Revisiting that Proceedings article on what Force Design 2030 is and isn't...

 I was just re-reading that article and came across this.  Long story short?  They're telling it to our face that the EABO is just a fucking bullet sponge to take hits so the fleet doesn't.  Check out this portion...

Of course, given the modest size of the currently envisioned EAB munitions, it is most appropriate to view this at the operational level at which the EAB’s primary contribution, should deterrence fail, is to enhance the joint kill web while the adversary reduces its stockpile of precision-guided munitions (PGMs) in a costly effort to destroy the EABs.

So the Commandant and his planners have come up with a concept that says hey shoot at the Marines and not our warships.

They're assuming risk in even dangling Marines in front of Chinese weapons though.

Again they give it away.

"Given the modest size of the currently envisioned EAB munitions"...

So in other words the firepower of the MLR will probably be so small that Chinese countermeasures can either easily absorb the hit (or in their estimation destroy the incoming anti-ship missiles) and continue hunting our fleet.

Which is something they admitted too.

The Commandant emphasizes the ISR portion of this monstrosity and not it firepower.

I thought I was over the top when I said this is a trip wire force designed to die in place.

Read the article again for yourself but looks like I understated things.

This concept is bullshit.

I don't believe they actually ran wargames where this made a difference....at least not how they're building it.

This force won't kill ships and it won't give info to the joint force that they couldn't get by other means.

This force is designed so that when shit kicks off there is no off ramp for negotiations because Marines died and its hoped that national fever will rise so high that war is guaranteed.