Someone has to ask it so I'll be the crash tester on this.
Is the Marine Corps about to break?
Think about it. When have the services been under this amount of strain from so many directions.
*The War in Afghanistan continues. Most don't notice it but Marines are still being killed and injured.
*Deployment tempo is still high.
*Gays in the military.
*Women in combat.
*Marines soon to be forced out of the service.
*Budget cuts on the horizon with Democrats talking about making cuts DEEPER than even sequestration.
With all that on the plate of the Marine Corps (really all happening within the last 6 months) is it possible that this service will break?
The only guide we have to this situation is the Vietnam era Marine Corps and how they handled that situation.
I contend that it was a mixed bag and took until the 1980's for a rebound to occur and that the Marine Corps didn't reach its pre-Vietnam war fighting ability and espirit de corps until the late 80's at that.
The Marine Corps and all the services will be combat irrelevant soon and will take at best a decade to get back to the capability they had before the war on terror.
Congratulations. US leadership (civilian and military) have successfully weakened a nations military.
Note: This question can be applied to all the services but my focus is on the Marine Corps. Any perspective on Army, Navy or Air Force issues are outside of my view. But it must be noted that the Navy and Air Force are technical services that don't have the "physicality" that the combat arms of the Marine Corps and Army have. Adjustments to this new reality for them will be easier.
Is the Marine Corps about to break?
Think about it. When have the services been under this amount of strain from so many directions.
*The War in Afghanistan continues. Most don't notice it but Marines are still being killed and injured.
*Deployment tempo is still high.
*Gays in the military.
*Women in combat.
*Marines soon to be forced out of the service.
*Budget cuts on the horizon with Democrats talking about making cuts DEEPER than even sequestration.
With all that on the plate of the Marine Corps (really all happening within the last 6 months) is it possible that this service will break?
The only guide we have to this situation is the Vietnam era Marine Corps and how they handled that situation.
I contend that it was a mixed bag and took until the 1980's for a rebound to occur and that the Marine Corps didn't reach its pre-Vietnam war fighting ability and espirit de corps until the late 80's at that.
The Marine Corps and all the services will be combat irrelevant soon and will take at best a decade to get back to the capability they had before the war on terror.
Congratulations. US leadership (civilian and military) have successfully weakened a nations military.
Note: This question can be applied to all the services but my focus is on the Marine Corps. Any perspective on Army, Navy or Air Force issues are outside of my view. But it must be noted that the Navy and Air Force are technical services that don't have the "physicality" that the combat arms of the Marine Corps and Army have. Adjustments to this new reality for them will be easier.
Ha...the most powerful and accomplished military force in history, bested by a bunch of fat, entitled and overpayed civilians, who would have thunk it...
ReplyDeleteI don't know if it will ever "break." I mean that, for me, implies it's somehow become worthless and will need to be decommissioned for a while.
ReplyDeleteI think what will (is?) happen is that the force will become very demoralized and disillusioned. Just like after Vietnam. And just like after Vietnam it will take a decade or so to get that "fighting spirit" back.
how exactly do gays and women "break" the USMC?
ReplyDeleteDavid. you focused in on the two most contentious issues, take the whole list into account, consider the cultural change that you're forcing on the Marine Corps, consider the morale issues with integrating gays and women into the Marines at the same time that you're forcing Marines out of the service, consider the budget issues that will impact everything from MWR to the latest armored vehicle and you have everything it takes to break a service.
Deletequite honestly what we're seeing is Vietnam 2. the Marine Corps is forever changed and i'll only cover tech now because its no longer MY Marine Corps but thats fine. what is left though is a Marine Corps that will be damn near ineffective for 10 years once all this stuff hits full bore. the worst of it you'll never hear about because the JCS has already proven itself to be politicized so everything out of that office and from those men is suspect. yeah. the Corps...your Corps is screwed.
I'm no Marine Corps expert but what will work and is needed for other services should work for MC. Actually, I believe the Marine Corps could thrive in this environment. They are smaller, more adaptable and their "esprit de corps" should make changes faster and easier than the other services.
ReplyDeleteLook to cut upper management, lots of people hiding behind desks, way too much high rank around, promote lower grade officers that have seen combat in Iraq/Afghanistan. How much real estate does MC need? Could some bases be consolidated? If not, promote officers/NCOs that show ways to save money, not spend it. This will foster good competition and the best "should" rise to the top.
You might have to look at a MC that only operates around 120 to 150 thousand. Anything around 100 thousand just seems to small. At that level, you almost look like you are competing against SOCOM, I am afraid that's a budget battle MC will lose.
What is MC in today's warfare? I still think there is role for hitting the beach but they have to look beyond that, maybe the operation in Mali could be a template? I always saw the MC as not as specialized as Special Forces or SEALS but better quality than Army, so put that in valor, just hitting the beach isn't enough today, show some versatility to Congress.
Last but not least, I know the MC needs F35B but you just can't buy everything. What is more important? With more than probable draw down, do you need to buy all V22s? How about -53K? And that's just the real expensive stuff, you still need new vehicles, tanks, IFVs and such for the new ground game in Pacific theater so what's it's going to be? No service can have it all, I really would like the services to be honest about this and give a real number to what the need, not some pie in the sky number, sorry, not a big believer that DoD will buy 2440 JSFs, don't believe we need that many but how many just as important or maybe even more important programs have to be sacrificed in MC to buy your own CAS? If Pacific (or Africa?,more likely IMHO) is the new theater of operations, MC needs new tankers and more transports, maybe even their own C17s. See what I mean? The Marine Corps more than any other service needs to be balanced, can't just buy a bunch of F35s and some V22s, give everyone a rifle, yeah, we're the Marine Corps. That's not going to work and lots of good people are going to die because you don't have the right mix of gear.
I think in general the services will survive woman in combat (close to 150 have been killed in Iraq/Afghanistan), more and more forces around the world have woman in the military and such, so I don't believe that's a problem. The gay issue could pose some problems, I am sure some incidents will happen but I don't see it as a big long term issue. If some gay guy saves his buddies, I don't think they will think twice about him being gay. I think the budget issues are for more critical to our services and Marine Corps than the social issues.
I stay as much as possible away from the political name calling (good /bad/GOP/Dem/White House/Congress...) because they are almost all of them a bunch of clowns. Why waste time when they are all to blame for this mess??? Just my opinion...
I will concur that the gay issue will is, in my opinion, a generational issue. I doubt most of the little kids of today who join the Corps in 15 years will give a rats ass whether or not your gay.
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