One could ask Phil, which would he rather have to remove a precancerous mole, a surgeon’s scalpel or the mole exorcised using a dull hatchet? In the world of US policy makers currently, just say in the last 3 decades Jack hammers and mallets and temporary “permanent” forward bases have prevailed. How well exactly has that worked out? The latest foray is the “temporary humanitarian aid pier” which is so big it needs 3 US Army ships and 1 USNI vessel to get the structure to Gaza where it will theoretically begin to provide “humanitarian aid” in an open combat environment. The good news is that neither the Army or the Navy can manage to keep a vessel seaworthy long enough to get the structure to Gaza. One can imagine the scenario, American military and “civilian” contractors find themselves in the middle of a HOT shooting match between the IDF and Hamas et al and someone is WIA or worse KIA. The USS Maddox shot back at some North Vietnamese gun boats out in the Gulf of Tonkin! “Was Maddox shot at?” “Well not really Mr. President, but, but that’s the point damn it, we need to do something!” “Ah right! Land the Marines!” And so it goes. Want something a little more current how about 1/8 in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983, an amorphous peace keeping mission goes pear shaped fast, and we all know what happened next, some here lost good friends in the explosion.
If the need for humanitarian resources exceeds that of the MEU, maybe we should not be there doing it. It the regional combatant commander needs more than a MEU, maybe the tactical and strategic needs are beyond the norm. That said, you need a full MEU, that means all the major and minor elements of a complete MAGTF and the amphibious lift to support it. If the citizens of the United States don’t like the Marine Corps and the MAGTF philosophy and that of maneuver warfare then go to Congress and rewrite Title X, Goldwater Nichols and additional mandates. SIF in one region at the expense of TO and TE needs of the Corps inhibits mission accomplishment of Title X, if the SIF and Littoral regiments had been additional and accretive that would be a different story wouldn’t it?
Where in the recent history of the United States has it resourced anything well? Crisis response? HKIA NEO? What a great example of how not to do it. Public policy is one thing, the people reflect and DOD directs….maybe a cost comparison straight up of the MAGTF v whatever else anyone wants to have in place of the MAGTF? Oh that’s right we really can’t do that since the DOD can’t even audit itself properly. Imagine even with a loaded deck and the croupier’s foot on the brake of the roulette table the DOD fails what they call an audit. “Oh I like you, you can come to my house anytime” Gunny Hartman paraphrased.
The fact is nobody has made a decent let alone compelling alternative to the MEU/MEB/MEF MAGTF concept. One need not hold their breath waiting for it either. In the meantime getting the MAGTF back to a position of full capability seems prudent. Further as documented here at CP Vision 2025 gives clear guidance on a way forward. No doubt some will jump on the notion that Vision 2035 is a bunch of old thinkers thinking old thoughts. To that one could argue, then why read Aristotle? Well, if Aristotle as a tutor was good enough for Big Al, aka Alexander the Great, perhaps Aristotle is worth reading.
The Philippines, Japan, and Korea are all within the Chinese WEZ. Let them handle the SIF mission. For the Marine Corps, our greatest strength against China and any other adversary is the ARG/MEU. Using the world's oceans as maneuver space, such a force can be wherever the United States wants it to be. Expeditionary operations is the Marine Corps' greatest asset.
Ruh Roh !!!! India delivers the fourth BrahMos missile battery to Philippines
By
Shishir Gupta
Apr 23, 2024 04:20 PM IST
The fourth and last consignment of BrahMos missiles and launchers has reached Manila this afternoon.
New Delhi: Giving a huge fillip to defence exports, India has sent the fourth ‘battery’ of land version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines today amidst growing tensions due to Chinese assertions in the South China Sea.
BrahMos supersonic cruise Missiles being delivered to the Philippines by India.
BrahMos supersonic cruise Missiles being delivered to the Philippines by India.
The fourth consignment on board C-17 Globemaster of the Indian Air Force landed in Manila this afternoon.
HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!
It is understood that three ‘batteries’ of BrahMos missiles have already been handed over with the fourth reaching Manila today as part of the USD 375 million deal signed by the two allies in 2022. Each battery comprises four launchers with three 290 km range missiles with each launcher on a mobile platform for survivability of the conventional deterrent. Given the supersonic speed of the weapon, the missile is very difficult to intercept by land or ship-based Ballistic Missile Defence (BMDs) systems.
The BrahMos Philippines deal has ensured that India’s defence exports have already touched ₹21083 crores in 2023-2024 with a massive 32.5 per cent year-on-year growth as compared to the past fiscal. As BrahMos has a proven track record, India is expected to bag more orders for the supersonic missiles in the near future.
