Posted on 03/24/2020 10:46:40 PM PDT by RomanSoldier19
The commandant of the Marine Corps is pushing an ambitious plan to shrink the Corps and turn it into a more mobile fighting force. Part of that plan is a reduction in manpower, but the service's top officer also wants to cut a number of other units, including all of the Corps' tank battalions.
(Excerpt) Read more at businessinsider.com ...
I disagree, but you will see one actual manned vehicle directing several unmanned ones. You will also increasingly see manned armored vehicles with unmanned turrets. The T-14 Armata and the German Lynx/Puma heavy IFVs are two examples of the way things are going.
Just take me now Lord. Take me now.
Infantry division of the Navy my ass, a Marines job is to kill the enemy with bullets, and when you run out of bullets you close with bayonets and a Ka-Bar.
That was the Old Corps I was trained and deployed in.
Never did more than 6 weeks aboard a ship, the rest of it was in a place with nothing but red mud.
How about converting the V-22 into a flying tank?
I suspect part of the problem is that the US doesn’t currently have a light tank/tank destroyer solution (which the US Army is actually presently looking for) and the Abrams isn’t actually all that air- or sea-mobile as modern versions of it are **74 tons**. Getting the M1A2C/D to the beach is going to consume a lot of sea or airlift that could be used for more vehicles and troops.
The rallying cry:
“THESE ARE THE BASTARDS WHO MADE US RUN OUT OF TP!”
That is an actual program, but they’re scaling that back. One problem is that while it can be made into somewhat of a gunship, there are some major issues with the MV-22 in that role. Starting with the biiig nacelles on each side of the craft in vertical lift mode causing blind spots.
We’d be better off making our own Hind counterpart - and we probably should have. Those things are fearsome.
WWCS (What Would Chesty Say)? I can’t repeat it here.
The YouTuber named Matsimus, a former-British-Army-and-current-Canadian-Forces combat veteran, has posted this video about the same topic. It contains more information about the related cuts and rationale behind them:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeNzt-7ZmT8
So, what did the Old Corps do when it ran into armored enemies that your bullets won’t do anything to but annoy and you’re out of naval gunfire range? :P
Marines or regular army?
IIRC, a lot of the actions Chesty fought in in the Pacific had the Marines with, um, NO tanks.
Its a question not a statement.
I didn’t think they heavily relied on them and used them frequently.
Cripes settle down. Take a walk.
I see what you did there.
-shrug- It’s not a new idea, comedic or otherwise.
Like in the movie Aliens. Colonial Marines. “Game over, man!”
Yeah. I wasn’t laughing.
Interesting. Anyone kind of have an idea what percentage of their missions in the recent past, last 20+ years, have used tanks? My initial thoughts was a non-majority amount.
They can’t invade Taiwan because Taiwan is too close for the mainland to have any hope of blocking their nuclear retaliation.
It would cost the Chinese Communists Shanghai and the area around it at a minimum.
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