FD 2030 - Don't Let Marines be Gutted
The Most Agile and Versatile of all the U.S. Armed Services
Commentary writer, Quinn Hillyer, wrote about the dangers of FD 2030. Hillyer quoted Marine Corps veteran and former Secretary of the Navy, Jim Webb. Webb had written his own opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, “Momentous Changes in the U.S. Marine Corps’ Force Organization Deserve Debate” Webb said, “Among Marines there are serious questions about the wisdom and long-term risk of dramatic reductions in force structure, weapon systems, and manpower levels . . .“ Shortly afterward, Quinn Hillyer, writing for the Washington Examiner, agreed with Webb while issuing his own warning about the dangers of the Marine Corps’ FD 2030 reorganization (see link below).
Washington Examiner (washingtonexaminer.com) March 28, 2022
Don't Let the Marines be Gutted in Reorganization
By Quinn Hillyer
. . . After all, we now live in perhaps the most dangerous and potentially unstable time since the end of the Cold War three decades ago. Threats and aggression come from not just China but Russia, Iran, and North Korea, while jihadist terrorist organizations keep trying to reconstitute and the Taliban provide safe haven to at least one branch of terrorists in Afghanistan. As the Marine Corps is arguably the most agile and versatile of all the U.S. armed services, with capabilities on land, sea, and air and trained in rapid response, it would behoove policymakers to be very cautious about downsizing the Corps, even as part of a strategic re-ordering based on some wise assumptions . . . .
Quin Hillyer is a senior commentary writer and editor for the Washington Examiner.