It is OUR Corps and oddly some within the Corps, starting with the current resident of the oldest standing structure in Washington, DC, believes it is his exclusively. His predecessor trained him well, listen but don’t hear, especially if it is thoughtful comment from former senior leaders of the Corps who “have fought in ev’ey clime and place that we can take a gun.” Surround yourself with acolytes and “Yes sir! No sir” careerists who worry if their next decision will be good or bad for THEIR career rather than that which is good their/our Marines, the Corps and Country. One would not be surprised to see them heading to the front of the chow line in the field, after all they are busy people.
Thus it is indeed the duty, the order of the day to be curious, to ask hard questions and make prudent and wise comment on the current and future path of the Corps. It’s that or we don’t have a Marine Corps. That Eagle, Globe and Anchor are hard fought to earn. One gives his soul to his maker, because as it turns out the Corps has your backside firmly and FOREVER in its talons. The writer has been asked from time to time by colleagues and counterparts “why do you care, why so upset at this Force Design thing, there’s nothing you can do.” To which the reply is so simple, because OUR Marines serving today are owed that service and commitment. The Marines serving today are as important today to the writer as his Marines when on active duty. Maybe more so. “So yeah I’m gonna clime in and besides I was tortured by professionals at OCS/TBS and IOC.” Not to mention it’s easier now to be insubordinate, and say exactly what is on one’s mind. Note to self remain inside the lines of the general decorum as defined by CP! Fair to say that the author of the Cruxible knows something about our Ethos, we are different, we need to remain different and further to put a fine point on it, we can see that something as critical to our warfighting capability as the MAGTF, is a major part of that defining difference. No one has it, no one else can do it and even if they wanted to do so, they can’t because they are NOT United States Marines.
Gen Krulak's eloquence is spot-on! Lord how I miss those leaders of pre-2010s and their respect for our history and their willingness to change as needed without compromising our MAGTF capabilities and increasing our lethality as a Corps! Semper Fi, sir!
The best analogy I can find is to compare Force Design with France's disasterous experience with the Maginot Line leading in to and precipitating World War II. The same defeatist climate existed then in the aftermath of the carnage of World War I, and it was sold as an economical approach to the changing environment of warfare, the same two factors that has been used to sell Force Design. The Maginot Line was bypassed and rendered useless, the same thing that will happen with Force Design, which is far less logistically supportable than the Maginot Line was. Enemies are never going to attack strengths which has made the Corps an indispensable part of American, and consequently Western, foreign policy and strategic hegemony.
Even one division of first responding Marines with heavy support is worth the whole Corps of 8-9 brigades of missile batteries. The missile units are already being replicated by the Army's Multi Domain Task Forces not to mention that it is a core role of the Navy, so why are the Marines triplicating the function?
It is OUR Corps, including other 'Americans' born north of the border.
I think 58 dead French soldiers would beg to differ with you that no Allies were at risk in Beirut on 23 Oct 83.
You portray China as weak and ineffective in your comment. The China you portray seems hardly worth the focus of FD.
Your expansion of SIFs to include West Berlin, the Sinai and Marines in GITMO is at odds with the Marine Corps' published "A Concept Stand-in-Forces," that states, "SIF conduct sea denial operations in support of fleet operations, especially near maritime chokepoints."
Your reference to West Berlin, in particular, has no relevance to FD. The Army maintained the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin throughout the Cold War. The Berlin Brigade was a Separate Brigade consisting of:
Berlin Brigade Aviation Detachment (6x Bell UH-1H, 2 × Pilatus UV-20A Chiricahua, 1 × Beechcraft C-12C Huron)
US Military Liaison Mission in Potsdam – USMLM
US Army Signal Support Company
US Army Physical Security Support Element – PSSE – 410th Special Forces Detachment (1984-1990)
This was backed up by the US Army's V and VII Corps permanently forward deployed in West Germany along with forward deployed UK and Canadian forces, and a then formidable Germany Army along with other NATO allies.
The central idea spelled out in FD is the, "SIF are small but lethal, low signature, mobile, relatively simple to maintain and sustain forces designed
to operate across the competition continuum within a contested area as the leading edge of a maritime defense-in-depth in order to intentionally disrupt the plans of a potential or actual adversary."
It takes a huge stretch of imagination to say the Berlin Brigade was the leading edge of a maritime defense-in-depth and it certainly was not a small or low signature force. Of course like, today's SIF, it wasn't easy to sustain but at least the Army had a working plan and organization that sustained it for 40+ years.
It is OUR Corps and oddly some within the Corps, starting with the current resident of the oldest standing structure in Washington, DC, believes it is his exclusively. His predecessor trained him well, listen but don’t hear, especially if it is thoughtful comment from former senior leaders of the Corps who “have fought in ev’ey clime and place that we can take a gun.” Surround yourself with acolytes and “Yes sir! No sir” careerists who worry if their next decision will be good or bad for THEIR career rather than that which is good their/our Marines, the Corps and Country. One would not be surprised to see them heading to the front of the chow line in the field, after all they are busy people.
