Compass Points - Welcome Back!
Good news for Marines
Compass Points - Welcome Back!
Good news for Marines
March 8, 2025
.
Welcome back!
Compass Points says, Welcome Back!
1. Welcome back to the 26th MEU.
2. Welcome back to the MV-22 Osprey.
3. Welcome back to Gen Eric Smith, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
4. Welcome back to Marine squadron, HMLA-269.
.
While all this is good news, each one also raises questions.
.
1. Welcome back to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.
The 26th MEU has been on extended deployment on missions from Norway to the Persian Gulf, to the Red Sea, and to the Eastern Mediterranean. Now, the Marines and sailors of 26th MEU are on their way home. Welcome back!
Several news outlets, including USNI News, are reporting on the return of the 26th MEU,
.
================
.
Bataan ARG, 26th MEU Heads Home After 8 Months Deployed
The Bataan Amphibious Ready Group and embarked 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit have wrapped up their Middle East and Europe deployment and are now homeward bound . . . .
The Bataan ARG, comprised of big deck amphibious ship USS Bataan (LHD-5), amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall (LSD-50), and amphibious transport dock ship USS Mesa Verde (LPD-19), transited the Strait of Gibraltar and exited the Mediterranean Sea on Wednesday. The ARG and MEU will now sail across the Atlantic Ocean and return home to Norfolk, Va., and Camp LeJeune, N.C.
-- Dzirhan Mahadzir, USNI News
.
================
.
None of the reports reveal the name of the Marine unit replacing the 26th MEU in the Eastern Med. After all, the crises in the East Med, in Gaza, and in the Red Sea are not lessening. They are getting worse. To have a full range of options to help in the region, the US needs to have an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit off those troubled shores. In addition, just in case things get even worse, the MEU needs to have Navy prepositioning force ships nearby so that if called upon, the MEU can be rapidly augmented.
.
Which MEU is taking the place of the 26th MEU in the troubled Eastern Med? Good question. There is no answer. Even after the 26th MEU has been extended again and again, there is still no ARG-MEU ready to take its place.
.
Why is there no embarked MEU on its way to the Eastern Med to replace the 26th MEU? More questions now than answers.
.
2. Welcome back to the MV-22 Osprey.
.
================
.
The Marine Corps returned its MV-22s to flight on March 8, following Naval Air Systems Command’s (NAVAIR) announcement that deemed the aircraft safe to fly.
In a release announcing the flight clearance, Naval Air Systems Command said, “This decision follows a meticulous and data-driven approach prioritizing the safety of our aircrew."
The Nov. 29, 2023, crash of an Air Force CV-22 off the coast of Japan remains under investigation. The tragic mishap is what precipitated the temporary grounding of all services' V-22s. The grounding provided time for a thorough review of the mishap and formulation of risk mitigation controls to assist with safely returning the V-22 to flight operations.
The Marine Corps, after a thorough review of all available engineering data and with revisions to the flight manual in place, is now enacting a deliberate plan to return all 17 MV-22 squadrons to full capability. Close coordination among key senior leaders across all three services, the Marine Corps, Air Force, Navy and the Safety Investigation Board (SIB) has been paramount in formulating the comprehensive review and return to flight plan, and this collaboration will continue.
-- Marines.mil
.
================
.
The return of the MV-22 Osprey is good news. Or, at least, it seems to be good news. The aging CH53-E heavy lift helicopters are being overworked. The Marine Corps needs the Ospreys back. There is one thing missing from the report of the return of the MV-22 Osprey. The announcement does not report that the problem with the aircraft has been found and fixed. Has the problem been found and fixed? If not, why not?
.
The report says the MV-22 has undergone a "thorough review of all available engineering data" and now the Naval Air System's Command has "deemed the aircraft safe to fly." What exactly does that mean? It sounds like the problem has not been found and fixed. It is easy to say, if it were true, that we found a small defective part and all the defective parts on all aircraft have been replaced. Or, if it were true, it is easy to say, we found an errant line of code and the code has been fixed on all aircraft. But they did not say that.
.
"Deemed” safe to fly. What does that mean? More questions now than answers.
.
3. Welcome back to the Commandant.
.
================
.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps, Gen. Eric M. Smith, has returned to full duty status after recovering from an October 29 cardiac arrest.
-- Marines.mil
.
================
.
One day later, a more comprehensive report was published by Military.com.
.
================
.
After suffering a cardiac arrest more than four months ago and subsequently undergoing open-heart surgery, Gen. Eric Smith returned to full duty status as commandant of the Marine Corps on Tuesday, according to a press release from the service.
Smith, who collapsed near his home in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 29, previously said that he intended to return to work as commandant. In January, he underwent open-heart surgery to repair a congenital defect that doctors said contributed to his hospitalization.
-- Drew F. Lawrence, Military.com
.
================
.
Both reports used the phrase, "full duty status." Is that being used in a medical sense? Or is that meant just to indicate the Commandant is back at his desk? Once a Marine undergoes major surgery, the determination of "fit for full duty" is made, not by a news report, but by a Navy doctor. Neither report quoted any medical source that said the Commandant has been certified by doctors as fit for full duty. It is most likely that only the sheer will and determination of the Commandant allows him to get to the office. Normally, Marines who have undergone serious surgery are not certified as fit for full duty until they are deployable, can fly in a plane, can sail in a ship, can go to the rifle range, and can pass the PFT.
