Tag Archives: Berger

The New USMC

While I have pretty much remained silent about CMC Berger’s FD 2030, there has been and continues to be a plethora of verbiage about it. And as far as I have been able to ascertain none of it has been good. I reckon I considered it a long gone conclusion with the new CMC simply carrying on his predecessor’s image of the new Corps. In nine days the world is going to change, make no mistake about that; the proverbial shit will hit the fan globally, not just here in the US. Our mainstream nerds will have so much to talk about it isn’t even funny. I will start watching the news again, except it will be either CNN or that ridiculous MSNBC. I can’t wait to hear their spins.

But I digress. FD 2030 is a disaster; our Corps is not the same and there is some serious doubt that it never will again be America’s 911 Force. The divestitures were HUGE, so much so that anyone who thinks it can still respond to an urgent crisis somewhere in the world is living under a rock. Do you actually know what all was given up?

Here is an article written by Captain Dale Dye, USMC (Ret). In case you don’t know of him, once he retired he became a favorite consultant in Hollywood for any producer who wanted to show or talk about Marines. In fact, he convinced producer Oliver Stone to let him put the principal actors—including Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafoe, Johnny Depp, and Forest Whitaker—through an immersive 30-day military-style training regimen before the filming of Platoon. He limited how much food and water they received; when the actors slept, he fired cartridge blanks to keep them awake. Dale who had a small role in the movie as Captain Harris, also wrote the novelization based on Stone’s screenplay.

Here, in his usual uncensored style, is a good recount of everything that has happened since Berger’s stroke of his pen behind closed doors.

Marine Swords Beaten into Puny Plowshares

Not likely anyone in authority will be influenced by a long-retired Mustang bitching about the state of today’s Marine Corps, but I feel compelled to lob a few grenades at Force Design 2030. That’s the radical restructuring of the Corps ordered by former Commandant General David Berger in a sleazy backroom deal that demanded all the sycophants involved sign non-disclosure agreements. Since it was announced three years ago, the revamping of Marine missions, tactics, and techniques has created a defecation deluge from opponents who believe—as I do—that the whole thing has a lot in common with a jet engine. It sucks and blows.

Before I get into the weeds here, let me say a thing or two about the general mission and offensive ethos of the United States Marine Corps. Simply stated, the Corps is—or was—always designed to be the country’s 911 force, most ready to fight when the nation is least ready. It’s meant to be the crash crew in crisis response anyplace and anytime around the world. The key asset for global combatant commanders was a Marine Corps air-ground team (MAGTF) always forward deployed—usually aboard Navy amphibs—trained, equipped, and instantly ready to handle any mission in the full range of military operations.

For some reason known only to General Berger and his clones, that wasn’t good enough for a force facing China in the Western Pacific as the perceived priority threat. Rather than tweak weapons, training, and positioning to meet that challenge as Marines typically do, they decided to throw the baby out with the bathwater and ordered a tactical shift to defense with primary focus on small teams of missile-armed Marines who would jump from island to island in efforts to damage or deter a growing Chinese blue-water fleet in the event of a shooting war in the Western Pacific. The Navy—and certainly the Army—currently has a plethora of missiles capable of sinking ships. Here’s a hint. If you want to avoid redundancy arguments, don’t try to do something another service already does and probably does it better than you can.

Not much thought—if any—was given to moving these small vulnerable Marine detachments, much less resupplying and otherwise supporting them under the ever vigilant eyes of Chinese radars, satellites, and cyber capture networks. And apparently never mind if the sovereign nations that claim the territory Marines would need to launch their ship-killer missiles want no part of a super-power fight. What if—as entirely likely—those sovereign nations deny the Marines those operational bases? I’ll wait while someone thinks that through.

Under this misbegotten concept, the US Navy has a huge vote as the provider of small, fast amphibious ships needed to move Marines. And they voted no. Not only do we have insufficient gator freighters in our current fleet, but the Navy has no apparent plans to produce the smaller inter-island transports called for under FD 2030.

Screwing around with the Marine’s central mission—locate, close with, and destroy the enemy by fire and maneuver—threatens to turn the US Marine Corps into a single-mission niche outfit ready to die in place on remote islands and unready to handle crises anywhere else. It puts Marines in a defensive posture when our time-tested ethos has always been the offense, forward deployed and eager to fight any enemy. It’s that attitude that used to permeate Marine ranks and kept us supplied with avid young recruits. Seems to me given the puny recruiting numbers we’re seeing from all the other services, the Marine Corps can ill-afford to sacrifice this aspect of their gung-ho, first-to-fight reputation.

