1st Tanks conducts Mechanized Assault Course...Photos by Lance Cpl. John Baker

Sidenote:  I wonder how many more years tanks has as a dedicated part of the USMC.  I have no crystal ball but everything points to the Marine Corps giving up tanks in the next 10 years...they'll call it "enhancing" the Corps expeditionary capability.  The reality will be something different.  The US Army is currently operating the M1A2 TUSK (Tank Urban Survivability Kit) and they're supposedly looking to upgrade those tanks to the M1A3 standard soon.  Meanwhile the Corps still uses M1A1 Abrams.  The choice will be stark.  Either pay extra to keep a legacy vehicle going that is less and less compatible with the US Army standard OR dip into the budget to upgrade to the M1A2 Tusk..and later M1A3, while buying F-35's, MV-22's, CH-53K's, JLTV's, replacement MTVR's AND some type of ACV/MPC/AAV replacement.  Marine Tanks are already dead.  They just haven't been told.