Compass Points - Straight Shooters
America loves the Marines
Compass Points - Straight Shooters
America loves the Marines
March 15, 2025
.
Americans love and respect Marines. The long, storied history of Marines fighting for the United States all over the world has endeared the Marines to grateful civilians.
One of the many things that Americans like about Marines is that Marines have a reputation for being straight shooters. Marines are straight shooters in two ways. First, with a rifle in hand Marines are straight shooters, they hit what they aim at. Second, Marines are straight shooters because they are truthful. Ask a Marine a question and that question will be answered briefly and bluntly. Marines always have a little bravado in them, but Marines can be counted on to give a straight answer.
Or at least that has been the traditional reputation of a Marine - straight shooter.
Is the Marine Corps in danger of losing its reputation for always stepping forward with the facts, no spin, no shading, no hiding the ball, and no prevarication?
Consider two recent examples.
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
“I have the Marines, and I have the squadrons, and I have the battalions and the batteries … I just don’t have the amphibs,” Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Eric Smith told VOA in an exclusive interview.
-- Voice of America
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
If the Marine Corps has all the battalions it needs, as the Commandant says, why is it necessary for a reserve infantry battalion to suddenly travel to Japan to fill a gap in the Marine Corps' Unit Deployment Program?
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
The Marines and Sailors of 2nd Battalion, 23rd Marine Regiment, 4th Marine Division, are deploying from California to Japan this week in support of the Marine Corps’ Unit Deployment Program (UDP).
The Marine Reserve infantry battalion headquartered in Pasadena, California, with units nationwide, are temporarily pausing their civilian lives for uniformed service as they depart for the 2025 deployment to Japan.
-- Marines.com
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
In another example, the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps testified that the Marine Corps has been forced to draw down its combat equipment and supplies.
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
The United States Marine Corps has warned that the constant support it has provided to Ukraine's military over the last three years of war has significantly drained its own supplies and could impact war readiness. This was the testimony of the second highest-ranked Marine, Gen. Christopher Mahoney (assistant commandant of the Marines), to a Senate subcommittee on Wednesday.
"The Marine Corps has provided over $2 billion [replacement cost about $5 billion] in equipment and munitions to the Armed Forces of Ukraine via PDA presidential drawdown authority]," Mahoney said in his opening statement.
.. ZeroHedge
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
The ACMC went on to testify, ""We remain the world's most elite fighting force with the most proficient combined arms teams and best small unit leaders,” Wait, what is that middle section? "Most proficient combined arms teams."?
The foundational publication of the Marine Corps explains combined arms:
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
Combined arms is the full integration of arms in such a way that to counteract one, the enemy must become more vulnerable to another. We pose the enemy not just with a problem, but with a dilemma -- a no-win situation. We accomplish combined arms through the tactics and techniques we use at the lower levels and through task organization at higher levels. In so doing, we take advantage of the complementary characteristics of different types of units and enhance our mobility and firepower. We use each arm for missions that no other arm can perform as well; for example, we assign aviation a task that cannot be performed equally well by artillery.
-- MCDP-1 Warfighting pp 4-24, 25
.
---------------------
---------------------
.
The commander of a Marine unit in a fire fight orchestrates the use of infantry, armor, air, artillery, and more to place the enemy in a dilemma from which he cannot escape. Unfortunately, over the last five years, the Marine Corps has decimated much of its combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities. How can it still be an elite combined arms force?
The Commandant said he has all the battalions he needs. If he has all the battalions he needs, why is it necessary to pull a reserve battalion to fill-in as part of the Unit Deployment Program? Deploying an active duty infantry battalion to Okinawa is a way to prepare that active duty battalion for operations in the Pacific or anywhere else. When an active-duty infantry battalion does not get the opportunity to participate in the UDP rotation, that means that active duty battalion is less ready than it should be. Or worse, it means that the infantry battalion does not exist.
Nearly five years ago, when the Marine Corps abruptly changed its focus from global, 9-1-1 crisis response to small island missile units in the Pacific. The Marine Corps made devastating reductions in its crucial combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities. Some infantry battalions are gone, the number of Marines in each remaining infantry battalion has been reduced, armor, artillery, aviation and aviation support, snipers, military police, and combat breaching and bridging have all been lost or grievously reduced.
The Commandant says the Marine Corps has all the battalions it needs.
The ACMC says the Marine Corps still has the "most proficient combined arms teams."
Hold on gentlemen. Marines are known for being straight shooters. Do not tarnish that reputation.
The sad truth is the Marine Corps itself has severely reduced and damaged its own combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities. It is time to rebuild, restore, and enhance the Marine global, combined arms, 9-1-1 crisis response force.
Maybe, just maybe Marine senior leaders are waking up to the actual dangers in the world. In his recent testimony, the ACMC went on to say the US military is facing China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea that are "colluding into a single, complex, and adaptive global threat system." Exactly. The threat is global and ever changing. The Marine Corps must always have a global focus and provide the Nation with an ever adaptive, combined arms force.
.
- - - - -
.
ZeroHedge - 03/14/2025
The Marine Corps Informs Senate That Ukraine War Is Impacting Readiness
By Tyler Durden
https://www.zerohedge.com/military/marine-corps-informs-senate-ukraine-war-impacting-readiness
.
- - - - -
.
Voice of America - 03/10/2025
Exclusive: Top U.S. Marine Says 'Crisis' With Amphibious Ships Causing Coverage Gaps
By Carla Babb
.
- - - - -
.
Marines - 03/10/2025
Marine Reserve Battalion Prepares for Deployment to Okinawa, Japan
The current CMC and ACMC are a long way away from the Wilson’s, Barrow’s Krulak’s, Grey’s, etc., etc. Those generals told it it like it was and in a polite manner unless provoked them woe betide unto the sorry congressman or Senator who piqued their ire. In their day it was simple what is the worst that can happen? Oh retirement!
The current flag officers writ large particularly the 3 and 4 star levels have created a career path for themselves and the other officers who have out their own careers and subsequent self enrichment ahead of their nation. Most of us didn’t join the military services, especially the US Marine Corps to become and or create generational wealth. We joined in good times and bad times and like marriage for better or for worse.
The CMC and ACMC has their integrity (see General Krulak address that issue, in a prior post) and ergo have lost their honor. At this stage they need to skulk off the stage and take their ill gotten gains and simply leave. We won’t follow their bread crumbs, rather look for new tough mean single minded single purposed officers that would as soon shoot you as look at you if you couldn’t follow them into Hell. They made the mess so be it, stop lying and move on and some “new guys” fix it.
FD2030’s Bent Barrel
Compass Points’ March 15 “Straight Shooters” mourns five years of FD2030—OUR Corps’ lost aim—7 tank companies, 3,700 billets, cut—21 arty batteries to 5—24 battalions to 21—186,000 Marines to 174,000 by ’27—Berger’s MLR shift—Smith’s dodge—straight shooters?—crooked aim
Facts Over Fiction
- **Testing**: FD2030—MCWL sims, 2019-2021—no Title 10 standalone—3rd MLR—HIMARS, no tanks—Balikatan ’23, Navy propped
Crooked Cost
Smith’s FD2030—five loose fingers—MLR’s a dud—Taiwan looms—no tanks, no punch—nation’s exposed“crooked aim kills!”—OOOOH-RAHH! Title 10—standalone—FD2030 flops crooked path’s treason!