Over the last several months, Marine Corps rhetoric has become more moderate, said Dakota Wood, senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments.So what is the moral of the story regarding the EFV?
The Marine Corps is saying, “If it’s not the EFV specifically, it is certainly the capability to conduct forcible entry operations from increased ranges,” he said.
“The Marine Corps’ real concern is: If I lose the EFV, do I also lose the funding or can I reapply that money to some new effort?” he said.
1. Too expensive.2. Too long in development.3. An attempt at revolutionary instead of evolutionary tech leap.4. Not built for real world operations (not talking its capabilities but rather its maintenance requirements)
But all this brings us to a bigger issue.
Marine Corps Aviation has effectively been allowed to screw the ground component. We are becoming that mythical magical equivalent of a US Army Air Assault Force. We are becoming helo centric with limited mechanized capabilities.
Consider this. The ground side is now in danger of operating equipment that dates from the 70's in with the following programs on the chopping block...
Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle...Now also consider this. Aviation will receive the following aircraft...
Marine Personnel Carrier (have you heard a whisper from that program in the last year?)...
JLTV (if the Marine Corps isn't signaling that this is a dead duck then you're not paying attention)...
F-35...Lastly consider that Marine Corps future operating doctrine is incompatible with a historically mechanized Marine Division. What do I mean? Distributed Operations...Mini-ARGs...Partnership missions.
AH-1Z...
UH-1Y...
CH-53K...
MV-22...
KC-130J...
Kaman UAV resupply helo...
other UAVs....
I asked earlier why Marine Tanks hasn't deployed---now we know. Whether intentional or by accident, we're moving toward Dakota Wood's Commando Force structure.
This is how the USMC is looking at, which comes down as being the premier expeditionary force.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.defensenewstv.com/video.php?bctid=629269796001#/Segments/Lt.+Gen.+George+Flynn+on+future+capabilities/57636759001/52684858001/629269796001
Good piece, also adresses the shift away from sea-basing (which Flynn claims that there is none).
For your consideration.