After Nearly a Century, the U.S. Marine Corps Is Ditching Its Tanks

[hounddoghowlie]

A huge purge like this would have ramifications on the other branches too. 

true, on or near shore for fire support it will be the Navy, further inland if the Army is there they will be the ones. Air Support it will be who ever is closer Air Force, Navy, or Army. then i wonder about screwed up communications, for called in support. or will each branch have their own people embedded with the Marines

I am guessing instead of trying to be all the branches, the USMC wants to "purify" themselves and simply rely on the strenghts of the other branches in a combined fashion.

that's always been a given to some extant, but having your own gives you the ability to not rely on another branch when it maybe a mission critical type deal. it has always been that Marine Expeditionary Unit was the forward deployment force that could take and hold a objective until a Marine Air-Ground Task Force can be deployed followed by or with the Army and Air Force.

i expect the other branches to start doing the same as more tech comes out. which to me is just plain stupid. tech is nice, but tech combined with manpower is always better.

I find it a little interesting they are devesting themselves, according to this information, of tanks and artillery while maintaining the F-35 albeit in lower numbers. For the cost of the F-35's, the USMC could maintain their ground fighting ability easily. And what do they really need F-35's for anyway? Other than demonstrating they are susceptible to lobbying efforts.

doesn't make sense at all, the Corps had always pushed for their own Close Air and wanted the best and they got it to some degree, what i really would have liked to have seen was the Corps to get their own A-10's( never understood why it wasn't adapted for them) along with the Harrier / now F-35, along with the Super Cobra's/ now replaced with the Viper. would have been a hell of combo.

now it's more than likely going to be others doing the job for them.

just make doesn't make sense to trim down the Corps this way.