Marine Corps Pre-Positioning Norway caves in the Trondelag region of northern Norway...I keep forgetting about reinforcement mission in Europe.

Marine LAV-25s stored inside of one of the Marine Corps Pre-Positioning Norway caves in the Trondelag region of northern Norway, Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. The giant caves in these fjordside mountains pack enough firepower for 4,600 U.S. Marines and are built to withstand the first few days of a hypothetical World War III.

I'm not debating the right and wrong of the policy.

I am saying that I forgot we have always had a mission of reinforcing the flank of NATO in Northern Europe.

That 4600 Marines they're talking about is a Marine Expeditionary Brigade that was planned to fight Soviet Paratroops, Marines and Spetsnaz that would be blitzing thru the fjords seeking to wreak havoc on their way to a two pronged attack on the primary objective.  Central Europe in general and destroying Germany in particular.

That flank had to be held and the Marines were given that task.

Just a bit more Marine Corps history that I've got to get a better grip on and one that I wish was talked about more.  There wasn't any combat in Europe (thank God no WWIII scenario) but the planning, table tops and estimates for how it would play out must be beyond fascinating.

That's some material that I wish was declassified so we could all get a look-see.