Thompson weighs in on the Marine Corps budget woes in his latest editorial. Too bad he's only 1/4 right. Read it all here but I've picked out a few tidbits for further comment.
Last week, Marine Corps Commandant James Amos told reporters that if sequestration of defense funds mandated under the 2011 Budget Control Act persists into future fiscal years, his service may have to back out of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. JLTV is a shared Army-Marine Corps program to develop a next-generation jeep, one that will remedy the deficiencies of the current Humvee.
So now the service has to start over on an urgently needed replacement of its 40-year-old assault vehicles, and to find the money for the new program it may have to defer both a new personnel carrier and a new jeep. To make matters worse, nobody expects the Amphibious Combat Vehicle -- the new assault vehicle -- to reach the force until sometime in the next decade, by which time existing assault vehicles will be approaching half a century of age. Isn't it sort of obvious that this is going to put the lives of many Marines at risk?
The only bright spot in Marine modernization plans today is aviation, but there is a real possibility sequestration might impact that area too in future years
Last week, Marine Corps Commandant James Amos told reporters that if sequestration of defense funds mandated under the 2011 Budget Control Act persists into future fiscal years, his service may have to back out of the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV) program. JLTV is a shared Army-Marine Corps program to develop a next-generation jeep, one that will remedy the deficiencies of the current Humvee.
Excuse me but the Marine Corps was only buying 5500 of those vehicles. HUMVEES were going to be upgraded anyway and if there was ever an "easy" cut to be made, this was it. The only reason why the Marine Corps has stayed with this program is because of "jointness" with the Army. If it was about the Marine Corps then we would have already signed a contract with Granite or one of the other companies promising some pretty impressive upgrades to an old warhorse.
This didn't have to be the case. The ACV is STILL undefined. We have no idea what it will look like and even when they do finally crunch the numbers, confidence is not high that enough will be bought to satisfy lift requirements. What does that mean? It means that we'll at BEST end up with ACV and AAV operating together. Poorly managed, inept, command indecision...all those words apply to the ACV program, the AAV upgrade and the MPC.
You got this one right. Aviation will be a paradise. The rest of the Marine Corps will suffer but the Air Group will dazzle. Alot of body bags will be flown out in pretty new helicopters being escorted by fancy new jets.
How many civilians from the DOD and USMC have been cut? Are there plans for them to fall below 9/11 levels?
ReplyDeletei have it on good authority...no, make that GREAT authority that the Marine Corps is planning for an eventual end strength of 150,000. thats with sequestration going full bore, and Congress being convinced that troops should be cut in favor of equipment.
DeleteI can see that. But is that is troops in uniform, what about those civilians or full time contractors?
Deleteno word on those...all that's been mentioned is a few on the edges...a few barbers, other MWR personnel but nothing about the retirees soaking up GS-13 positions at their old shops.
DeleteMy favorite item to pick on is the DOD SAPRO office because it is extremely fashionalbe right now. Created in 2004 by Rumsfeld and headed by a 2 Star General. I do not know exactly how many people it has but everyone one of them is one less person to carry a rifle, man a radar station or overhaul a helo at depot level maintenance.
ReplyDeleteTough calls are keeping rifleman and cutting GS-13s that compile statistics and make powerpoint presentations. Or cutting the SES that is the power behind the throne because the military personnel system will not leave a uniformed officer in place long enough to actually learn his organization.