In order to twist itself around this maypole of new war fighting concepts, General Berger cooked the books in what he called “divest to invest” which basically amounts to robbing Peter to pay Paul as my Dad used to call false-economy measures. That little bookkeeping maneuver made some $16 billion available which the new model planners spent on long-range missile batteries, drones, and other high-tech goodies to equip what are now proudly called Marine Littoral Regiments. Fine if all future fights are in littoral areas of the world but history begs us not to bank on that.

Most stunning in an outfit that focuses on the combat power of basic infantry, FD 2030 orders a reduction of three full battalions from the point of the Marine Corps bayonet, or a loss of 14 percent of combat strength. If that wasn’t dumb enough in formations that face inevitable casualties in ground combat, the end-strength for a Marine infantry battalion has been reduced by 200 Marines across the board which translates to a loss of 4,200 frontline war fighters. Marine Corps Reserves won’t be there to fill in the gaps. The reserves lost two full infantry battalions under the FD 2030 axe.

None of this seemed to bother force designers all that much as they also eliminated all—that’s correct all—Marine Corps tanks. So much for lessons learned in Ukraine or the Middle East. Supporters say if the Marines need tanks in a future fight, the US Army will provide them. That’s unlikely to be any kind of high priority for an Army outfit that might well be engaged in its own fight. And even if they were willing to cough up a platoon or two of Abrams, it would likely be at the end of a lengthy and complicated pipeline. Marines need tanks at hand, not in some remote Army motor pool.

Which brings me kicking and screaming to the matter of fire support for what’s left of Marine Corps maneuver battalions in the next fight. God help the grunt commander who needs quick and accurate artillery fire support, a reliable staple of infantry combat in modern times. He might not get it as FD 2030 cut a full 16 battalions of cannon artillery for a firepower reduction of a whopping 76 percent. Savings were spent to stand up 14 rocket artillery battalions which is OK if you’re shooting over the horizon at Chinese ships, but not worth a damn to a grunt outfit pinned down and in need of rapid steel on target at close ranges in crappy weather. We will hopefully live to regret this emasculation of versatile, reliable tube artillery. If you have any doubts about the utility of cannons and howitzers on the modern battlefield, let me direct your attention to the Ukraine where artillery on both sides is proving to be a deciding factor.

Another dumb-ass divestiture under FD 2030 came in Marine Corps aviation. One of the most brilliant assets of forward-deployed Marine units is that they come to the fight carrying their own air support. Both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aviation was quickly available to a MAGTF commander who could call it up and then down on an enemy without having to ask the Air Force or compete with other battlefield priorities. Not so simple these days.

FD 2030 cut almost 30 percent of tactical and logistical aviation support. Offensive aviation cuts included at least two of seven light attack helicopter squadrons which will be sorely missed by grunts on the ground who always appreciate the quickly available support of helicopter gunships. Also eliminated were three of the current 17 Osprey tilt-rotor squadrons and three of eight heavy-lift helicopter units. With the Corps struggling to field a reliable sea-shore connector—the new Amphibious Combat Vehicle is still not approved for deployment—now seems like a hell of a time to be cutting aviation logistic and transportation support.

I could go on here about the elimination of engineer support units such as bridging and breeching units that are always a valuable and versatile piece of the battlefield toolbox, but my morale might not survive it. What’s keeping me afloat as an old but loyal believer in the spirit and inherent value of the Corps, is the controversy at very high and influential levels that surrounds the changes mandated by FD 2030. Wiser heads than mine are arguing for a return to sanity. It may take some long and bloody time to correct our course, but I believe we will do just that.

In the end active-duty Marines, veterans, fans, and friends of the Corps will demand it. As General Brute Krulak wisely said back in 1957, “America does not need a Marine Corps. It wants one.” And the one it wants is not the one that’s being shaped by Force Design 2030.

I was fortunate enough to meet Dale while I was at Marine Barracks, NAS, Lemoore CA. It was during an attempt to have Brian Dennehy as our guest for a birthday ball. Quite an impressive guy to represent our Corps to Hollywood.

Toxicity


A VERY WELL written article from US & World by someone who must have been a Marine. I looked him up and here is who he is: Prioleau Alexander, who is a native of Charleston, South Carolina, and a graduate of Auburn University, is a former Marine officer and a self-employed advertising entrepreneur. And trust me he pulls no punches. Enjoy. And oh BTW, I personally agree with everything he says. What say you?

