Get Rid of the Marine Corps???

Honestly I am starting to wonder about the future of the tanker community across the DOD after seeing the Ukrainians decimate Russian armor with javelins.
Tanks should be supported by infantry...I don't see a lot of that going on in Ukraine...from what I've seen, it appears they are moving buttoned up with no ground support...but I am not a tread head, so maybe they know what they are doing...
 
Sometimes I'm not a fan of Combined Arms Battalions...but holy moly I don't know what the Russian's are doing. Nothing is being done IAW doctrine we studied over the past 50 years...

It's one thing to have a platoon of tanks in a PB together...it's another to be off on your own isolated thinking everything is jolly...
 
Tanks should be supported by infantry...I don't see a lot of that going on in Ukraine...from what I've seen, it appears they are moving buttoned up with no ground support...but I am not a tread head, so maybe they know what they are doing...
Combined arms in general seems to be a challenge for them. Also aviation. Also logistics. Gear accountability needs significant improvement. Some SNCO needs to start dummy cording soldiers to tanks pretty soon.
 
So, other than those things it sounds like the Russians are doing a great job…
They also excel in the employment of many different types of non-encrypted radios. And in turning off locations settings on PEDs.

https://www.radio.com/connectingvet...HLApvUhn3_ODv42xxH7xu_oHGjRNpjmx230-6K8RM2qto

Looks like all infantry Marines will go through the scout swimmer, coxswain, raid leader, assault climber, and mountain leader courses. Raising the GT score for infantry Marines to 105 is a big deal.
While we're at it, I'd advocate for a "Principles of Radio-Transmitters" course like the Incidental Radio Operator's Courses we kick at the company and battalion levels. Which is essentially just memorizing, and then working through, 10-15 steps for 2-4 different transmissions systems that are organic to infantry squads and platoons. Rinse and repeat, at night and half-awake. Company Commanders who go all-in on incidental comm training essentially multiply the number of confident Transmission Systems Operators (the new "ROs") by 3.0, and the number of Marines-who-can-operate-but-not-successfully-troubleshoot-a-RT by 4.5 or 5.0.

Even if the schoolhouse only does 1 or 2 systems, the impact on a fireteam's ability to confidently maneuver would be immense. Those who can confidently communicate do well with decentralized command. Those who can't don't.
 
They also excel in the employment of many different types of non-encrypted radios. And in turning off locations settings on PEDs.


While we're at it, I'd advocate for a "Principles of Radio-Transmitters" course like the Incidental Radio Operator's Courses we kick at the company and battalion levels. Which is essentially just memorizing, and then working through, 10-15 steps for 2-4 different transmissions systems that are organic to infantry squads and platoons. Rinse and repeat, at night and half-awake. Company Commanders who go all-in on incidental comm training essentially multiply the number of confident Transmission Systems Operators (the new "ROs") by 3.0, and the number of Marines-who-can-operate-but-not-successfully-troubleshoot-a-RT by 4.5 or 5.0.

Even if the schoolhouse only does 1 or 2 systems, the impact on a fireteam's ability to confidently maneuver would be immense. Those who can confidently communicate do well with decentralized command. Those who can't don't.

Absolutely. The first thing we handed FNG replacements was one of our two team PRC-25s. Didn't matter what 03 MOS they were. They had to know how to call in anything. So they humped the radio and rifle for their first month in the bush--if they survived it. And during downtime got instructed in calling CAS, medevac, arty support fires etc. In a 12-man team comm is your life-link. And if you're the last man standing, it's your only hope.

The comm training we had prior to deployment was rudimentary and virtually useless.

Obviously, the comm options are very sophisticated now, but every trigger-puller should know how to pull the chain.
 
Absolutely. The first thing we handed FNG replacements was one of our two team PRC-25s. Didn't matter what 03 MOS they were. They had to know how to call in anything. So they humped the radio and rifle for their first month in the bush--if they survived it. And during downtime got instructed in calling CAS, medevac, arty support fires etc. In a 12-man team comm is your life-link. And if you're the last man standing, it's your only hope.

The comm training we had prior to deployment was rudimentary and virtually useless.

Obviously, the comm options are very sophisticated now, but every trigger-puller should know how to pull the chain.
My TSOs are competing for 5 rep max squat or deadlift.

Someone (can't remember who) said something like "at the individual level, no matter how sophisticated technology gets, war feels the same." Backside communications pathways themselves are insanely complex now -- as of a couple years ago, it takes three 06XX and at least two 28XX MOSs to establish and maintain communications at the ground-side battalion level (which quickly turned into a personnel fielding/money quagmire) -- but a radio is a radio. Until we decide to let Mr. Musk run amok in the population with Neuralink, we will always "push to talk."
 
Sidebar, at my first platoon I found the RTO, we decided to cross-train each other, if either of us went down it would be very bad for the platoon. I spent puh-lenty of time humping and using the radios.

In my Combined Action Platoon we rotated weapons and responsibilities every few weeks. Thus, the machine gun, the two radios (unless one was being carried by a newbie in training) and the two M79s changed hands quite often. It was a good policy IMV and even though I was a machine-gunner, I think I carried either the radio or one of the 79s more often then the gun.
 
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