The fact that ships face a myriad of dangers did not mean the Corps needed to solve any of them. Not enemy ships, not torpedoes, not submarines, not enemy aircraft, not coastal artillery, not mines and not missiles. The fact that a few officers, outside of their area of expertise, drew radical conclusions and dismantled the Corps to assign a new mission with the resources or weaponry will go down in history as folly without precedent. A duplicitous and complicit Navy leadership could not believe their own good fortune in the potential to garner a bigger piece of the budget in a classic case of institutional betrayal as they played along in the fratricide. The then CNO and CMC exposed themselves for the charlatans they were.
The Corps leadership was not even clever enough to develop the new strategy in an additive fashion by a small scale proof of principle. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is too kind of an analogy.
The recently returned MEU commander might break his arm patting himself on the back. A deeper analysis of what the MEU was capable of might be in order. But, one lesson stands out. Ships can sail in harm’s way. The very genesis of FD-2030 has been refuted. What remains to be determined is revolves around what an embarked MEU of today can do better than a MEU of 8 years ago. It is less potent. It is certainly less potent than what it should be today had it been modernized and rearmed instead of dissected and severed of weaponry and personnel.
What is still left of the FD-2030 vision. The dream became a mirage at best and a nightmare at worst.
When you are about to walk off of a cliff do not slow your pace. Stop and turn around.
Institutions commit errors in judgment. Those who make those survive if they recognize the failure and remedy them. FD-2030 was not just equipment mistakes or mistakes in tactical, operational or strategic terms. The the mistakes were also betrayal as it took on a far darker impact on the entire ethos of the institution in that is was hatched in deceit, lack of integrity, callous betrayal of loyal Marines ( go join the army or get out), corruption and a body guard of lies in what spawned an internal civil war.
That is the classic blue print for extinction. Who really cares if a sports franchise becomes a cellar dweller? Who really cares is a business of world class reputation implodes and goes bankrupt? How about when a University becomes a propaganda whore? This is different. This is Marine’s lives, the nation’s security and the sacred responsibilities carried by the Corps for 250 years. We will soon be closing in on the 8th year of this tragedy. It must be rectified soon. The current leadership shows no inclination to do so.
Spot on, on all accounts, Colonel. I believe the simple addition of an anti-ship missile bn to the artillery regiment of a traditional MarDiv, could have solved this whole mess.
With 240+ years of history behind him, we get a Commandant who, apparently, couldn’t absorb it. He, somehow, decided that aggressive, overwhelming maneuver and force at the relative point contact was no longer valid…That micro defense won wars. Strange! Semper Fi
Raymond, in my opinion the current and last CMC did not understand the mission of the Marine Corps as an expeditionary force. They fell into the trap that many see after every major ground war: "The Marine Corps has become a second ground force." As an expeditionary force, which fights on the ground, from the sea, it needs all ground tools in its toolbox that it can acquire. After all, to use the words of Col. Robert Heinl: we are Soldiers of the Sea.
If FD2030 is based on the premise that naval ships won't be able to move around the battlespace, what on Earth is the utility of these new landing craft, that are large, slow, and effectively defenseless targets? Likewise, if naval ships can't move around, what exactly is the purpose arming with short ranged antiship missiles? If the concept is to use the USMC to garrison small islands in enemy controlled waters, where US ships can't operate, it's the chicken/egg argument...how are they going to get there? With a big side order of "how are they going to survive once they're there?".
Hiding in enemy controlled waters, radiating to get a target, firing short ranged missiles sounds like a complicated way to commit suicide to me...especially given an aircraft orbiting in US controlled airspace could accomplish the exact same thing with relative impunity while only putting 2 aircrew and a single aircraft at risk.
The fact that ships face a myriad of dangers did not mean the Corps needed to solve any of them. Not enemy ships, not torpedoes, not submarines, not enemy aircraft, not coastal artillery, not mines and not missiles. The fact that a few officers, outside of their area of expertise, drew radical conclusions and dismantled the Corps to assign a new mission with the resources or weaponry will go down in history as folly without precedent. A duplicitous and complicit Navy leadership could not believe their own good fortune in the potential to garner a bigger piece of the budget in a classic case of institutional betrayal as they played along in the fratricide. The then CNO and CMC exposed themselves for the charlatans they were.
The Corps leadership was not even clever enough to develop the new strategy in an additive fashion by a small scale proof of principle. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater is too kind of an analogy.
The recently returned MEU commander might break his arm patting himself on the back. A deeper analysis of what the MEU was capable of might be in order. But, one lesson stands out. Ships can sail in harm’s way. The very genesis of FD-2030 has been refuted. What remains to be determined is revolves around what an embarked MEU of today can do better than a MEU of 8 years ago. It is less potent. It is certainly less potent than what it should be today had it been modernized and rearmed instead of dissected and severed of weaponry and personnel.
What is still left of the FD-2030 vision. The dream became a mirage at best and a nightmare at worst.
When you are about to walk off of a cliff do not slow your pace. Stop and turn around.
Institutions commit errors in judgment. Those who make those survive if they recognize the failure and remedy them. FD-2030 was not just equipment mistakes or mistakes in tactical, operational or strategic terms. The the mistakes were also betrayal as it took on a far darker impact on the entire ethos of the institution in that is was hatched in deceit, lack of integrity, callous betrayal of loyal Marines ( go join the army or get out), corruption and a body guard of lies in what spawned an internal civil war.
That is the classic blue print for extinction. Who really cares if a sports franchise becomes a cellar dweller? Who really cares is a business of world class reputation implodes and goes bankrupt? How about when a University becomes a propaganda whore? This is different. This is Marine’s lives, the nation’s security and the sacred responsibilities carried by the Corps for 250 years. We will soon be closing in on the 8th year of this tragedy. It must be rectified soon. The current leadership shows no inclination to do so.
Reminds me of an old Marine Corps saying, "Lead, Follow or get the f*** out of the way".
Spot on, on all accounts, Colonel. I believe the simple addition of an anti-ship missile bn to the artillery regiment of a traditional MarDiv, could have solved this whole mess.
A missile battalion with missiles that are multipurpose would be more flexible than just anti ship!
Excellent point. Then that would be HIMARS/PrSM.
The fact that a HIMARS Bn was not tested for this mission at the time defies logic.
With 240+ years of history behind him, we get a Commandant who, apparently, couldn’t absorb it. He, somehow, decided that aggressive, overwhelming maneuver and force at the relative point contact was no longer valid…That micro defense won wars. Strange! Semper Fi
Raymond, in my opinion the current and last CMC did not understand the mission of the Marine Corps as an expeditionary force. They fell into the trap that many see after every major ground war: "The Marine Corps has become a second ground force." As an expeditionary force, which fights on the ground, from the sea, it needs all ground tools in its toolbox that it can acquire. After all, to use the words of Col. Robert Heinl: we are Soldiers of the Sea.
If FD2030 is based on the premise that naval ships won't be able to move around the battlespace, what on Earth is the utility of these new landing craft, that are large, slow, and effectively defenseless targets? Likewise, if naval ships can't move around, what exactly is the purpose arming with short ranged antiship missiles? If the concept is to use the USMC to garrison small islands in enemy controlled waters, where US ships can't operate, it's the chicken/egg argument...how are they going to get there? With a big side order of "how are they going to survive once they're there?".
Hiding in enemy controlled waters, radiating to get a target, firing short ranged missiles sounds like a complicated way to commit suicide to me...especially given an aircraft orbiting in US controlled airspace could accomplish the exact same thing with relative impunity while only putting 2 aircrew and a single aircraft at risk.