We Should Have Been There’: Marine General Laments the State of the Amphib Navy....The US Amphibious Navy is in shit shape, can't meet mission requirements.

‘We Should Have Been There’: Marine General Laments the State of the Amphib Navy https://t.co/Y0aiTO1cZ5 via @DefenseOne

— Solomon (@SnafuBlogspot) April 29, 2022

How are you a crisis response force if you can't respond? No wonder the 82nd keeps getting called. This part from Defense One has me spinning!

On Feb. 15, the Joint Staff sent prepare-to-deploy orders to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and to its associated Naval amphibious ready group. Their purpose: “provide bridging solutions” to Gen. Tod Wolters, the commander of U.S. European Command and NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, according to Lt. Gen. Karsten Heckl, the commanding general of Marine Corps Combat Development Command and deputy commandant for Combat Development and Integration.

The 22nd MEU was already prepared to go. However, the maintenance status of the three warships of the Kearsarge Amphibious Ready Group was “so bad” they were not prepared to leave then or after the invasion, Heckl told Defense One on Thursday. They were even late to meet their original deployment date.

“When you get within X number of days of your deployment date, you’re placed basically on a [prepare-to-deploy order] and the Kearsarge ARG failed that as well. Which is basically a violation of orders from my perspective as a Marine, right? If the joint order tells you to be ready on X day, then you’re to be ready on X day, and they were not.”

Marine Corps officials did offer to deploy the MEU by other means, Heckl said, something that should not have to happen to a naval expeditionary force. 

They offered to deploy the MEU by other means. 

He leaves it at that.

They didn't leave till a month and a day later.  What does that mean?  The Combatant Commander obviously said "FUCK IT!  I'll do it another way" and left the Marines on the sideline (I note that they did throw the Corps a bone by sending aviation assets later).

This is terrible.  The new Corps New Navy/Marine Corps team with all its glowing naval integration just ain't ready for prime time.