Marine Corps Chief Warns His Forces Are At LOWEST Levels In Recent History - Says Amphibious Fleet Is Just 35% Of What's Needed To Keep China At Bay In Pacific

The Daily Mail ^ | 03/30/23 | Alex Oliveira

[Enlightened1]

• Marines Commandant General David Berger testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee that military branch needed more amphibious ships
• Berger said the fleet was at 35 percent capacity of what was required for the US to maintain both a military and humanitarian presence in the Pacific region
• He said two decades of land-based conflicts had shifted the Marines' focus from sea-based combat, and that the branch should begin returning to those roots 

The Marines' highest-ranking general warned that US forces are at their lowest levels of preparedness in recent history, and are critically lacking the number of amphibious troop ships and landing craft needed to defend against Chinese aggression.

Marines Commandant General David Berger testified before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday that his military branch had only 35 percent of the amphibious ships required to maintain a secure position in the Pacific region.

He explained that the Marines' plan is to always have three groups of fighting forces known as Amphibious Readiness Groups ready for action in the Pacific, but that the Marines' current fleet of amphibious ships was not large enough to support such a presence.

Berger told Newsweek that such Marines units were not only used for combat readiness, but were intended to provide assistance to allies in the region dealing with humanitarian crises or natural disasters. He cautioned that if US forces are not capable of assisting allies in need, 'competitors' like China 'will fill that gap.'

Though he expressed confidence that the Marines were still capable of beating Chinese forces in a fight, he warned that unless the US ramps up its efforts the massive economic and manufacturing China possesses could become overwhelming.

[Enlightened1]

Forced vaccines will do that…

[volunbeer]

There is more than one way to “fight” a “war” and financially we have the ability to break China but it won’t be cheap. However, it will be far cheaper in blood and may not cost nearly as much as a full-blown shooting war.

Cut off all trade. Period. I hear people say we can’t do that for various reasons, but do you realistically think we will still be trading with them in a hot war?

China cannot afford to lose our market. They are in the midst of a bubble based on government input that would make even Greenspan blush.

We need to start decoupling and we need to prepare for no trade with them.

Seize all properties, expel all CCP kids in school, and drag Europe along with the threat to leave NATO if they value trade with the CCP more than NATO.

It’s a tall order, but I think even the threat is enough to cause the oligarchs of the CCP to blink hard when they bring up Taiwan.

[House Atreides]

“… We need to start decoupling and we need to prepare for no trade with them.…”
**************************************************************

Trump, in essence, began the decoupling process by introducing his China import tariffs and his cutting off of certain critical technologies and technical goods from export to China.

He can continue to ramp things up on that front when he takes office again.

[MinorityRepublican]

Time to downsize the military.

[griffin]

Hate to see many of the constituents of that remaining 35%?

[Gene Eric]

>> Forced vaccines will do that…

the Pfentagon

[Richard from IL]

Time to push more DEI. /s

[Right_Wing_Madman]

Time to downsize the military.

It's already happening. The active army shrank by 30,000 last year for wholly non-strategic reasons.

[Angelino97]

A economic war with China would be a game of chicken. We both suffer, and try to see who quits first.

[Syncro]

Good ideas but Biden and his handlers want USA destroyed

Are they asking for Revolution?

[buckalfa]

Just another scare tactic by the MIC for more funding. In the age of hypersonics and drones, are ground troops ineffective fodder?

[NTHockey]

Not to mention disbanding all tank units and sniper units, “woke” boot camp, coed training and lower physical standards.

What could go wrong?/s

Semper fi

[Laslo Fripp]

I wonder if we could take Iwo Jima again?

[Candor7]

Biden will direct that the amphibious ships be tendered for construction bid, award the contract to China, and we can take delivery o our defective product in Shanghai.

Of course the Biden family gets its kick back laundered through the SOROS banking system.

[Angelino97]

I wonder if we could take Iwo Jima again?

If Iwo Jima were fought today, it would be as a catty pillow fight (yes, this one is male).

[TexasFreeper2009]

who wants to join anymore? they only promote women, fags and trans now.

[wally_bert]

We’d have to wait for an environmental impact assessment.

[PIF]

Forced vaccines will do that…

—
As will making the Marines just a branch of the Army with no tanks, depending on the Army to back them up with armor, and scraping its amphibious fleet, since no one does amphibious landings any more.

[PIF]

Time to downsize the military.

—
You are getting your wish as the Military budget’s ‘increase’ is below inflation at 3%, and Biden wants to cut the Navy’s fleet to less than 300 ships.

[BobL]

“Marine Corps Chief Warns His Forces Are At LOWEST Levels In Recent History”

Take that She (and Putin)!!!

We’ll prove to the world that we can start World War 3 with a hollowed out military and still win!!!

Hell, we don’t even need defenses against your hypersonics. Why? Because we have none, so there!!!

Hmmmm...maybe it’s time to stop the Neocons until we at least have a military capable of matching their Global Conquest ambitions.