Uncomfortable question. Is the USMC at least partially responsible for the mess that is Navy shipbuilding?

 I'm gonna hit you all with some uncomfortable truths.

The USMC has been wagging the Navy's tail in a big way when it comes to shipbuilding.  It's been bitching and moaning to such an extent that it is at LEAST partially responsible for the mess that is Navy shipbuilding.

Want proof?  Follow my bouncing ball....

USS Zumwalt.  The Marine Corps cried about a lack of naval guns to support our amphibious assaults.  The USMC also whined about the lack of range that current guns had.  The Navy tried to come up with a solution.  The Zumwalt used leap ahead tech to try and provide a solution but in the end it was too much too soon and the gun were incapable of doing the job at a reasonable expense.

The funny sad thing?

Years later the Marine Corps got out of the amphibious assault business in everything but name.  They're still trying to decide what to do with the Zumwalt.

USS Montford Point.  When initially conceived the Marine Corps was whining about not having enough well decks to launch its AAVs and LCACs to conduct Ship To Objective Maneuver.  The Navy put together its Expeditionary Transfer Dock.

After much fanfare, after much crowing the USMC changed course again.  I believe (don't hold me to this, I'm doing it from memory), the focus changed from surface assault to being "air centric".

So what happened?  This happened!

The very essence of the ship changed to being a lily pad for helos.

They turned into orphan children for awhile too.  I remember exercises where they were being setup for use as mine countermeasure ships and finally pawned off on SOCOM for use as base ships.

These CONSTRUCTED but no one knew what to do with them ships had trouble finding their place in our force structure.  With maintenance and MANNING turning into an issue the Navy is mothballing them.

The funny sad thing now?  Now the Marine Corps is trying to claw them back saying they're needed for the Stand In Force!

Expeditionary Fast Transport.  This one is weird.  The Marine Corps stated they needed ships to move Marines around the Pacific.  Air travel was not capable of moving men and machines in an efficient way.  In steps this puppy.

It was the hotness for awhile but guess what.  Its time in the sun was short-lived.  Now?  Now they're being reclassed as hospital ships (a few) and God only knows what for the rest.'  Instead of being high speed transports that fill that need the Marine Corps is moving toward Stern Landing ships.  Why these ships can't be flexed into the role is beyond me but they are shallow draft capable and while I don't know the particulars of Force Design it seems like a missed opportunity.  Several of these ships are going into mothballs too.

Oh and don't think the tail wagging has stopped.

The Marine Corps is complaining about the lack of amphibs.  The Marine Corps is demanding Stern Landing Ships.  The Marine Corps is demanding to be the controlling force in the naval fight because it has its Stand In Force taking hits and shooting a few missiles at Chinese vessels (the SIF makes no sense....zero out the SIF and buy a few more Burke Destroyers and you have a damn near 500% firepower improvement without risking American lives acting as a tripwire force that can actually kill enemy ships without being micro fragmented!).

My point and my complaint?

The Marine Corps has been gyrating from concept to concept, pushing the Navy to build ships to support those concepts and then is left holding the bag when the Marine Corps moves on to the next hot thing that hits the Commandant's desk.

I don't know how it happened but the Marine Corps is and has been suffering a crisis of leadership that is readily visible in the demands its placed on the Navy with regard to ships to support the amphibious force.

As much as I hate to say it, the Navy has been MORE THAN accommodating.  The Navy has jumped thru hoops to support the Marine Corps.

Sadly the Marine Corps is at LEAST partially responsible for the mess that is Navy shipbuilding.