ capabilities to gain insights that may inform whether the Marine Corps later acquires specially made small watercraft, according to Reserve spokesman Lt. Col. Craig Thomas.

“That may help the Marine Corps be like, ‘That’s not the winner,’ or it could help solidify, ‘We’re on the right track — we need to get more of those,’” Thomas said.

Rigid inflatable boats could align with the Marine Corps’ ambitious modernization plan, Force Design 2030, Thomas said. Force Design 2030 calls for a nimbler, more distributed force that is better at evading enemy reconnaissance. Short, lightweight boats that move quickly and leave a low signature could contribute to that effort, according to Thomas.

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The small boats, if the active force acquires them, would be an addition to the Corps’ array of watercraft, Thomas told Marine Corps Times in November. They wouldn’t replace connectors like the amphibious combat vehicle or the landing craft utility.

Elements within a few Marine Corps units already have small boats, Col. Andy Shriver, Reserve assistant chief of staff for capabilities and requirements, told Marine Corps Times in November.

“There’s a thirst for more capacity to be able to do that kind of experimentation to inform requirements development,” he said.

This story was updated May 5, 2023, to more accurately reflect the kinds of small boats MARFORRES is considering acquiring.

Irene Loewenson is a staff reporter for Marine Corps Times. She joined Military Times as an editorial fellow in August 2022. She is a graduate of Williams College, where she was the editor-in-chief of the student newspaper.

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