Compass Points - Key Ingredient: Antimony
Marine Corps Global Crisis Response
Compass Points - Key Ingredient: Antimony
Marine Corps Global Crisis Response
August 21, 2024
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If a reporter strolls the hallways of the capitol and asks lawmakers and their staff if they support a strong US national defense, nearly everyone would say "yes" they favor a strong national defense. If the reporter asks those same lawmakers and staff if they support a strong US Marine Corps, nearly everyone, again, would say "yes" they favor a strong Marine Corps.
While that automatic, reliable affirmation is important, it is not enough. For a genuinely strong national defense, and for a genuinely strong Marine Corps, it is necessary to dive into the details and define the ingredients for success. Military success does not come from vague statements of support, as important as those are, it comes from a whole roster of detailed ingredients. Without the proper ingredients, there is no success.
The Wall Street Journal editorial board has issued a warning about one key ingredient critical for national defense. The key ingredient is antimony.
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Government permitting snarls U.S. economic growth, and these days it also jeopardizes national security. A 3 a.m. wake-up call for Washington came last week when China announced export restrictions on antimony, a critical mineral in weapon systems and semiconductors.
Beijing isn’t coy about its motives. Restricting antimony exports, China’s commerce ministry says, is needed “to further protect China’s national security and interests and fulfill the nation’s international non-proliferation obligations.”
That’s the Chinese Communist Party’s way of reminding the West of its dependence on China for national defense. More than 300 types of munitions require antimony, and China accounts for about half of the world’s production. Russia and Tajikistan make up most of the rest. The U.S. doesn’t mine antimony and sources 63% of its imports from China.
-- WSJ, "China Sends a Permitting Wake-Up Call"
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Antimony is a tiny but critical ingredient necessary for a strong national defense. Lawmakers are in favor of a strong national defense and yet various permit restrictions imposed by lawmakers are standing in the way of the US producing its own antimony. How can this be? The problem is that lawmakers and their staff have not yet dug into the details to understand the importance to national defense of antimony.
The US faces unlimited threats and challenges around the globe. The US needs a strong global defense. Another key ingredient necessary for a strong global national defense is the US Marine Corps global, expandable, combined arms, crisis response MAGTF. For decades, the Marine Air Ground Task Force embarked on ships patrolling the oceans of the world has been policy makers' primary tool for rapid global crisis response. When a crisis erupts somewhere in the world, a small Marine MAGTF already on ships nearby arrives quickly. A full combined arms MAGTF with its own air, armor, artillery, combat support and combat service support is a powerful and flexible force. The small MAGTF immediately beings to deter, assist, and fight. If the crisis expands, the small MAGTF must have the ability to be rapidly augmented using maritime prepositioning ships and Marine fly-in-echelons.
Lawmakers want a strong national defense, and they know that the Marine Corps global, expandable, combined arms, crisis response MAGTF is a key ingredient of national defense. Unfortunately, too many lawmakers and their staff have not yet dug into the details enough to understand that just as the US supply of antimony is dwindling, the US supply of Marine Corps global, expandable, combined arms, crisis response MAGTFs is also dwindling.
Lawmakers must dig into the details to rescue the global, expandable, combined arms, crisis response MAGTF.
Here are just some of the details:
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In the past four years, the Marine Corps has divested 100 percent of the following:
-- Tanks (7 companies)
-- Bridging (3 companies)
-- Breaching, Clearing, Proofing Equipment (except for towed trailers with line charge)
-- Military Police (3 battalions)
-- School Trained Snipers in all Infantry Battalions
The Marine Corps has also divested (or announced intentions to divest) percentages of the following:
-- Cannon Artillery (67 percent—21 batteries to 7 batteries or 56 percent—126 tubes to 56)
-- Assault Amphibians (33 percent—2 of 6 AAV companies)
-- Marines in Infantry battalions (21 percent—divested 3 of 24 battalions and cut 86 of 896 Marines from remaining battalions)
-- Regimental Headquarters (12.5 percent—1 of 8)
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These are only some of the losses. The list could go on. Despite all the losses, however, the entire national defense community, including lawmakers, are waking up to the need to dig into the details and upgrade, restore, and enhance the units, equipment, and capabilities of the Marine Corps global, expandable, combined arms, crisis response MAGTF.
