Now we know why an MEU didn't go to assist Turkey during the recent devestation....NO AMPHIBS AVAILABLE!

 via Defense One

The Marines could not send a large crisis-response unit to Turkey after its devastating earthquake because there weren’t any amphibious ships in the region, the Marine Corps commandant said Wednesday, raising new concerns about the service’s ability to carry out one of its core missions.

“We didn't have a Marine Expeditionary Unit, a MEU, nearby that could respond…I owe the secretary of defense, the President—we joint chiefs owe them options…all the time. Here, I felt like the best option, we couldn't offer them because we have the Marines and the equipment and they're trained, we didn't have the ships,” Gen. David Berger said during an interview with Defense One.

The incident comes a year after Marines with orders to deploy to Europe were delayed because some of the amphibious readiness group ships they were supposed to use were not out of maintenance in time. 

In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, victims quickly needed basic supplies such as water, medicine, and equipment to deal with the rubble, Berger said, but without the added burden of more people ashore, which a MEU aboard an amphibious ship could provide.

“We would have liked for a MEU/ARG, or amphibious ready group, to be in the Mediterranean all the time, and then they could get there quickly to a NATO member like Turkey, but we couldn't do that,” he said.

Here 

Understand that this appears while the Marine Corps is pushing the Navy to build new Landing Ship Mediums (once the LAW).

On this issue I kinda side with the Navy.

They're prioritizing getting their ship maintenance backlog under control which is why they're wanting to mothball some of the older ships in the inventory.

The problem is bigger than that however.

Combatant Commanders just can't continue to draw forces for exercise after exercise to "reassure allies".

We can't keep turning circles in the sea without purpose.

We need a REAL naval strategy that acknowledges limited resources and acts accordingly.

We won't do any of that so continued failure is assured.

Sidenote.  I hope ALPAY is alright.  Haven't heard from him in awhile and I don't know where in Turkey is was located.  Prayers up for him.