The Amazing, Shrinking, Disappearing MEU replaced by an AIRCRAFT CARRIER for Disaster Relief/Humanitarian Assistance????

 via USNI News

USS George H.W. Bush (CVN-77) is in the Mediterranean Sea, moving toward Turkey in case the country requests additional assistance, Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Wednesday.

A 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey early Monday morning, in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras, according to USA Today. The earthquake and its aftershocks collapsed tons of buildings near the border of Turkey and Syria, with the death toll now at more than 12,000.

The United States is sending a variety of aid to Turkey and Syria, in addition to the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group, Ryder said during a Wednesday press conference.

“And on behalf of Secretary Austin and the Department of Defense, we would like to express our sincere condolences to the people of Turkey and Syria and all those impacted for the tragic loss of life and despair resulting from these earthquakes,” Ryder said.”Our thoughts and prayers are with them as they confront the aftermath.”

The United States sent two Urban Search and Rescue teams, which arrived at the Incirlik Air Force Base in Turkey on Wednesday, according to a 39th Air Wing news release. The U.S. sent 161 personnel, 12 military working dogs and about 170,000 pounds of equipment as part of the rescue teams departing from Dover Air Base in Delaware.

United States Agency for International Development deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team to lead Washington’s response, according to the release.

Here 

Once you would have seen an MEU with a full compliment of Marines turning too and rushing to assist those that suffered after a natural disaster.

Not anymore.

The MEU is in limbo and is shrinking before our eyes.

So what do we see instead?

A freaking aircraft carrier?

So let me get this straight.  We don't do land combat.  We don't do HA/DR.  We don't do amphibious assault.  We don't do raids. We don't do any of the missions that have been a hallmark of the Marine Corps anymore.

We do Stand In Force and Recon/Counter Recon.

Just fabulous.