Compass Points - See More Clearly
How to win against a big adversary.
Compass Points - See More Clearly
How to win against a big adversary.
June 7, 2024
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It is time for the Marine Corps to see more clearly. Maybe scientists from the Australian National University’s ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS) can help.
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A team of scientists has created an ultra-thin coating that can provide high-efficiency night vision to any glass surface, including ordinary reading glasses. Designed using something called a non-local metasurface, the plastic-wrap-thin coating also lets through all of the visible light, allowing users to see perfectly during daytime or at night.
-- The Debrief
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Now, anyone will be able to see clearly in daylight or at night.
In its own effort to see more clearly the Marine Corps itself has opened at MCB Quantico the new, General Robert B. Neller Center for Wargaming and Analysis.
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The main mission of the center is to help develop capabilities through rigorous analysis and current intelligence.
Marines also will include science and technology experts to advise on current and future enemy capabilities in scenarios so that wargamers get a clearer picture of how they’ll fight.
The center aims for a more immersive experience than traditional tabletop exercises with advanced graphics, simulation and modeling so players can employ platforms, tactics and concepts and see whether their approaches succeed or fail.
-- Marine Times
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If new night vision coating or a new wargaming center help the Marine Corps to see more clearly, it will all be worth it because it is time for the Marine Corps to see more clearly.
With yesterday's 80th anniversary of D-day at Normandy and with the 80th anniversary of D-day at Saipan coming on 15 June, the Marine Corps and the Nation both need to see more clearly. What did it take in World War II to defeat Japan and to defeat Germany? Was technology important back then, just as it is today? Yes. But to defeat a powerful foe requires not only new technology, it requires the US to send into the conflict massive military might. Back before World War II, it would have been much better to deter Germany and deter Japan, but deterrence failed. When deterrence fails, the war in on. To defeat a powerful foe requires massive, combined arms ground forces constantly supported and resupplied by massive naval and air forces. There is no other way.
Today the US and its allies around the world are trying to deter China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and others. So far a fragile deterrence is holding. But should that deterrence fail, how will the US fight a peer adversary in global war? The answer is the same answer as in World War II. It will take massive, combined arms ground forces constantly supported and resupplied by massive naval and air forces. There is no other way.
What is the best course for the Marine Corps today to contribute to US security during the ongoing deterrence phase? Then, what is the best way for the Marine Corps to contribute to US security should global war erupt? In both cases a stronger, global, combined arms, maneuver Marines Corps can provide to US security much more than anything provided by a smaller, defensive, isolated, regional Marine Corps. China, Russia, and Iran right now are conducting gray zone, intimidation operations, short of war around the globe. A Marine MAGTF that can arrive quickly anywhere in the world is a powerful deterrence force. If that small, initial Marine MAGTF can then be rapidly augmented by larger and larger Marine MAGTFs with the help of maritime pre-positioning ships, then the deterrence force grows even stronger.
It is time for the Marine Corps to take off the blinders and see more clearly. Today's Marine Corps has divested too much of its air, armor, artillery, snipers, infantry battalions, and more. Marine training, equipment, and capabilities must be upgraded, enhanced, and augmented. In the summer of 1944, the US had the training, equipment, and capabilities to conduct two massive D-day landings on opposite sides of the globe within a few days: Normandy on 6 June and Saipan on 15 June. Is the Nation ready to do the same today? Absolutely not. The US does not have enough ships, aircraft, or big, combined arms battalions. What should the US do while it builds up the military? The US is supposed to be able to rely on the Marine Corps to be most ready when the Nation is least ready. The Marine Corps has promised to be an always ready, global 9-1-1 force. It is time for the Marine Corps to keep that promise.
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The Debrief - 06/07/2024
Optical Engineers Invent Ultra-Thin Coating That Turns Ordinary Glasses into High-Efficiency Night Vision Goggles
By Christopher Plain
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Marine Times - 06/05/2024
New Marine center aims for immersive, realistic approach to wargaming
By Todd South
The continuing issue seems to be a disconnect between a “National Strategy” and what the five branches of the military can deliver to meet the aims and interests of the United States. We have nearly a trillion dollar defense budget but to the jaundiced eye it really doesn’t support much, and when it does provide support the end results are generally poor or worse tragic. The latest example is the $300 million dollar “humanitarian relief” pier that was supposed be more or less anchored and attached to shore on the south Gaza coast. A nasty storm lashed the coast line and the pier was severely damaged and US military personnel by some accounts were in a pretty good spot of bother for a few days. The pier has been pretty useless until repairs are made, what if that pier was necessary to provide military logistics support to forward MEU, MAB, MEF units? Strictly relying on air dominance might not be enough or what if air superiority is not completely on our side. Force Design denuded the Corps of engineers, would our engineers even bother with a $300M self licking ice cream cone that falls apart in a storm? One highly doubts it, now the Corps is left with whomever can provide the logistical support beyond that integral to the expeditionary units? That doesn’t seem too bright a plan.
No doubt the war gaming center will have its value, but sometimes a rifle platoon commander confronted with the immediacy of a hostile action needs to be able to communicate with a KBar, sticks and rocks what he and his Marines need to do. Flip it on its ear, can FD deliver a straight forward and simple way to conduct operations that is better than the tried and true MAGTF? Which in turn ought to allow the Marine Corps to meet Title X mandates? No amount of war gaming changes hard facts. FD was a pivot away from reality, expensive, demoralizing and as it unwinds a disaster waiting to happen if the effort to continue the implementation keeps wasting, time, manpower and resources. Clear thinking….We had some the other day. “ Grab a book, and get busy.”
The U.S. had better technology than our adversaries in the more recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. But better technology did not result in victory. Perhaps we should put more resources toward "muscle" and less toward fancy machines and eyeglass lenses.