I always saw the USMC as the infantry division of the Navy. Like you said, form a beachhead and let the Army take over.
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.
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.
“...always saw the USMC as the infantry division of the Navy.”
Ask any Marine whether or not they are part of the Department of Navy. And they will tell you “yes we’re the men’s department.”
So I guess if you asked any Naval personnel if the Marines were an infantry division of the Navy you would probably get an answer along the lines of “no, they’re just passengers”
Service rivalry and all that.... service rivalry is still allowed, isn’t it?