Compass Points - Missing Persons
Where are the SIF?
Compass Points - Missing Persons
Where are the SIF?
July 24, 2024
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Where are they?
They were supposed to be somewhere in the islands of the northern Philippines.
Perhaps it is time to contact the US Embassy in the Philippines missing persons section:
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If you are concerned about the welfare or whereabouts of an American citizen in the Philippines, we may be able to provide information. If you are in the United States, you may call the Department of State’s Overseas Citizens Services (OCS) toll-free hotline at (888)407-4747 during the hours 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. (EST) Monday through Friday. At all other times, call the duty officer twenty-four hours a day at 202-647-4000. You may also contact the American Citizens Services Branch of the Embassy at (02) 5301-2000. Please give the office as many particulars as you can about the individual – physical description, where seen last, itinerary, interests, etc. The Embassy will attempt to contact the missing individual and advise them of your concern.
-- US Embassy in the Philippines
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Here is a description of the missing persons. The MLR - SIF are the Marine Littoral Regiment's Stand-in-Forces, the small missile units that are supposed to be in place along China coast prepared to sink China's ships.
Over the last 5 years, the Marine Corps has focused on the MLR - SIF missile units. The Marine Corps has continually lavished briefings on the missile units, but where are they?
The massive multi-national exercise, Rim of the Pacific or RIMPAC, is focused on destroying ships. On July 19, 2024, a Navy F/A-18-fired a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM to help sink the former amphibious assault ship.
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The decommissioned amphibious assault ship was sunk on July 19. as part of this year’s Exercise Rim of the Pacific, or RIMPAC, according to the Navy’s 3rd Fleet.
The Tarawa is one of the largest vessels that U.S. and partner forces have sunk in nearly two decades, a 3rd Fleet news release says. The last time a ship of its class was sunk as part of a military exercise was in 2006, when the former amphibious assault ship Belleau Wood was sent to the bottom during that year’s RIMPAC.
The Navy had not yet released photos or video of the sinking as of Tuesday afternoon.
One of the munitions used to sink the Tarawa was the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM, which was fired from a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet. The missile can also be fired from Air Force B-1 bombers.
-- Task and Purpose
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The USNI News is reporting that the Navy's SINKEX of the Tarawa was an opportunity for many forces to practice their ship sinking skills.
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U.S. forces used QUICKSINK – born out of collaboration between the Air Force Research Laboratory and the U.S. Navy – in the Friday sinking exercise that featured former amphibious assault ship USS Tarawa (LHA-1) as the target, according to a Monday U.S. 3rd Fleet news release.
“[I]n a partnership with the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber proved a low-cost, air-delivered method for defeating surface vessels through a QUICKSINK demonstration, as part of the second SINKEX,” U.S. 3rd Fleet said in the release.
“The QUICKSINK experiment is funded by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering and aims to provide options to neutralize surface maritime threats while demonstrating the inherent flexibility of the joint force. This capability is an answer to an urgent need to quickly neutralize maritime threats over massive expanses of ocean around the world at minimal costs.”
During the Friday SINKEX, U.S. forces also used a F/A-18F Super Hornet outfitted with a Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile. The Royal Australian Navy also had the chance to perform a successful live fire testing of its Naval Strike Missile, which destroyer HMAS Sydney (DDG-42) fired on the former Tarawa during the SINKEX.
“During the SINKEXs, participating units from Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy gained proficiency in tactics, targeting and live firing against surface ships at sea,” 3rd Fleet said in the release.
-- USNI News
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One major focus of RIMPAC is to practice destroying ships in the Pacific. The SINKEX of the Tarawa included participating units from "Australia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy." One question: where were the Marines? The Marine Corps has focused for the last several years on creating what are supposed to be ship destroying experts, the MLR - SIF small missile units. The Marine missile units are supposed to be in the Pacific focused on destroying ships. The exercise RIMPAC is in the Pacific focused on destroying ships. It is strange that the Marine Corps' ship destroying experts, the MLR - SIF missile units did not participate in the July 19, 2024, SINKEX of the USS Tarawa. This was a perfect time for the MLR-SIF to demonstrate their capabilities. Are the MLR-SIF units missing persons? Where are they?
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US Embassy in the Philippines
Missing Persons
https://ph.usembassy.gov/missing-persons/
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Task and Purpose - 07/23/2024
Navy sinks USS Tarawa in latest Pacific SINKEX
An F/A-18-fired anti-ship missile was used to sink the former amphibious assault ship on July 19 during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2024.
