A meeting between the leaders of the United States and the leaders of Japan at the White House a few weeks ago. Special attention was paid to security issues in the Pacific. This has led to conflict within the US Marine Corps. That is in the transition period according to the plan for a major overhaul. to prepare for the threat from China
Force Design 2030, published three years ago, Prepares to reform the United States Marine Corps. Be prepared for a new era of combat situations that could face more conflict with the Chinese Navy
But now former US Marine Corps commanders. retired They gave interviews to the press and traveled in lectures at different institutes, stubbornly opposing this plan.
Jim Webb, former Secretary of the US Navy He served as a member of the Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. he wrote in a scathing review of the Force Design 2030 plan in The Wall Street Journal that This plan was flawed in itself. Nor has it been sufficiently tested before being implemented.
“It raises questions about wisdom and long-term risks. If the restructuring of the Marine Corps forces will significantly cut manpower and equipment This is especially true for units that are subject to specific casualties as a matter of course in most combat situations.”
What did the disgruntled former chiefs do? due to strategic changes in the Indo-Pacific region The Indo-Pacific region is different from the traditional response to the insurgency in Iraq or Afghanistan.
The new plan would divide the Marine Corps force into smaller units that would be distributed across islands from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean. These small armies will have modern weapons. That makes it possible to attack or deal with the enemy more effectively. We don’t see old strategies like the massive landings of WWII. Or send a large number of troops on the ground as in the Iraq war again.
The Marine Corps as an army of the United States. as well as the Army, Navy and Air Force. It has played a vital role in foreign warfare since the Second World War. It also played a prominent role in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. As seen in the film “Sands of Iwo Jima” (1949) and the mini-series “The Pacific” (2010), which depicts a large-scale landing operation involving a large number of soldiers and vehicles.
However, the new plan is primarily aimed at countering threats from China. Significantly reduced the number of infantry or infantry battalions within the Marine Corps. Disable all vehicles. It also disbanded most of the combat helicopter units and replaced three-fourths of the existing towed artillery. with a more modern long range rocket launch system
The $15.8 billion budget for overhauling the Marine Corps is expected to come from cuts and old restructuring. Which will have a total value of about 18.2 billion US dollars.
The new armament also includes land-based anti-ship missiles. including unmanned aerial systems or drones By deploying these weapons, the purpose of the United States Marine Corps. Able to maintain a new strategy in accordance with anti-Russian warfare guidelines. This has already happened in Ukrainian ports, but Force Design 2030 will focus on overhauling the US Marine Corps. Mainly located on the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Many military and security experts see it as Critics oppose the plan to reform the Marine Corps. lack of vision refusing to look far and clinging too much to the glorious achievements of the past
Mike O’Hallon, director of foreign policy at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC commented “A plan that is primarily aimed at fighting China. It will not affect US Marine Corps operations. In many other regions of the world, we must not forget that reforms are needed. Especially in situations where the US military has pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan.”
Dr. Frank Hoffman, a researcher at the US National Defense University (NDU), said, “even if tanks are completely abolished, there will still be a long way to go.” But there are also many modern armored vehicles to choose from that are suitable for modern battlefields. This is an adaptation to operate in a wider and deeper area. Including attacking more accurately as seen in the Ukraine war “
Nevertheless, the Police Design 2030 plan still needs to be adapted and developed to meet the current situation. Because of the geography of the islands in the vast Pacific. It is completely different from the plains and forests of Ukraine.
Nick Child, senior analyst at the UK’s International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). comment on this matter “Having several operational sites in the ocean will create new problems in transport and logistics. which uses vehicles to transport troops and large weapons as in the past makes it an easy target for high precision missile attacks.”
“United States Marine Corps Therefore, it was necessary to invent and develop a new type of amphibious vehicle. Which will be smaller, but will be produced for mass use. This will be enough to operate with flexibility and coverage over large areas such as islands in the ocean.”
news BBC Thai publish on the website Prachachat Business It is a collaboration between two news organizations.