Thus it is indeed the duty, the order of the day to be curious, to ask hard questions and make prudent and wise comment on the current and future path of the Corps. It’s that or we don’t have a Marine Corps. That Eagle, Globe and Anchor are hard fought to earn. One gives his soul to his maker, because as it turns out the Corps has your backside firmly and FOREVER in its talons. The writer has been asked from time to time by colleagues and counterparts “why do you care, why so upset at this Force Design thing, there’s nothing you can do.” To which the reply is so simple, because OUR Marines serving today are owed that service and commitment. The Marines serving today are as important today to the writer as his Marines when on active duty. Maybe more so. “So yeah I’m gonna clime in and besides I was tortured by professionals at OCS/TBS and IOC.” Not to mention it’s easier now to be insubordinate, and say exactly what is on one’s mind. Note to self remain inside the lines of the general decorum as defined by CP! Fair to say that the author of the Cruxible knows something about our Ethos, we are different, we need to remain different and further to put a fine point on it, we can see that something as critical to our warfighting capability as the MAGTF, is a major part of that defining difference. No one has it, no one else can do it and even if they wanted to do so, they can’t because they are NOT United States Marines.
Exactly! Semper Fi!
Gen Krulak's eloquence is spot-on! Lord how I miss those leaders of pre-2010s and their respect for our history and their willingness to change as needed without compromising our MAGTF capabilities and increasing our lethality as a Corps! Semper Fi, sir!
The best analogy I can find is to compare Force Design with France's disasterous experience with the Maginot Line leading in to and precipitating World War II. The same defeatist climate existed then in the aftermath of the carnage of World War I, and it was sold as an economical approach to the changing environment of warfare, the same two factors that has been used to sell Force Design. The Maginot Line was bypassed and rendered useless, the same thing that will happen with Force Design, which is far less logistically supportable than the Maginot Line was. Enemies are never going to attack strengths which has made the Corps an indispensable part of American, and consequently Western, foreign policy and strategic hegemony.
Even one division of first responding Marines with heavy support is worth the whole Corps of 8-9 brigades of missile batteries. The missile units are already being replicated by the Army's Multi Domain Task Forces not to mention that it is a core role of the Navy, so why are the Marines triplicating the function?
It is OUR Corps, including other 'Americans' born north of the border.
Amen! Semper Fi!
I was a member of the "SIF" in Beirut in 1983. Don't recall the superior force that surrounded the MNF "blinking."
I think 58 dead French soldiers would beg to differ with you that no Allies were at risk in Beirut on 23 Oct 83.
You portray China as weak and ineffective in your comment. The China you portray seems hardly worth the focus of FD.
Your expansion of SIFs to include West Berlin, the Sinai and Marines in GITMO is at odds with the Marine Corps' published "A Concept Stand-in-Forces," that states, "SIF conduct sea denial operations in support of fleet operations, especially near maritime chokepoints."
Nice try.
Your reference to West Berlin, in particular, has no relevance to FD. The Army maintained the Berlin Brigade in West Berlin throughout the Cold War. The Berlin Brigade was a Separate Brigade consisting of:
4th Bn, 502d Infantry (6 × M106, 12 × M901, 14 × M113, 8 × M125)
5th Bn, 502d Infantry (6 × M106, 12 × M901, 14 × M113, 8 × M125)
6th Bn, 502d Infantry (6 × M106, 12 × M901, 14 × M113, 8 × M125)
Combat Support Battalion
HHC (2x M1A1)
Company D, 40th Armor (14x M1A1)
Company F, 40th Armor (14x M1A1)
Battery E, 320th Field Artillery (8x M109A3)
42d Engineer Company (3x M728 CEV)
42d Postal Unit
287th Military Police Company
298th Army Band
AFN Europe AM FM TV
43d Chemical Detachment
766th Military Intelligence Detachment
Berlin Brigade Aviation Detachment (6x Bell UH-1H, 2 × Pilatus UV-20A Chiricahua, 1 × Beechcraft C-12C Huron)
US Military Liaison Mission in Potsdam – USMLM
US Army Signal Support Company
US Army Physical Security Support Element – PSSE – 410th Special Forces Detachment (1984-1990)
This was backed up by the US Army's V and VII Corps permanently forward deployed in West Germany along with forward deployed UK and Canadian forces, and a then formidable Germany Army along with other NATO allies.
The central idea spelled out in FD is the, "SIF are small but lethal, low signature, mobile, relatively simple to maintain and sustain forces designed
to operate across the competition continuum within a contested area as the leading edge of a maritime defense-in-depth in order to intentionally disrupt the plans of a potential or actual adversary."
It takes a huge stretch of imagination to say the Berlin Brigade was the leading edge of a maritime defense-in-depth and it certainly was not a small or low signature force. Of course like, today's SIF, it wasn't easy to sustain but at least the Army had a working plan and organization that sustained it for 40+ years.