The Annual List
I really didn’t know what else to call it. That will do.
The U.S. budget is going to get beaten down. The following is only one opinion of what can stay and what has to go for the U.S. military to even consider surviving in a grave budget climate.
The U.S. Navy
Park two carriers and stop production on current carriers.
Keep building Burkes at a low rate.
End the LCS. Existing LCS contracts will go until completed. All existing LCS will be transfered to the U.S. Coast Guard where they will patrol in the Carribean and out of San Diego.
R&D for a nuclear destroyer. The goal is to have a all nuclear powered carrier battle group.
Scrap the DDX.
The submarine program will continue as-is.
The carrier air wing plan will continue minus the F-35 as this program will be cancelled.
The USMC. It will be retired with whatever manpower slots are needed, transfered over into the U.S. Army.
The U.S. Air Force. It will cease to exist in its present form. All flying units will be transfered into the Air National Guard. The U.S. Air Force such as it is, will be nothing more than a management function at the DOD level to see that the Air National Guard functions. It will go by the name; Air National Guard Headquarters. The current U.S. Federal budget used on today’s Air Force (significantly reduced) will feed into their own seperate color of money at the Guard units.
A sample of some of the airframes allowed to exist will be the F-22, the F-15E, the A-10, the C-130, the C-17, the C-5 and the B-2. The B-2 nuclear mission will end. The B-1, B-52 and F-16 will be retired. As the KC-X comes online, half of them will be managed by the U.S. Navy.
ICBMs will be managed as a separate DOD command yet to be named.
Military space systems will be managed under their own command reporting to the DOD.
The U.S. Army. Any kind of manpower asset that exists in the current wars today that is doing ground missions will have those slots moved into the U.S. Army. We do not need 4 land Armies. Large portions of infantry, engineer and aviation skills will be put into the National Guard with Regiments being the prime organic unit.
Keep a watchful eye on Army Aviation to make sure it gets funded and properly sustained.
There will be two types of basic training centers. One for the Army and Air National Guard and the other for the Navy. The USAF Academy will be closed.
Half of all flag ranks will be retired immediately.
Why does America need three Airforces and Two Armies?
I agree with much, but not all, of your suggestions. I wouldn’t get rid of the Marines, but I would make them what they should be again: a small elite naval infantry force with very minimal armor… basically some APC’s… and only helos as organic air. You could reduce them to around 35K men by turning non-combat jobs…. changing tires, slicing ham in the mess hell… to the Navy. That eagle, globe, and anchor should me that you have a direct combat job. Period.
There is absolutely no justification for the Corps having land based heavy aircraft like KC-130′s, or heavy armor like M1 tanks. Marines should go in and take a stretch of beach… no further than 30 miles inland or so… relying on Navy carrier airpower and naval gunnery… and then let Seabees come in, prepare a landing strip, and hand the rest of the battle off to the Army and USAF. Basically, they should become a larger, more frontline version of what the Royal Marines are.
I kind of agree with most of your ideas,Eric. Don’t see Marines getting the axe by Congress though, won’t happen. I think DesScorp is on the right track, Marine Corps needs to be downsized and go back to basics.I think 30 to 50,000 troops max is about right, take a beach or airport, hold key facilities for maybe a few days,tops.
We need to look into our SF too, does every branch need their own private commando force?
I never seize being amazed by how much we move our forces around,why can’t we put for ex:C130s somewhere and freaking leave them THERE! for more than a few years? It always seems we are reorganizing/shifting forces around. Also we need to sell/shed a lot of real estate/bases.
Get rid of LCS. Don’t see nuclear power for anything else than carriers and subs. I think we should look into a bigger Burke for CGX and a Burke lite for FFG/LCS. It might be too much to ask out of one hull but it should save you a ton of money.
Replace Minutemen III and Trident with one common missile.
I think DOD should start implementing some of this because they will be able to phase it in and do it less half ass.But more than likely DOD won’t do anything and Congress will do it for them and that will be ugly.
“We need to look into our SF too, does every branch need their own private commando force?’
Yup. I think the Army should have a special ops division, and the Navy should. If they drop in by parachute, it’s the Army. If they come from the water, it’s the Navy. Instead of trying to be all-everything supermen, Army should focus on airborne delivery, Navy on sub-based swimmers.
I do believe we need to cut back or at least consolidate/streamline some, do we need SEALS,RANGERS,SF,Air Assault,Airborne,Delta and I probably am forgetting another dozen or so outfits? Plus their own air assets? Plus CIA or other para-military agencies or even private outfits like Xe?
It is a bit outside the remit of ELPs discussion but still relevant,IMHO.
SF is unique and should remain in the Army. The other so-called Special Operations Forces are only glorified light infantry and could well be consolidated into the Rangers or eliminated.
Since the f-35 will get the axe in your plans, I propose restarting the f-22 line for a new F-22B version. Taking the cockpit, helmet, and sensor fusion design of the F-35 and incorporation this into a new multi-role F-22B. Adding superhornets to replace the lost f-16,f-15 fleets. Either by aging or by axeing. And kill off the Osprey.
Might want to incorporate marine corps doctrine by adding the A-10′s into the army airwing.
A-10 is useless. It’ll be replaced with advanced uav in the near future. (flying meat and meat protector takes too much space when all you need to do is find glowing radar return and drop bomb on it)
the f-35 helmet is one thing, that’s not working…
Get rid of the Marine Corps? Bwahahahahha!
Yeah right. The Marines are the only force that can reliably be counted on to bust the living f*ck out of stuff on a moment’s notice and get the job done.
Just look at Somalia. When the Marines left the sh*t fell apart.
There is no force on Earth like the USMC. The legend (and living up to it) alone is enough to make the Marines a cut above everyone else. Public outcry would make Tea Party rallies look like DNC conventions.
And axe the F-16? Dude, are u nuts? It does everything and is still the best dogfighter this side of the F-22.
Boyd would be rolling over in his grave.
Marine is expeditionary force. Good at smashing thing in hard/grinding war. But there aren’t enough marine in the world to fix counter insurgency problem like afghanistan.
What you end up is second land army that is not exactly organizationally designed to solve problem. A guy with $300,000 worth equipments for fast mechanized war trying to convince some peasant how to do good governance.
You go broke.
“Yeah right. The Marines are the only force that can reliably be counted on to bust the living f*ck out of stuff on a moment’s notice and get the job done.
Just look at Somalia. When the Marines left the sh*t fell apart.
There is no force on Earth like the USMC. The legend (and living up to it) alone is enough to make the Marines a cut above everyone else. Public outcry would make Tea Party rallies look like DNC conventions.”
Areyou being Facetious ?
However are the public ready to pay more tax and have Govt spending reduced?
Marines are huge bang for the buck. They’ll never be eliminated. Too much tradition. Too much love from the folks. I remember in 1987 when I was at the Marine Military Academy everyone was talking about getting rid of the Marines for budgetary reasons. Then Desert Storm.
Same thing here. People forget how amazing the USMC is…until “the fire the next time.”
The notion of the Marines being cut is untenable. Don’t waste your time suggesting it because it won’t happen ever in a billion years.