Their lifesaving work was impaired by a lack of amphibious ships, the assistant commandant of the Marine Corps said this week.Make sure you read the entire article. It seems that the Assistant Commandant is making the case for MANY more amphibious ships at a strange time.
“The Filipinos were living and dying based on V-22s and KC-130s,” said Gen. John Paxton, speaking of the Marine Corps’ tiltrotor and heavy lift aircraft. “And think of the difference it would have made if we had more ships.”
While the Marine Corps is agitating for more shipping the US Navy is about to mothball a carrier. Has already put a couple of cruisers in the cue for deactivation. Is cutting its overall fleet size.
Meanwhile the USMC has asked and gotten a new amphib in the USS America class but even before its been put into service, has reversed itself and asked for a well deck, begged for a MLP and then stated that they would figure out how it would work once they got it...and now will find at least half of the class converted to AFSB's.
It doesn't make sense to me.
But a bigger issue is the SPMAGTF-CR. Quite honestly I got the impression that the USMC tested the concept in the Philippines because the Brits, Japanese and Australians were able to sortie ships to the area and supposedly we weren't.
I really think we're seeing a well orchestrated lie. I don't say that lightly. I respect Paxton and he's a kick ass leader, but on this one he's following the company line, not standing up and stating facts plainly and clearly.
Sidenote: I got an e-mail that frustrated me a bit today. I am NOT a Marine Corps basher. I love the organization and want it to succeed like none other. BUT! Its on a path that I can't support, making decisions that are clearly flawed and going toward a future that will cause unnecessary deaths for future Marines. If I hated the Marine Corps I would watch all this and not speak out against it.
It is interesting that you bring up LHA 6, the USS America. Talking with a formal XO when I served as CCO on a large deck amphib, he was one of those who assisted in the design of the LHX. But during a weekend, the determination was made to scrap all the plans that had been done and build the LHX based on an existing platform, the Wasp Class LHD's. So over a weekend engineering slam fest, they hammered out a design that was sold to those above and deemed the next best thing since sliced bread.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major reasons for the rapid fire design change? The LHX could not be built in existing inferstructure at Pascagoula (sp?). It could only be built at HII in Newport News, where carriers are built.
But look what we have now with the LHA 6 and 7....Marine Corps Carriers!! What are they based on? MV-22 and F-35 operations. So as you can see, the Marine Corps has had the F35 "Boot" on the Navy's neck for some time.
I would love to see an article detailing out what the original requirements for the capabilities of this aircrat were during the much ballyhooed "contest" to determine which manufacturer would build this thing and what the capabilities ae "right now". What have we sacrificed?
Just as one raises a child by guiding it, pointing out mistakes, encouraging successes, and applying discipline when necessary, so too you are clearly attempting to monitor and guide the path of the Marine Corps. If the path the Corps is on is wrong then, of course, some of your writings will be critical. That's care and passion not hate. Carry on. You're doing it right!
ReplyDeleteComNavOps is absolutely correct...you are doing exactly the right thing. Just like the Chowder Society of old that saved our beloved Corps..forums such as these bring forth issues that many in the ranks might feel but cannot bring up without career suicide.
ReplyDeleteI love my Corps but in the infamous words LtGen Victor Krulak “The United States does not need a Marine Corps mainly because she has a fine modern Army and a vigorous Air Force. . . . We [the Marine Corps] exist today—we flourish today—not because of what we know we are, or what we know we can do, but because of what the grassroots of our country believes we are and believes we can do.”
If we ever lose the trust of the American populace........