Maj. Gen. James Dooghan, commander of U.S. Army Japan, speaks during a panel at the Land Forces Pacific, or LANPAC, symposium on Waikiki Beach, Hawaii, May 13, 2026. (Wyatt Olson/Stars and Stripes)
WAIKIKI BEACH, Hawaii — The U.S. Army is expanding logistics formations and prioritizing additional watercraft in the Indo-Pacific as commanders seek to improve the ability to move troops and equipment across the region.
“Our efforts to be able to move equipment and to work contested logistics within the theater is always a bit of a challenge because we can always use more watercraft,” Gen. Ronald Clark, head of U.S. Army Pacific, said Tuesday during a news conference at the Land Forces Pacific, or LANPAC, symposium held by the Association of the United States Army.
“So, any commander that tells you he doesn’t need more is probably shooting beneath the target,” he said.
During a panel discussion Wednesday, Maj. Gen. James Dooghan, commander of U.S. Army Japan, said the Army and Japan Ground Self-Defense Force are exploring ways to expand watercraft capacity for joint use.
“We both recognize that there’s not enough watercraft,” he said.
Dooghan said officials are considering multiple options, including purchasing additional vessels, refurbishing existing ones, leasing commercial craft or using autonomous systems.
The Army is reversing course on its drastic divestment of watercraft in recent years.
The service trimmed its watercraft fleet by half over six years ending in May 2024, according to a report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in October 2024.
The Army’s fleet by that point had shrunk to 70 vessels from 134 in 2018, the office found.
The existing vessels are also plagued by maintenance issues, with the “fully mission capable rate” for watercraft steadily declining from 75% in 2020 to less than 40% in 2024, the GAO said.
The deputy chief of staff for U.S. Army Pacific told reporters in March 2025 that the service was attempting to ease the shortage by leasing privately owned boats and exploring more repair and maintenance in Japan, South Korea and Australia.
The 5th Transportation Company, a composite watercraft company, was activated in February 2024 at Yokohama North Dock in Japan. It operates 13 vessels.
The Army has plans to add two more composite watercraft companies in fiscal years 2027 and 2029, according to a status update by the GAO on its 2024 report.
The Army plans to withdraw and activate seven vessels in fiscal year 2027 that are currently stored in Army Prepositioned Stocks, the GAO said.
