The USS America, an amphibious assault ship, pulls into Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2014. Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced Thursday, May 2, 2024, that the next America-class ship will be named the USS Helmand Province to commemorate battles fought by Marines during the war in Afghanistan. (Scott Pittman/U.S. Navy)
WASHINGTON — The next America-class amphibious assault ship will be named after the Helmand province campaign during America’s 20-year conflict in Afghanistan, Navy Secretary Carlos Del Toro announced Thursday.
“In keeping with the naval tradition of naming our Navy’s amphibious assault ships after U.S. Marine Corps battles, I am honored to announce today that the future LHA-10 will be named USS Helmand Province,” Del Toro said during a speech at the Modern Day Marine conference. “Recognizing the bravery and sacrifice of our Marines and sailors who fought for almost 20 years in the mountains of Afghanistan.”
In December 2022, Del Toro named another amphibious assault ship the USS Fallujah to commemorate the battles fought by U.S. forces during the war in Iraq.
The Helmand province was the site of some of the fiercest fighting during the war in Afghanistan. More than 20,000 Marines were based in the region during a military surge in 2010 that saw about 100,000 U.S. troops and 40,000 NATO allies deploy to the country.
Marine Corps Maj. Gen. John Toolan talks to Marines at Forward Operating Base Musa Qala, Helmand province, Afghanistan, in 2012. (Paul Oldfield/Royal Air Force)
Gen. Eric Smith, commandant of the Marine Corps, following Del Toro’s announcement spoke about his experience in the region when he was deployed there as part of 8th Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8 during Operation Enduring Freedom.
“Helmand province holds a unique place in the hearts of this generation of Marines,” he said. “From about 2009 to 2014, this region was the center of our efforts to bring stability and security to a troubled land. Helmand province, as many of you know, was not just any theater of war. It was the heart of the opium trade, a Taliban stronghold.”
America-class warships are the largest amphibious assault vessels in the Navy’s fleet. They carry Marines to the site of a conflict or disaster, where their aircraft move them from ship to shore.
The ships can be used as small aircraft carriers and are designed to carry the F-35B Lightning II, a fighter capable of vertical takeoffs and short-landings, and the MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft. America-class ships also provide a broader, more flexible command-and-control capability.
The Helmand Province will be the third Flight I America-class ship following the USS Bougainville and Fallujah. The Bougainville is expected to join the fleet this year. The Helmand Province is still years away from joining the fleet. Del Toro said it takes two years to build a ship.
