Unbelievable! Even a tragedy is used to push an agenda in the Marines!

 via Defense One.

US Marines May Have Lost Their ‘Amphibious Edge,’ Leaders Say

Top Marines tell Congress that after deadly AAV accident and years in Middle East, the Corps and its vehicles are unprepared for waterborne operations.

That's the title and subheading.  Clickbait for sure cause I latched onto it like a shark on a baby seal.  Boy did they suck me in!

 Beyond the questionable maintenance of the AAVs, prior investigations have revealed that personnel involved in the accident were also not prepared for the training exercise. Many of the Marines had not completed training designed to teach them how to escape from a submerged vehicle. Swim and water qualifications were not current. When the AAV began to sink on July 30, the lack of adequate training coupled with the vehicle’s maintenance shortcomings proved fatal.

Testimony revealed that after decades in the Middle East, neither the Marine Corps’s vehicles nor its troops are prepared for waterborne operations.  

“It may have been that the twenty years of landborne operations have caused us to lose some of our amphibious edge,” Olson told Congress on Monday. 

That amphibious edge is a major factor in the Marine Corps of the future—where maritime operations will reign. Berger’s Force Design 2030 report claims the Corps is trudging ahead on dramatically transforming into a maritime force capable of multi-domain operations, fully equipped with amphibious ships and alternative platforms. Berger’s vision for the future of the Marines is to “create a true naval expeditionary stand-in-force and force-in-readiness.” (SNAFU! had to fix that for Defense One...the Marines are NO LONGER a force in readiness).

Do you see this trash?

This is simple and has nothing to do with "losing an amphibious edge".

This is about FUNDING, TRAINING, PRIORITIES and LEADERSHIP!

We'll smash this trash later (gotta get out and get some stuff done today...I'm off and off days are valuable!) but you guys give me your thoughts.  Oh and if you haven't check out the tick tock of events that led up to this cluster.

These Marines DID NOT HAVE TO DIE!

Story here.