[HamiltonJay]

They were JUST as effective in Desert Storm.

[Peisistratus]

"They were JUST as effective in Desert Storm."

Indeed. There's no all-weather, survivable, platform in the inventory or projected now. God help the Marines if they ever have to make another opposed landing, because air support is all they'll have.

[Non-Sequitur]

They were JUST as effective in Desert Storm.

Were they? They shelled Kuwait a couple of times, but in Iraq and Afganistan they're useless. The days of sending marines ashore on an opposed beach head are past. We can get a whole lot more bang for our buck with other platforms.