via Defense.gov...
CAMP H.M. SMITH, Hawaii, Nov. 15, 2013 – Elements of the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, based on the Japanese island of Okinawa, are preparing to deploy to the typhoon-ravaged Philippines in support of Operation Damayan.HQMC has worked overtime to emphasize a piece of equipment during this relief operation.
About 900 31st MEU Marines will board two Navy amphibious ships, the USS Germantown and USS Ashland, which are en route to Okinawa from their homeport of Sasebo, Japan and are expected to arrive in the Philippines next week. An additional 100 31st MEU Marines will fly to the region.
The ships are expected to bring heavy engineering equipment such as backhoes, dump trucks and wreckers; amphibious assault vehicles; generators; and portable water tanks.
As many as eight MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 265 assigned to the 31st MEU are expected to fly from Okinawa to Clark International Airport in the Philippines in the coming days, doubling the number of Osprey aircraft available to fly missions.
The 31st MEU Marines will assist with road clearance and with distribution of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief supplies as needed. They’ll also aid relief efforts ashore throughout the emergency phase of operations.
The MV-22.
That my friends is something new and not in keeping with Marine Corps tradition. The Marines have always emphasized the person, not the tech as being the force behind why the Marine Corps succeeds where others failed.
Looks like we have a bunch of tech monkeys in charge right now....and they're getting their asses handed to them.
We have a Brigadier General on the ground in the Philippines and all he talks about is the MV-22. But for relief to get to those who need it, he's going to need the services of some strong, able bodied men to operate equipment. More men to remove debris and to transport supplies. Still more to drive AAVs into inaccessible areas to help those that might have been forgotten.
The star of this relief effort is the Marine. NOT SOME FUCKING AIRPLANE!
We need new leadership and from the statements I've seen in the news, that extends all the way down to the one star level.
I wonder, why they are sending Marines and not the Seebees ? Or they are also en route ?
ReplyDeleteseabees are more famous but Marines can do the same work and you're going to need alot of manpower to get things rolling in that disaster area.
DeleteTrue they will need a lot of men there but Marines are soldiers first, then other tasks. Seebees are engineers first, then soldiers. The are pretty experienced in disaster relief and recovery operations, they are the right unit to do that kind of work on Philippines.
DeleteI remember that sometime ago you said that Corps is starting to be less fighting unit and more disaster relief formation. If they would be send as support for Seebees operation that would make perfect sense for me, but I'm only not that old grunt. Maybe Navy send them also or will do that in short time ? Don't know that.
A whole 8. That means maybe at any one time, after some days deployed, 4-6 of them are available. They are not a hot-high performance aircraft. They do not have the lift of a 53 or the Army CH-47. Probably useful in some situations but not as a "replacement" for helicopters.
ReplyDeleteI was watching some video of water containers being carted around the deck of the GW. Nary a MV-22 in sight - only the -60s... I was waiting for the USMC to pump up the story of MV-22s working off a CV, but so far, them seem to only be operating ashore.
ReplyDelete