26th MEU Marines depart to establish Forward Coordinating Element on St. Croix

I predicted this.

The Marine Corps is so "jazzed" about proving concepts instead of proving relevance that its becoming a slow, sagging, after thought.

Think about it like this.

How would the old "MEU" have responded to this crisis?

You would see the entire BLT assembled and on board ship.  The entire Ground Combat Element (well arty and tanks would be left behind if this was a single mission and follow on deployments didn't take place) would be available and if not then you'd see additional AAVs, Humvees or MTVRs onloaded.

The air element would be as usual with the difference being that it would be much more robust than this travesty that we're seeing deployed to the Virgin Islands.

What do we see instead?

A bitched up weak force that is in my opinion trying to prove command and control instead of getting aid to people.

We're looking at a population of 100K plus and we're sending 700 Marines and a penny packet of aircraft to help?

Weak sauce.

The only saving grace is that the action is on the continental US.  The Navy is deploying an aircraft carrier that will serve as a lilypad to all types of first responder aircraft and an LHD is bringing along a few more Marines.

In other words?

The usual suspects will shine and the Marines will be seen as the service missing when ANOTHER regional tragedy strikes the American shore. Is there another C. Co. 4th AABn waiting in the wings to carry our banner proudly?

God I hope so!