Since 1947, evolving in Title 10 US Code, the existence, organization and missions of the USMC have been expressed by law. The last CMC and current Commandant and our senior officers have ignored this with FD 2030 and stripped out needed formations, weapons and equipment, yet, to my limited knowledge, they have not been called upon by the relevant Congressional committees to explain their actions which seem contrary to law, nor have the relevant Secretaries. Why?
Fair question, and such should happen. Who in the world in the WH, DOD, DON, & DOS was minding the store? We will most likely fix the problem. Those who created it should be called on to answer why they did it, and under what authority!
Exactly. I found it ridiculous that CMC's Birthday Message this year lauded the skill and courage of the Marines who began the Second Battle of Fallujah on November 7, 2004, and lasted six weeks clearing that city, but didn't mention that HQMC had since followed the nifty phrase, "Divest to Invest" and stripped our Corps of the ability to employ tank-infantry teams in a built up area.
The Last 2 Commandant’s destruction of the USMC’s Global multiple ,lethal, scaleable, MEFs/MEBs/MEUs, that were once capable of simultaneously performing in CentCom, IndoPacCom, EUCOM, SouthCom, and NorthCom etc has been destroyed by their psychotic, myopic stare on the defense of Inner Island Chain near the PRC. During this self inflicted paralysis China has engaged the United States globally. Open source information reveals PRC fentanyl operations ongoing in Mexico ie just across the Rio Grande River, coordinated with Mexican Cartels that have invaded Our Homeland killing hundreds of thousands of American Citizens w Fentanyl. The PRC operates police stations inside Our Homeland. It has purchased American land near sensitive US military bases. The PRC has engaged in ongoing overflight of CONUS, Hawaii and other global US and Our Allies bases using High Altitude Balloons. PRC bulk intercept I.e.Cyber Espionage of Our CONUS communication systems by CCP Hackers known as Typhoons , Volt Typhoon targets the US power grid, medical infrastructure etc, Flax Typhoon targets the US Internet of Things ie thermostats, fit bits, etc..into a bot net to conduct Salt Typhoon has successfully infiltrated US Gov databases containing lists of DOJ compromised PRC Collaborators. In the CentCom AOR it is day 428 of Israel’s 7 front war in which the US continues to be fully engaged. In the last week following a tenuous Israeli Hezbollah cease fire we are witnessing a Turkish (NATO member) armed rebel force overrun Aleppo with a clear path to capture Damascus. Israel has conducted strikes on Syrian WMD storage sites in-order to keep them from being seized by the ISIS/AQ related forces. USCentCom still maintains US Forces in the area ie Operation Inherent Resolve. Moving to European Command the US has continued to pour hundreds of billions of dollars in military equipment, supplies since engaging as the primary ally w Ukraine in a proxy war w Nuclear armed Russia. Russia is also allied w PRC and is also employing DPRK munitions and Fighters in their war against Ukraine. Recently the lame duck Biden Administration with 40 plus days remaining in office authorized US supplied ATACMS missile strikes into Russia. Russia still maintains the world’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile and has hinted at their possible employment. Nearby in Poland the US 1ST Armored Division is conducting 9 month rotations of a Brigade Combat Team from Ft Bliss, Texas. Moving to the Republic of Korea’s, Yoon Suk Yeol imposed Marshal Law Nationwide for 24 hours. Lastly Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon entered the restricted airspace over Langley Air Forces Base in Virginia forcing the relocation of the F22 assets to an unnamed base. In the UK similar intrusions are occurring at RAF Lakenheath , RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. Lady Liberty cries out loudly, “Where is my Mighty Marine Corps I need you now more than ever!”
Excellent historical perspective and comparison to the current real-world threats that our Corps is nw unable to meet and counter, thanks to the destructive FD2030 insanity!
The fastest route to increasing amphib fleet capacity would be to proceed with a smaller number of the projected LSM, BUT increased in displacement in order to incorporate a couple of point defense weapons to allow a basic capacity for self defense and a degree of toughening up the battle hardness of the basic ship. The CIWS nominally would operate in automatic mode in threat environments, so the size of the ship crew would not have to increase significantly or possibly at all, and moreover, if these non-developmental systems adopted a rapid bolt down approach, it would be possible to add or remove systems for scheduled maintenance ashore and reinforcement of ships on actual combat missions. The preferred system would incorporate the 35mm (Millenium) gun and/or a 50mm iteration to provide a secondary capacity for engaging surface targets like light armored vehicles or fast attack craft as well as some defense from mortar or artillery attack, some added RAM or equivalent missiles would expand the threat defense envelope beyond the capacity of the guns.
These Littoral Warfare Transports (LWT) would not possess the full mission capabilities of the dock or flight deck amphibs, but IMHO the full amphibs as a whole are over-equipped because they can only undertake one mission at a time and cost over $2B per ship because of it. An LWT would be smaller and cheaper to build (yeah yeah) and could be contracted to a smaller shipbuilding operation outside of the current military primes. Many of the LSD's need to be taken out of service soon, an LWT build could be the only realistic (yeah yeah) way of making this possible, a few of the LSD's might still be in good enough condition for overhaul in to depot/tender type auxiliaries, one of which might include as a mine sweeping drone mothership.
