The Demise of the Marines?

[Minimalist]

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2...Last-Fight

Because of this lack of mission and ongoing budget pressures, the Marines are becoming an endangered branch. In the age of DOD austerity, they represent low-hanging fruit that could easily be picked from the Pentagon’s tree.

[Anomalocaris]

The existence of the marines corp is bound up in national mythology, and it no longer a purely rational choice of national policy. So I suspect the Marine corp will continue to exist and to both mythologize itself and be mythologized so long as the United States continue to exist roughly in its current form. Only a complete defeat in a major war, similar to that experienced by Germany or Japan, can impose the disbandment of the Marine corp.

[Bibliofagus]

http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Articles/2...Last-Fight

Because of this lack of mission and ongoing budget pressures, the Marines are becoming an endangered branch. In the age of DOD austerity, they represent low-hanging fruit that could easily be picked from the Pentagon’s tree.

I'm no American, and have never been in service. But this article seems a bit alarmist to me.

1. Funding always goes down if an army has got no war on it's hands. I believe I read somewhere cutbacks by the navy historically have been a problem for the marines, but they have always proudly stuck around and bounced back. I'll try finding it. I remember it said the marines were proud of their ability to be the most usefull guys around in spite of that.
2. The article claims there is no longer a use for amphibious attacks, I disagree. Let's say ISIS wins all of Syria and Iraq and Kuwait. Let's say SA will be very reluctant to be a springboard for an invasion. And Iran just stays Iran. You'd have to wade all the way through Syria to get to the oil.
3. I think the marines have been reformed into an elite unit that can project power anywhere and anytime. They grabbed Obama, who was in a country without water.
4. I like space marines.

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The existence of the marines corp is bound up in national mythology, and it no longer a purely rational choice of national policy. So I suspect the Marine corp will continue to exist and to both mythologize itself and be mythologized so long as the United States continue to exist roughly in its current form. Only a complete defeat in a major war, similar to that experienced by Germany or Japan, can impose the disbandment of the Marine corp.

To me the thing reads as an advertisement to vote for politicians who like marines. The conclusion is that these politicians are the only thing that keep the core alive.

[Minimalist]

We have a long history of maintaining weapons systems which are obsolete because of political reasons. Why not a redundant branch of the military?

[Chad32]

I heard once that the Navy SEALS are kind of the new Marines. I don't know much about the military, so I don't know if the marines will be disbanded or just change in some way to remain useful. America loves its military, after all. Though strangely not its surviving veterans.

[Minimalist]

I doubt that the Marines will change their marketing slogan to "The Few, The Proud, The Pointless."

[Anomalocaris]

To me the thing reads as an advertisement to vote for politicians who like marines. The conclusion is that these politicians are the only thing that keep the core alive.

The root cause is not politicians keeping the corp alive. The politicians are just responding to the mythology surrounding the corp which is deeply rooted in national self-perception.

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We have a long history of maintaining weapons systems which are obsolete because of political reasons. Why not a redundant branch of the military?

Actually, one might argue that in the new century, United States would likely to be able to harm itself less if it were to keep the marines but disband the army.

[Minimalist]

The politicians will respond to the anguished cries of constituents who work on Marine bases or on Marine weapons programs.

Follow the money..... down the drain.

[Bibliofagus]

To me the thing reads as an advertisement to vote for politicians who like marines. The conclusion is that these politicians are the only thing that keep the core alive.

The root cause is not politicians keeping the corp alive. The politicians are just responding to the mythology surrounding the corp which is deeply rooted in national self-perception.

I understand. Some of these politicians will have been marines themselves as well I expect. I think the right word to describe what I mean is reciprocity, but (not a native speaker) not sure.

What I don't understand is this: The article just claims that amphibious operations are going to be useless in the future. And it seems to just be accepted offhand.

The US has got like 7 fleets scattered all over the world. Elite forces on each and every one of them greatly increases their range of capabilities. I don't see how this could ever be not useful.

(Edit: Unless fleets themselves become obsolete.)

[Chad32]

To me the thing reads as an advertisement to vote for politicians who like marines. The conclusion is that these politicians are the only thing that keep the core alive.

The root cause is not politicians keeping the corp alive. The politicians are just responding to the mythology surrounding the corp which is deeply rooted in national self-perception.

---

We have a long history of maintaining weapons systems which are obsolete because of political reasons. Why not a redundant branch of the military?

Actually, one might argue that in the new century, United States would likely to be able to harm itself less if it were to keep the marines but disband the army.

The army is the mainstay of the military, right? I doubt they'd disband that.