Cartwright went on to brand the EFV with the scarlet "E" for "exquisite": "As we look at anti-access threats, is the exquisite nature of the vehicle appropriate? It's going to have a hard time.""Now I can't be a Marine any more", he added. According to other sources, the QDR may downplay the Marines' role as a forced-entry assault force versus security assistance and the Corps' currently dominant role on the ground.Under development by General Dynamics since the early 1980s, the EFV is intended to combine payload and protection with 25-knot overwater speed and long range. It has been criticised for high cost, technical snags and delays, and for the potential vulnerability of its flat-bottom design to mines.
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| Sgt. Brian Zygmant, a parachute rigger with 4th Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, and soldiers with Special Operations Command, Pacific, walk toward an Air Force C-17 transport aircraft before parachuting over Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 28, 2011. Over a two-day training event, the recon Marines combined forces with Army, Air Force and Navy parachutists from SOCPAC and SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1 to conduct static-line and free-fall parachute operations. Conducted bi-monthly as part of the recon Marines' sustainment training, the parachute operations served to better parachutist jump proficiency, and allowed jumpmasters to gain experience supervising their parachutists. |
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| A soldier with Special Operations Command, Pacific, glides to the ground during parachute operations on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 28, 2011. Over a two-day training event, soldiers, sailors and airmen from SOCPAC combined forces with force reconnaissance Marines from 4th Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, and Navy SEALS from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, to conduct static-line and free-fall parachute operations. Conducted bi-monthly as part of the recon Marines' sustainment training, the parachute operations served to better parachutist jump proficiency, and allowed jumpmasters to gain experience supervising their parachutists. |
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| Reconnaissance Marines with 4th Force Reconnaissance Company, 4th Marine Division, and service members with Special Operations Command, Pacific, glide to the ground during parachute operations on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, July 28, 2011. Over a two-day training event, the recon Marines combined forces with Army, Air Force and Navy parachutists from SOCPAC, and Navy SEALS from SEAL Delivery Vehicle Team 1, to conduct static-line and free-fall parachute operations. Conducted bi-monthly as part of the recon Marines' sustainment training, the parachute operations served to better parachutist jump proficiency, and allowed jumpmasters to gain experience supervising their parachutists. |
Well no shit.It was a tough winter for us. First we lost the EFV in January, then in March of this year we released the Report of the 2010 Force Structure Review Group and in it the Corps did two big things, we'll see if they're both good. Basically, we're going from 202k to 186k, reserves still stay roughly 40k.
To be honest I haven't kept up on press releases from the State Dept but I do try and keep up with military exercises. This is the first blurb of its type that I've seen. Either Romania is more important than I imagined or there is a message being sent to someone. Either way I would be there is more to this than meets the eye.Combined Amphibious Assault Exercise Ends Summer Storm 2011August 3, 2011
On August 3, 2011, about 160 troops participated in an amphibious assault exercise at Capu Midia training range in Constanta. In the morning, 11 amphibious assault vehicles were launched from USS Whidbey Island with U.S. and Romanian marines on board. On shore, the marines engaged in a scheduled firing and assault on a building in the firing range. The exercise was performed by U.S. Marines from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, Amphibious Squadron 6, and Romanian marines from the 307th Marines Battalion and Lt. Dimitrie Nicolescu Naval Unit.The amphibious assault ship USS Whidbey Island (LSD – 41) visited Romania between July 29 and August 4, 2011, to participate in the Romanian-American training exercise Summer Storm 2011. The training opportunity and engagement was the first of its kind in Romania and was part of the U.S. Navy’s wider goal of continued Black Sea security and cooperation in the region.
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| Spc. Patrick Bevans, a squad automatic weapon gunner with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division fires a Singapore Assault Rifle 21 during a range, July 21, here. Bevans and his platoon participated in the small-arms familiarization live fire with Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment during Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral training exercise. |
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| Soldiers of Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment dismount from a Terrex vehicle during a company field training exercise with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division, July 27, at Murai Urban Training Facility here. The FTX is the culminating event of Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral combat training exercise. |
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| After setting off a smoke bomb, soldiers of 2nd Platoon, Company C, 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, prepare to clear the next room in a simulated chain of stores, July 27, at Murai Urban Training Facility here. The platoon, assigned to 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division worked with Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment throughout Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral combat training exercise. |
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| Soldiers with 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment “Manchus”, 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division examine a Terrex that belongs to the Singapore army during a static display of Company B, 2nd Singapore Infantry Regiment soldiers’ assets, July 20, on Camp Pasir Laba here. Soldiers will work with 2nd SIR during Exercise Lightning Strike, a bilateral training exercise. |
