My Marine Corps

 
ComNavOps has often criticized the Marine Corps for what it’s become.  A once proud and valuable fighting force has been reduced to silliness and irrelevance.  So, what would ComNavOps’ ideal Marine Corps look like?  What would its main mission be?  What forces would it need?  I’ve described some of this in passing in previous posts and comments but here is the collected and condensed summary.
 
As always, it starts with mission.  What is the Marine’s mission – its purpose? 
 
There are two answers to that:  legal (Title 10) and practical (what’s actually needed)
 
Mission – Legal Requirements
 
Title 10 [see Ref 1 for the text of Title 10, Section 8063] defines the purpose of the Marine Corps which consists of the following stated purposes:
 

• seizure or defense of advanced naval bases
• conduct of such land operations as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign
• provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the Navy
• provide security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval stations and bases
• perform such other duties as the President may direct
• develop, in coordination with the Army and the Air Force, those phases of amphibious operations that pertain to the tactics, technique, and equipment used by landing forces
• responsible, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of peacetime components of the Marine Corps to meet the needs of war

 
Notice that it doesn’t actually say that the Marines must be the ones to conduct amphibious operations, only that they jointly develop the “tactics, technique, and equipment” for such operations.  Note, also, that there is no explicit mention of amphibious assaults, only “operations”, which can be any action initiated or enabled from the sea.  Again, that means that amphibious assaults, while certainly one example of an “amphibious operation”, are not the only possible action.  Thus, the claim that many make that the Marines must be capable of performing amphibious assaults is not true, strictly speaking.
 
 
Mission – Practical Requirements
 
Legal requirements aside, what missions are actually pertinent to US military operations, in general, and suited to the Marines, in particular?
 
Main Mission – Port seizure (a form of amphibious assault, thereby satisfying the legal requirement)

Secondary Missions – naval base defense, embassy protection, and the like
 
Regarding the more commonly envisioned amphibious assault, I’ve said, repeatedly, that I don’t see amphibious assaults as being strategically necessary in the foreseeable future so what does that leave?  As we’ve often noted, any ground action (adage:  the seat of purpose is on the land) requires a secure port for sustainment.  Over the beach supply cannot support a large ground action.  For example, Normandy was all about securing ports.  Thus, the Marine’s main mission should be port seizure.  I’d add airfield seizure to that except that the Army/Air Force once had that mission and, presumably, still do.  If not, that would also be part of the Marine’s mission.
 
Many would suggest that the Marine’s primary – or, at worst, secondary – mission is to be the nation’s first response force.  Once upon a time that was true, though not a legal requirement, but now the combination of Army/Air Force can respond faster and with more force than the Marines can.  Thus, first response is not a Marine Corps mission although they might assist in such a mission if circumstances warranted.
 
So, having defined the main mission as port seizure, what is needed to execute that mission?
 
 
Size
 
Two divisions (10,000 men, each) ought to be sufficient to execute a successful port seizure.  If you need more than that, you’ve probably bitten off too big a bite and should look elsewhere for a port to seize.
 
There is also the practical concern that 10,000+ men crammed into the relatively small area of a port is beginning to get too physically crowded to be practical and would offer an enemy too concentrated a target.
 
In addition, one brigade (3000 men) should be dedicated to specializing in the secondary missions.
 
Add in a 50% extra troop level for logistic support tasks and you get a total troop strength of around 34,500.
 
Division Unit Types
 

• 3x Assault Brigade
• 1x Construction Battalion (300 troops) specifically dedicated to port clearing and initial repair
• 1x Construction Battalion (300 troops) dedicated to road construction and repair to enable landed supplies and forces to quickly disperse outward
• 1x Harbor clearance and dredging unit (specialized vessels, 100 troops)
• 1x MCM – land (100 troops)
• 1x MCM – sea (100 troops)
• 1x Recon Drone Company

 
Equipment
 

• Self-propelled anti-aircraft guns (think ZSU)
• Self-propelled anti-aircraft missile units
• Mobile C-RAM
• Mobile EW
• High speed landing craft with capacity for two squads
• Amphibious tank like LVT(A) for anti-personnel and anti-building and anti-fortification
• Small, very fast, very maneuverable assault helos carrying one squad each;  very fast insertion/unloading/departure (think Vietnam Huey) unlike current helos and V-22
• Specially designed, high speed attack transports
• Lots of self-propelled mortars for use in urban areas requiring indirect fire.due to high rise buildings
• Combat Engineering Vehicles for debris clearance

 
Note some of the things that are not listed as equipment, meaning that they are not useful or required under this concept:  AAV/ACV, fixed wing aircraft, ‘jeeps’, anything towed
 
 
Aviation
 
This is the big question.  Does a Marine Corps need its own air force?  For the port seizure mission, I see a need for a heavy helo component providing both attack and troop assault transport.  Helos are used for rapid insertion of troops at key locations in and around the port.  Attack helos provide the suppression and fire support needed to land the ground force from the air and sea.
 
I do not see a need for a fixed wing component.  Fixed wing aircraft are nearly useless for ground support in an urban area and are far too vulnerable to ground anti-air weapons.  Aerial supremacy is a fixed wing function but is a Navy responsibility so no Marine aircraft are needed for that.
 
A division should have a helo component of something on the order of 50 attack helos and 50 transport helos.  This would require the use of three big deck amphibious ships.
 
