For the Marines involved, the moment carried personal significance. “I’ll remember this for the rest of my life,” said Cpl. Grayson Hilderbrandt, an infantry Marine with Battalion Landing Team 3/5, 11th MEU. “Being part of this demonstration shows what today’s Marines are capable of — we’re faster, smarter, and more lethal than ever, and we get to prove that to the world.”
This statement gave me pause.
Maybe I'm older and wiser. Maybe I vehemently disagree with Force Design 2030. Maybe instead of chest thumping I'm reading this as blind arrogance but it makes me wonder.
Why do you think you're faster?
Why do you think you're smarter?
This one is gonna be a shocker but why do you think you're more lethal?
Looking at the Marine Corps current organization and equipment I just don't see a more lethal outfit. I don't see how today's Marine Corps can apply greater weight of fire on a forehead than Marines of the past (most notably the WW2 Marines).
Smarter? I don't see that either. You have better battlefield awareness than at anytime in Marine Corps history but that does not translate into making better strategic or tactical decisions. That still rests with the individual leaders up and down the chain.
Faster? If you're talking about conducting long range raids then ok, the tech gives you that with the MV-22. But if you're talking about building up combat power on the beach I beg to differ. The ACV is no faster than the retired AAV in water. The LCAC is fast but how many sorties would it have to make in order to get gear ashore?
The CH-53K can lift more but to what end? There is less to lift now and that's across the board between infantry and cargo...the AH-1Z and UH-1Y are simply upgrades of legacy equipment that offers some improvement but nothing revolutionary. The F-35B vs AV-8B is also an interesting now versus then. Yeah its faster but takes more money to maintain, has horrible readiness rates and even supporters now are saying that it won't deliver on its promises.
I just don't know.
Faster, smarter and more lethal?
I want proud Marines. I want them walking the jagged edge of being cocky and arrogant.
But beyond the chest thumping that statement has me stalled out. What do ya'll think?
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