What does the Marine Corps’ return to the sea mean for the Army?
19fortyfive.com
June 8, 2021
The U.S. Army is D.C.’s latest punching bag as the Indo-Pacific becomes the priority region for the Department of Defense. The Army’s proposed budget as it moves from 2021 to 2022 goes down by $7 billion. Policymakers question the service’s relevance in Asia even as 27 chiefs of staff in the region are army officers, the Army National Guard is partnered with 10 regional countries, the service is the lead to deter Russia and North Korea, and it performs many key support roles in Indo-Pacific concepts of operation such as communications and base defense.
With its impressive engagements and partnerships in the region, the Army is an essential player in competition below the level of armed conflict but, once the shooting starts, becomes even more in demand as combatants traditionally value survivable and lethal forces as combat operations progress.
President Biden’s latest budget request moves forward with the Marine Corps’ Force Design 2030—an admirable effort to align the Marine Corps’ structure and operational concepts in the Pacific. Setting aside the salutary aspects of these plans, the result of the Marine Corps’ restructuring could result in a non-trivial claim on U.S. Army capabilities. As it debates the 2022 defense budget, Congress needs to carefully consider what the implications are of the Marine Corps’ divestment of all armor, most of its artillery, many of its helicopters and a potential requirement for the Army to provide some of those capabilities.
https://www.aei.org/op-eds/what-does-the-marine-corps-return-to-the-sea-mean-for-the-army/
