The Gallipoli Campaign in WWI showed how minefields defended by coastal guns could stop battleships in inshore waters. French and British battleships ran into mines trying to get close enough to silence the Turkish coastal guns - some were sunk. Unable to silence the guns, minesweepers could not clear the mines.

Only air power was able to help break this combination. In the 1937-38 Yangtze Camapign, the Japanese Navy had trouble getting past Chinese minefields and blockships defended by coastal artillery. That was until Japanese Navy aircraft (mainly divebombers) could reduce the guns or support naval infantry landings to attack the gun positions. Even then, there were frequent losses of mostly smaller craft to ROCN mines, many of which were floating types used in an offensive manner.

With antiship missiles able to attack anything within horizon range, the USN and USMC have decided that all future assaults against defended beaches would have to be conducted at high speeds from over the horizon. That is the reason for the requirement for 20+kt AAAV and the LCAC.

Desert Storm showed, even with air supremacy, how difficult it was to locate and destroy all coastal defense missiles - until they finally exposed their position by launching. Had the Iraqis been better able to contest even just local air superiority, their coastal minefields would have been much more difficult to neutralize. The Allied Forces had to have Royal Naval Hunt class minehunters lead the way for USN battleships (to provide shore bombardment) and Aegis cruisers (to protect everyboday from air attack).

Even then, there was the problem of dealing with mines and obstacles in the Very Shallow Water (VSW) or surf zone. If those were not cleared, there would be unacceptable losses in the landing force. The USN and USMC are just now developing effective means of clearing these mines and obstacles. Their vision is to be able to covertly survey landing areas and achorages for mines. Covertly prepare the mines and obstacles up to the surf zone for demolition just before the assault. At the last possible moment, the anchorage is cleared for the ships to arrive just over the horizon from the beach to launch the AAAVs and LCACs. Assault lanes are then cleared up to the surf zone (largely with pre-laid demolition charges). The assault force will then hit the beach, the last mines and obstacles being cleared 《in stride》using equipment onboard the assault craft.