i recently asked a question concerning the elimination of the marine corps and folding it into the army.......

Question

and one of the answerers, john b, who is a former marine, said it would be best to keep two regiments of Marines. can u imagine the money the govt would save? in this day and age, 3 marine divisions and one on reseve is totally unnescessary and a waste of money. keep an open mind, what enemy, in the world is large enough for us to have 4 marine divisions? the army could have two regiments of "naval infantry" and like john b said, they can call them "marines"

other countries in the world is organized that way, the usa is the only marine corps in the world that has separate-service status

i love the marine corps also but i think as a whole branch of the service, it has done its job well and 4 divisions is no longer needed. the Corps needs to go through some kind of reorganization

Answer 1

Actually...just get rid of all the other services. Marines can do it all...land, air and sea. Think then of all the money you will save!!!


Seriously....have you ever served a day in the military??? I can only assume that the answer would be no. Because if you did in fact serve....you wouldn't be asking such questions.

Answer 2

The Marine Corps is not a separate branch though people who know nothing about it might tell you that. It falls under the Department of the Navy, and the United States Marine Corps is created from the framework of the British Royal Marines. Yoy may think that the four division system is unnecessary...let me enlighten you a little. We havesomewhere between 14-17 aircraft carrier groups which can range anywhere from the carrier itself toa small squadon of accompanying vessels in peacetime, and up to a dozen or more accompanying vessels in time of war. Each ship must have a contingent of Marines aboard to guard the vessel. Each carrier group is MEU-capable. That means the ability exists to land a force of thousands of Marines on a hostile beach with enough supplies and equipment to hold off any counterattacks until a main assault wave arrives.
With China constantly raising its defense budget, there will be new standoffs with the Chinese. And with the Marines being overextended due to Iraq and Afghanistan, they would be hard-presse to open a coflict on a new front.It has gotten so bad (this overextension) that the Marines have asked for close to 20,000 more men to be allowed in the Corps (as each service has a cap on how many people are allowed in its ranks), or the equivalent to two brigades, half of a Marine Division. This overextension even has Marine Reservists and the Marine Corps band going off to war (has happened more than once already).
Historically, all tradition is against your proposal. No Marine would ever say yes to folding into the Army...it just doesnt happen. In the early 20th century Congress threatened to cut off all fundng from the Marines when the Corps asked to be counted as a separate branch, definitely not a separate branch. And right now, overstressed as the Marines are...we need more Marine divisions not less. We need to reactivate the 5th, 6th, and 7th Marine Divisions and go at it. Well then see what nation would truly be crazy enough to challenge us.

Answer 3

Before I was ordered to Nam in 1967, there was talk of doing away with the corps, we had about 200,000 men at that time, By the year 1970, our Marine force was up to 500,000. Why,????because the Marines were considered the first line of defense at that time. Remember, the Marine Corps is called the Presidents Own. Why,,because he can send them anywhere at anytime without asking the congress. After 25 years in the Corps, I can't say that I would be pleased to see this great source of fighting men and women, disbanned. If we are going to do that, why not take all branchs and put them togeather and just refer to them as the United States Forces????

Gung Ho.

Answer 4

Actually to the best of my knowledge, the US Marine Corps is a sub branch of the US Navy. It's kind of a unique situation, but I like the way it's set up right now. I've got a whole family full of Marines, and have been told all my life that there is a distinct difference in the way the Army and the Marine Corps conduct themselves. The whole philosophy is different. Mixing them together would NOT be good.

Answer 5

Sorry,but your wrong.
The Marines have a job,to seize forward bases for the Navy and to defend them.
With the Marines you have 4 combined arms divisions and the worlds 5th largest air force,sea and air lift capability all in 1 package.
It's been prooven repeatedly that with the Marines you get more Bang for your Buck.
2 regiments?
There are 4 Marine BLT's at sea, ready to go in, at all times with 3 battalions on stand by to fly out in under 24 hours.
it takes the Army longer to do the paperwork.

Answer 6

Are you serious? The US Military wouldnt be where it is today w/o the Corps. The Corps is the best fighting force on the planet, and you want to cut it so we can save a little money. I doubt any Marines would want to call themselves Soldeirs of the Army, notice how some even get mad when theyre called Soldeirs, theyre Marines.
---
"Other countries are organized that way" The US Military is the best in the damn world, why would they want to be like the rest of the world?

Answer 7

Hunter Thompson suggested this years ago. He said the marines were basically a bunch of *******, and that First Armored could take them out in a day. I think Hunter was playing devils advocate, and I also think that one needs the marines because of their intimidation factor. Two divisions of ship mounted marines with Their own air support, just off your coast line could sway an enemy with American hostages, say backed into our embassy , terrorist stuff, to hold up with any further depredations. They do show up. :Like they say " when it absolutely has to be destroyed overnight, call the US Marines"

Answer 8

It will never happen. This question has been swirling around since the revolution. The reason is that the Marines are considered the president's own and the Army belongs to the people. Only a president like Carter would give up his own force in readiness like he gave up the Panama canal.

Answer 9

Regarding your question "what enemy in the world is large enough for us to have 4 marine divisions?".....how about China...they are pretty damn big. Oh and mixing marines and army together .....would piss off a lot of people.

That's like saying put the Air Force and Navy together.....yuck.

Answer 10

The Marines are already part of the Navy. Why in god's world would you want to make them part of the Army. When it comes down to the nitty gritty of battle I want the United States Marine Corp protecting me...