.
"Returned to full duty status." What does that mean? More questions now than answers.
.
4. Welcome back, Marine squadron, HMLA-269.
.
There is much open discussion in Marine Corps aviation circles that Christmas has come early for the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW) and Marine Aircraft Group 29 (MAG-29). Back on December 9, 2022, Marine Light Attack Helicopter Squadron 269 (HMLA-269) was decommissioned and shut down. HMLA-269, "The Gunrunners" based at Marine Corps Air Station New River, NC. flew AH-1Z Viper attack helicopters and UH-1Y Venom utility helicopters.
.
Under the now notorious "divest to invest" program of Force Design, the squadron was suddenly shut down. If predictions hold, HMLA-269 will be re-activated the first week in July, just 18 months after it was shut down. Why was it shut down? Where exactly is the warehouse that holds the HMLA-269 aircraft? Where exactly is the barracks where the pilots and maintainers for HMLA-269 have been relaxing for more than a year?
.
One group that has not been relaxing over the last year are the pilots and maintainers of HMLA-167 "The Warriors." HMLA-167 has been doing the work of two squadrons for more than a year since the sudden shut down of HMLA-269. HMLA-167 is constantly tasked to support East Coast Marine units as well as the Navy's Atlantic Command, the 6th Fleet, NATO, and more.
.
HMLA-269 is being put back in service the first week in July. Why was it ever shut down? Maybe it is also time to stand back up a Marine heavy helicopter squadron. Why was that ever shut down? More questions now than answers.
.
Compass Points says, Welcome Back!
.
1. Welcome back to the 26th MEU.
2. Welcome back to the MV-22 Osprey.
3. Welcome back to Gen Eric Smith, Commandant of the Marine Corps.
4. Welcome back to Marine squadron, HMLA-269.
.
While all this is good news, each one also raises questions. For each one, right now, there are more questions than answers.
.
- - - - -
.
USNI News - 03/06/2024
Bataan ARG, 26th MEU Heads Home After 8 Months Deployed
By Dzirhan Mahadzir
https://news.usni.org/2024/03/06/bataan-arg-26th-meu-heads-home-after-8-months-deployed
.
- - - - -
.
Marines - 03/08/2024
Marine Corps Returns MV-22 to Flight Status
.
- - - - -
.
Marines - 03/05/2024
Gen Smith Returns to Full Duty Status as Commandant
.
- - - - -
.
Military.com - 03/06/2024
Top Marine Returns to Full Duty Status as Commandant After Cardiac Arrest Last Year
By Drew F. Lawrence
.
- - - - -
.
DVIDS Hub - 11/07/2022
Final Farewell: HMLA-269 flies last flight as a squadron
https://www.dvidshub.net/image/7503455/final-farewell-hmla-269-flies-last-flight-squadron
COMMENT (1) MV-22:
The MV-22 fix remains a mystery. Does the cockpit figuration have any influence on the clutch engagement that sometimes fails catastrophically and kills aircrew? Does the cockpit have a fixed wing configuration or is it a helicopter configuration? If the cockpit configuration is a fixed wing configuration there may be a problem.
As to the the MV-22 safety record, are apples and oranges being mixed as one? Broadly, there are two general causes of aircraft accidents; (1) pilot error and (2) equipment failure. It appears most of the MV-22 accidents were caused by a mysterious, clutch engagement failure; equipment failure. The MV-22 safety record was compared recently to the early CH-46 D safety record.
In 1970, as a new member of HMM-365 at MAG-26, we were transitioning from the UH-34D to the new CH-46D. We flew our new aircraft direct from the Philadelphia factory to MACF New River. Some time later the CH-46D aft transmission failures began. These failures turned the CH-46D into a flying midair. Analysis of the issue revealed the more powerful CH-46D engines, and the rigors of operational flying, placed torque on the airframes that would cause the transmission to fail. The airframe was strengthened. The failures ended. The CH-46D had a long service life.
The point is, the cause of the CH-46D transmissions failures, that initially led to a horrendous accident rate, was determined and fixed. This is not the case with the MV-22. Its accident rate should not be compared with other aircraft, such as the CH-46D, until the cause of the failures are determined and fixed.
COMMENT (2): Reactivate HMLA-269
LT Gen Wise did not have a Marine Corps Aviation Plan published for two years. He then published a plan that clearly stated the divestment of squadrons at MAG-26 and MAG-29 would place remaining squadrons with unsustainable capability to meet known commitments. The plan was published and he retired.
As the former CO of HMA-269 that transitioned to become HMLA-269, the deactivation was a bitter pill to swallow. The deactivation was much more than moth balling airframes. The loss of generations of highly skilled, aviation maintenance Marines was the most serious loss.
Also, in my opinion it caused a built in aviation safety hazard. The remaining Marines, being Marines, would move mountains to meet any commitments, even though their senior leaders had knowingly over committed them. Knowingly making Marines fail................
There is a common denominator across the four examples. It is “ gross lack of integrity”. The senior leadership of the institution is simply incapable of transparency or truth. It keeps getting worse. “Oh what tangled webs we weave when we first decide to deceive.” Too many of the Corps leaders surround themselves with a body guard of lies to borrow a phrase. This will impact the Corps like acid on metal.