Put away those phones, Marines!

[Ooh-Rah]

Get some General! So many moments in this article to highlight, a few:

General: Marines, put down those cell phones! - CNNPolitics.com

US Marines need to put away their cell phones, forget about their fancy coffees and get back to doing what Marines used to do -- dig a foxhole, cover up, stay quiet and be wary, the Corps' top officer says.

"I know that sounds silly, but it's not silly," Neller said at the conference. "So, okay, Marines: We're going to go to the field for 30 days; everybody leave your phone in the car and tell your significant other or your mom, your aunt, your uncle, that you're not going to get 75 texts each day and answer them."

Seaman Hicks decided she wanted to check her Facebook page, and so she walked out on the weather deck at night with her phone, and what's that phone got? It's got GPS. So anybody in the world is going to know there's some GPS somewhere out floating across the ocean, most probably on a ship," Neller said.

"When was the last time ... when you saw Marines or soldiers operating in Iraq or Afghanistan when they camouflaged their face or they broke up the outline of their helmet with camouflage so they couldn't be seen? When was the last time you saw that?" he asked.

"We have not lived off the land," Neller said. "We've been eating in chow halls and drinking green bean coffee. That's pretty nice."

 

[DocIllinois]

"The Navy has come up with plans to reduce its reliance on modern electronics to make its force harder to trace, going so far as to have sailors re-learn navigating by the stars instead of using the Global Positioning System, (Neller) said."

'Going so far'? We teach our local Boy Scout troop this technique but its fallen out of favor with the U.S. Navy? :-/


"And you've got to be careful to not make any noise, and you're going to try to have absolutely no signature. Because if you can be seen, you will be attacked. That's the difference, and that's where we've got to get."

As part of Infantry OPFOR at a recent JRTC rotation, my detachment had huge success in attacking fixed positions and convoys at night because at least a couple of people would be using their fucking cell phones at any given time.

PSA for anyone fighting an enemy who may have night vision capability - the following exemplifies your level of visibility in the field when there's anything happening on your cell phone screen:

 

[Ooh-Rah]

@DocIllinois - that pics reminds me of a night training we had in Okinawa. The instructor was demonstrating how the red tip of a cigarette could be seen at long distances and how easily noise traveled - we were X yards away and he told us to "listen close"...then we heard the distant buzzing of a vibrator. I remember we laughing very hard at that. We had female Marines with us in that training, I recall their reaction was to also laugh, or groan in mock disgust. Likely that would not be the reaction in today's Corps. That bums me out a bit...there is no room for humor anymore.

 

[Marine0311]

I agree. Be brilliant at the basics.

 

[Devildoc]

I have to laugh. At my last unit as a corpsman, a FSSG unit, one time we went to the field, I think it was the last time I went to the field with that unit before I got commissioned. After setting up we had 30 minutes or so before chow, everyone scattered to the winds looking for a signal. Some guys climbed trees. When we practiced land nav one patrol got lost. A Marine whipped out his phone, downloaded some app, did a GPS fix, and led them out.

 

[Gunz]

The general is spot on. A reflection of moonlight, a noise, an odor...the slightest thing can compromise your position. Why help your enemy?

When we bathed in rivers we didn't use soap. Soap bubbles or residue can float downstream. It's those little things that can come back and kill you.

 

[Teufel]

The general is spot on. A reflection of moonlight, a noise, an odor...the slightest thing can compromise your position. Why help your enemy?

When we bathed in rivers we didn't use soap. Soap bubbles or residue can float downstream. It's those little things that can come back and kill you.

I understand what he is saying but he is not describing patrol exercises. Those are always done without any cell phones. I think he is talking about the major exercises that last 14-30 days like Desert Scimitar and ITX. The grunts won't have any cell phones while they are assaulting through the quackenbush training area in 29 Palms but it's normally ok if they get on there when they get back to Camp Wilson during ITX.

 

[Gunz]

Yes sir I only meant that field exercises should require the same practices and procedures as the real thing.

