[Big_Monkey]

I think you raise some great points. I'm a former Marine, so I'm a little biased, but you're right, it doesn't have to be Marines that defend a ship from marauders. But, from what I understand, the Navy now gives it's recruits extremely limited training in small arms or close combat skills that would be necessary to repel boarders in such a scenario.

[Cuttnhorse]

I don’t think the Navy gives any small arms familiarization to sailors these days...heck, I was on Swift Boats in Nam and spent a week at Pendleton doing small arms fam...if it wasn’t for that I would not have touched a small arm, except for a .45 ACP which we carried when on quarterdeck watch...which was empty.

[DesScorp]

"I think you raise some great points. I'm a former Marine, so I'm a little biased, but you're right, it doesn't have to be Marines that defend a ship from marauders. But, from what I understand, the Navy now gives it's recruits extremely limited training in small arms or close combat skills that would be necessary to repel boarders in such a scenario"

Currently, the amount of training the Navy gives for these situations is pathetic; basically, just a couple of hours on a firing range with a pistol. That's it. The good news is that sailors on the new Littoral Combat Ships are expected to be "do everything" sailors, very similar to the kind of sailors we used to have... and this may once again include small squad tactics and landing parties. Perhaps this will eventually make its way to the fleet, and thus all Navy recruit training. We'll see.