Compass Points - Bright Future
New Marine leaders on the way.
Compass Points - Bright Future
New Marine leaders on the way.
October 31, 2024
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The Marine Corps needs leaders. Throughout the history of the Corps, it has been the leadership of NCOs, SNCOs, junior officers, and senior officers who have led the Marine Corps through every challenge. While it is inevitable that all leaders no matter how critical only serve for a brief time, the good news is there are always new young leaders ready to step forward, put their shoulder to the wheel, and move the Marine Corps forward.
As examples, consider two young leaders.
A young Captain wrote an insightful article about Marine Corps roles and missions, “ Roles & Missions: Time For A Change." (Marine Corps Gazette).
In his article, the author argues the Marine Corps must remain focused on its most important role: combined arms, expeditionary, readiness.
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The answer, of course, is readiness. While it is realized that all Services must maintain a continual state of readiness in order that the nation remain secure, the unique feature of Marine Corps readiness is its capability of immediate reaction on a tactical level, with only internal coordination necessary to wage a fight. It might even be called “tactical readiness.” We are a package deal, the only Service which sports every tactical branch of combat arms. As such, we require a minimum of coordination in order to perform our mission. It was readiness which put us into Lebanon and the Dominican Republic. It was readiness which prompted MacArthur to ask for us in Korea, and it was again readiness which caused us to be assigned to critical tactical areas in Vietnam. All we require from the Navy or any other Service is the transportation to put us into the fight and the logistical support to keep us there.
The Marine Corps has performed the role of the “shock force” throughout its history. It is the Service which always has provided the initial reaction in any disturbance critical to the national interest.
-- Roles & Missions: Time For A Change
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Another example of a thoughtful article from a young leader is the recent article in the USNI Proceedings " 'Goodbye Mr. President:' History Shows How EABO Can Go Wrong." In his article, the author raises fundamental concerns with Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations.
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. . . Friedman goes on to list the helicopter, subsurface assault, and airborne assault as three tools that keep amphibious landings viable. This emphasis on operating in a contested littoral environment should be a priority for Marines and Navy strike teams.
Mutual connection, small lethal forces, and amphibious landing capabilities were keys to failure and success in the Philippines and the subsequent campaign throughout the western Pacific. A robust EABO strategy should take these elements into account as foundations of training and preparation for distributed operations in the Pacific.
History cannot provide a checklist to success. But studying history gives insight on how even the best plans can fall into catastrophe when they meet the unexpected. Although times have changed, and technology has altered the battlespace, the difficulties MacArthur and Wainwright faced in the Philippines can inform strategy today. The current concept of MEU-sized EABs faces the challenges of complacency, becoming a target for insurgent warfare, and having to protect a local civilian populace. A strategy of robust support-and-control networks, truly expeditionary small-unit operations, and Marine amphibious assault should be the foundational focus of training and education in today’s U.S. maritime forces.
-- “Goodbye Mr. President:” History Shows How EABO Can Go Wrong
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Both young authors have penned perceptive articles about the future of the Marine Corps. In different ways, both authors argue that the Marine must stay focused on expeditionary, offensive, combined arms operations. Their conclusions are similar even though the two articles were written more than a half century apart.
"Roles & Missions: Time For A Change." was written by Captain James H. Webb and published in 1972.
“ 'Goodbye Mr. President:' History Shows How EABO Can Go Wrong" was written by Midshipman First Class Matthew K. Mcgee, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve and published in 2024.
After publishing his article about the future of the Marine Corps, Captain Webb went on to become a world-famous author, as well as Secretary of the Navy, US Senator, and presidential candidate to name just a few of his many accomplishments and honors.
Midshipman First Class Matthew K. Mcgee is an NROTC Marine contract at Texas A&M University. He is graduating in December 2024 with a degree in civil engineering and then heading to Quantico, Virginia, for The Basic School.
Compass Points salutes Jim Webb for his lifetime of leadership to the Marine Corps and to the Nation. Compass Points also salutes Midshipman Mcgee for his fine article. What does the future hold for Midshipman Mcgee? The future is not written. But it is just as true when Jim Webb was a Captain, as it is today, the Marine Corps needs leaders. Congratulations to the authors and to all the young leaders across the Marine Corps growing their knowledge and growing their skills so that no matter what future challenges the Marine Corps faces, it will always have strong leaders and a bright future.
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Compass Points - Calling all Captains
Combined arms readiness is key.
September 1, 2023
https://marinecorpscompasspoints.substack.com/p/compass-points-calling-all-captains
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USNI Proceedings - October 2024 Vol. 150/10/1,460
“Goodbye Mr. President:” History Shows How EABO Can Go Wrong
By Midshipman First Class Matthew K. Mcgee, U.S. Marine Corps Reserve
I want to be one of the first to commend Midshipman Mcgee for his superb article. He has been more objective about the obstacles facing EABO/SIF than the generals at MCCDC and HQMC. EABO and SIF are dangerously flawed concepts. Both need to be abandoned and replaced by enlightened concepts emphasizing combined arms and maneuver before Marines and Sailors are needlessly killed, maimed, or captured for lack of lethality and support.
I am encouraged that young officers continue to provide their well thought out input. Over the course of my career we had more than a few original thinkers infused with knowledge, aware of history and filled with common sense. These insightful truth tellers were often marginalized and disposed of. This was particularly true through the cultural, personnel and equipment revolutions and the falsehoods that racked the Corps from 1980-2000. They did not expect to be rewarded for their moral courage and, sure enough, paid the price. When they did write articles for publication in the Gazette or USNI Proceedings they were rarely published as they did not meet the Litmus Tests of the times. In many cases those toxic seeds sprouted, despite the warnings, and are still bearing fruit today. Even after 2000 the USMC resistance to MRAPs was a perfect example. Drones and other RPV’s have been available since 1984 and almost 40 years later are not in the fleet units where they should be. I might point out that the time from the Wright Brothers to the first operational jets was about 40 years and 44 years later the first man landed on the moon. The MRAP’s were forced on DoD by SecDef Gates. Infantry Battalion T/0’s have been shrinking and T/E ‘s changed since 1980 as if ammunition got lighter, stretchers did not require two men, 40mm Grenade launchers can be carried by the platoon while the .50 cals are where?
Today we persist with little missiles unable to sink ships when we have aircraft that can employ USAF Quicksink munitions. Those very squadrons are being or were decreased in size or eliminated altogether. We divested our entire inventory of tanks declaring them obsolete while Western nations, to include theUS Army out fit theirs with proven advanced defensive kit of Israeli origin. The only tanks killed by drones in the future will be Russian and Chinese ones.
Fairy Dusting is as old as military conflicts. The losers often Fairy Dusted to the point that they believed their own self created mirages. Currently the Corps is engaged in numerous illusions that remind one of the Polish Horse Cavalry charging Panzers with lances. The Polish leadership convinced their own forces that the Panzers were not even real armor but akin to plywood and canvas training vehicles.
For five years innumerable, knowledgable voices provided input on EABO and some aspects of FD-20XX. Yet, the train continues down the track. Some see the train wreck developing while others contend all is well.
Doug