I've been looking at cuts to the US Army with more than a little alarm. I've been stunned by how much they're cutting.
Surprisingly though, I don't hear much complaint from Soldiers on the issue. They accept it as a fact that the Army will be eviscerated after every war.
That's too bad. Task Force Smith is required study in the Marine Corps and the teaching of it isn't kind. It goes a little like this. US Army units were rushed to Korea and those units were unprepared for combat. They got mauled and it was up to the Marine Corps to save them. It inflated non-sense and doesn't tell the whole story but it forms the basis of our very ethos.
We will be most ready when the nation is least.
My fear is that we're looking at another Task Force Smith in the future. We will soon (I think) run up against an issue where we have to act. Where we will have no other choice but to deploy ground forces.
And at that time the nation will be least ready...and so will the US Army if they keep on their current path.
Check out this article from the Free Beacon and then check out the extent of the coming pain in this blog post from American Mercenary.
America's enemies are watching. They understand that the public is war weary. What better time to strike?
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ReplyDeleteArmy officers get hammered with the lessons of history, even in as short a course as OCS. When I went through the Army was growing, in a time of war, and "The Surge" had just been announced.
ReplyDeleteAnd we still talked about how to not lose all of the edge we gained being honed in combat. We know Congress controls the budget, the very best we can do is preserve what capabilities we can as best we can. That is why the Army started cutting Brigades BEFORE sequestration happened, we knew that our years of being a budget priority over the Air Force were coming to an end.
The biggest reason that Task Force Smith won't happen again is that we don't have the draft as a part of national defence policy. Instead of the "skeleton model" where the Active Army provides the staffing, training, and leadership to a draftee Army, we know we have to go to war and win on day one. That is the difference between Vietnam and everything since. There will be no more Kasserine Passes, no more Task Force Smiths, no more "ok, now that we've taken a hit it's time to get into shape and whoop some ass!"
We have to win on day one, or we can't win.
I worry about the supposed "combat edge" honed in Afghanistan and Iraq.
DeleteAt the front end, we have soldiers used to being ambushed with mines, rifles and rockets, but with little experience facing a serious attack, and no experience of being under attack from artillery, armour and fast air.
At the rear end, we have generals used to controlling everything, every bomb dropped, every shell fired, every resupply orchestrated on a strict power point schedule. How will they react when every company comes under attack at the same time, half a dozen positions over ran, artillery under competent and heavy counter battery fire, air support shot down ect.
The UK went in to both world wars with a supposed advantage, but the lessons learnt were very unhelpful.
There is a political element to TFS as well,
No one can seriously have believed TFS, an understrength under equipped battalion was going to stop two divisions, yet they were sent, with orders to engage as soon as possible
http://www.military.com/daily-news/2014/04/22/us-paratroopers-deploy-to-poland-and-baltics.html
No one was stupid enough to order them to a warzone, this time.
And what if the Task Force Smith of the future will be The USMC?
ReplyDeletenot many people realize it but the USMC travels with far more organic firepower...if you count naval guns and carrier aircraft as part of the mix. additionally the Marines can simply head back to ship if it gets too hairy...unless the ships have already left.
DeleteYeah like Guadalcanal...
DeleteBut you notice Sol that mechanical park of USMC is in many cases outdated, the close air support will be almost non existing after AV-8B will go to scrap. If the navy will swim away because in near shore water they will be under attack of supersonic ship killers... well, future will be not too bright for poor grunts on the beach.
the blot on naval warfare called the "abandonment of Marines on Guadalcanal" will never happen again. the Navy to a huge black eye and you saw a battalion plus of Marines captured or killed in one battle? the US couldn't afford that.
DeleteThere is an old saying Sol, Never say Never. It's unthinkable, it's ridiculous... it's just out of equation and. But it happen before, I bet those poor bastards also were sure that Navy will not swim away with most of heavy equipment, food and stuff on 'canal. But they did.
DeleteI hope it will never, NEVER! happen again... but hope is a mother of fools.
The USMC must be fixed, the esprit de corps must be reinstated, the Marines again must be "the few, the Proud!" not "the few sises and singing contest in skirts"... they need to get new high tech land equipment and all those shiny new toys and don't look good on parade but can kill enemy fuckers with top efficient. That when the most dark scenario will happen again and navy will swim away with tail under own legs the modern Marines will not bring the shame to ancestor Marines of Guadalcanal.
The Marines are need to be again the Grim Reaper sons!
A Marine Task Force Smith? There was one, in the Philippines 1941 and another at Wake Island.
DeleteThe time of Task Force Smith led to the Frozen Chosen in the Freezing season.
The Marines did good there.
Of course Puller had loaded the deck with an influx of World War two veteran Marines, men who had already fought and won several engagements against the Japanese.
The Navy never swam away. That claim is a myth perpetuated by the Marine Corps to justify MAGTF/single battle concept procurement. For example: "We need stealth jump jets because the Navy will leave us on the beach, like they did at Guadalcanal!"
DeleteHistorical record shows that nearly 3000 US and AUS Navy Sailors and 30 ships rest on the floor of "Iron Bottom Sound". From seamen to admirals, they died protecting the Marines, the anchorage, and resupply points for Henderson field. The Marines claim 1,202 KIA and MIA during the entire land campaign. More than double the number of Sailors were killed at sea, how did the Navy run away?
General A. Vandergrift COMGEN 1st MARDIV commending the fleet after the Second Naval Battle of Guadalcanal
"It is our belief that the enemy has suffered a crushing defeat. Our thanks for the sturdy efforts of Lee last nite and to Kincaid for his pounding of the Foe by our aircraft has been grand. We appreciate all these efforts but to Scott and Callaghan and their men who against seemingly hopeless odds with magnificent courage made success possible by driving back the first hostile attack goes our greatest homage. In deepest admiration the men of Gaudalcanal to them lift their battered helmets."
The Navy underestimated the adversary and was unprepared for combat, but they didn't swim away.
Trons Away.
Deletemy propaganda beats your reality everyday of the week and twice in the halls of Congress. yeah. you're spot on with your replay of actual events.
however ask anyone with a passing interest in WW2 what happened at Guadalcanal and the USMC's version of events wins everyday.
the big green! don't ya love it?
Sol,
ReplyDeleteYep. I get it. As the son of a Vietnam Marine, I'm well indoctrinated in the institutional myths of the Corps. The quatrefoil, blood stripe, etc. I just don't understand how otherwise intelligent and well-read officers can hold these beliefs so religiously.
If we learn the wrong lessons from history, or just make it up, we will make poor decisions for the future.