Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Question. With the coming of "Force Design 2030" is every Marine A Rifleman or is the NEW Marine Corps different?


Simple question.

With the coming of "Force Design 2030" is every Marine A Rifleman or is the New Marine Corps different?

No agenda with this but I'm trying to figure out how the legacy of the Marine Corps applies going forward.  From my chair this new thing makes a break with the past and takes us toward a different (and unforeseen) future.

What is the ethos of this New Marine Corps?  What is the rallying cry?  Apparently they're not Riflemen, Storm Troopers, Shock Troops etc...instead it appears that you're either a MLRS Crewman, swinging with the Wing or MARSOC or you ain't shit.

Does this seem like a silly question?  I hope not.  What will distinguish the Marine Corps from the other services if our primary mission isn't forcible entry but instead long range missiles and fleet air defense.

Note.  I realize that this post is even more disjointed than usual but I'm hoping you can read between the lines on this one instead of simply tossing stones.  If you have an idea I'd love to hear it.

Note 1.  I just realized that this post once again asks a question that is yet to be answered.  Who/What is the Marine Corps?  What is our reason for being now?  Do we really have a role with the adoption of this force design that can't be better served by Army long range artillery (of all types...cannon and rocket), Navy anti-ship missiles deployed from mobile Burke class destroyers instead of shore batteries, Fleet Air Defense any better than what the Carrier Air Wings all provide or close air support in a manner that is different/unique in comparison to what the USAF does?

By losing the world's best combined arms team what are we gaining.  What are we losing and is it worth it or will this lead to our demise?

Note 2.  Do you realize we just threw away the past two decades worth of ship building with this new concept?  The San Antonio Class, already controversial because we decided an LPD, SHOULD BE AVIATION CENTRIC (talk about batshit crazy), we vacillated between making our LHD first aviation centric to such a degree that it didn't have a well deck and then putting it back in and now with this thing probably gonna take it back out again!  We demanded what was once called an MLP because we needed a connector so we could launch surface assaults from 25 miles out and then 200 miles.  We told the Navy we also needed more Expeditionary Fast Transports and I have yet to hear how they fit into any of this nonsense. But of course instead of taking a beat and getting our bearing we've decided that we NOW NEED smaller amphibious ships that are expendable.  It kinda illustrates where the Marine Corps has been for the last decade plus.  Lurching from one idea to the next.  Once we had a steady hand on the wheel.  Now it appears that we're gyrating from idea to idea and don't know where we're going or how we're gonna get there.  What happens after the coronavirus shakes out.  Will we suddenly see that we can't afford to change course to the degree outlined?  How do we manage that?

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