One could ask Phil, which would he rather have to remove a precancerous mole, a surgeon’s scalpel or the mole exorcised using a dull hatchet? In the world of US policy makers currently, just say in the last 3 decades Jack hammers and mallets and temporary “permanent” forward bases have prevailed. How well exactly has that worked out? The latest foray is the “temporary humanitarian aid pier” which is so big it needs 3 US Army ships and 1 USNI vessel to get the structure to Gaza where it will theoretically begin to provide “humanitarian aid” in an open combat environment. The good news is that neither the Army or the Navy can manage to keep a vessel seaworthy long enough to get the structure to Gaza. One can imagine the scenario, American military and “civilian” contractors find themselves in the middle of a HOT shooting match between the IDF and Hamas et al and someone is WIA or worse KIA. The USS Maddox shot back at some North Vietnamese gun boats out in the Gulf of Tonkin! “Was Maddox shot at?” “Well not really Mr. President, but, but that’s the point damn it, we need to do something!” “Ah right! Land the Marines!” And so it goes. Want something a little more current how about 1/8 in Beirut, Lebanon, in 1983, an amorphous peace keeping mission goes pear shaped fast, and we all know what happened next, some here lost good friends in the explosion.
If the need for humanitarian resources exceeds that of the MEU, maybe we should not be there doing it. It the regional combatant commander needs more than a MEU, maybe the tactical and strategic needs are beyond the norm. That said, you need a full MEU, that means all the major and minor elements of a complete MAGTF and the amphibious lift to support it. If the citizens of the United States don’t like the Marine Corps and the MAGTF philosophy and that of maneuver warfare then go to Congress and rewrite Title X, Goldwater Nichols and additional mandates. SIF in one region at the expense of TO and TE needs of the Corps inhibits mission accomplishment of Title X, if the SIF and Littoral regiments had been additional and accretive that would be a different story wouldn’t it?
Where in the recent history of the United States has it resourced anything well? Crisis response? HKIA NEO? What a great example of how not to do it. Public policy is one thing, the people reflect and DOD directs….maybe a cost comparison straight up of the MAGTF v whatever else anyone wants to have in place of the MAGTF? Oh that’s right we really can’t do that since the DOD can’t even audit itself properly. Imagine even with a loaded deck and the croupier’s foot on the brake of the roulette table the DOD fails what they call an audit. “Oh I like you, you can come to my house anytime” Gunny Hartman paraphrased.
The fact is nobody has made a decent let alone compelling alternative to the MEU/MEB/MEF MAGTF concept. One need not hold their breath waiting for it either. In the meantime getting the MAGTF back to a position of full capability seems prudent. Further as documented here at CP Vision 2025 gives clear guidance on a way forward. No doubt some will jump on the notion that Vision 2035 is a bunch of old thinkers thinking old thoughts. To that one could argue, then why read Aristotle? Well, if Aristotle as a tutor was good enough for Big Al, aka Alexander the Great, perhaps Aristotle is worth reading.
The Philippines, Japan, and Korea are all within the Chinese WEZ. Let them handle the SIF mission. For the Marine Corps, our greatest strength against China and any other adversary is the ARG/MEU. Using the world's oceans as maneuver space, such a force can be wherever the United States wants it to be. Expeditionary operations is the Marine Corps' greatest asset.
The US has global crisis response force. Why does it have to be the USMC? If the nation wants it to be then it will resource it.
Ruh Roh !!!! India delivers the fourth BrahMos missile battery to Philippines
By
Shishir Gupta
Apr 23, 2024 04:20 PM IST
The fourth and last consignment of BrahMos missiles and launchers has reached Manila this afternoon.
New Delhi: Giving a huge fillip to defence exports, India has sent the fourth ‘battery’ of land version of BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles to the Philippines today amidst growing tensions due to Chinese assertions in the South China Sea.
BrahMos supersonic cruise Missiles being delivered to the Philippines by India.
BrahMos supersonic cruise Missiles being delivered to the Philippines by India.
The fourth consignment on board C-17 Globemaster of the Indian Air Force landed in Manila this afternoon.
HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now!
It is understood that three ‘batteries’ of BrahMos missiles have already been handed over with the fourth reaching Manila today as part of the USD 375 million deal signed by the two allies in 2022. Each battery comprises four launchers with three 290 km range missiles with each launcher on a mobile platform for survivability of the conventional deterrent. Given the supersonic speed of the weapon, the missile is very difficult to intercept by land or ship-based Ballistic Missile Defence (BMDs) systems.
The BrahMos Philippines deal has ensured that India’s defence exports have already touched ₹21083 crores in 2023-2024 with a massive 32.5 per cent year-on-year growth as compared to the past fiscal. As BrahMos has a proven track record, India is expected to bag more orders for the supersonic missiles in the near future.
Niger…Afghanistan II!