Compass Points - Stay on Offense
Get off the islands.
Compass Points - Stay on Offense
Get off the islands.
January 17, 2024
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The US Navy is not where it should be. The US Marine Corps is not where it should be. No matter its shortcomings, however, the US Navy is not making the colossal mistake the Marine Corps is making.
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The Defense News is presenting a three part series highlighting innovative ways the Navy can upgrade its combat capabilities.
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On January 17, 2024, Defense News published Commander Douglas Robb's opinion article, "Repair deployed ships in theater to optimize combat power."
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Cmdr Robb explains:
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Recent maritime events underscore the importance of continuous global naval operations. They have also reignited debates about how best to employ forces without overcommitting or burning them out.
With demand unlikely to ebb, increasing the operational availability of our current supply of forces — especially those ships already deployed — becomes paramount. Vast ocean distances that take weeks to traverse make the ability to regenerate forces quickly a critical enabler for mission success.
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. . . reconstituting the Navy’s once robust, in-theater expeditionary ship repair capabilities can help overcome domestic constraints and answer the National Security Strategy’s charge to build “a combat-credible military.” Some such efforts are underway, but further strategic and policy choices can deliver the operational benefits sooner.
-- Cmdr Robb
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Cmdr Robb's point is to keep more Navy ships on patrol around the globe, it would help to use more in theater maintenance facilities. To keep more ships on offense, stop sailing them back to their homeports where maintenance facilities are already over scheduled.
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In his other two articles in the Defense News series, Cmdr Robb recommends that to keep guided missile destroys on patrol, vertical missile tubes should be reloaded at sea. Reloading vertical missile tubes at sea, keeps the ships in the fight.
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Cmdr Robb also recommends that just as the Navy has created SSN-AUKUS, an alliance with Australia and the U.K. to construct a new class of attack submarines, the Navy now needs DDG-JROKUS an alliance with Japan and South Korea to construct a new class of destroyers.
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The Navy is struggling today. It will take innovative ideas and innovative programs to help the Navy solve its ship building and ship maintenance problems. No matter how much the Navy may be struggling today, it has not made the colossal mistake the Marine Corps has made.
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With the publication of the former Commandant's Planning Guidance back in the summer of 2019, the Marine Corps began a period of radical restructuring.
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The entire radical restructuring of the Marine Corps over the last few years, is based on a misguided fear. The fear is that because China has precision missiles, therefore Marines must go from offense to defense and hide on isolated islands in the Pacific.
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While Marines study their opposition and give due respect to their abilities, it should be inconceivable to any Marine that combat operations should be based on fear of the enemy. Basing Marine combat operations on fear of the enemy is a betrayal of the history and character of Marines. Marines stay on offense. Marines take the fight to the enemy. If Marines go on defense it is only for a moment to prepare the next attack.
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Every idea in the Defense News Navy series is about how the Navy can stay on offense, can stay in the fight. There is no thought in the Navy that because of the proliferation of precision missiles by China or anyone else, the Navy must retreat to defense, hide in island ports, or curtail worldwide patrols. The Navy is staying on offense. What about the Marines?
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Cmdr Robb commanded the guided-missile destroyer Spruance and is now studying and thinking deep thoughts in a special program at Oxford. All of his deep thoughts, however, have one focus: keeping the Navy on offense, taking the fight to the enemy.
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The fighting spirit of Commander Robb is an example for the entire Navy. In the same way, the fighting spirit of one Marine or one squad of Marines sets the example for the entire Marine Corps. When some bureaucratic Marine Corps programs do not match the fighting spirit of Marines, something is wrong.
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The US Navy is not where it should be. The US Marine Corps is not where it should be. No matter its shortcomings, however, the US Navy is not making the colossal mistake the Marine Corps is making. The Navy is staying on offense. The Navy refuses to retreat to defense. The proliferation of precession missiles from China and other foes is a real and serious threat, but the US Navy is staying on offense. It is time for the Marine Corps to put aside the fear of China's missiles. The Marine Corps is not made to sit on defense.
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Compass Points salutes Cmdr Robb for his innovative articles and salutes all those throughout the Marine community and in Congress helping the Marine Corps to get off the islands and get back in the fight.
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Defense News (defensenews.com) 01/17/2024
Repair deployed ships in theater to optimize combat power
By Cmdr. Douglas Robb
Cmdr. Douglas Robb commanded the U.S. Navy’s guided-missile destroyer Spruance, and is currently a U.S. Navy fellow at the University of Oxford.
Just for the record and for Ian TB, anyone here reading this can see exactly who I am and happy to take on any and all comments, critiques, slings and arrows, etc. calling someone a coward here is something “not observed” and in the main would be fighting words, and pistols at dawn.
As to the post in specific, sounds like some deep thinking on the Navy’s part, at least at some level. Having attended a political campaign event this afternoon in New Hampshire, Congressional Representatives Roy (R) Texas and Massie (R) were featured speakers for one of the Candidates running in the NH Republican primary for POTUS held next Tuesday. Skipping the chance to speak with the candidate, this intrepid reporter (for 10 minutes) spoke with both Congressmen, regarding FD2030. Representative Massie knew nothing of the issue, after a sit rep and frag order, “please look into it” which to his credit Representative Massie said his staff would do. It was time track down Representative Roy, he took a couple of seconds to process the discussion, and indicated he did know there was an issue with the Corps, that FD2030 was on his staff’s radar, but he is not on the armed services committee and has plenty on his table with his district in Texas. Read that illegal immigration across the Texas border with Mexico. That said he indicated he would try to take a look at the issue. What’s the point? If the small sample size of federal representatives demonstrates a lack of knowledge or that there is even an issue with the readiness of the Marine Corps to meet its Title X mandates, then there is a major information gap. The feeling one gets is no one knows. So the question comes up again, how best to get the word out. It feels like we need more exposure across the spectrum. Any ideas? “When you need help ask for it.” Please help.
I happened to be reading James Webb’s oral history interview in the Marine Historical Archives today. Exhaustive interview and he details the state of the Corps when he left through the recovery and rebuilding of the 80’s and 90’s. Uncanny parallels that being to mind the cycle of good ideas, their unfortunate consequences, and what courage it takes to right them over the long haul. Recommend it in light of our current crisis.