US & WORLD

Fitness News – Independen. Unapologetic

Here he is with my favorite 2024 Presidential candidate

Prioleau Alexander: The Marine Ethos

Current administration making changes that go against the Corps’ congressionally mandated responsibilities …

by E Prioleau Alexander May 3, 2023 

I don’t know much about the Army, Navy, Air Force, or Coast Guard, but I do know a bit about the Marines … and I can tell you that since 1775, there is a singular mission that gets a United States Marine out of the bed before sunrise: Killing those who wish harm to the United States.

That’s it.

To understand a Marine, you must know they have one thing they fear far more than death: Failure to perform in a way worthy of those who worn the uniform before them – a reputation built on blood, pain, and death.

The Corps, you see, is not a branch of the military – it is a cult.

This is because Boot Camp and Officer Candidate School tear men down to the edge of their souls, then rebuild them as men who believe they could go head-to-head with Hell’s most powerful demons. These young men and women leave that training with the belief that there is no greater or harder-to-earn honor than wearing the Eagle, Globe, and Anchor insignia. With that goes their belief that “every Marine is a rifleman.”

Are there not men such as these in the other branches? Absolutely, but each branch has its own mission – and serving as America’s “force in readiness” rests with the Marines. It is their job to be the first to fight – taking charge of hostile situations by deploying extreme violence. In the Korean War, North Korea overran the south until there was but a tiny patch of land left unoccupied. The Marines landed, and in short order the retreat of the enemy began.

Who are the Americans who sign on to be a part of this? As liberals would say, “toxic males” join the cult because they are old-fashioned patriots – and want to be a part of America’s most elite fighting team. Tough and driven women who also want to be a part of something elite often join, even if it means certain jobs and promotions won’t be available to them.

Life is much easier for a woman in the other services, but female Marines aren’t looking for “easy.”

What binds these men and women? Their ethos. The belief that they are different from Soldiers, Sailors, and Airmen. That they can do the impossible, despite a lack of funding and using the Army’s hand-me-down gear. That they can accomplish the difficult in short order – and the impossible with a little extra time.

The importance of Marines believing themselves to be a breed apart cannot be overstated. Writing about the current failures of Marine Corps leadership, Marine Medal of Honor recipients Maj. General Jim Livingston and Colonel Jay Vargas state, “The structure of the Corps or the weapons they are provided can be changed or reversed. Ethos is different—and once extinguished, it is gone forever.”

Marines have always been told they are America’s shock troops. They are the force the President uses when it’s time to call 911. Take that away, and you might as well offer them a beret and roll them into the Army.

For Marines, “the good order and disciple” of a combat unit is paramount, and that good order and disciple is based one primary belief: We are all the same. Yes, we are different colors of green, but we are all green. We are Marines, nothing will divide us, and no one will be singled out for any kind of special treatment.

The first open strike of the Marines’ ethos came with the reversal of “Don’t ask don’t tell,” a policy that worked well for the Marines. Openly gay individuals began serving in the Corps despite the fact the Corps is mostly comprised of “toxic males” who object.

Then came women in combat arms, and many “toxic” males in the business of gunfighting don’t want to be burdened by a female who may slow them down, or receive undue attention from instinctually-concerned males if wounded in combat. (For men, hearing a man scream in pain is very different than hearing a woman scream in pain).

U.S. Marines (USMC)

Finally, we come to admittance of openly trans individuals, with the military paying for their gender mutilation surgery. This needs no further analysis.

Is honoring the particular friction a person likes during sex worth disrupting the ethos of America’s one military unit capable of serving in every clime and place? Liberals would say, “If they don’t like it, they can get out.” They are. Liberals also say, “If they don’t like the new system, don’t join.” They aren’t.

If you haven’t served in the Corps, Marines don’t care about your opinion on “toxic” men… because they know first-hand these men are the best at stacking up enemy dead like cord wood. These “toxic “males speak of themselves only as Marines, without the need for adjectives pointing out their differences.

The current mumbling point for those in favor of this lunacy is that “the Corps is stronger with diversity.” No statement could be further from the truth: The Corps has been feared by enemies of America for centuries because there’s no diversity. Everyone is green, and committed solely to the accomplishment of the mission.

Is that offensive? Too bad … the truth can hurt.

In addition to the sexual revolution in an organization that lives and dies by unit cohesion, Marines find themselves with a new Commandant — General David Berger — who seems to have lost his mind … to the point of making changes that go against the Corps’ Congressionally mandated responsibilities.

No two words sum up this evolution better than the Commandant’s retention efforts being touted as “Talent Management.” First, these warriors aren’t “talent” — they are Marines. Second, Marines don’t “manage” anything – they lead. I confess I laughed out loud at the Commandant’s cluelessness when I read the words “talent management.”

