15th MEU/SPMAGTF-Central Command combined arms exercise .... Photo by Cpl. Jonathan Boynes

An Artillery Marine with India Battery, Battalion Landing Team 3rd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, breaks down an M777 Howitzer during a Fire Support Coordination Exercise (FSCEX) in an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, Aug. 25, 2015. The FSCEX is a SPMAGTF and 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit combined arms exercise designed to promote interoperability between the two Marine Corps contingency response forces in the Central Command Area of Operations. BLT 3/1, 15th MEU’s ground combat element, is embarked on the Essex Amphibious Ready Group and deployed to maintain regional security in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations.

This is interesting.

An MEU working with a SPMAGTF-CR?  I am beyond confused by this duality in thinking.

On one hand we keep hearing about distributed operations, disaggregated MEUs and smaller forces becoming units of action (Company Landing Team).  And on the other we see the Marine Expeditionary Brigade being re-emphasized, talk of combining MEUs on a regular basis and the need to preserve our forcible entry capability.

You can't have both.

Either the Marine Corps will remain a medium weight force in readiness, an excellent combined arms team without peer and having exceptional infantry or it will attempt to go Commando/SOCOM outer perimeter security/aviation mafia.