"They played the role of special forces": why does the US plan to reorganize the Marine Corps

The US Marine Corps will be reoriented to support the US naval forces and in the future should have the ability to sink enemy ships. This was announced on August 27 at the webinar of the first naval symposium of the Association of Surface Forces of the Navy, Major General Tracy King, who leads the expeditionary forces of the corps.

"Our marines will sink ships," he said portal Seapower Magazine, the official publication of the US Naval League.

The warlord recalled that the Marines plan to replenish their arsenal with high-precision anti-ship missiles Naval Strike Missile, which will be deployed along with the forward expeditionary bases of the corps.

“According to the directives of the corps commander, General David Berger, we must become an extension of the fleet. There should be no question, "What can the Navy do for the Marine Corps?" It should be the other way around. When you think about what the Navy will do when enemy ships are approaching, fast combat boats come to mind. In such a situation, the Marines can help, ”King said.

The integration of the Marine Corps into the US Navy will enhance the combat capabilities of both structures, he said.

“The ability of the Marine Corps to conduct military operations ashore directly depends on its relationship with the Navy. This is the foundation of our combat potential. The Navy and Marine Corps team gives the combined forces the ability to conduct operations at a time of our choice in a selected location, using the oceans as room to maneuver, ”explained Tracy King.

Tanks down

Recall that in March 2020, the head of the United States Marine Corps, General David Berger, presented a 10-year plan to restructure this type of troops. This plan includes a complete elimination of the use of tanks, a significant reduction in artillery batteries, as well as a reduction in aviation units in favor of land-based cruise missiles and UAVs.

According to these plans, the Marine Corps will be the first to receive the ground-based modification of the Tomahawk missile, which until recently fell under the Treaty on the Elimination of Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles.

In addition, the Marines will also receive the fifth-generation Naval Strike Missile (NSM) anti-ship missile. These missiles are supplied to the American fleet by Raytheon together with the Norwegian Kongsberg Defense Aerospace.

• United States Marines parade
• Reuters
• © Brendan McDermid

Military experts note that over the past 30 years - since the first Gulf War, the United States Marine Corps in armed conflicts, in fact, performed the functions of ground forces with increased mobility.

“After the Vietnam War, the Americans needed the Marines to gain combat experience in land conflicts, which is why there was a division of the Navy and Marine Corps. For 30 years, the marines have played the role of special forces to some extent, "military expert Yuri Knutov told RT in a commentary.

However, the military leaders of the corps declared that such a role was not advisable in modern conditions. For example, Lieutenant General Eric Smith told the Wall Street Journal that without "significant changes" in the organization, the Marines will not be able to participate in a high-tech conflict against an equal enemy.

As part of the reorganization, the corps has already decommissioned a significant number of M1 Abrams tanks in its arsenal. So, in July, the last tanks left the 29 Palm base in California - the largest deployment of the US Marines. The units were also disbanded and the M88 repair and recovery vehicles and tank bridgelayers were decommissioned.

Integration into the Navy is aimed at promptly resolving issues of command interaction and saving on delivery vehicles, since in this case intermediate links associated with the management and transportation of units disappear, Yuri Knutov noted in a conversation with RT.

The transformation of the Marine Corps is also aimed at making it more cost-effective, since now quite a lot of funds are being scattered into nowhere, Corresponding Member of the Academy of Military Sciences Sergey Sudakov explained in an interview with RT.

“Training of marines, maintenance, ammunition is colossally expensive. It is much cheaper to maintain the Marine Corps if it became part of the Navy and became one of its divisions, ”said the expert.

However, among the servicemen of the corps, who consider themselves a separate caste in the system of the US armed forces, such integration into the Navy can cause a negative reaction, Sergey Sudakov noted.

“For the Marines, this will be a disaster, as they are used to identifying themselves with the elite of the US military,” the expert explained.

Pacific sight

In presenting his reorganization plan in March 2020, Corps Commander General Berger said that the Marines needed an upgrade due to the growing threat from China.

Recall that the main source of tension between the United States and China in the Asia-Pacific region is the territorial dispute over the ownership of the South China Sea and the Paracel Islands group, as well as the Spratly archipelago.

• United States Marines
• Reuters
• © Jonathan Ernst

US ships regularly pass by the disputed islands as part of operations to maintain "freedom of navigation." The PRC criticizes such actions, considering them an encroachment on its sovereignty.

In addition, Beijing has repeatedly protested US-Taiwan military cooperation and joint exercises.

Major General King, in his speech on August 27, also noted several times that the Marine Corps integrated into the Navy would be aimed at containing the PRC forces in the region.

“If it still comes to a conflict with China, then the first 30-45 days everything will be very messy, but we will have to act dispersed ...” - said King.

King noted that the US Navy is developing a light landing craft to introduce dispersed combat with the use of Marines. According to the military leader, the strengthening of the US Navy with amphibious groups with expeditionary units of the marines will increase the presence of American forces in the region.

The creation of such a mobile structure will allow the United States to threaten the countries of the region with amphibious operations, Yuri Knutov noted.

"Now it is easier for them to gather forces, quickly transfer them to some area and there to conduct a landing operation to change the state regime, which does not suit them, for example, in African or Asian countries," the expert noted. 

Sergei Sudakov, in turn, noted that such a reorganization is aimed at strengthening the position of the United States in the Pacific Ocean, which Washington considers its zone of influence. 

“Beijing is conducting exercises in the region using new types of missiles that are capable of sinking, including aircraft carrier groups, and in response, Washington has announced improvements in its military forces so that the US Navy can more effectively carry out missions, especially in areas where there is a zone of responsibility of his opponent. Now this is being done not just to improve the Navy, but to put pressure on China, ”the expert concluded.