Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS)...that's what this is all about....

I had to dig thru my files to find the above graphic depicting a Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad in a fictional fight.

Do you notice something?  You have these MERS operating at distance....in a distributed fashion...depending on networked fires and air support for survival.

Even worse?  One Company has Battalion and MAGTF peeking over its shoulder?  Freaking seriously?  They might as well throw Regiment in to make it a real party!

But ignore all that.  Think about this.  What happens to these MERS in a fight against a peer opponent?  How will they survive against the new threats we're seeing in the Middle East?  The terrorist are now operating like quasi nation state armies.  Will they hold up against even them?

Sometimes pushing ahead is the wrong thing.  If the threat or information changes then you must adjust.  The terrorist threat has changed.  The fight against near peer threats will be more savage than we can possibly imagine.

Distributed Operations is a concept that just isn't worth the effort.  Side note. I hate to bring it up but even Marine Snipers have learned the lessons of the vulnerability of small units.  The days of a sniper and his spotter going out alone are done.  I believe they even operate in Platoon size strength during ops now.  SOCOM doesn't go out light either!

But the Marine Corps believes a MERS is workable?

Amazing.