Compass Points - Murray & Murray

King of Comedy or King of Battle?

Compass Points - Murray & Murray

King of Comedy or King of Battle?

May 9, 2025

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The actor Bill Murray began on television in the early years of Saturday Night Live. Later, he starred in many comedy movies including Caddyshack, What About Bob, Stripes, Meatballs, Ghostbusters, Scrooged, and many others. He also starred in the philosophical comedy, Groundhog Day, about a TV weatherman forced to live the same day over and over again for years.

The Marine Corps, like Bill Murray, is stuck repeating the same mistakes over and over again. In the last five years, the Marine Corps has cut or planned to cut nearly three-fourths of all the cannon artillery in the Marine Corps. 21 batteries to 7 batteries, 126 tubes to 56 tubes.

If only the Marine Corps would listen to Bill Murray it could stop repeating the same mistakes from the past and get on a better path forward. But it is not Bill Murray the actor who should get the Marine Corps' attention, it is Bill Murray the US Army officer.

Lt. Col. William 'Bill' Murray is the deputy engineer for U.S. European Command, in Stuttgart, Germany. He graduated in 2005 from the U.S. Military Academy, West Point, New York and he is a 2017 graduate of the School of Advanced Military Studies, Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

In the Small Wars Journal, LtCol Bill Murray has written a timely warning not only for the senior leadership of the Army, but also for the senior leadership of the Marine Corps. In his article, "Beyond the Hype: Why Drones Cannot Replace Artillery" Murray warns of the continuing importance of cannon artillery. Murray says that no amount of drones can replace cannon artillery.

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The relentless footage emerging from the Ukrainian battlefield, dominated by images of drones striking tanks, disrupting troop movements, and providing crucial reconnaissance, has fueled a narrative, often breathless and uncritical, that unmanned systems are poised to replace conventional artillery. This idea, however, represents a fundamental misreading of the realities of modern warfare.

While drones undeniably offer valuable and evolving capabilities, they are best understood as powerful additions to, rather than substitutes for, the sustained, massive, and versatile firepower required in large-scale combat. A current, somewhat uncritical embrace of drone technology within the U.S. Army, driven by a desire for innovation and a perceived cost-effectiveness, risks diverting attention and resources from the vital modernization of artillery, a critical need for facing potential conflicts with peer or near-peer adversaries. The allure of a “drone-centric” future must be tempered with a clear-eyed assessment of the enduring strengths of traditional fires and the inherent limitations of unmanned aerial systems.

— Bill Murray, Small Wars Journal

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Instead of being distracted and deceived by drones, Murray advocates a more balanced approach.

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Charting a Course for the Future: A Balanced Approach to Fires Modernization

The U.S. Army should embrace drone technology, but not at the expense of artillery. It must resist the allure of the “next big thing” and instead pursue a deliberate, disciplined, and balanced fires modernization plan. This requires several key steps:

-- Prioritize Artillery Modernization: Programs like the Extended Range Cannon Artillery (ERCA), which significantly increases the range and lethality of existing howitzers, and the Precision Strike Missile (PrSM), which provides a long-range, surface-to-surface missile capability, must remain central to our modernization efforts. These programs represent a significant investment in the future of conventional fires and are essential for maintaining a credible deterrent. Drones should complement these systems, not supplant them.

-- Integrate, Don’t Substitute: Small drones should be integrated into fire support cells and battalion fire planning processes as reconnaissance assets and tools for striking point targets, but not as replacements for traditional gun and rocket systems. They should be used to enhance targeting accuracy, provide real-time battle damage assessment, and extend the reach of artillery fires.

-- Maintain Mass Fires Capability: Precision is valuable, but the ability to deliver massed fires at scale remains essential in major combat operations. Drones will never replicate the overwhelming suppression and deep interdiction effects of artillery. The ability to saturate an enemy position with high-explosive rounds remains a critical capability for breaking enemy defenses and achieving decisive breakthroughs.

— Bill Murrary, Small Wars Journal

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Some Marine Corps leaders, like some in the Army, became captivated by the potential of new technologies. They thought artillery was no longer important. Unfortunately, they were wrong. With so much artillery lost. along with so many other combined arms tools, the Marine Corps has been living the same day over and over again. Murray warns the new technology of drones has limits.

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Drones are a valuable addition to the modern battlefield, but they are tools, not harbingers of a revolution in military affairs. The lessons from Ukraine demonstrate that UAVs can augment and expand traditional fires, particularly in situations characterized by shortages and static fighting. However, they cannot and should not be viewed as substitutes for the artillery and rocket forces that are fundamental to operational maneuver and ultimate victory in large-scale warfare. The future of fires lies not in replacing proven capabilities with unproven technologies, but in integrating them to create a more versatile, resilient, and effective fire support network.

— Bill Murrary, Small Wars Journal

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Murray could be speaking directly to the Marine Corps when he says, "The future of fires lies not in replacing proven capabilities with unproven technologies, but in integrating them . . . ."

Nearly six years ago, the Marine Corps embarked on a misguided plan to change its focus from offense to defense, from a global force to a regional force, and from a combined arms force embarked on Navy ships to an island missile force off China's coast. As part of this ill-conceived and hasty experiment, the Marine Corps began to immediately cut proven combined arms capabilities. Why? After all these years, the Marine Corps is still pursuing the same failed plan.

While the actor Bill Murray is always joking, LtCol Bill Murray is deadly serious when he warns that military forces still need robust cannon artillery. Compass Points salutes LtCol Bill Murray, US Army, and all those working to integrate new technologies with proven combat tools. The updated, restored, and enhanced Marine Air Ground Task Force needs to be augmented with drones. No many how many drones the Marine Corps acquires, however, and no matter what their capabilities, drones will not be enough. When the future brings new battles, Marine infantry will still need the constant support and protection of the King of Battle.

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Small Wars Journal - 05/05/2025

Beyond the Hype: Why Drones Cannot Replace Artillery

By Bill Murray

https://smallwarsjournal.com/2025/05/05/beyond-the-hype-why-drones-cannot-replace-artillery/