One key ingredient to US national defense is antimony. Another key ingredient to US national defense is the Marine MAGTF. It will take help from lawmakers to ensure the Nation maintains a constant supply of antimony. It will also take help from lawmakers for the Nation to maintain a constant supply of the Marine Corps global, expandable, combined arms, crisis response MAGTF.
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WSJ Editorial - 08/20/2024
China Sends a Permitting Wake-Up Call
U.S. restrictions on mining critical minerals give Beijing military leverage.
By Wall Street Journal Editorial Board
Lynn Stuart
The analogy of the world’s precious Antimony with the diminishing role of the MAGTF and its impact on our national defense couldn’t be more explicit.
Why does the active leadership in our Corps continue to ascribe to the Force 2030 philosophy and courses of action that defy logic and common sense? The Marine Corps has been relegated to a menial role in the overall military defense scheme, not only incapable of performing its traditional Title X responsibilities, but unable to maintain a consistent MEU presence in most troubled spots of the world.
Other than Compass Points, where is the dialogue, debate, discussion, or arguments (by our Marine leadership) for or against Force 2030? I don’t see it in Leatherneck or any other military journals! Why is this discourse suppressed or obviated at a time when the Corp’s combat capabilities have been significantly depleted and/or divested? To what end? Seven cannon batteries for an entire U.S Marine Corps? Really!! No Tanks, virtually no Combat Engineering, no MP’s, 1/3 reduction in Assault Amphibs, and over 20% reduction in Infantry??? And more! What have we done to our national defense?
Rescuing the Marine Corps from its dwindling self must start within — with its senior leadership acknowledging its diminished abilities and willing to restore both logic and common sense that has been a casualty of Force 2030. That same venue should also open a dialogue among all to support/defend it or lay out a course for a new direction for the Corps. Simultaneously, our leadership should join others (lawmakers and friends of Marines) to take certain initiatives to restore, upgrade, and expand the Marine Corps’s global, combined arms, crisis response MAGTFs. Our US National Defense depends upon it! The U.S. Marine Corps future depends upon it! Semper Fi!
There are three issues in play here:
1. What people say is immaterial. What people do is the best indicator of true intent.
2. National Defense is so much more than the Department of Defense. It is a national issue that criss crosses everything we do. Education is national defense. 300,000 Chinese students at US Universities is a defense issue. Petro Chemical, Agriculture, industrial base, infra structure, youth physical fitness, high tech industry, critical minerals and chemicals, export policy, research, development and acquisition, cultural standards, immigration, national health, strategic stockpiles, transportation, diplomacy, entertainment, sports, commercial shipping and aviation policy are all defense related. Who coordinates and directs these efforts? Something as simple as stockpiling critical minerals seem to be too hard to grasp. We can’t even refill the National Petroleum Stockpile or build up critical medical resources.
3. Our Corps, seeking to be cutting edge and lethal engaged in a series of miscalculations that made it virtually irrelevant. Change is certain. The right change is another matter. While history champions change that ushered in victory the failures of change are relegated to the dusty back shelves. When change agents dismiss their critics as “resistant to change” you know they cannot debate the merits of the change they champion. So it was the day FD-20XX was spawned in secrecy with threats and subterfuge. The very process of implementation was an indicator as to its value. It could not stand up to the scrutiny of professional analysis. It could not stand up to scrutiny and leaned on trying to discredit the well meaning and experienced like Gen Gray and countless professional SNCOs, Officers and Generals.
Today we are facing a narrow window to rebuild, reform and once again make the Marine Corps a globally relevant MAGTF. Failure to do so will result in a catastrophic impact with Congressional funding priorities and extinction.