FD 2030 - Will Cripple Marine Aviation
It Isn't Just the Marines Who Will Suffer, But Our Nation's Ability to Deter and Fight
As part of a series of four articles published in Task & Purpose about the role of the Marine Corps in the global security environment, author General Terry Dake raised the alarm about the scale and scope of cuts being made to Marine aviation.
Many Compass Points readers have asked, if FD 2030 is so dangerous, what is the alternative? In the weeks ahead, Compass Points, as part of the discussion about the Marine Corps and national security, will begin to outline a possible alternative for a stronger Marine Corps.
Task & Purpose (taskandpurpose.com) April 22, 2022
The Marine Corps’ Reorganization Plan Will Cripple Its Aviation Capabilities
With this degradation, it isn’t just the Marines who will suffer, but the Nation itself when it comes to both conflict and deterrence.
By Terry Dake
. . . The Marine’s new budgeting profile adds insult to injury. The Marine Corps is buying new MV-22s at the same time that it is divesting significant numbers of them. The same is true in the H-1 programs. Reductions in the CH-53K program, when realized, will no doubt generate a Nunn-McCurdy breach (a statutory provision Congress uses to hold DoD accountable for cost growth on major defense programs). And any reduced production “ramp” for the F-35 will put that program at risk. Of important note, the approximate value of the aviation equipment divested is in the neighborhood of $3 Billion (8-9B for total MC). Congress can look at that as money appropriated and wasted . . .
. . . Specifically, sacrificing the aviation ready force for long-range missiles damages readiness for emerging contingencies. Doing that weakens the carefully thought out, experience-based, joint force required, ability to meet and defeat the ubiquitous military challenges that America faces today.
A critical part of the joint force, the Nation’s Marine Corps aviation of 2020 could have adapted to meet the needs of FD 2030, but the envisaged Marine Corps aviation of FD 2030 cannot adapt to meet the needs of the Nation. What is most needed now is an open, civil discussion and thorough review of the FD 2030 concept plan. The goal is to design the Marine Corps the Nation needs and engender the support to evolve to that end.
Terry Dake is a retired Marine 4-star general, rotary aircraft pilot and veteran of the Vietnam War. From 1998 to 2000, he served as Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps. He resides in the United States.
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/force-design-2030-cripple-marine-aviation/
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/marine-corps-force-design-intro/