Compass Points - Xanadu
Marine combined arms capabilities?
Compass Points - Xanadu
Marine combined arms capabilities?
August 9, 2024
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The world seemed mostly peaceful during Ripley's time at the Naval Academy. John Ripley began his first academic year at the Naval Academy in the Fall of 1958. The fighting in both World War II and Korea had ended. The peace agreement signed in the summer of 1954 ended the long years of French occupation and divided Vietnam into North and South. Vietnam back then seemed like nothing the US would ever have to worry about.
But in 1972, 14 years after he arrived at the Naval Academy, John Ripley found himself in Vietnam swinging beneath the Dong Ha Bridge.
World events are difficult to predict. The US can never be sure where the next crisis will erupt.
That is why for decades the Marine Corps has focused on maintaining flexible, combined arms forces that can respond to any crisis, anywhere around the globe. What is the state of Marine Corps combined arms forces today?
Is the Marine Corps still the same powerful combined arms expeditionary force it has been for decades? Or have the combined arms capabilities of the Marine Corps been seriously compromised?
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Two statements:
1. The USMC today is the same powerful, flexible combined arms force it has been for several decades, or
2. The USMC today is greatly reduced in combined arms units, equipment, and capabilities.
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Both statements cannot be true. Which statement is more accurate?
According to official statements of senior Marine leaders, Marine combined arms capabilities are still at a high level. The current Commandant has consistently promised that the Marine Corps' combined arms capabilities are as strong as ever.
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We are and will remain a naval expeditionary force that fights from the sea as task-organized combined arms air-ground task forces. With Force Design in place, we will continue our proud history as our Nation’s expeditionary shock troops . . .
-- FRAGO 01-2024
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We are and will remain a naval expeditionary force that fights from the sea as task-organized, multidomain combined arms air-ground task forces. With Force Design in progress, we continue our proud history as our nation’s expeditionary shock troops . . .
-- Smith, SASC Statement 04/08/2024
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What is the actual state of Marine combined arms capabilities? Instead of only considering official words from senior Marine leaders, perhaps it is better to consider the issue using a different method. Perhaps we can see more clearly by using a scenario like the Xanadu Thought Experiment.
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Xanadu Thought Experiment
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A Marine MEU in the last months of 2024 arrives off the coast of the troubled African nation of Xanadu to stabilize the situation and evacuate American embassy personnel that are already on the beach. The port city is receiving sniper fire and sporadic artillery attacks. A few kilometers away, across a narrow river, is the capital of Xanadu under siege by rebel forces. Beyond the capital, there is danger that the country next to Xanadu may send its entire army across the border on the side of the rebel forces. The MEU's mission is to evacuate the Americans, defeat the rebel forces, protect the capital, and stabilize the country.
Unfortunately, just as the MEU arrives offshore, the Commanding Officer is stricken with appendicitis and evacuated to Germany. A new CO is flown in. He is known as the Combined Arms Colonel, the MEU King. He commanded two MEU's in 2016 and 2019 and has been teaching combined arms at the Marine Corps University. While he has great experience in MEU operations, he has been so busy teaching the last few years, he has not kept up with the latest changes in MEU capabilities.
It is only a few hours before dawn when the new CO steps off the helo in Xanadu and goes straight to the briefing room where his staff is assembled. The new CO has been reading briefing papers for the last several hours and knows he must act fast.
After some quick introductions, the new CO addresses his staff.
"Marines, I want a complete plan put together based on this outline.
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1. Commencing at dawn, we use helos to evacuate the Embassy personnel to safety. Make sure our MPs protect those LZs. We do not want crowds rushing the helos.
2. Battalion sniper teams move into the town and clean out the enemy snipers.
3. Our artillery shuts down their artillery and prepares to support our advance on the capital.
4. We will send a fire and maneuver force to clean out the rebels and retake the capital. Our fixing force will move directly toward the capital and establish a base of fire. Our maneuver force, including tanks, will cross the river and hit them in the flank.
5. Have our engineers put a bridge across the river, the local bridge is not strong enough.
6. We need to coordinate with the Navy to make room for the second MEU to arrive.
7. And we need to bring in the Maritime Prepositioning assets so if the neighboring country jumps across the border, we will be ready for Marine fly-in-echelons to arrive.
Any thoughts?"
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There was complete silence in the briefing room. The Colonel thought it was because the staff was overwhelmed with the brilliance of his plan.
Finally, the intel officer spoke up.
"Sir, I know you have just arrived, but the MEU has no tanks, no artillery, no snipers, no engineers, no bridging, no Military Police, there is no second MEU nearby, and there are no Maritime Prepositioning assets we can call on."
After a moment, the intel officer concluded, "we do have several small drones."
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World events are difficult to predict. The US can never be sure where the next crisis will erupt.
Compass Points has no doubt the spirit of the individual Marine today is as strong and ready as ever. There is never a question about the readiness of young Marines. The only questions today are about the tremendous loss of combined arms capabilities. Perhaps in their confident official statements, Marine leaders do not intend to be disingenuous. Maybe they are only attempting to stay positive as they scramble to rebuild all that has been lost.
As summer comes to an end and the Fall term at the Naval Academy begins, Compass Points salutes all the Mids who are about to start a new academic year, particularly those Marine option Mids who are following in John Ripley's footsteps. It will take new energy and new thinking to rebuild the combined arms MAGTF so that the Marine Corps' global, combined arms forces will be ready when the next crisis erupts in Xanadu.
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USNI Proceedings - Dec 2008 - Vol. 134/12/1,270
Tribute: Colonel John Walter Ripley, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret)
"Ripley at the Bridge"—He always said, "One person can make a difference," and on a spring day in 1972 he showed everyone what he meant.
By John Grider Miller
In the Marine Corps Times article: "Marine 3-star: Technology remade combined arms, the Corps must adjust (MCT 5/6/22)" General Karsten Heckl suggests that combined arms has evolved and the Corps must transform to fight and win." He goes on to argue that "Combined arms is more than towed artillery, tanks, and aviation...Its information, cyber, and space." I wonder, when a future Marine is calling for an artillery mission or requesting tank support, they'll be satisfied knowing he can count on info war, cyber, and space warfare? While the General has changed the definition for the time-honored combined arms term, it does nothing for the Marines on "death ground"(Death Ground: Today's American Infantry in Battle-Colonel Daniel Bolger USA) fighting to take an objective. While information, cyber, and space may be strategic assets to shape the theater, I don't think they will have much direct impact on the immediate battlefield. Marines on the ground will still always need the ground combat triad: infantry, artillery, and armor. With regards to armor, there has been much discussion on this issue from the pro-FD advocates. They use the current war in Ukraine as an example of tanks being easily destroyed in combat by small antitank weapons. But on further examination, it has been shown that many times Russian tanks were not supported by infantry or artillery. In the fight in Gaza, the Israelis have learned from their mistakes of the Yom Kippur War of fighting tanks by themselves. They are using tank-infantry teams to fight in the rubble. Thus, the need once again for the traditional combined arms team of: infantry, artillery, and armor.
I first met Colonel Ripley when he was CO, 1/2, 2dMarDiv. I was “Skipper” of I/3/2. I was then - and, have remained to this day - deeply impressed by his gentlemanly bearing and professional capacity. He manifested Gen. LeJeune’s instruction regarding proper relations in leadership: Master to scholar; father to son. We were all blessed to have had him in our ranks. Continued Fair Winds & Following Seas! Semper Fidelis!