Compass Points - Attack of the DAX
First, focus on what the customer wants.
Compass Points - Attack of the DAX
First, focus on what the customer wants.
August 11, 2023
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Every new Marine Corps Commandant stimulates new thinking and new ideas -- some more than others. The Marine Corps' acting Commandant today is reaching out broadly and new ideas are beginning to percolate – inside and outside the active-duty Marine Corps. Compass Points can reveal for the first time some of the new thinking. One of the most intriguing new ideas is DAX.
The Marine Corps serves the Combatant Commands. The Marine Corps is responsible for training, equipping, and providing forces needed by the Combatant Commands. The Combatant Commands are the customers for Marine forces.
Every entrepreneur who has invented a better widget understands that if you can get purchase orders in hand, the bank will fund the new widget. The critical question is do you have customers who want and need your product?
Is the Marine Corps focused on the Combatant Commands? Do the Combatant Commands want what the Marine Corps is providing?
For example, the Marine Corps has experimented with a new Marine Littoral Regiment and now even with Battery A, a new Tomahawk missile battery. Is this what the Combatant Commands want and need from the Marine Corps? The Combatant Commands have Navy ships and subs, and Air Force bombers armed with a variety of cruise missiles. Why would they want missile Marines?
What Combatant Commands want and need from the Marine Corps is their own 9-1-1 force. Africa Command, for example, does not want to share a Marine 9-1-1 force, they want their own. Combatant Commands are the customers. If Combatant Commands want and need the Marine Corps to provide their own 9-1-1 force, an always ready, advanced, combined arms, maneuver force onboard Navy ships, that is what the Marine Corps should provide.
Welcome DAX, the Designated Amphibious Experimental Marine force. Currently, there are simply not enough traditional, general support, Amphibious Ready Groups - Marine Expeditionary Units (ARG-MEU). DAX units are new and additional experimental assets designed to provide direct support, crisis response to Combatant Commands today.
The goal being discussed is for each of the five regional Combatant Commands outside North America to have their own designated DAX force. Southern, Central, Europe, Africa, and Indo-Pacific commands would each have their own, direct support, DAX Marine force, designed and designated for them.
Each DAX unit is a combination response force and pre-positioned force and includes tailored Marine infantry, air, and logistics embarked on Navy ships. Each DAX unit embarks on one Navy Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) and two Navy Expeditionary Fast Transports (EPF).
The ESB is a huge ship, nearly 800 feet long and when fully loaded each ship displaces 90,000 tons. The ESB has room for the equipment and supplies of a tailored Marine combined arms force including, aircraft, M777 artillery, Combat Engineer vehicles for obstacle removal, assault bridging, and mine breaching, HUMVEE’s, light armor, LVSR vehicles, MI42 HIMARS, MQ-9 Reaper drones, ammunition, and fuel. The Navy describe ESB capabilities,
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The ESBs, which include a four spot flight deck, mission deck and hangar, are designed around four core capabilities: aviation facilities, berthing, equipment staging support, and command and control assets.
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The Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) is a much smaller, shallow draft catamaran. As the Navy explains,
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The EPF is designed to transport 600 short tons of military cargo 1,200 nautical miles at an average speed of 35 knots in Sea State 3. The ships are capable of operating in shallow-draft ports and waterways, interfacing with roll-on/roll-off discharge facilities and on/off-loading a combat-loaded Abrams Main Battle Tank (M1A2). The EPF includes a flight deck for helicopter operations and an off-load ramp that allow vehicles to quickly drive off the ship. The ramp is suitable for the types of austere piers and quay walls common in developing countries.
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The ESBs and EPFs have already been built, with more on the way. The ships are available now. The Navy and Marine Corps can work together to provide each Combatant Command with their own, direct support, DAX 9-1-1 force immediately.
The traditional ARG-MEUs would stay in general support of all the regional Combatant Commands, while each DAX would be in direct support. When combined together, along with the Maritime Pre-positioned Force, and fly-in-echelons, the Combatant Commands would be able to rapidly scale a crisis response, from an initial small Marine unit, to a larger Marine brigade, to a full Marine Expeditionary Force.
The Marine Corps has aircraft that can be used for DAX. The Marine Corps has committed to purchasing the full program of record for all Marine aircraft. That means the Marine Corps is receiving more aircraft than it can handle. Instead of being put in mothballs, those Ospreys and helicopters can be sent to the DAX.
Finally, to prepare for DAX, Marine units will need to return to 29 Palms and get certified in the new DAX CAX.
Combatant Commanders must be glad the acting Marine Corps Commandant today is reaching out broadly and stimulating new ideas – inside and outside the active-duty Marine Corps. One of the most intriguing new ideas is DAX. Have the worldwide Combatant Commanders ever really wanted a Maginot line of missile Marines? Never.
Compass Points suggests it is time to bypass the Maginot line and get the Combatant Commanders more of what they have always needed, not just the traditional, general support, ARG-MEU, but their own direct support, 9-1-1 force: DAX.
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US Navy
Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB)
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US Navy
Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF)
Can't agree more. First, DAX gets back to giving the Combatant Commanders a tool that they all need not only for a global war but also for a "Great Power Competition". Second, it a solution to the US Navy's inadequate amphibious ship building plan (it also sends the message to the US Navy that, one way or the other, you are going to support your amphibious mission). Third, it is representative of Marine Corps adaptative, flexible and innovative thinking...if you give Marines lemons, they will make lemonade.