Since 1947, evolving in Title 10 US Code, the existence, organization and missions of the USMC have been expressed by law. The last CMC and current Commandant and our senior officers have ignored this with FD 2030 and stripped out needed formations, weapons and equipment, yet, to my limited knowledge, they have not been called upon by the relevant Congressional committees to explain their actions which seem contrary to law, nor have the relevant Secretaries. Why?
Fair question, and such should happen. Who in the world in the WH, DOD, DON, & DOS was minding the store? We will most likely fix the problem. Those who created it should be called on to answer why they did it, and under what authority!
Exactly. I found it ridiculous that CMC's Birthday Message this year lauded the skill and courage of the Marines who began the Second Battle of Fallujah on November 7, 2004, and lasted six weeks clearing that city, but didn't mention that HQMC had since followed the nifty phrase, "Divest to Invest" and stripped our Corps of the ability to employ tank-infantry teams in a built up area.
Exactly!
The Last 2 Commandant’s destruction of the USMC’s Global multiple ,lethal, scaleable, MEFs/MEBs/MEUs, that were once capable of simultaneously performing in CentCom, IndoPacCom, EUCOM, SouthCom, and NorthCom etc has been destroyed by their psychotic, myopic stare on the defense of Inner Island Chain near the PRC. During this self inflicted paralysis China has engaged the United States globally. Open source information reveals PRC fentanyl operations ongoing in Mexico ie just across the Rio Grande River, coordinated with Mexican Cartels that have invaded Our Homeland killing hundreds of thousands of American Citizens w Fentanyl. The PRC operates police stations inside Our Homeland. It has purchased American land near sensitive US military bases. The PRC has engaged in ongoing overflight of CONUS, Hawaii and other global US and Our Allies bases using High Altitude Balloons. PRC bulk intercept I.e.Cyber Espionage of Our CONUS communication systems by CCP Hackers known as Typhoons , Volt Typhoon targets the US power grid, medical infrastructure etc, Flax Typhoon targets the US Internet of Things ie thermostats, fit bits, etc..into a bot net to conduct Salt Typhoon has successfully infiltrated US Gov databases containing lists of DOJ compromised PRC Collaborators. In the CentCom AOR it is day 428 of Israel’s 7 front war in which the US continues to be fully engaged. In the last week following a tenuous Israeli Hezbollah cease fire we are witnessing a Turkish (NATO member) armed rebel force overrun Aleppo with a clear path to capture Damascus. Israel has conducted strikes on Syrian WMD storage sites in-order to keep them from being seized by the ISIS/AQ related forces. USCentCom still maintains US Forces in the area ie Operation Inherent Resolve. Moving to European Command the US has continued to pour hundreds of billions of dollars in military equipment, supplies since engaging as the primary ally w Ukraine in a proxy war w Nuclear armed Russia. Russia is also allied w PRC and is also employing DPRK munitions and Fighters in their war against Ukraine. Recently the lame duck Biden Administration with 40 plus days remaining in office authorized US supplied ATACMS missile strikes into Russia. Russia still maintains the world’s largest nuclear weapons stockpile and has hinted at their possible employment. Nearby in Poland the US 1ST Armored Division is conducting 9 month rotations of a Brigade Combat Team from Ft Bliss, Texas. Moving to the Republic of Korea’s, Yoon Suk Yeol imposed Marshal Law Nationwide for 24 hours. Lastly Unidentified Anomalous Phenomenon entered the restricted airspace over Langley Air Forces Base in Virginia forcing the relocation of the F22 assets to an unnamed base. In the UK similar intrusions are occurring at RAF Lakenheath , RAF Mildenhall and RAF Feltwell. Lady Liberty cries out loudly, “Where is my Mighty Marine Corps I need you now more than ever!”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has boarded a plane and fled Damascus, army officers say. Chaos reigns! America needs it Marine Corps back now!
While America Slept. Questions: are we seeing that replayed today? If so, are we less prepared now than in 1941 to rebound as we did then?
Excellent historical perspective and comparison to the current real-world threats that our Corps is nw unable to meet and counter, thanks to the destructive FD2030 insanity!
The fastest route to increasing amphib fleet capacity would be to proceed with a smaller number of the projected LSM, BUT increased in displacement in order to incorporate a couple of point defense weapons to allow a basic capacity for self defense and a degree of toughening up the battle hardness of the basic ship. The CIWS nominally would operate in automatic mode in threat environments, so the size of the ship crew would not have to increase significantly or possibly at all, and moreover, if these non-developmental systems adopted a rapid bolt down approach, it would be possible to add or remove systems for scheduled maintenance ashore and reinforcement of ships on actual combat missions. The preferred system would incorporate the 35mm (Millenium) gun and/or a 50mm iteration to provide a secondary capacity for engaging surface targets like light armored vehicles or fast attack craft as well as some defense from mortar or artillery attack, some added RAM or equivalent missiles would expand the threat defense envelope beyond the capacity of the guns.
These Littoral Warfare Transports (LWT) would not possess the full mission capabilities of the dock or flight deck amphibs, but IMHO the full amphibs as a whole are over-equipped because they can only undertake one mission at a time and cost over $2B per ship because of it. An LWT would be smaller and cheaper to build (yeah yeah) and could be contracted to a smaller shipbuilding operation outside of the current military primes. Many of the LSD's need to be taken out of service soon, an LWT build could be the only realistic (yeah yeah) way of making this possible, a few of the LSD's might still be in good enough condition for overhaul in to depot/tender type auxiliaries, one of which might include as a mine sweeping drone mothership.