Compass Points - Marine Dreams

A Compass Points Satire Story

Compass Points - Marine Dreams

A Compass Points Satire Story

December 8, 2024

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Sunday is a good day for reflection.

With just over 6 weeks until a new administration takes office, bringing a new Defense Secretary and Naval Secretary, many people across the broad community of Marines and friends of the Corps are dreaming of a better and stronger Marine Corps that can be of greater service to the Nation.

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Compass Points - Marine Dreams & Ghosts of Combat Past

A Compass Points Satire Story

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Captain Jeremiah Clarion III realizes his 1st Sergeant Columbus Ortiz is shaking his shoulder.

"Skipper, wake up. It's just your bad dream again."

The air is thick with humidity and the smell of the jungle. The Marines are just inland from the beach on a tiny crumb of an island along the northern coast of the Philippines. It is dark and the waves dance rhythmically nearby.

"I'm awake. I'm good," says Clarion shaking his head and wiping the sweat from his forehead. "I'm good."

"Same bad dream?" asks Ortiz.

"They're starting to gang up on me," says Clarion with a smile.

"Your dad and your grandpa? That's harsh," said Ortiz looking closely at his boss. It was Ortiz's job to look after the welfare of their Marines and in his mind, that included looking after the well being of the Skipper.

"You don't know my family."

"I know you are a third-generation Marine officer. That's got to be tough all by itself," says Ortiz.

"Yeah, my granddad was a company commander in the early 60's, after Korea and before Vietnam. My dad was a company commander just after the Berlin wall came down and the Soviet Union fell apart."

"That was a long time ago," says Ortiz. "So, what do they tell you in your dream?"

"They just tell me to be ready for anything and everything."

"We are ready Skipper. We are the best Static Sensor Shooter Company in the Marine Corps."

"We're the only one," says Clarion. "We are the first experimental SSSC. But I'm not sure we are as ready as my dad and granddad were. When they deployed, they were not just company commanders, they were part of a Marine MAGTF. I wonder what they would think of me and our stripped down SSSC"

"Stripped down?" says Ortiz. "Our company is the latest and greatest. We have the best comms, best missiles, and best Marines."

"But can we handle anything that comes up? asks Clarion.

"Sure, we can. The bad guys send a ship down the slot, and we blast it with our missiles. End of story." says Ortiz.

"I wish it was that simple." says Clarion. "If something comes up, we are not part of a MAGTF."

"What exactly is a MAGTF?" asked Otiz. "I've heard of it."

"A MAGTF is central to how the Marine Corps organized to face challenges around the globe since before the 1960's." began Clarion, "It stands for Marine Air Ground Task Force and is pronounced, 'MAG - TAF.' A MAGTF is an infantry unit, usually a battalion, augmented by its own air, armor, and logistics. MAGTF's can be small, medium, or large. They embarked on ships and were always nearby and always ready for any crisis. MAGTF's were light enough to get to the fight and heavy enough to stay. They can conduct over-the-horizon amphibious landings on the beach, or over the beach. And they could handle any humanitarian crisis."

"Skipper, we have our own drones and missiles. That's air." suggests Ortiz.

"That's not the same." says Clarion. "We are stuck out here with no ammo, no water, no food. If we don't get our next delivery, we are in trouble. If our host country turns against us, we are in trouble. We are just stuck here. I'd say we are stuck on an island, but really it's not big enough to be an island."

"Skipper, you have to keep your motivation up, you get a little down after one of your bad dreams." cautions Ortiz.

"My motivation is up. I'm just worried our capabilities are not up." says Clarion. "Can we really handle anything that might happen?"

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"Like all the things a Marine MAGTF can do."

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"Sure, Skipper. Ship comes down the slot, we blast it with our missiles," says Ortiz.

"Yeah, yeah, I understand that. We have trained for that," says Clarion. "But war is inherently unpredictable. Anything can happen. Are we ready for more than just a ship coming down the slot? Are we ready for everything? We need to be able to do more."

"Like what, Skipper? asks Ortiz.

