Along with the South Koreans and Australians, the Japanese are building amphibious ships.
The first Ospreys to land on a foreign warship landed on HMS Illustrious in 2007.
One thing which long range lift airplanes allow a country to do is to operate globally.
This interview with "Turbo" Tomassetti provides a look at the way ahead for the USMC IOC of the F-35B.
The role of C2 and of aircraft like the KC-130J and A400M which can operate off of austere airfields, tank and provide support is of growing significance for distributed operations..
The USMC and the Royal Australian Navy have been collaborating at sea as well as at Darwin.
Held last year in Germany and this year in Norway, the NATO Response Force works to enhance its effectiveness.
Japan joined the US-Australian HA/DR exercise in 2011 and participated again this year.