America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA 7) and embarked 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit arrive at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan,
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Danilo Reynoso)
The United States Navy’s forward-deployed America-class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli (LHA-7) arrived in Japan on Wednesday. It is the final leg of its six-month deployment, where it led an amphibious ready group in the U.S. 5th and 7th Fleet areas of operations. The warship and escorts are now at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, where the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit is being offloaded.
The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group also included the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock ship USS New Orleans (LPD-18), and Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Rushmore (LSD-47).
The ARG-MEU began its six-month deployment, initially operating in the Pacific Ocean and took part in the nearly month-long Exercise Iron Fist 26 with the Japan Self-Defense Forces from early February to early March. The annual bilateral exercise included field training; close-air support; urban operations; and simulated air, ground, and amphibious assaults that were designed to strengthen the alliance and enhance combined capabilities.
Iron Fist 26 highlighted the “Blue-Green Team” capabilities of an ARG-MEU, as a collaborative cross-integration of the U.S. Navy (Blue) with the United States Marine Corps (Green) in operations at sea, on land, or even in the air.
LHA-6 Deployed To The Middle East
Following the completion of the joint exercises, the Tripoli ARG and 31st MEU were dispatched to the United States Central Command area of responsibility, arriving in the Middle East on March 27, 2026. The warship took part in the U.S. military blockade of the region in the northern Arabian Sea during Operation Epic Fury, the joint military campaign launched against Iran that began on February 28, 2026, and which was aimed at dismantling the Iranian regime’s security infrastructure and eliminating its offensive missile and nuclear capabilities.
“The MEU is designed for crisis response. This team proved the unmatched capability of a forward-deployed Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) by seamlessly transitioning into combat operations mid-deployment,” explained U.S. Marine Corps Col. Chris Niedziocha, commanding officer of the 31st MEU. “The team adapted, never lost sight of the mission, and performed flawlessly under the most dynamic circumstances.”
During the deployment to CENTCOM’s area of responsibility, the Tripoli ARG and 31st MEU conducted more than 1,600 mishap-free hours of combat aviation missions, the U.S. Navy confirmed. That included precision strikes, transporting 800,000 pounds of cargo, and moving approximately 5,000 personnel. The units further provided sustained combat support to joint force operations by delivering critical intelligence, refueling over 300 aircraft ashore and underway.
“I’m incredibly proud of our integrated team across the ARG, who have demonstrated extreme resilience and commitment to the mission during the dynamic and demanding deployment,” said U.S. Navy Capt. Timothy R. Carter, Commodore of Amphibious Squadron (PHIBRON) 11. “They answered our nation’s call, executed every mission with unwavering professionalism, and represented our country with honor.”
The America-class Amphibious Assault Ship
The conventionally-powered USS Tripoli – the third U.S. Navy warship to be named to honor the U.S. Marine Corps victory against the Regency of Tripoli at the Battle of Derna during the First Barbary War in the spring of 1805 – is the second of the U.S. Navy’s two in-service America-class amphibious assault ships. Each is as large as some of the aircraft carriers now in service with foreign navies. The flattops have a displacement of approximately 45,000 long tons (46,000 tons), comparable to that of the U.S. Navy’s former Midway-class conventionally powered aircraft carriers that served throughout the Cold War.
Each America-class LHAs can carry around 20 Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning IIs, the short takeoff vertical landing variant of the fifth-generation Joint Strike Fighter. Both can also operate with the MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor and MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters.
However, air dominance isn’t the primary mission of these vessels.
Instead, the warships act as the flagship for an Amphibious Ready Group, projecting combat power ashore using a mix of helicopters, tilt-rotor aircraft, and short-takeoff/vertical-landing fighter jets. Both USS America (LHA-6) and USS Tripoli are Flight 0 variants, which prioritize aviation over surface operations. The warships were built with expanded hangar space and larger fuel reserves to support squadrons of fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft.
USS America was commissioned in October 2014, with USS Tripoli commissioned in July 2020, taking part in her maiden deployment in the Indo-Pacific in 2022.
LHA-6 conducted a homeport swap last year, and USS Tripoli remains the U.S. Navy’s forward-deployed amphibious assault ship, based at U.S. Fleet Activities Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan. After offloading the embarked Marines and equipment in Okinawa, LHA-7 will return to its homeport and is expected to arrive later this month.
The Lightning Carrier Concept
Although not true aircraft carriers, the U.S. Navy has explored how its amphibious assault ships, including LHA-7, could serve as “lightning carriers” to supplement traditional supercarriers and to project power in contested maritime environments. The concept was put to the test in June 2022, when USS Tripoli participated in Exercise Valiant Shield alongside the Nimitz-class supercarriers USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) and USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76).
However, the future Flight I program LHAs will be outfitted with a well deck for deploying amphibious vehicles. That will result in a smaller hangar, and the U.S. Navy hasn’t indicated how or even if the lightning carrier concept will be employed with those warships.
The first of the new Flight I LHAs, the future USS Bougainville (LHA-8), is on track to be commissioned later this year. The second, the future USS Fallujah (LHA-9), was laid down in September 2023 and current plans call for it to be commissioned by 2031. A third, the future USS Helmand Province (LHA-10), has been authorized, with construction expected to begin later this year.