By Jeff Schogol
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/uss-tarawa-sunk/
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USNI News - 07/23/2024
U.S., Partners Experiment with New Weapon Systems During RIMPAC 2024 SINKEX
By Mallory Shelbourne
“One of the munitions used to sink the Tarawa was the Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile, or LRASM, which was fired from a Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet. The missile can also be fired from Air Force B-1 bombers.”
“In a partnership with the U.S. Navy, a U.S. Air Force B-2 Spirit stealth bomber proved a low-cost, air-delivered method for defeating surface vessels through a QUICKSINK demonstration, as part of the second SINKEX,” U.S. 3rd Fleet said in the release.”
NOW WE ARE TALKING!
Both General Berger and Smith had no problem using the JOINT word to add to the justification of the “disassembly” of the US Marine Corps as the “first in” force. Instead of attempting to figure out how to develop an anti-ship missile for the HIMARS (and other tactical vehicles) and the MLR, the Marine Corps should have been working on a JOINT Command and Control suite to coordinate a Joint Strike Force of US Navy ships, F18s, F35s, P8s, B1s, B52s and US Army Multi-Domain Brigades. In 2002 General Paul Van Riper proved at the Naval War College annual war game that “swarming” anti-ship missiles works. https://www.sandboxx.us/news/that-time-a-marine-general-led-a-fictional-iran-against-the-us-military-and-won/
For example, a better idea might be to seize a small Pacific Island between the Philippines and Japan with an amphibious assault or raid with this Joint Strike Command and Control suite. This scenario makes the island chain strategy look a little better. I mention raid because one of the justifications of Design 2030 was the WW2 US Marine 3rd Parachute Battalion raid on Choiseul Island. This was a deception raid in prep for the amphibious assault on Bougainville. I am still looking for the connection of this operation to the MLR idea. BTW, if you want or need to enhance deterrence, execute an MPF off-load with this C&C suite on Taiwan. Now that would be an attention getter.
The other sin committed by our Commandants and SECDEF is they have created a hole in our Joint Force deployment planning and execution capability by not building and maintaining amphibs and the MPFs. During Desert Shield in 1990, the US Marine Corps deployed two MPFs and amphibious forces into Saudi Arabia between August 2nd and mid-September. The next deployment priority was the US Army’s 24ID that was not fully deployed and operational until the end of Nov. You would think that the SECDEF would be able to recognize this issue and ask some questions.
Doug R. has it right with his list of conceptual questionable ideas about the yet to be developed land based anti-ship missiles. Another bad idea was the removal of tanks from the Marine Corps T/O. General Smith has publically stated that removal of Marine tank battalions was justified because the “Javelin” anti-tank system out range the tank. With that thinking, isn’t the Javelin out ranged by tube artillery? Isn’t tube artillery a good suppression weapon for man packed anti-tank missiles? I thought one reason the Marine Corps went to 155mm tube artillery was that a 90 pound 155 projectile will ruin a tankers day.
Let’s keep the comments and discussion going…Semper Fi
In the Naval Institute Proceedings article, "To Upgun Seapower in the Indo Pacific, You Need an Army" (USNI Proceedings 2/2/24) General Charles Flynn and Lt. Colonel Tim Devine, discuss the development of the Army's Multi-Domain Task Force. In response to China's A2/AD barrier, they point out that in 2017, Admiral Harry Harris, then Commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, requested that the Army begin to sink ships. With that request, "The Army has pursued that goal ever since." It must be noted that the Admiral did not request that the Marine Corps sink ships. He specifically put the request out to the Army. The article suggests that "Army fires would complement the Marine Corps' concept of stand-in forces, not only by adjoining more firing platforms-adding much needed capacity to counter PLA's mass-but also by linking those expeditionary forces with the accompanying Army support...." We have read numerous times in CP that the Marine Corps' anti-shipping missile capabilities are not up to the same capabilities as Army weapons. With a smaller budget, why is the Marine Corps duplicating what the Army is doing? If the Marine Corps was not at SINKEX, what is the point of having a missile Marine force? Why did we give up our combined arms capability? If the Marine Corps wants to contribute to the fight, then do something no other force is doing. I point to an article from a posting I made yesterday by Marine Major, Jake Yeager, "Expeditionary Advance Maritime Operations: How the Marine Corps Can Avoid Becoming a Second Land Army in the Pacific." Written in December 2019, the article describes how Marine Pacific forces can be organized to conduct offensive maritime raids against Chinese naval ports and facilities. With China seeking port and naval facilities globally, this would take the battle to the Chinese and attack them where they least expect it. By not participating in SINKEX, the Marine Corps shot itself in the foot. We got rid of our combined arms capability and have nothing to show for it.