Declawing the Tiger: A Rebuttal of the Decision to Phase Out Marine Tank Battalions

[rangerrebew]

Declawing the Tiger: A Rebuttal of the Decision to Phase Out Marine Tank Battalions
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By Jared Simonelli
August 04, 2020
 

In the opening days of the Yom Kippur War, Egypt’s triumph over Israeli forces shocked the world. Soviet-supplied Sagger missiles allowed the Egyptian infantry to outrange the Israeli tank units, securing an initial overwhelming victory. Many military officials saw these missiles as the direct counter to the tank, which appeared on the verge of obsolescence. The Israeli counterstrike, however, disproved these fears. In a combined arms action with infantry providing screening, Egyptian anti-tank weapons faltered.

On the modern battlefield, the U.S. Marine Corps currently possesses similar doubts about the effectiveness of its armored units. In the 38th Commandant’s Planning Guidance, Marine Commandant General David H. Berger suggests the future of his institution relies upon a light naval infantry force supported by precision artillery and air support.[1] General Berger wagers that future warfare nullifies the effectiveness of heavy armor support. On the contrary, the Marine Corps must adapt these assets into a force equipped with light tanks.
 
https://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2020/08/04/declawing_the_tiger_a_rebuttal_of_the_decision_to_phase_out_marine_tank_battalions_115518.html

[sneakypete]

I am thinking that General is either a fool,or he has accepted as fact that the USMC will be treated as regular army infantry divisions that dress funny from this point forward.

Make no mistake about it,if they ever revert to being strictly invasion troops that do nothing but frontal attacks to take and hold a "beachhead" for "Big Army",they will be screwed without light armor. It was those tiny little tanks squirting napalm into bunkers and tunnels that allowed them to take the islands in the Pacific without being wiped out.

Yeah,we now have high-tech precisions weapons that can be fired from a hundred miles away and hit where you want it when it gets there,but NOTHING beats having something already on hand that can bail you out when you need to be bailed out.

I used to hear the USMC slogan was "Hey,diddle diddle,straight up the middle!",which basically covered their entire strategy. When that is the way you operate,when you need something,you need it RIGHT THIS INSTANT,not 15-20 minutes from now IF the message gets through unscrambled.