Compass Points - Combat Questions
Is USMC prepared for any clime and place?
Compass Points - Combat Questions
Is USMC prepared for any clime and place?
June 21, 2025
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Is the US Marine Corps prepared for what is coming next?
The current conflict between Israel and Iraq threatens to metastasize and draw-in other belligerents -- including the US.
At the very least, conflicts around the world in 2025 are pressing military forces to take a new look at old questions about readiness, relevancy, and the next conflict.
The US Army, for example, continues to enhance its combined arms, armor divisions under a program called, "Pegasus Charge.”
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“Pegasus Charge” is the 1st Cavalry Division’s comprehensive approach across DOTMLPF to adapt to the modern battlefield and inform the transformation of Army armor formations in the future.
. . . The pace of change on the modern battlefield demands that the division reviews its diverse organization containing combined arms formations, fires, and multi-purpose units. “Ironhorse” brigade is well-positioned in both time and duty location this year to review its organization, training and equipment requirements. One organizational option is that of an armored cavalry squadron focused on security. Serving as an advanced guard, the squadron’s primary mission could be beyond reconnaissance and gathering information - requiring combat power and striking capability to gain tactical advantage.
. . . “The fundamental operating principle in the U.S. Army is fires and maneuver,” said Feltey. “Ironhorse won’t be able to suppress all enemy capabilities by itself, so the division will have to aid in bringing them support and into a position of advantage.” This support includes indirect fires, intel, attack aviation, engineering, and electronic warfare.
-- US Army "Ironhorse ‘Charges’ Forward with Transforming in Contact"
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The Army is not abandoning its focus on fires and maneuver, it is adding to it.
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As the war between Israel and Iran intensifies, one Army drone expert is warning that the U.S. must stay ready, and fast. Staff Sgt. Garrett Butts is helping lead the charge by building smarter, cheaper unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in-house for the battlefield.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital on Tuesday, Butts described how his team is creating drone technology from scratch, often using parts it took nearly a year to legally obtain.
"We're a transformation and contact unit," said Butts, who serves with the 1st Cavalry Division. "We’ve been charged with innovating our own SUAS (small unmanned aircraft systems) platforms in-house to cut procurement costs and timelines."
His team is building 3D-printed drones and testing low-cost, first-person view aircraft to help Soldiers on the ground see ahead and strike more accurately.
. . . Butts’ team is involved in "Pegasus Charge," a new Army effort to test future tactics and technology for heavy combat units. "We are going to innovate, experiment, test and develop different tactics, techniques and procedures," Butts explained.
-- Fox News Digital
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Taking away combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities reduces readiness and relevancy. Enhancing and upgrading combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities increases readiness and relevancy.
Through an unfortunate series of decisions, the Marine Corps has reduced its own readiness and relevancy.
Compass Points reader Greg Falzetta has some probing questions about the current state of the Marine Corps and its ability to serve the Nation today.
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Greg Falzetta comment and questions:
I look at the current world situation and ask the question “if called upon, could the Corps conduct operations in an AOR with our current T/O and T/E”?
EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN- Could we support and operate anywhere in the Eastern Mediterranean? - No amphibious lift, no supporting arms, and no way to scale up from a MEU to a MEB.
NORWAY, DENMARK, FINLAND, SWEDEN, ESTONIA, LATVIA, LITHUANIA - Could we go toe to toe with Russia? Russia, thanks to PRC’s assistance, manufactures more ammunition in THREE MONTHS than all of NATO COMBINED, IN A YEAR. Russia allocates 6.7% of its GDP towards defense spending, while NATO members are only encouraged to allocate 2%. It is estimated that Russia will have the capability to attack a NATO member in five years. Could the Corps conduct operations in that AOR under FD?
AFRICA - Could the Corps insert a MEU to conduct NEO if called upon today? No, because there’s no MEU afloat in either the Western or Eastern Mediterranean.
INDIAN OCEAN- Could the Corps conduct operations in the IO? Could the Corps even protect Diego Garcia? No, because the Corps, first lacks any nearby formations organized to conduct anything other than being a “sensor node” or part of a “kill chain”. We have no III MEF or I MAW that can project combat power ashore, because this Commandant has continued the reckless pursuit of no tubed artillery, no bridging or assault engineer units, insufficient assault amphibious support, and reduced rotary and fixed wing support. But we have a silly short ranged, subsonic missile that the Commandant and his sycophants say is our new “save the world” weapon.
RED SEA - Israel has preemptively attacked Iran. Regardless of whether we personally think it was a good idea, if the President directed a MEU(SOC) to conduct Iranian oil rig operations to seize and destroy them, does the Corps CURRENTLY have a projectable combat presence in the Red Sea? Of course not. The same questions are just as relevant to a raid into Yemen.
The bottom line is this Commandant has continued on the perilous path of defanging the Nation’s only multi-mission, scalable 911 force.
I’ll close with this. Hold your EGA in your hand and look at it. The Eagle represents our Nation, the ribbon held in its beak represents our Corps, the globe represents our worldwide service, and the fouled anchor represents our naval heritage. Given the symbolism of the EGA, does anyone think that we’re still able to operate worldwide and can we do it as a naval force?
-- Greg Falzetta
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There are many questions today about the misguided loss of Marine Corps combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities. And yet there are answers as well.
Compass Points reader, Samuel Whittemore, finds a way to provide a blunt answer to all the questions about the current Marine Corps' readiness and relevancy:
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May God save us from Force Disaster and return us to the highly trained, superbly capable, always deployed, MEF Centric MAGTF!
-- Samuel Whittemore
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US Army
Ironhorse “Charges” Forward with Transforming in Contact
By Spc. David Dumas
https://www.army.mil/article/285107/ironhorse_charges_forward_with_transforming_in_contact
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Cavazos Sentinel
New training concept aims to revolutionize Army gunnery
By Spc. David Dumas, 1st Cav. Div. Public Affairs Jun 12, 2025 Updated Jun 17, 2025
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Fox News Digital - 06/18/2025
‘Eyes in the sky’: Army drone expert explains US strategy on innovation as global conflict looms
By Jasmine Baehr
www.foxnews.com/us/eyes-sky-army-drone-expert-explains-us-strategy-innovation-global-conflict-looms
This was an excellent and blunt analysis of the problems the Corps has today. I was taught in the Corps to always be responsible for my screwups, admit them and learn from them. As a young Marine, I found that speaking out about problems that I saw was the way to go. take responsibility and point out the problem, even if the person I was speaking to was many grades above me. Often got chewed out, but also told not to stop thinking. I am still wondering if any of our senior leaders are reading these comments. To many sycophants in the house perhaps?
Unlike the Marine Corps that led the way during Desert Storm, this new version will sit on the bench during future conflicts.