 

[SpitfireV]

I remember reading a thing about the French Foreign Legion and they would make many little fires and one or two big bonfires when doing stuff out in Africa. The reasoning I think was for one to keep animals away and two to let everyone in the area know they were there. I would hope this was just the bigger sized units!

 

[pardus]

 

[SpitfireV]

Point taken LOL.

 

[Marine0311]

I understand what he is saying but he is not describing patrol exercises. Those are always done without any cell phones. I think he is talking about the major exercises that last 14-30 days like Desert Scimitar and ITX. The grunts won't have any cell phones while they are assaulting through the quackenbush training area in 29 Palms but it's normally ok if they get on there when they get back to Camp Wilson during ITX.

No cell phones at all IMO. I didn't. It's poor form and p iss poor practice. Train how you will fight.

 

[Teufel]

No cell phones at all IMO. I didn't. It's poor form and p iss poor practice. Train how you will fight.

Marines have always had cell phones at Camp Wilson. Everyone has always considered Camp Wilson "the rear". They have internet cafes, a PX, a cafeteria that serves chicken strips and burgers, a rice king, some mexican place... why not cell phones.

 

[Brill]

I understand what he is saying but he is not describing patrol exercises. Those are always done without any cell phones. I think he is talking about the major exercises that last 14-30 days like Desert Scimitar and ITX. The grunts won't have any cell phones while they are assaulting through the quackenbush training area in 29 Palms but it's normally ok if they get on there when they get back to Camp Wilson during ITX.

How do they update their FB status or stream via Periscope?

 

[Marine0311]

Marines have always had cell phones at Camp Wilson. Everyone has always considered Camp Wilson "the rear". They have internet cafes, a PX, a cafeteria that serves chicken strips and burgers, a rice king, some mexican place... why not cell phones.

I am familiar with Wilson and I disagree with it then as I do now. I don't recall cell phones when I was there. To me at Wilson that was time to practice, prepare, clean weapons, etc.

 

[Gunz]

There are cases where tactical comm has broken down and people who find themselves up shit alley have had to use the phone to call their TOC. Having been dependent for life support on a PRC25 , I can see where a backup comm loop could save lives. But other than that I'm very leery of personal electronics, social media etc for security reasons. And not just for the military, for everybody. The more you send out the more vulnerable you are. And moreso if we ever mix it up with a technically proficient enemy.

It doesn't hurt to get used to doing things the old fashioned way, just in case. (I think we broached a similar topic with regard to GPS vice compass and map skills.)

 

[Teufel]

I am familiar with Wilson and I disagree with it then as I do now. I don't recall cell phones when I was there. To me at Wilson that was time to practice, prepare, clean weapons, etc.

The nice thing about Camp Wilson is that there is only one patch of cell phone reception (one bar) out there and it's the size of a elevator. Go out at night there and look for the platoon of Marines on their phones in a football huddle.

 

[AWP]

To me at Wilson that was time to practice, prepare, clean weapons, etc.

Given that, if they are on their cell phones instead of doing their jobs, that's a failure of leadership. Poor discipline is as much on the leader as the led. Using cellphones in Fobbit Town is a nonevent, even downrange. If Snuffy is gaffing off his responsibilities then his NCO needs to handle NCO business. Team and Squad Leaders exist for a reason.

 

[Gunz]

The nice thing about Camp Wilson is that there is only one patch of cell phone reception (one bar) out there and it's the size of a elevator. Go out at night there and look for the platoon of Marines on their phones in a football huddle.

The New Corps. No windows.



The Old Corps. Windows.

 

[Marine0311]

The nice thing about Camp Wilson is that there is only one patch of cell phone reception (one bar) out there and it's the size of a elevator. Go out at night there and look for the platoon of Marines on their phones in a football huddle.

Given that, if they are on their cell phones instead of doing their jobs, that's a failure of leadership. Poor discipline is as much on the leader as the led. Using cellphones in Fobbit Town is a nonevent, even downrange. If Snuffy is gaffing off his responsibilities then his NCO needs to handle NCO business. Team and Squad Leaders exist for a reason.

Freefaling said it better than me.