The U.S. Marine Corps is fully embarked on transforming itself into a new agile force focused primarily on fighting China in the Pacific. A major part of this shift is shedding its heavy armor and other units not suited for this combat theater and new strategy.
The other part is a renewed focus on ‘island-hopping’ to counter the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the heavily defended South China Sea (SCS).
Veteran naval writer Gidget Fuentes describes the Marine Corps’ new concept of expeditionary advanced base operations (EABO) in US Naval Institute News (USNI) – “its forces disperse light, agile units with a small footprint over a wide area while working jointly with naval forces to counter and fight a credible enemy threat in a multi-domain contested environment.”
To develop this capability “disparate squadrons and battalions that often don’t train together must integrate to exercise as a Marine air-ground task force (MAGTF),” writes Fuentes.
Last month the Marines held a large-scale, three-week exercise – Summer Fury 2020 – in Southern California where 17 squadrons from the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing (MAW) joined with 1st Marine Division and 1st Marine Logistics Group units for training across southwest combat ranges. USNI News noted that the exercise’s training scenario simulated combat “operations across an expansive island region like the Indo-Pacific.”
USNI News added that the goals of this exercise were twofold: One was to deploy an integrated MAGTF to conduct EABO, and two was to “increase aviation operational proficiency with realistic, relevant training…”
To simulate the long distances between islands in the Pacific reported USNI News, the “3rd MAW pushed fighter jets, helicopters, Marines and combat equipment hundreds of miles… [while] aviation ground support Marines set up a series of forward arming and refueling points, or FARPs, to support the aircraft, and heavy-lift helicopters moved artillery guns – all missions that helped project combat forces and stretch the MAGTF’s operational reach.”
In a recent interview, reported USNI News, wing commander, Maj. Gen. Christopher Mahoney, said:
From there … you’re penetrating into badness. How are you going to exploit that distance? You exploit with adapting your capabilities and being quick about it. So – get in the door when they ain’t looking – and then go. And then ultimately, in our business, you’ve got to destroy something.
You exploit, whether it’s distance, whether it’s the electromagnetic spectrum, whether it’s penetrate [sic] the geo-political environment. Then you need to destroy – in most cases – and that’s what we do.
Summer Fury 2020 also included using fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighters to lead long-range strikes that helped bring the threat level down for follow-on forces, noted USNI News. The long-range strike isn’t one the squadron often gets to do, said Maj. Robert Ahern, an F-35C pilot, especially in a scenario “simulating where we have a forward runway or island with fuel and other logistical support and extending the reach beyond that provided by an expeditionary or naval strike group.”
On the ground, Marines established FARPs providing valuable logistics to the wing and other MAGTF units. General Mahoney explained:
It was less than 12 hours to set up the full array of tactical airfield fuel dispensing and the ability to safely arm the airplanes. We proved we could do it quickly and safely and do it operationally. … It’s all the little things that you have to do to exploit.
At the same time, Marine Corps attack helicopters also did live-fire missions with Navy MH-60 Seahawk helicopters, reported USNI News. “That talks to the close-in fight. It talks to the gray-zone fight, if you will, and certainly naval integration,” Mahoney said. “They’re exchanging data. They did simulators together, they did academics. … So that was really cool to see.”
Exercise Summer Fury 2020 just showed how seriously the Marines are taking their new ‘Island-Hopping’ mission. It also showed how they are honing their skills to aggressively take the fight to China in the Pacific – if the need arises.
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Will we use the latest laser technology replacing slow bullets that burn the enemy to death instantly? They won’t know what hit them, but the soldiers next to them will. Hopefully China will not want to absorb the casualties and the bad tidings that will hit families on the mainland. Maybe they will postpone the island war until they have the same hand held laser weapons to use against our soldiers.
It sure would be easier to deal with China if the Clinton Crime Family hadn’t sold us out and given the Chinese all of our military technology!
True. And senile old Beijing Biden will continue that treasonous policy.
and Diane FrankenFeinstein – the traitor that should have been hanged.
Tough problem. My uncle was with the 3rd Marine Division in WWII on Emirau Is., New Caledonia, and went to battle on Guam where he was injured in a banzai attack and woke up on the hospital ship. This “old man”, 32 at the time , piloted a landing craft on Iwo Jima. Many lives lost. I was in the USArmy in 64 at Ft. Carson and voted in absentia for Barry Goldwater . He told and warned us of the upcoming problems and lost to LBJ who embroiled us in the Vietnam debacle while jawboning about the “Great Society. We’re gonna take from the haves and give to the have nots.” In other words take from those who work and give to those who do not. People believed this drivel then and still believe it to this day. I hope we are not suckered into the rule of the socialist, now Marxist Democrats who will run us into another costly war like they did with Wilson in WWI, Roosevelt in WII, Truman in Korea, and LBJohnson in Southeast Asia ( earlier known as French Indochina.) Good to know that the Marines are gearing up for this eventuality and if I have to I will go back into the Army to do my part. Good luck with the Democrat New Green Deal. He–, even my wife and kids believe this free education and medical care crap they spout. It will cost us our freedom this time. I fear for our country, and believe me I will vote now as I voted in 64.
Is it really wise to tell the world we are doing this?
NO! We tell any who will listen entirely too much
This is fake news. We have been doing this for years. Team Spirit and many others.
Admiral Nimitz used the same tactics in WW2.
This is basically the same strategy used by Admiral Nimitz in WW2. It led to American victory in the Pacific, and in the process, saved countless tens of thousands of American lives. Of secondary importance, it also save huge quantities of resources which would have been expended in taking every little island and atoll.
I’m a 2 tour Marine vet of the VN war. We had pretty good training back in the 60’s. Our problem was mainly LBJ running the war from the WH. We were very successful during Tet of 68. Should have declared victory and gone home. After the bombing halt in Oct 68, the war was over. We stayed another 7 years and it became a disaster. I love the make over that the Marines are going through. It will make them much more lethal. Hope they leave the BAMs behind. Good luck Marines.
Can they hop back over to the U.S. and clean up the street violence?
everything china has they have stole from us and others including there planes weapons’ hell even there cheap ATVs motors are knockoffs of old japan made bikes the only thing they have made lately has been the china 19 virus and they had help from others like fuuci to do that
Many years ago I heard it said that during time of peace a bounty should be on Marine’s heads but in time of war we need them. Joking, of course. But we are now at war and need the Marines. I served in the Navy and by comparison had it pretty easy. Hopefully, future Marines will be trained for the nasty jobs they’ll no doubt have by a bunch of very mean drill instructors.
Best plan of attack????? A small NUCLEAR WEAPON for each island. That will turn it into radioactive glass. Then cover it with NON DRYING gel that will make it impossible to stay out of the ocean. let them try to stay there.