Did HQMC just back off the Marine Personnel Carrier Cancellation?

Thanks for the article Lee!  Oh and yeah.  It surprised me on several levels.

via Inside Defense.

The Marine Corps may not be able to purchase the same number of amphibious assault vehicles it has planned if sequestration cuts continue, reductions that would include eliminating about 8,000 Marines from infantry battalions, aviation squadrons, headquarters and logistics units, according to a service official.

If force structure cuts reach the point where there are no longer 20 to 23 infantry battalions, the Marine Corps may not buy the same number of Marine Personnel Carriers, the complementary capability to the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Col. Keith Moore, advanced amphibious assault program manager, told Inside the Navy.

The service is already drawing down from about 202,000 Marines to 182,000 because of cuts imposed by the 2011 Budget Control Act. Further sequestration cuts would reduce that number by an additional 8,000 Marines to bring the force to 174,000, Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos said the same day, during a Defense Writers Group breakfast.

"They're infantry battalions. They're fixed-wing squadrons, which would be F-35 -- they are, in the near term, going to be some F-18s and probably some Harriers, but in the long term, it would be F-35. There will be some attack helicopters, some Cobras and Hueys. There will be some MV-22s. And there will be logistics battalions," Amos said, declining to give exact numbers or the locations of these units.

The article was datelined for today.

So yeah.  I'm not just surprised.  I'm shocked.

The Program Office is now stating that they may not BUY THE SAME NUMBER OF MARINE PERSONNEL CARRIERS???!!!!  That indicates they're buying some.

The Commandant states that cuts will be across the board and not just in Infantry and Logistics???  Aviation will take a hit too????!!!

F-35's buys will be reduced (yeah I caught that qualifying "eventually" he tossed in there...he'll protect this airplane not one of his daughters), MV-22s (some) and there will be Attack Helicopter reductions (did you notice that the Huey is now being called an attack helicopter?...amazing what a laser guided 2.75 rocket can do huh?)

I need confirmation on this.  They won't talk to me so I hope Inside Defense follows up.