throughout this nations history, the marine corp has been able to avoid being eliminated, although there have been various congressional members and presidents who have attempted to make this a reality.

is obama's new defense plan something that could signal the end of the corp?

with the massive cuts that are being discussed, is it possible the marine corp could be absorbed into some of the other branches?

i don't want to see it happen, but it seems to come up every now and then, but was just curious if they would try this and justify it by saying the financial impact is too great to pass up.

It's "Corps," not "corp."

Didn't we try getting rid of the ability to fight two wars in the 90's? Then the GWOT happened.

Didn't we try getting rid of the ability to fight two wars in the 90's? Then the GWOT happened.

corps, corp, core, corpse i could careless. i wasn't a bullet sponge but rather just interested in what the future may hold for various branches of the military.

Maybe people would be more inclined to discuss your boring topic if you didn't sound stupid. I wouldn't have said that but I am reassured that you can't "careless".

Oops, I guess you could careless. Even better.

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i wasn't a bullet sponge

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You were probably a jizzrag though.

Given the leaner, lighter approach we will be taking; it is likely the Marine Corps model could be adopted by other branches of the military.

However, other than amphibious assaults, what missions does the Marine Corps have that is not covered by other Services? I've always wondered why there are Navy and Marine aviators. If they both operate from aircraft carriers, why not just one branch? For that matter, why do all the services have their own initial flight instruction?

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However, other than amphibious assaults, what missions does the Marine Corps have that is not covered by other Services?

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Recently the Marines have been used like another Army. USMC leadership realizes this and they are trying to get back to what the mission is supposed to be.

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I've always wondered why there are Navy and Marine aviators. If they both operate from aircraft carriers, why not just one branch?

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They don't. Some Marines fly off of carriers, but most do not. The rest either fly off of amphibious assault ships or are land based. The only time I ever landed on a big deck carrier was in flight school.

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For that matter, why do all the services have their own initial flight instruction?

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They don't. Navy and Marines all do Navy flight school until winging and selection of a specific aircraft. There is also some joint training but it's more for commonality than cost savings, I think. Some pipelines could probably be combined, but some are just too service-specific. Creating one big joint training command would probably be much more trouble than it would be worth.

I saw a TV show about Marine Corps Initial Entry Training. The Commandant of Parris Island was speaking to the Drill Instructors, Cadre and Company Commanders etc.

His message was "The United States has a Marine Corps because the United States wants a Marine Corps. If there is anyone in this room that doesn't believe the Army could do the Marine's mission is fooling themselves. In order to keep the Marines, we have to do everything better than everyone else. The men and women in this room are responsible to ensure this happens." (quoted as accurately as possible from memory).

From a strategic perspective, there is way too much replication of services. We have 3 Air Forces (Air Force, Navy, Marines), 2 Armies, 2 Navies.

From a financial standpoint, reduction in one of them would make sense and we would lose nothing strategic wise by doing so.

It would be a VERY difficult decision to make due to the honor and heritage we'd be giving up. However, it could make us stronger as a military to streamline the services.

I personally wouldn't be able to sit on the hill and vote to shut down the Marines.

[This message has been edited by Say Chowdah (edited 1/7/2012 2:24p).]

You cannot get rid of the Marine Corps.

Besides their history, they provide a unique ability. They are the fast strikers, storm troopers. They are the first there because of the MEUs. Each MEU has air, boots, and tanks. There is always at least one out at sea for quick deployment. Marines strike fast and open up a beach head or whatever. Army comes in to reinforce and there for the long haul.

Marine air is for CAS. Navy air is for interception and fleet protection. Air force does the heavy hitting and air superiority. Are all capable to do a bit of all yes.

That's my understanding, bascially of the roles. I don't think you can effectively eliminate a whole branch. I think you can redefine their roles, but each has a purpose. I think it's a bad idea to shrink, at least our infantry and front line combat roles. I'm sure there is room to thin out some other roles, but not combat. I think defense spending could definitely be trimmed in some areas. But I think first, some other agencies could take a hit.

Never mind, I was derailing the conversation.

[This message has been edited by ArmyAg2002 (edited 1/7/2012 8:29a).]

Historically, the Marine Corps has been on the verge of elimination several times. Korea is the best example, in my opinion, of why the Corps cannot be done away with. The US Army was incapable of stopping the NKA and could not possibly reinforce and respond in time. Only the fleet marine forces could get to the peninsula in time to reinforce the Pusan perimeter.

The Marine Corps is vital to the national security of our nation. The Navy protects the sea lanes and the Marine Corps provides an important power projection capability that the logistical monster known as the United States Army cannot duplicate in a timely manner.

The branches of the Marine Corps (infantry, armor and air power)offer a highly trained combined arms force that can operate almost independently and in close support. As good as the Navy and Air Force might be at CAS, they don't match a USMC Harrier pilot or FA-18 or Cobra strike.

Any President that tries to eliminate the Marine Corps would be a fool. It would cripple our ability to project power in a convincing manner.

[This message has been edited by CalebMcCreary06 (edited 1/8/2012 12:45a).]