I have nightmares over how the Marine Corps is changing. Helping the Navy is fine. But don't be bait that the Navy will lose men and ships to supply or rescue. At least there is a silver lining to what they're being equipped with that might help the Navy.
The Marines get a weapon for littoral operations:
The Corps has established special “littoral” units for the specific purpose of refining an ability to conduct warfare operations in coastal and island areas throughout the Pacific such as the island chains in the South China Sea. As part of this, the Corps’ Marine Corps Force Design 2030 document calls for specific “stand-in” ready forces capable to conducting offensive operations in close proximity to enemy areas within the larger perimeter reach of longer-range weapons. ...
Northrop Grumman’s Modular Payload System is a 26,000-pound four-pack missile system designed for forward, highly-mobile fires from warships and land-locations as needed.
I have many worries about the Marine plans.
In many ways the Marines could be setting the stage for a fight like the Guadalcanal campaign of World War II (in a Land Warfare Paper) when the Japanese expended a huge amount of men and ships to sustain a garrison on Guadalcanal.
The Marines could well be isolated bait that draws in the Navy to try to rescue them while the Chinese use their missiles and planes to hammer the would-be rescuers who don't want to leave any man behind.
Taking on the Japanese 1942 role doesn't seem wise.
Or maybe the Navy prudently but regrettably lets the Marines wither on the vine the way the Navy had to let the defenders of Bataan be marched off the the deadly prison camps in 1942.
But missiles in a box have potential for other uses (in Military Review). Although the concept may have more direct effect on Navy sea control and sea denial missions by equipping and using them as Modularized Auxiliary Cruisers, which was the genesis of my Military Review proposal:
Our Navy defends our nation within the incompatible and unforgiving boundaries formed by the tyrannies of distance and numbers. We struggle to build enough ships both capable of deploying globally and powerful enough for fighting first-rate opponents. Operating within a network-centric Navy, auxiliary cruisers could once again play a valuable role in projecting naval power. Using modular systems installed on civilian hulls, auxiliary cruisers could handle many peacetime roles; free scarce warships for more demanding environments; add combat power within a networked force; and promote the global maritime partnership.
I just hope the price of getting that capability isn't a lot of dead or captured Marines.
NOTE: TDR Winter War of 2022 coverage continues here.
NOTE: I'm adding updates on the Last Hamas War in this post.
