The Marine Corps is using an Australian cargo ship to develop new tactics for coastal warfare as the service continues preparing for operations in the shallow coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific region.
In July, the service confirmed chartering the Matilda 1, a stern landing vessel that will allow troops access to beaches in remote areas and provide a vital logistics link to the Marines’ Stand-in Forces, officials said recently.
“These small, mobile units are a cornerstone of Force Design modernization, created to operate discreetly within contested maritime environments,” Marine officials said.
The Matilda 1 will be homeported in the Northern Territory of Australia so it can support both the U.S. Marine Rotational Force-Darwin and the Australian Army’s 1st Division.
The Marines will use the 265-foot Matilda 1 to refine their littoral tactics while the Navy continues developing the Landing Ship Medium program. In July, the Navy awarded a $2.2 billion contract to TOTE Services to manage LSM construction, with the first ship expected to arrive in the fall of 2029.
The Matilda 1 is designed to back onto a beach and rapidly unload heavy equipment and troops using a 42-foot-wide stern ramp. Marine officials called the ship “a critical bridge to future naval capabilities.”
“The Matilda 1 gives our Stand-in Forces a way to move personnel and equipment across contested littorals without relying on fixed ports or large amphibious shipping,” said Aaron Hatfield, maritime program manager with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.
“Operating it alongside the Australian Army is a near-term, allied solution to a real capability gap, and the insight it generates will shape how the joint force operates in the littorals,” Mr. Hatfield said.
The Matilda 1 is a sign of the evolving nature of Marine Corps operational strategy in the Indo-Pacific region. It expects to mount a dispersed, island-hopping campaign across the First Island Chain using small units that can operate inside China’s missile range.
Marine units will break into small, hard-to-locate groups scattered across remote islands. They will use anti-ship missiles and rockets to sink enemy warships and pass targeting data to the Navy and other forces.
Col. Kenny Jones, the science and technology division director at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory, said the lessons learned from Matilda 1 will directly benefit the Navy and Marines.
“By experimenting with this vessel in real-world littoral environments today, we are actively reducing risk and shaping the operational requirements for tomorrow’s integrated naval fleet,” Col. Jones said.
The ship’s name carries deep historical significance to the Marine Corps and recognizes the bond forged during World War II with the Australian Army. The 1st Marine Division adopted “Waltzing Matilda” as an unofficial anthem during the pivotal Battle of Guadalcanal.
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