Question of the day.
How can a force of 180,000 men going to supply forces to SOCOM that itself will number just shy of 100,000 people?
I am still waiting for someone to explain how a force as small as the Marine Corps can be expected to basically give up a Regiment of Infantry AND supporting units to SOCOM and still remain viable.
It doesn't make sense and everyone knows it.
If Sequester really bites and the Marine Corps goes down to 150,000 boatspaces then participation in SOCOM will necessarily come to an end.
Maybe Sequester isn't as bad as everyone says!
How can a force of 180,000 men going to supply forces to SOCOM that itself will number just shy of 100,000 people?
I am still waiting for someone to explain how a force as small as the Marine Corps can be expected to basically give up a Regiment of Infantry AND supporting units to SOCOM and still remain viable.
It doesn't make sense and everyone knows it.
If Sequester really bites and the Marine Corps goes down to 150,000 boatspaces then participation in SOCOM will necessarily come to an end.
Maybe Sequester isn't as bad as everyone says!
No sequester with Marine SOCOM participation is enormously better than a sequester with no Marine SOCOM participation. Think about the BIG picture here.
ReplyDeletefirst i believe that there is waste in the DoD next you need to explain how a force as small as the Marine Corps is can realistically support a Regiment being allotted to SOCOM.
DeleteLet's use your 100K in SOCOM, even though SOCOM PA only admits having 63K.
ReplyDeleteIf the USMC, which is already an elite force in itself, can't support 5,000 (3% of our force if we drop to 150K) in SOCOM, how is the Army of 500,000 supposed to support 80,000 (16%)? Even if SOCOM shrinks considerably, the Marines will supply far less proportionately than the Army.
Marines always claim we are better man for man than the Army (right or wrong), so why are you-a Marine-complaining that the USMC can't provide good special forces troops?
because it dilutes the conventional Marine Corps. because it will continue to take assets away from the conventional Marine Corps to support a function for another command, because it does nothing but duplicate what the conventional Marine Corps is already doing and because it doesn't make any damn sense.
Deletecheck your numbers again. with the plus ups that SOCOM is getting it WILL be 100,000 people in that command. additionally the Rangers, Special Forces and 160th all operate in a system that is designed to rotate personnel in and out of conventional back to special operations outfits. especially the Rangers. the Marine Corps is taking the Navy SEAL approach and once you lose a person to SOCOM you don't get them back. that system doesn't hurt the Navy because they're mostly technicians but it will cripple the Marine Corps.
you're a Marine. why would you want the whole to suffer for the sake of a few?
I don't think much of SOCOM either. But it is a mission that Marines have been given. We perform the missions that the nation directs. SOCOM is the popular child, if we don't participate we won't get a piece of any of the best missions. What good is enhancing the conventional Marine Corps if the command authority continues to believe only SF and SEALS can do those missions?
ReplyDeleteOn the same note: How does embassy duty enhance the conventional Marine Corps? They are increasing that mission by another thousand Marines. Many Marines get picked up for second tours in that program, and are out of the Fleet for 6 years-How is that any different? At least SOCOM is combat.
the real problem in my opinion is that SOCOM dilutes the conventional forces and competes for the same missions.
Deleteembassy duty is a pimp game that serves no real purpose except to fly the flag and give the Marine Corps good publicity. but in reality i don't see how an expansion of that program is doable either.
i truly believe the Marine Corps is going to 50,000 boatspaces. i truly believe that some of your Marines...some of the good ones will be denied re-enllistment and some yahoo that hasn't ever been to combat but was admin with SOCOM or did embassy duty will get picked up again...and probably promoted over some 0311 that's been picking bugs out of his shorts and dodging IEDs.
taken to extremes i think you'll find people asking why we need Marine Conventional units at all and push for a Royal Marine type US Marine Corps. it wouldn't surprise me that if 20 more years you don't see a Marine Corps of 50,000 people with most either in aviation suppporting about 10,000 trigger pullers assigned to SOCOM.