[Suhiir]

This "new ship" is really:

"The light amphibious warship will itself act as a connector -- a "ruggedized beaching craft," as one senior Navy official put it -- that can travel longer distances than existing landing craft."
According to the article.

Can't say as I really see the point.

Ships capable of spending days at sea NEED little things like berthing, some sort of galley, etc. This means they can't be to small, and if it's to carry 75 passengers they need places to sleep and eat too, which make it even bigger.

I'd think a modified LCAC (trade some cargo capacity for fuel capacity) would do as well or better. Because the LCAC can move faster then a landing craft (LC), land in places a LC can't, and can carry things besides infantry (up to an M1A1, which won't be needed since the USMC may divest itself armor - DUMB MOVE). Such an LCAC could be be launched from several hundred miles out at sea and speed toward a landing site arriving at night (since 75 men is a raid not an invasion unless we're talking a VERY small target).