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Subject: Marines winners in Budget?
ambush    2/8/2005 11:31:03 AM
Looking at an overview of the proposed US Defense Budget are the Marines going to be winners in the battle for dollars? http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050207/ap_on_go_pr_wh/budget_glance_defense_2 I have long advocated that the 9th Marines needs to be reactivated and the oveview says there is money proposed for more Marine Infantry battalions. I assume this means welcome back to the 9th. No mention is made of increasing the size of the Army just more restructuring and reforming. Of course I believe that the Army has more tail that needs to be turned into teeth in its force structure.
 
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Clausewitz    RE:Marines winners in Budget?   2/8/2005 12:06:34 PM
Well, I learned that the pentagon will cut some Ospreys (delayed procurement and that the Expeditionary Vehicle - the new tracor - will have to wait until 2007. But they will get a lot of new HMMWV and some of their new loght howitzers. But most interesting is that they can add two infantry battallions and some armored reconnaisance companies (do they have enough LAV in storage?).
 
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ambush    RE:Marines winners in Budget?   2/8/2005 3:11:29 PM
I do not know how many LAV-25 in sortrage but I believe it is still in productions so that may be a non -issue. Not upset about he Osprey decison as I believe it is the wrong aircraft for the Marine Corps and that its technology it not sufficiently devloped. However the COrps does need new helicoptes and since the AAV is onits last legs delays inthe EAV is not good either. However the Corps most overiding need is to bring more grunt battalions on line so as to meethe MEU, UDP and MAGTF requirements and still kep training standards. Two more battalions in the rotation would be a big help but three would be better. In fact I would be wililng to sacrifice the LAVs for a third battalion.
 
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Eagle601    RE:Marines winners in Budget?   2/8/2005 4:13:38 PM
I thought all LAV production switched to LAV IIIs.
 
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ambush    RE:Marines winners in Budget?   2/8/2005 9:10:37 PM
I thoght I read were other countries opted out of buying the LAVII and went for the cheaper LAV-25; like Taiwan? General Dynamics/MOWAG still offer it in their product line. http://www.generaldynamics.com/ http://www.mowag.ch/En/02_ProdukteEn/PIRANHAEn/02-02_Frameset.htm
 
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Eagle601    RE:Marines winners in Budget?-LAVs   2/10/2005 4:37:02 PM
As I understand it the LAV comes in 4 versions. The LAV III is used by the US, Canada, New Zealandand I think Switzerland. The older LAV IIs are used throughout Africa and Asia as well as Australia and the USMC. The LAV I was mainly only used by Canada and is mostly relegated to suport or reserve roles now. The LAV IV has yet to enter service that I know of. I too think another infantry battalion would be better than more LAVs and I like the LAV-25. I think all 3 Marine Divisons should have identical TOE. Each should have 3 infantry regiments, an artillery regiment, a LAV battalion, an AAV(EFV) battalion, a tank battalion(but given the trouble with convertint 1 of the 2 reserve battalions to active duty this is very unlkely) plus engineers, MPs, and logistics as needed. That's just my humble opinion though.
 
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ambush    RE:Marines winners in Budget?-LAVs   2/10/2005 5:00:30 PM
Since the Dvisions are more or less just adminsitrative holding units for the elements of the MEU, MEB and MEF and various MAGTFs I do not see a real nned for a standardized division structure. Most MAGTFs are going to be tasked organized anyway like the the 1stMEF in IRAQ as are most MEBs. MEBs tend to be more standardized but I have even seen some changes in them befoer deployment. Normally it ha been the additon or subtraction of aviation assets and maybe some additionally artillery or recon assets. If you look at he 1st Gulf War only two of three Marine Divisions were on the ground but just about every tank anti-tank asset the Corp had was there regardless of divsison it was assigned to. I thin a standardizatio of tank units and Amtrack untis would be nice so we could get rid of the"tracked vehicle" battalion. The unit deployment program also makes a shambles out of any real division structure. With Battalions rotating in and out of Okinawa it is not like they will develope any real attachment for their divisions anyway. Same thing applies to the Air Wings.
 
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JCT    RE:Marines winners in Budget?-LAVs   3/3/2005 3:30:40 PM
The USMC LAV-25 is based on the LAV-I. GD has shut this line down in favor of the LAV-III. Even if GD were to reopen the line, there is no money for additional LAV procurement. To get the extra vehicles for the three new active duty companies (25 LAVs per company), LAV's will be pulled from war stocks (MPS shipping, the supply depots, etc.) The two reserve companies will have to provide the vehicles out of hide. In othe words, each current reserve company will give up some LAVs to the new companies and all 6 reserve companies will be understrength. If/when they get actived, they will receive their full complement of vehicles 'in theater'. I've heard that one before....
 
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