Compass Points - The 7 Failures of Force Design
How did FD 2030 get so far off track?
Compass Points - The 7 Failures of Force Design
How did FD 2030 get so far off track?
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For those members of the Marine community with serious concerns about Force Design 2030, there has always been one question, ‘how?' How did the Marine Corps get so off track? How did Force Design 2030 become such a danger and a detour? The answer is Force Design 2030 began with seven foundational failures. These foundational failures steered Force Design 2030 so that, instead of upgrading the Marine Corps, it does terrible harm.
Of the 7 Foundational Failures of Force Design, number seven is:
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7. Failure to grasp China is a global not regional opponent.
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In an article in USNI News, the current commander of the U.S. Southern Command warned of China's growing power and influence in South America.
China expanding into South America is just one example that China is an emerging global power and a growing global threat to the United States. As a global power, Force Design's idea that the best way for Marines to deter and fight China is to first take up isolated, static positions on Pacific islands. Then, China will float their ships nearby as convenient targets for Marines. The whole idea is silly. As a global power, China will not attack when and where it is most convenient for the Marine Corps. To the contrary, China will act at the time, place, and manner -- worldwide -- that is best for China. To deter and be prepared to fight, Marines must see China as the global threat it is, not as the regional threat it was once.
Compass Points will have much more to say about the 7 Foundational Failures of Force Design, but, for now, see the article below for more evidence that China is a global not a regional opponent.
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USNI News (news.usni.org) 03/08/2023
Chinese Actions in South America Pose Risks to U.S. Safety, Senior Military Commanders Tell Congress
By John Grady
Recent Chinese actions, like financing a $3 billion container port, establishing a space monitoring station near the Straits of Magellan and buying lithium mining operations in three South American nations, pose increasing risks to U.S. security, senior military commanders said Wednesday.
The Chinese activities are a “relentless march” to replace the United States as a leader in the region, Army Gen. Laura Richardson, the top officer at Southern Command, testified before the House Armed Services Committee.
Richardson needs to keep the Panama Canal, the Straits of Magellan and Drake Passage open to maritime trade, she said. Richardson voiced concern over the dual-use capabilities of these state-owned enterprises and Chinese companies expanding their reach in the hemisphere.
As an example of that threat, she warned the Chinese Space Agency station in Argentina used to explore the dark side of the moon and track satellites could also be used for targeting.
“This is a risk we can’t accept or ignore,” she said.
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John Grady, a former managing editor of Navy Times, retired as director of communications for the Association of the United States Army. His reporting on national defense and national security has appeared on Breaking Defense, GovExec.com, NextGov.com, DefenseOne.com, Government Executive and USNI News.
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China’s challenges are economic. They are not pushing the US aside. They are stepping into vacuums we have left wide open by our own economic incompetence and diplomatic stupidity. Of course, at the next stage, the economic potency of a nation can bleed over into military advantage. What military solutions are proposed for the circumstances outlined in the article? There are none. The US is on economic thin ice due to our bad budgetary decisions, tax structure, priorities and deteriorating educational base. We are going backwards and China is going forward with a better global business plan. We are handicapping ourselves with idiotic energy policies, agricultural restrictions, failure to compete on the industrial level, lack of a commercial fleet, allowing the abuse of patents and trademarks, 300,000 Chinese students at our universities and industrial espionage.
From a refrain from my past, Right on, Douglas. But our present leadership, both militarily and politically are bent on following the yellow brick road, all the way to the rabbit hole.
GySgt M. A. Paul Rtd