More Confusion on Marine Doctrine/Organizational Tables from the Commandant.

via USNI News.

Marines on two amphibious warships in the Red Sea have not been given tasking to respond to the growing unrest in Egypt, Navy and Marine Corps officials told USNI News on Friday.
“There hasn’t been an official tasking,” Marine Capt. Eric Flanagan at the Pentagon told USNI News.
“They’re not getting ready to go into Egypt.”
On Thursday, Reuters quoted Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Amos saying the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) were on station in case the situation devolved.
“Egypt is (in) a crisis right now,” Marine Corps Commandant General James Amos told the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank. “When that happens, what we owe the senior leadership of our nation are some options.”

Go to USNI News to read the entire article but the question must be asked.  Who does the Embassy Reinforcement/Non-Combat Evacuation/Crisis Response for the United States Marine Corps.

Is it the Marine Expeditionary Unit?

Is it the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force/Crisis Response?

Is it the Special Purpose Marine Air Ground Task Force Africa?

This is a simple thing but worth conversation.  We just established SPMAGTF/CR to respond to the type of thing we're seeing in Egypt.  The SecDef testified that we did not have the forces to respond to aid in Benghazi, but now we're seeing three different Marine Corps units that are all training up (and rightfully so) to respond to a situation in Egypt.

For the Crisis Response and Africa units its all new.  For the MEU its old hat.  The question is simple.

Do we have excess forces to devote to these type missions?  If we don't then which of them should be cut?

Quite honestly it should be the CR but thats a decision for Marine Planners.  Long story short?  We have confused our organizational tables and are developing specialized units at an alarming rate.  Its not the Marine Corps way.  The way the Marine Corps does business is to take a well trained, highly disciplined Marine Infantry Battalion and task them with a mission.  They accomplish that mission and then return to regular training.

That's the Marine Corps way.  Hopefully HQMC will remember that.