Posted on 06/30/2025 2:42:03 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Incompetent leaders misled the Marine Corps into ‘force design.’ It badly needs to return to conventional combat power.
In the Marine Corps of my father and uncles, the term “Feather Merchant” referred to marines who were considered to be lightweights. These usually were folks who were “in the rear with the gear,” such as clerk-typists and supply types along with staff officers with no front-line combat experience.
The term generally fell out of use during the Vietnam War and the War on Terrorism when marines found other, more colorful ways to describe anyone who wasn’t on the front lines. In many cases, this was unfair. Every marine is trained to be a rifleman. In many emergency situations from WWII to Vietnam, most Feather Merchants used their rifles to devastating effect on Japanese, North Koreans, and Vietnamese Communist forces in emergency situations.
However, there is a new breed of Feather Merchants, those being the three and four star generals who have turned the Marine Corps from the nation’s 9-1-1 force to a China-oriented missile force that has failed the nation’s call three times in the last six years, leaving the other services scrambling to make up for their lack of availability. And the Corps doesn’t even have the missiles to accomplish the new mission yet.
The last commandant told the nation that amphibious operations were obsolete and the Navy could get by with fewer amphibious ships. Consequently he released it from the commitment to maintain enough ships to maintain a 24-7 amphibious presence in the world’s most likely trouble spots (the Mediterranean, the Persian Gulf, and the Western Pacific).
Now, the current commandant says we need more big deck amphibs to maintain the 24-7 commitment; but he enthusiastically supported the last guy’s position when he was the Assistant Commandant. When asked how...
(Excerpt) Read more at spectator.org ...
“in the rear” - a phrase that would have got you in trouble just a short year ago.
The correct term is “REMF”, as in “rear echelon mother f******.
In the US Air Force, a feather merchant was any civilian worker, regardless of their role. Forty-five months loading the bomb, a SAC-trained warrior, we flew for real 24/7. MAC was infested with lazy feather merchants...
Hegseth has a network of those who can make worthy recommendations, and he will have a keen eye for selecting future leaders.
“amphibious operations were obsolete”
Good article. I think that there is a very low awareness that the Marine Corp has been transformed into light infantry. The last commandant gave away the marine’s main strength. Sad.
Where were the House and Senate Republicans while the subversion of the USMC was occurring?
Thanks for the post. If only Gen Gray was still with us. I fear all the services are dealing with much the same. When will the purge get underway?
Some serious house cleaning has taken place like getting rid of that USAF embarrassment Charlie Brown for example. But, much more is in order.
We don't need more 4 star generals than E-9s in the military.
You goes where they sends ya.
My MOS was 0811 - ‘05s.
I was sent over individually as a grunt.
Ended up in a security platoon...mostly sitting on the wire near the rear with the gear except for sitting on the wire at ASP #1.
No C.A.R.
It was what it was...
Or more admirals than ships.
Fair point. I was on active duty in artillery, then got out and went to law school. My younger cousin was also an artillery officer. When the Gulf came around, my reserve unit was activated, went into Saudi, and then right up to Kuwait. Fired off a lot of rounds and took some too. But my active duty cousin was left floating off the coast as part of the "demonstration". So I got to see combat, he didn't.
Because we go where they send us.
Every Marine is a rifleman, but I always viewed the "REMF" thing as one of the few privileges of being in a combat MOS - getting to b*tch about everyone who has it easier than you further back.
But in the end...all Marines.
I don't know what happened to Mattis, but though he was never Commandant, he somehow turned into one of the people this article is talking about.
I haven't been impressed with the last 3 or 4 Commandants. They seem to be coming off the same CNC machine.
Posted before I saw your post. Semper Fi
When the Marine Corps got rid of their tanks, the Army gladly accepted them. I bet if DJT said to give them back, they would be rolling tomorrow.
“amphibious operations were obsolete”
We trained constantly for amphibious operations back in the early 80s.
Semper Fi.
L
Then the Marines are obsolete. That is their raison d'etre.
Indeed - there doesn’t seem to be much hard examination as to WHAT Marines are, and what their primary role is.
If they aren’t recruiting or embassy security - they shouldn’t be out of nasal range of saltwater.
A lot of detail missing from this article. If you research Gen Berger’s reasoning, it was sound. The OGs didn’t like it, but there were realities they were unwilling to face: the US can’t afford a 2nd land army; the USMC had better orient to a Department of the Navy requirement (hello China); and cyber/drone/information ops need substantial investment; 4 tank battalions will likely be a financial and logistical burden on the next battlefield. But Gen Berger’s execution of the plan sucked.
As for the state of USMC missiles, this is where we are at: https://san.com/cc/marine-corps-kills-tomahawk-plans-goes-all-in-on-nmesis/
1 billion USD over the next 5 years to develop systems for littoral combat units: https://www.defenseone.com/defense-systems/2024/12/marines-will-spend-nearly-1b-develop-littoral-warfighting-upgrade-tactical-systems/401688/
You have to believe at some point, a hypersonic will be fielded for NMESIS, but I have not seen anything on it yet.
If you don’t know what Force Design 30 is: https://www.marines.mil/Force-Design/
Semper Fi.
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