I’ve often stated that helos are not survivable over the battlefield.  Well, port seizure is an exception to that rule though only under this specific scenario.  The helos must be supported with ground forces applying relentless attack against the enemy’s anti-air assets.  Further, the helos do not fly overland to any great extent and thus avoid much of the enemy’s anti-air threat.  Finally, as described in the equipment list, the helos must be designed for very rapid insertion, which is the polar opposite of the MV-22 or any existing helo. 
 
The idea of helos spending time over a battlefield is, indeed, a non-survivable scenario as is trying to land in giant, open fields using snail-slow descents and takeoffs as MV-22s are required to do.  The helos in this scenario, as in Vietnam, would use a gut-wrenching drop, a five second unloading, and bounce back into the air heading directly away from the battlefield.  You might want to look at videos of Vietnam helo insertions to see just what we were once capable of.
 
One of the reasons helos had such high attrition rates in Vietnam was that we attempted to use them to insert troops directly into high threat areas.  In this concept, helos would be transporting troops around the periphery of the battle more so than directly into the threat.  We also attempted helo ops without much firepower support, depending on surprise to achieve survivability.  For this scenario, naval gunfire should be used to suppress enemy anti-air fire as the helos are inserting.  Of course, we have no naval gun support but that glaring weakness is another topic.
 
Another aspect of aviation is the role of the fleet carrier.  Many people believe that our carriers will supply ground support aircraft.  Setting aside the fact that we have no carrier based, ground support aircraft, that is not the role of the fleet carrier.  The carrier group’s job is to provide distant interdiction of enemy counterattacks.  That means preventing enemy naval response, overland troop reinforcement, cruise missile attacks, air attacks, etc.  Typically, this would be done at significant distances from the landing site and the carrier would not be in range to provide effective ground support.
 
 
Ships
 
Amphibious Aviation Ship – Looking at the equipment list, it is obvious that a new type of amphibious aviation ship, geared toward port seizure, would be needed.  The ship would carry 30+ helos (attack and transport) but not troops.  It would be purely an aviation ship – a landing support carrier.  As such, it would be, conceptually, half the volume and displacement of today’s big deck amphibious ships.  Troop insertion helos would be supplied and serviced by this ship but would pick up their loads from the attack transports, as needed, using the same combat-quick ‘bounce’ loading as for insertion unloadings.
 
Attack Transport – As we’ve previously discussed, WWII style attack transports would transport and land troops.  Landing craft would consist of around 30 reusable landing craft (think Higgins boat) as opposed to the sinlge use AAV/ACV.  While a well deck is an option, I would lean towards a WWII style attack transport. 
 
 
Basing
 
My Marine force would not function like today’s Marines.  There would be no deployments, no extended MEU-like cruises floating around, doing nothing, just waiting for something to happen.  Instead, the forces would embark from CONUS or, possibly, a central base such as in the Middle East or Pearl Harbor.  A port seizure is never going to be a spur of the moment operation so there is no need for deployments.  The force would be home based, training relentlessly – nothing else.
 
 
Mission Methodology
 
The key to the success of the port seizure mission is speed.  This means a rapid approach to minimize defensive reaction time.  For example, despite knowing pretty much where and when the Allies would invade Europe, the Germans were still slow to react and were unable to mount a rapid, coordinated counter attack.  Even if the enemy knows we’re coming, if we can hit fast enough and hard enough (shock), we can still be successful.
 
 
Command
 
This force would have little need for a top-heavy command structure.  Here is the envisioned command:
 
Commandant = General
Staff = Colonels, as needed
Division = General (1x per division, 2x total)
Brigade = Colonel
 
Thus, the entire force would have a total of 3 Generals and a handful of Colonels.  Hopefully, this would create a smaller, more focused force.
 
 
Missing
 
What are we currently missing in order to execute my vision of the Marine Corps?  Well, almost everything!  Setting aside the missing mission, organization, doctrine, operational planning, command and control structure, and mindset, we lack the following equipment (partial list):
 

• Large caliber naval fire support
• Amphibious aviation ship
• Attack transport
• Landing craft
• Anti-aircraft vehicles
• Self-propelled mortars
• EW
• C-RAM
• MCM
• Amphibious tank
• Transport helo
• Combat engineering vehicles
• Harbor construction vessels

 
In short, we lack everything.  Almost nothing we currently have is useful other than largely untrained bodies.
 
 
Conclusion
 
There you have it.  I’ve laid out a coherent rationale for the existence of the Marine Corps and a description of their mission and what is needed to execute that mission.  Contrast my vision to today’s Marine Corps vision – to the extent that they even have one.  Which one would you like to devote your taxes to supporting?
 
  
 
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[1] Following is the text of Title 10, §8063.
 
Title 10, §8063 United States Marine Corps: composition; functions
 
(a) The Marine Corps, within the Department of the Navy, shall be so organized as to include not less than three combat divisions and three air wings, and such other land combat, aviation, and other services as may be organic therein. The Marine Corps shall be organized, trained, and equipped to provide fleet marine forces of combined arms, together with supporting air components, for service with the fleet in the seizure or defense of advanced naval bases and for the conduct of such land operations as may be essential to the prosecution of a naval campaign. In addition, the Marine Corps shall provide detachments and organizations for service on armed vessels of the Navy, shall provide security detachments for the protection of naval property at naval stations and bases, and shall perform such other duties as the President may direct. However, these additional duties may not detract from or interfere with the operations for which the Marine Corps is primarily organized.
 
(b) The Marine Corps shall develop, in coordination with the Army and the Air Force, those phases of amphibious operations that pertain to the tactics, technique, and equipment used by landing forces.
 
(c) The Marine Corps is responsible, in accordance with integrated joint mobilization plans, for the expansion of peacetime components of the Marine Corps to meet the needs of war.