The axe falls on Marine Combat Power.

The axe falls.  via Reuters....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Marine Corps said on Wednesday it would cut four infantry battalions and 12 flying squadrons over the next five years as it shrinks by 20,000 personnel to meet budget constraints and peacetime needs after more than a decade of war.

The biggest cuts would fall on Marine Corps bases in North Carolina, with Camp Lejeune and the adjacent New River air base losing 5,800 personnel and Cherry Point air base losing another 2,100. Three California Marine bases - Camp Pendleton, 29 Palms and Miramar - would lose a total of 6,000 personnel.

and then this...

 Mills said the corps would add 250 personnel to improve its strength in cyberspace, put an additional 821 people in the Marine Corps Special Operations Command and add another squadron of unmanned aircraft to the Marine Corps Reserves, bringing the total to two

This is poor planning.

Adding boatspaces to a cyber unit????

Adding boatspaces to Marine Special Ops????

Another UAV squadron????

This is all bullshit!

When the nation calls on the USMC they are asking for a robust combined arms team that can rapidly deploy, and act as shock troops in whatever action is deemed necessary.

They aren't calling on the Marine Corps to provide help with cyber warfare.

They aren't calling on the Marine Corps to provide help with Special Ops.

They aren't looking to us for another batch of UAVs.

They want HARD CORPS ass kickers that come from the sea. 

Admit it.  When you think cyber war  your think USAF or USN.  When you think Special Ops you're thinking Green Berets, Navy SEALs or Rangers.

When you think Marines you think hard charging infantry arriving from the sea in AAVs, helos, tilt rotors fighting battles that would make lesser units break.

The little feel good part about this being a gentle slope to a drawdown is bullshit and everyone knows it.

The clerk with a perfect record will be allowed to reenlist and go to MARSOC while the grunt that's been in trouble once but has been deployed four times won't.

Welcome to the pussification of the Marine Corps.

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