Compass Points - Homecoming
A big welcoming party very soon.
Compass Points - Homecoming
A big welcoming party very soon.
February 10, 2025
.
It is time for a Marine Corps homecoming. Homecoming celebrations are widely held in high schools, universities, and churches as a way of drawing together the institution's entire community.
The first invitations for the Marine Corps homecoming have already been issued. Invitations went out to a select group of Marines.
.
-----------------
-----------------
.
Thousands of Marines who were separated from the military for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine got messages from the service informing them of President Donald Trump's Jan. 27 executive order, which seeks to reinstate them into the armed forces with their previous rank and backpay should they decide to return.
. . . As a result of the recent Presidential Executive Order making reinstatement available to service members discharged for refusing the COVID-19 vaccination, Marine Corps Recruiting Command sent out communication thanking the Marines for their previous service and informed them of the opportunity to return," Jim Edwards, a spokesperson for the service's recruiting command, said in an emailed statement to Military.com on Tuesday. "The Marine Corps is awaiting further guidance regarding regulations, policy guidelines and requirements that relate to rank, back pay and benefits."
-- Military.com
.
-----------------
-----------------
.
It is not only the 3,723 Marines already invited back under the reversal of the COVID policies, many, many other homecoming invitations need to be sent out. For example, under the current Marine Corps Commandant and his predecessor, far too many Marine combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities have been sent away. It is time to invite them all back.
.
-----------------
-----------------
.
With the implementation of Force Design 2030 in March 2020 (now called Force Design), the Marine Corps’ General Manager (CMC), General Berger, divested (cut) 21% of the personnel in infantry battalions, 100% of the tanks, 67% of the cannon artillery batteries, 33% of the assault amphibious companies, more than 25% of Marine aviation (since the initial FD divestments, the Marines have/will bring back almost 100 of the 200 aircraft divested, the percentage loss in the active force is now only about 17 percent), and almost all assault breaching equipment in the active forces.
. . . We are now almost five years into the implementation of Force Design and the current General Manager (CMC), General Smith, has not changed course but instead doubled down. In his statement on the posture of the Marine Corps before the Senate Appropriations Committee on 16 April 2024, he wrote: “I remain fully committed to Force Design and all its supporting efforts.” Today, not one Stand-In-Force is operational and forward deployed on a pacific island. Not one missile has been procured. And, the Navy has postponed the procurement of the Landing Ship Medium (which will transport and resupply the SIFs).
-- Stephen Baird, Real Clear Defense
.
-----------------
-----------------
.
It is not only Marines, their equipment, and capabilities that need to be invited back, it is the Navy pre-positioning ships and Navy transport ships that Marines depend on that need to be invited back. The Marine Corps has had to fight for decades for the ships it needs. It was bewildering and frustrating for Marines who had fought the fight over so many years, when in the summer of 2019, the Commandant abruptly told the Navy that the Marine Corps would accept fewer ships. Fewer ships!
Now, the Marine Corps is facing a crisis in the Navy ships it needs.
.
-----------------
-----------------
.
For years Marine Corps leaders have been calling for more amphibious ships to transport Marines and their warfighting equipment around the globe. But a recent government oversight report revealed what bad shape the Navy’s existing amphibious ships are in – and raised major concerns about challenges for the Marine Corps in fulfilling critical national security missions.
Of the 32 amphibious warfare ships now in inventory, only half are in “satisfactory” shape, a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released in December showed. Sixteen ships are classified in “poor material condition,” including five of the nine amphibious assault ships, the largest and most capable of the amphibs. In addition, inspectors found ships that needed much more maintenance than their documentation indicated; missing ship availability reports from the Navy and Marine Corps; and canceled maintenance periods for ships that are marked for retirement, even though they still have upcoming missions and deployments.
All this matters because the Navy’s amphibious ships are what enables “America’s 911 force,” the Marine Expeditionary Units that assemble and deploy anywhere in the world within hours for humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions, as well as conflict response and deterrence.
-- Sandbox
.
-----------------
-----------------
.
