Monday, May 23, 2011
Marine Personnel Carrier on the chopping blocks????
The story is from InsideDefense and its subscription only but the rub is this. The Marine Corps won't commit to buying the third leg of its "mobility" triad until further testing is done.
In my opinion this points to a couple of things.
1. The Marine Corps plans to get back aboard ship in a big way and the MPC doesn't fit with those plans.
2. Distributed Operations are getting more and more support among Marine Corps leadership. With that as an operational philosophy the idea to have those widely dispersed Marine Units vehicle bound doesn't make sense logistically. Which means that the MPC doesn't fit with Marine Corps doctrine going forward.
3. Someone must have come up with either...
a. A fantastic upgrade package to the AAV. One so good that the need for the MPC is no longer there or..
b. The EFV has been salvaged and with new amphibious assault doctrine the idea (thank you...yes I did put it forward here) of simply removing the complex hydraulic/drive system from it is producing a vehicle that can be bought in numbers
4. I could be wrong on all of the above and its simply a cost saving measure.
One thing is certain ... at least in my mind ... the USMC will not be buying the JLTV. If the MPC can be dumped then the JLTV is definitely the dead vehicle program walking.
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Actually, listening to Marine Lt. Gen. George Flynn a few days back, he says the USMC will have more ships to operate from, besides the traditional amphibs.
ReplyDeleteThe USN's T-AKE, the MLP and even new "connectors" - be it JHSV or next-gen LCAC - will allow the MPF force to be more expeditionary active asset, instead of just a war reserve.
This may mean that more vehicles can be carried, and also (selectively) off-loaded.
how do you maintain all those dispersed vehicles?
ReplyDeleteNews flash: Neither the T-AKE nor MLP will lift any USMC tactical vehicles. The T-AKEs which are going into enhanced MPSrons will only carry a reduced load of "beans, bullets and black oil" to be transferred by UNREP/VETREP to amphibs (some of which will eventually get to Marines ashore). Selective discharge only applies to current cargo types and could get ashore via current helos (but when was the last time you saw a Navy helo supplying a Marine ashore? just asking).
ReplyDeleteThe MLP is a design monstrosity which carries only a few current LCAC and is meant to discharge larger sealft ships which can be done ALREADY via RRDF INLS pontoons. $900 mil per of another exquisite design.
Selective discharge of sealift ships is a pipe dream of Marine general you do NOT know how to discharge ships, IMHO~