Gates and the force structure review.

Wow.

How can so many people be so wrong about so simple an issue.

Yes Secretary Gates ordered a force structure review.

No, the Secretary is not talking about "killing" the Marines.  More the opposite.  Take this for example...

Since then, Marines have fought on the beaches, mountains and trenches of Korea, the highlands and rice paddies of Vietnam, and the deserts of Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. Although many of these operations saw Marines initially projected from the sea, “they soon turned into long, grinding, ground engagements,” Gates said.
The nation does not need a second land army, Gates said, but rather forces that can deploy quickly and sustain themselves for a short period of time.

Sounds like he is endorsing the work already done by the current Commandant to get the Marines feet wet again.

But just to show that I am paying attention, this is the part where many are all-a-twitter...

“Looking ahead, I do think it is proper to ask whether large-scale amphibious landings along the lines of Inchon (Korea in 1950) are feasible,” the secretary said. Anti-access technologies, such as more accurate cruise and ballistic missiles, will work to drive the starting point for amphibious operations farther and farther out to sea.
All will gain from a serious and balanced look at military missions, with an emphasis on balance, Gates said. “The United States will continue to face a diverse range of threats that will require a flexible portfolio of military capabilities,” he said. The military must be equally adept in counterinsurgency and full-spectrum operations. Any enemy is going to confront perceived American weaknesses, and how the military responds to asymmetric tactics must be considered, he added.

The funny thing here is that Forcible Entry in general and Amphibious Assault in particular has been reaffirmed once again.  This is honestly a shot at only one part of the Marine Corps and that's the EFV.  This entire speech was a thinly veiled shot across the bow at a weapon system and not the Marine Corps.

If anything, this is showing that Gates is willing to play hardball with the Marines when it comes to the fight for that vehicle.

I wonder what the powers that be are going to do for a counter move over in Quantico.  This will get ugly.