Expeditionary Forces Are America's Military Crown Jewel
Proceedings Magazine - January 2019 Vol.
By Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, U.S. Navy
(Retired)
U.S. Navy and Marine Corps forces are in higher demand than ever in the joint warfare fighting environment. Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development & Acquisition James F. Geurts has clearly stated: “Expeditionary Warfare will be key to success in future battles, but in order to ensure overmatch, the U.S. military must increase its ability to quickly adapt to new threats .†No other naval force in the world has the capability U.S. Navy and Marine Corps expeditionary forces employ today. They are key components of the National Defense Strategy.
The current expeditionary force is the nation’s leading contact and blunt-force provider, built with speed, agility and lethality in mind. Recently, the amphibious assault ship USS Essex (LHD-2) was quick to respond to an urgent combatant commander requirement with an embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) F-35B detachment. The Marine Corps, flying off this forward-deployed expeditionary platform, set a major milestone as the first F-35s to conduct a combat strike mission in Afghanistan.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2019-01/expeditionary-forces-are-americas-military-crown-jewel
