Marines to Shut Down All Tank Units, Cut Infantry Battalions in Major Overhaul

[rangerrebew]

Marines to Shut Down All Tank Units, Cut Infantry Battalions in Major Overhaul
 
23 Mar 2020
Military.com | By Gina Harkins

In the next decade, the Marine Corps will no longer operate tanks or have law enforcement battalions. It will also have three fewer infantry units and will shed about 7% of its overall force as the service prepares for a potential face-off with China.

The Marine Corps is cutting all military occupational specialties associated with tank battalions, law enforcement units and bridging companies, the service announced Monday. It's also reducing its number of infantry battalions from 24 to 21 and cutting tiltrotor, attack and heavy-lift aviation squadrons.

The changes are the result of a sweeping months-long review and war-gaming experiments that laid out the force the service will need by 2030. Commandant Gen. David Berger directed the review, which he has called his No. 1 priority as the service's top general.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/23/marines-shut-down-all-tank-units-cut-infantry-battalions-major-overhaul.html

[rangerrebew]

The Corps is axing all of its tank battalions and cutting grunt units
Shawn Snow

https://www.marinecorpstimes.com/news/your-marine-corps/2020/03/23/the-corps-is-axing-all-of-its-tank-battalions-and-cutting-grunt-units/

[Elderberry]

Marines getting rid of all tanks and completely restructuring to orient towards China

https://americanmilitarynews.com/2020/03/marines-getting-rid-of-all-tanks-and-completely-restructuring-to-orient-towards-china/

The Marine Corps plan to undergo the most significant changes in the past 20 years to focus on the rising Chinese threat while shifting its focus away from the Middle East.

The plan over the next 10 years is to prepare the Marines for an island-to-island battle in the Western Pacific, General David Berger, the Marine Corps commandant, told the Wall Street Journal. In order to accomplish this, the Marines plan to get rid of all of its tanks and cut back on its aircraft. Berger added that in order to get a higher quality Marine Corps, it must also contract in size, reducing the total number from 189,000 to possibly 170,000.

“China, in terms of military capability, is the pacing threat,” Berger said. “If we did nothing, we would be passed.”

Berger’s plan establishes naval expeditionary units, teams of 50-100, who disperse to small islands in the South and East China Seas using sleek landing craft, Berger said. The Marines would target Chinese warships with anti-ship missiles. They would move islands every 24-72 hours to avoid counter-attacks, he added.

The effort is a part of a broader effort by the Pentagon to focus on what officials refer to as a great-power conflict between China, Russia, and the United States. Included in this effort is a $105 billion request for the research and development of new technologies to help prepare the U.S. military for a potential battle with either China or Russia. The research and development funding request is the largest in 70 years and is a part of the 2021 $705 billion budget request proposal.

[sneakypete]

Marines to Shut Down All Tank Units, Cut Infantry Battalions in Major Overhaul
 
23 Mar 2020
Military.com | By Gina Harkins

In the next decade, the Marine Corps will no longer operate tanks or have law enforcement battalions. It will also have three fewer infantry units and will shed about 7% of its overall force as the service prepares for a potential face-off with China.

The Marine Corps is cutting all military occupational specialties associated with tank battalions, law enforcement units and bridging companies, the service announced Monday. It's also reducing its number of infantry battalions from 24 to 21 and cutting tiltrotor, attack and heavy-lift aviation squadrons.

The changes are the result of a sweeping months-long review and war-gaming experiments that laid out the force the service will need by 2030. Commandant Gen. David Berger directed the review, which he has called his No. 1 priority as the service's top general.

https://www.military.com/daily-news/2020/03/23/marines-shut-down-all-tank-units-cut-infantry-battalions-major-overhaul.html

@rangerrebew

I can see cutting the LEO units,but infantry and tank units?

Something tells me it is their master,the USN that wants to do that so they have more money from the budget going to "things that float and sink".

[EdinVA]

I have no expertise with this stuff but we just spent almost 20 years "over-deploying" our troops because our military was to small to handle a fairly small force in the ME, so how is a smaller US military going to deal with china?

[sneakypete]

I have no expertise with this stuff but we just spent almost 20 years "over-deploying" our troops because our military was to small to handle a fairly small force in the ME, so how is a smaller US military going to deal with china?

@EdinVA

Our only options are negotiation,which would require us to have a Congress and Senate not bought and paid for by the Chinese,or war,which means nukes. A BUNCH of nukes.

Or we just surrender.

[EdinVA]

@EdinVA

Our only options are negotiation,which would require us to have a Congress and Senate not bought and paid for by the Chinese,or war,which means nukes. A BUNCH of nukes.

Or we just surrender.

@sneakypete
I think we are relying far to heavily on technology....
Technology has never/will never win a conflict, boots on the ground wins conflicts.  Technology can help, but not replace folks willing to fight.

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete
I think we are relying far to heavily on technology....
Technology has never/will never win a conflict, boots on the ground wins conflicts.  Technology can help, but not replace folks willing to fight.

@EdinVA

Good luck explaining that to a ICBM or a engineered virus.

[EdinVA]

@EdinVA

Good luck explaining that to a ICBM or a engineered virus.

@sneakypete
How many tomahawks have we launched at Afghanistan and Iraq?

GPS Guided whatevers.. drones... etc....

Still not winning

[sneakypete]

@sneakypete
How many tomahawks have we launched at Afghanistan and Iraq?

GPS Guided whatevers.. drones... etc....

Still not winning

@EdinVA

I dunno. Most likely none. The closest I am aware of us coming to that is small missiles launched from drones.

BUT.......,what does that have to do with China?

[Fishrrman]

Ed wrote:
"Technology has never/will never win a conflict, boots on the ground wins conflicts."

If that's the case, we'll NEVER win a boot-vs-boot war with China.
It will go nuclear... perhaps quickly.