The U.S. Marine Corps has operationally deployed its new Amphibious Combat Vehicle-Personnel (ACV-P) during ship-to-shore maneuvers conducted from the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island (LHD 8) off the coast of California. The activity highlights the Marine Corps’ ongoing effort to modernize amphibious warfare capabilities in support of rapid crisis response and forward-deployed operations.
Marines assigned to the 3rd Assault Amphibious Battalion, 1st Marine Division, conducted the operations as part of Quarterly Underway Amphibious Readiness Training 26.2 on January 23, 2026. The exercise demonstrated the Navy-Marine Corps team’s ability to project modernized armored ground combat power directly from the sea, validating the integration of new platforms with Wasp-class amphibious assault ships.
The ship-to-shore evolution formed part of routine amphibious training designed to sustain combat readiness and refine coordination between Sailors and Marines. Quarterly Underway Amphibious Readiness Training plays a critical role in maintaining interoperability, reinforcing command relationships, communications, and tactical procedures required for expeditionary operations from the maritime domain.
The Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV) represents the Marine Corps’ next-generation replacement for the legacy AAV-7A1, which entered service in the early 1970s. Built on a modern 8×8 wheeled armored vehicle design, the ACV offers improved survivability, mobility, and reliability. Its ability to self-deploy from amphibious ships, operate in open-ocean conditions, and seamlessly transition to sustained land operations marks a major advancement in U.S. amphibious assault capability.
