USMC MPF - Still Crucial Today
Maritime Prepositioning is necessary for effective global response
A robust Maritime Prespositioning Force ensures that in a crisis, critical supplies and equipment are already positioned nearby. Take away those assets, and the ability of the Marine Corps to respond is degraded.
Lieutenant Colonel Henderson’s article is a wakeup call that the Marine Corps and the Nation are in immediate danger of losing the previously effective Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF) capability.
Five years ago, the MPF consisted of 20 ships distributed across three Maritime Prepositioning Ships (MPS) squadrons. Today, there are 14 ships in two squadrons. Even worse, 7 of the 14 ships are being actively considered for deactivation.
The squadron at Diego Garcia, in the coming year, will probably be placed in a 30-60 day reduced operational state of readiness. That would mean, instead of responding immediately, it would take the ships one or two months to get underway.
The unwise emasculation of the MPF significantly limits the Marine Corps’ capability to respond globally with a robust Marine Air Ground Task Force. The Congress must act quickly to prevent the MPF from becoming an ineffective shell of its former self.
See article from the National Interest at the link: