But what has me scratching my head, screaming at the top of my voice in the woods and punching pine trees is the fact that I thought we would hear at least some type of debate on this issue.
Instead we've heard nothing. I thought that we would hear something from the manufacturers. In my opinion Lockheed Martin and BAE put forward the two most impressive vehicles in this competition and yet not a peep from either organization.
Obviously I'm not clued into the game that was being played and that is what pisses me off the most. I thought that this was a legitimate, serious competition and that the idea was to get our Marines protected transport but that obviously wasn't the case.The powers that be can all brag about the intense, free willing debates that occur inside the Corps but I'm calling bullshit on that. For better or worse it seems that we have people falling in line and no one is willing to tell this particular Commandant that he has no clothes.
So be it. I hope to live long enough to be able to point back to this moment and tell everyone "I told ya so" and when the whining and crying starts I will proudly tell them all to "shut the fuck up"...you had a chance to be heard and instead remained quiet.
Oh, and when the body bags are filled with Marines who died because they rode into combat in 50 year old AAVs that are the evolutionary stablemate of the Russian BMP-1, I'll grieve with the Marines loved ones...they will have done their job. The problem is that this generation of Marine leaders didn't have the courage of their convictions...along with the vehicle manufacturers...along with the professional journals to call bullshit on a plan put forward by the commandant that put their loved ones in those heavy, leak proof plastic bags.
So to the Marine Leaders, BAE, Lockheed, Professional Journals, and Professional Commentators I simply say this.
Fuck you all.
Solomon, do you have any confirmed info that the MPC has been cancelled?
ReplyDeleteI have looked long and hard, yet I found nothing that indicates that the program is dead.
Defense News had the story, industry, sources inside the Marine Corps and others are all telling me that it is. my little campaign of bitching about Marine Armor is having an effect i guess because when i inquired on why it isn't official i was told that the groundwork is being laid and my thinking is that they (the Commandant) wants to have all his ducks in a row so that when he officially kills it, he has an alternative plan good to go and a cost benefit analysis on why it makes more sense to upgrade the AAV instead of buying new MPCs.
DeleteGood to know.
DeletePerhaps the only mission planned for future Marines will be as assets that can be used aboard ships as aviation and internal security with Flag and Command allowance for Orderlies.
ReplyDeleteI understand there is a Politician who is currently arguing for a dismantling of the amphibious capability of the US Marines.
His idea is by 2017 there will no longer be a United States Marine Corps. The job will go to the army who will be transported as bulk cargo on ships amphibs, cargo ships or Big Deck carriers.
His interpretation of the future does not envision an amphibious landing anywhere in China, North Korea or the world.
Troops will be debarked at a Port closest to the action and the Army will go ashore and do a Desert Storm scenario, no assaulting of beaches needed.
Liberals, Progs and democrats want a unified service, call it the DHS, no separate Army or Navy just one service with different branches all dressed and acting alike, made up of Special Forces type units called, Ground security, sea security, space security and air security all under the Department of Homeland security.
All that military jazz the libs hate will be gone, wiped away with it's hated symbolism of war.
War will remain but it will be called something else, Hard Humanitarian assistance comes to mind.
Whether these simple liberals actually have a chance in hell of doing this is not considered, they wish it so and it will be done or the IRS will audit and NSA will snoop while any Generals or Admirals who speaks against the move is vilified, caught with his pecker out and retired and reprimanded as a racist stick in the mud holding back progress.
The Marine Corps may survive this as a purely aviation asset with no ground forces that are not gate or air base ashore guards.
This is a purge of all that came before and a reset for the nation.
These people mean to destroy the United States of 1776-2008 and remake it into some idiots view of paradise and revenge according to whose candidate you vote for, there will be only one party.
Sucks to be us....for now...but the game is not fully in play yet.
General MacArthur once said the same for the Marines and then came Inchon 1950-1953.
And The United States Marine Corps will last One Thousand years.
Hmmmm, years ago some were saying that Lockheed Martin didn't complain about the cancellation of the F-22 so that everything would keep moving forward with the F-35. Could this be more of the same?
ReplyDelete