It is time for a Marine Corps homecoming. Homecoming celebrations are widely held in high schools, universities, and churches as a way of drawing together the institution's entire community. The Marine Corps homecoming should welcome back Marines who left over the last several years -- for whatever reason -- and who now are ready and qualified to return. In addition, entire units, vital equipment, and crucial capabilities must also receive invitations. The Marine Corps has sent away an entire infantry regiment and an entire artillery regiment. Both need to be invited back. In addition, all the missing Navy pre-positioning ships, and transport ships must be invited.
Some of the homecoming celebrations should be held at the Marine Corps University at Quantico. Marine veterans of every rank and MOS could help the MCU comply with the guidance from the new Secretary of Defense and refocus every book, class, and curriculum solely on warfighting.
What should be the theme of the Marine Corps homecoming? The theme should be "Restoring GCR." The entire focus will be on Rapidly Rebuilding and Enhancing Global, Combined Arms, Crisis Response.
Too many years have gone by. It is time for the Marine Corps to welcome back Global Crisis Response. It will be a great celebration. Joining in with the celebrating Marines will be the Commander-in-Chief, the Vice-President, the new Defense Secretary, the new Naval Secretary, and every member of Congress. The celebration will include a massive 'pot-luck' dinner. Why pot-luck? Because if everyone brings something and everyone contributes something, Marine Corps global crisis response can be quickly restored.
.
- - - - -
.
Military.com - 02/04/2025
Thousands of Marines Booted for Refusing COVID-19 Vaccine Get Messaged About Returning
By Drew F. Lawrence and Konstantin Toropin
.
- - - - -
.
Real Clear Defense - 02/10/2025
U.S. Marine Corps: Put Me in Coach
By Stephen Baird
Stephen Baird is a retired Marine Colonel. He served as the G-5 for 1 Marine Expeditionary Force, the Chief of Staff for the 1st Marine Division followed by his last assignment as the Chief of Staff for U.S. Marine Corps Forces Central Command during Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
.
- - - - -
.
Sandbox - 02/05/2025
The ships that take Marines to war are in really, really bad shape
By Hope Seck
Some times the simple approach is the best approach. In early 1975 I became an infantry platoon leader and had 62 Marines on the books. Yet, I could not fall out more than 25. In reality, I did not have a full two squads.
The number of Amphibs that could load Marines and sail into harms way is about 18-20. The amount of Marines and their gear to conduct an Amphibious Assault is day to day and hard to determine. Are the Ospreys and F-35’s grounded for a safety stand down? Will the sea state be sufficiently calm to launch Assault Amphibious vehicles? Does the MAGFT of probably Brigade size have air defense capabilities? How about fully manned, trained and equipped infantry Bn’s? Of course, no tanks, no snipers, no bridging equipment, no MP’s, probably no Brigade HQ that has conducted a live fire exercise in years or tube artillery either.
For a full five years the Corps has cut MAGTF assets without having created a single, fully functioning EABO team. The bulldozers tore down the barracks and the Marines are standing in the rain waiting for the new, promised building to be built.
I might note that in the five years that the Corps castrated itself of war fighting prowess I have not seen a cut in the supporting establishment or higher HQ’s. I have not seen an improvement in facilities like barracks or family housing.
I am puzzled. What exactly is HQMC doing? It might be time for a unit formation and see what will form up on the parade deck. It might mirror my first formation as a Plt Ldr. The Corps fixed itself then and that challenge was child’s play compared to what must be set right today.
One has to ask if the Marines that were discharged will come back. Maybe yes and maybe no. One could equally ask why would they? When anyone who can put fog on a mirror sees the level of leadership across all branches of our military it is hard to be even notionally confident that senior leadership has any clue other than to be sure the pinky finger is pointed up and outward when having tea with senator foghorn leghorn. If something stronger than just two drinks and it is “by your leave.” How can we regain the trust and confidence of the American people? We will need more than the new SecDef saying what will be done. They need to get busy and fast. Sands are slipping down through the hourglass Dorthy. The flying monkeys are still airborne. And we are worried about drones when the puzzle palace has us covered with their own brand of flying monkeys.