U.S. Marines (USMC)

General Livingston and Colonel Vargas sum up the current Commandant’s other changes quite succinctly, pointing to the erosion of the Corps’ ethos: “The decision has been made to eliminate all armor, and scout sniper platoons in infantry battalions. The Corps is moving forward with drastic cuts in the infantry, cannon artillery, assault amphibious vehicles, aviation, military police, assault beaching and combat service support. They have crippled the Marine Corps capabilities to respond to global crises and contingencies across the spectrum of conflict. And they are investing in experimental weapons that simply replicate war-fighting skills offered by other services.”

It is madness to make cuts to anything having to do with the man-to-man warfighting skills and equipment needed to destroy the enemy, because man-to-man warfighting is the Corps. Tanks, assault amphibian vehicles, combat engineers, artillery, and the air wing exist solely to assist infantry grunts in planting the American flag on enemy soil. The rest of the Corps exists solely to support those combat arms units. The Army, Navy, and Air Force can handle the other warfighting needs — and they are quite good at it.

If you were to meet General Livingston or Colonel Vargas in person, even if they were attired in their Dress Blues and wearing their Medal of Honor decorations, it would be perfectly acceptable for you to forgo the formalities of their rank, and greet them by saying, “Hello there, Marine.”

That is part of the uniqueness of the Corps—that rank and awards take a distant second to the honor of being called a Marine.

If the Corps isn’t going to react on a moment’s notice to rain hell on an enemy that pops up in some remote area of the globe, who will?

I hope Congress and the Corps’ current leadership will get together for a discussion centering on the question, “Why are we trying to strangle the life out of the very things that make Marines who and what they are?” There are hundreds of thousands of former Marines out here who’d love to know the answer, and they’ll be joined by a few million civilians when they no longer hear the words, “The Marines have landed, and the situation is now under control.”

I never met Colonel Vargas, but I know MajGen Livingston very well. He was my 6th Marines regimental commander when I was blessed to have had command of 2/6, Huxley’s Harlots. There is no better warrior in my book. A Marines’ Marine through and through.

Originally posted 2023-06-21 18:41:14.

Go Army!

Don’t know if anyone has seen this, I think I saw it a while ago, but don’t think I posted it. Anyway if I did, sorry about that, here it is again.

Additionally, I believe enough time has gone by for me to post the results of my poll on changing the clocks. I will say I am disappointed in you guys. Eighty-six hits on the post and only twelve comments. Clearly, that sucks! Why do I waste my valuable time even posting if you are simply going to read it and not even click if you like it or not and  then less than 14% of you take the time tell me keep it or ditch it. Sad! to say the least. Why do you even come and read the posts? Anyway twelve comments and  eleven said keep standard time. One felt the need to tell us that since he retired he doesn’t care what time it is. Hmm, I felt that way when I first retired, but wait till he gets to my age, and finds that the body and the mind doesn’t like changes and trying to adjust to something as evident as daylight is a little tougher.  So, if everyone says stop it and keep standard time, why are we still doing it? Send your congressman an email and tell him to stop it. I did, have you?

Anyway folks, meet the new Army, and bear in mind the Corps is not far behind them. Me thinks our CMC is having mental problems. I’ll post something about that late when I have time, but then some of you will read it and pass on.

Originally posted 2023-03-14 16:52:07.

Berger’s Corps

I never thought I would ever write such a letter to my Commandant of the Marine Corps. As I was writing my book, my editor reminded me several times to what President Reagan said: “Republicans (read Marines) should never speak ill of a fellow republican (read Marine). However, I could not help myself because during my nearly 36 years wearing the Marine uniform I learned that while we like to believe that all Marines are honorable, just, and forthright in their decision making processes, I found they were not! Therefore, I had to call a spade a spade; the principles I learned from my mentors would not allow me to lie. Some were nothing more than career-minded cocker spaniel Marines who looked out for no one but themselves. In fact, the Corps seems to attract those of that ilk and we also tend to breed them.

I remember when selected for colonel, a friend for whom I had worked and respected a great deal warned me that I was about to enter into the political side of the Marine Corps. He was right. The cocker spaniels who are discovered early normally do not rise above field grade, but every now and then one kisses enough ass, has the right tickets punched, collects a godfather or two along the way gets a star. Once anointed with that star, it then becomes critical that he sense the political wind and set his sails accordingly. And that Mr. Berger is a description of you.

I served under ten commandants. Most were okay, some I idolized, and one I detested for what he did to us enlisted Marines by taking away our collar emblems. Of the eight who served after my retirement, there are only two for whom I have any respect. I have often wondered why that is, why have we not had a Chapman, Wilson, or Barrow? I suspect that having achieved that “political rank” I became more aware of  the real reason for some of their decisions and actions. Then you appeared on the scene.