"Like all the things a Marine MAGTF can do."

"Like what exactly?"

"Like: Amphibious Assault, Amphibious Raid, Amphibious Demonstration, Amphibious Withdrawal?"

"No, we can't do those," agreed Ortiz.

"Or, what about: Maritime Direct Action: Seizure of Offshore Energy Platforms, Vessel Boarding Search and Seizure Operations, Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel, and In-Extremis Hostage Rescue."

No, we can't do those either, " agreed Ortiz.

"Or Peacekeeping, Peace Enforcement, Noncombatant Evacuation Operations, and Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief.

"We cannot do those either. To do all those things, we would need to have tanks and cannon artillery for the close battle, plus bridging and combat engineers and their equipment, plus much more logistics, transportation, and aviation support.

"And that's just the start of what a Marine MAGTF can do, "Clarion says excitedly. "There are more than 20 other capabilities of an embarked MAGTF, everything from fire support to anti-terrorism."

Captain Clarion pauses in his own thoughts. Finally, he shakes his head and looks at the 1st Sergeant, "All those capabilities in a Marine MAGTF and they want to replace all that with these small SSSC's? Compared to a Marine MAGTF, what can a Static Sensor Shooter Company do?

"Well, if a ship comes down the slot ... "

"I know!" injects Clarion. He again pauses and thinks to himself.

"It's not just the air, armor, artillery, and logistics, and all the specific capabilities we are missing, it is more than that," continues Clarion. "My dad carried a bootleg copy of FMFM-1 Warfighting. He called it maneuver warfare and he said maneuver warfare was the secret to how Marines did everything in garrison and on the battlefield. Maneuver warfare emphasized speed, cohesion, creativity, and low-level decision making. Maneuver warfare says don't get stuck in one place, not in our thinking and not in our actions. Always be hunting for the best way to keep moving forward. In other words, don't get stuck. And we are stuck. We are very stuck,"

"Skipper, we have satellites. The best satellites. We probably don't need all that other stuff."

"That's what some people think today, but it's not what I think, not what my dad thought, and it's not what my granddad thought."

"Your grandpa carried a copy of FMFM-1 Warfighting too?" asks Ortiz.

"No, my granddad was way before even the earliest advance copies of Warfighting," replied Clarion. "But you know, he carried a thing called the Small Wars Manual. He said the Small Wars Manual was filled with practical tips but was really all about developing a combat mindset. He always warned, don't get stuck in one place, not in your thinking, and not on the ground. Find a way to keep moving forward."

"He sounds like your dad," says Ortiz.

"Exactly! My granddad said Marine leaders need to make sure their Marines practiced speed, cohesion, creativity, and low-level decision making. It's a philosophy; it's a way of doing things; it's a combat mindset."

"But Skipper, you know we have our own modern manual, what's the name of it?" asks Ortiz.

"Big Missile Technology," says Clarion glumly. "It is a doctrine manual."

"Exactly. Skipper. Don't worry. Sure, the Marine MAGTF was embarked on ships, always steaming toward the next trouble spot. And sure, MAGTF's had tons of capabilities. But remember, our Static Sensor Shooter Company has missiles. And we have the new Big Missile Technology manual."

"I think there is a short form, a nickname, for the 'Big Missile Technology' manual," adds Ortiz.

"There is a short form for the Big Missile Technology doctrine," replies Clarion.

"What's it called?" asks Ortiz.

"Some people call it, 'the Big MisTech."

"Big MisTech," repeats Ortiz, "sounds about right."

"I just can't believe," says Clarion shaking his head, "that the Marine Corps would throw away all the capabilities of a Marine MAGTF and replace it with a narrow, fixed Static Sensor Shooter Company. I can't believe it."

Just then, Captain Jeremiah Clarion III realizes his 1st Sergeant Columbus Ortiz is shaking his shoulder:

"Skipper, wake up. It's just your bad dream again."

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Compass Points thanks all those who are still dreaming and still working for a better Marine Corps, and thanks all our readers who served as seminar leaders this week by providing topics, articles, and comments. Many thanks!