When first nominated and I read your Bio, I was impressed thinking we now had one who may steer the right course regardless of the political wind. Was I ever mistaken. You have done nothing but set those sails to follow the liberal agenda regardless of where it takes our Corps. All of your actions since appointment seem destined to change the Corps from an organization respected throughout the world for its nearly 250 years of honorable service to our country to “Berger’s Corps,” whatever the hell that happens to be. We retirees are still trying to figure that out. Your new force structure, organization, and employment concepts have every former commandant and most of the retired generals scratching their heads. But enough has been said about those asinine decisions; therefore, I shall let the generals have their say.

My concern is, as it always was when I wore the uniform, with the Marines themselves and what you are doing to them—the Pvts, PFCs, LCpls, and NCOs. In other words the doers in the Corps, the ones who bleed and die in the politicians’ wars. Have you any idea what goes through the minds of the privates? There is a chapter in my book entitled “The Private’s World,’ you should read it, you might learn something. Did you are any of your minions at HQ think of the average Pvt when you came out with that sick pride month statement or were you simply setting those sails to ride the political wind. I think the latter. What about the average young boy who enlisted in the Corps, the one who was raised by our once normal moral standards. What does he think of you pride month celebration? Or don’t you care?

I have friends, retired peers, albeit younger then me who have children and grandchildren in the Corps. Have you any idea what they are saying? Or do you just not give a damn, this is “Berger’s Corps”?

Of late you MR general came out and tried to attack the retirees’ pride reminding us of the meaning of Semper Fidelis and telling us “our Corps” needed our help in the recruiting arena. HA! Sorry, but it isn’t “our Corps” anymore; it’s Berger’s Corps. And I don’t want anything to do with that Corps as it is unrecognizable to me and many of my peers. I have already talked two young boys out of joining Berger’s Corps. My friends and peers say their hearing from their children and grandchildren that they are now counting the days not for reenlistment as was planned, but discharge. I don’t know how big the recruiting service is today, but you best look at increasing it drastically. But then Rand says that 70% of the 18-25 year old’s are unqualified mentally or physically from joining the military. Maybe the LGBQTs will answer the call and fill Bergers Corps .Won’t that help unit cohesion?

Speaking of  Semper Fidelis. Who is actually being unfaithful? Is it us retirees or you and your minions? What about all those traditions that brought the Corps to where it was before you started destroying it all? Yes, there probably were LGBQTs in the Corps throughout its history. I’ll buy that, so what? Does that mean we need to flaunt their existence. Do you know what else is celebrated this month? How about PTSD Awareness Month, or doesn’t that matter to you since they aren’t serving today? You have done nothing but added more gender confusion to the Corps’s many concerns.

You, Mr. Berger, will go down in the annals of Marine Corps history as the worse commandant ever, even worse that that fool that took my collar emblems away when I was a LCpl.

Your post has nothing to do with Marine readiness and everything to do with undermining unit cohesion — the esprit de corps that is the USMC’s foundational fabric. If mass eye-rolls among the Marine rank and file had a sound, the thunder from outside the Beltway — those not kissing Biden’s ass — would be deafening.

Fact is that this crap impacts readiness because the insult to morale impacts reenlistment decisions. Marines are ashamed to be associated with this degradation. One Marine Sgt spoke for many others: “This shit is one more reason why I am not reenlisting — nobody wants this shit and the result is that our best Marines, enlisted and young officers, are leaving. Lots of them are leaving.”

With all that said, I will leave you to your sick, demented, history destroying ways and pray that someone will come along and shut you up. I’d sign this with the normal closing of Semper Fidelis, but you have no idea what that means and you certainly do not deserve it

 

Jim Bathurst

Col, USMC (Ret)

Originally posted 2022-06-04 14:21:17.

Sanity at Last

Did you miss me? You are probably saying, “Oh no, he’s back.” LOL Had a wonderful trip up and back, and a wonderful Christmas. The only thing bad about it was I froze my you know what off. As a Floridian, my blood is so thin it can’t handle those northern temperatures for very long, not to mention how this broken up, busted, arthritic body handled it. But it is nice to be back in shorts and sandals again. LOL

Finally, someone with a left and right brain asks some serious and valid questions about why the Marine Corps is gender integrating recruit training.. Listen to the you tube video and decide for yourself. I suspect I already know your answer.

Isn’t it heartening to listen to the officers explain what they are doing, then try and explain “why” they are doing it? Seriously?

Originally posted 2022-01-02 09:50:25.