Air Force Motorized Jaeger Regiment?

[Rifleman]

It there's a second ground army isn't one of them redundant?

Come to think of it, the USMC might want to pay attention to that idea as well. They started life as the Navy's infantry and have more or less morphed into a defacto second ground army. Case in point: SEAL snipers taking out pirates when one of the USMC's historic missions was.....sharpshooters in the rigging.

[slapout9]

It there's a second ground army isn't one of them redundant?

Come to think of it, the USMC might want to pay attention to that idea as well. They started life as the Navy's infantry and have more or less morphed into a defacto second ground army. Case in point: SEAL snipers taking out pirates when one of the USMC's historic missions was.....sharpshooters in the rigging.

That is a very good point Rifleman.

[ODB]

my own aerial platform that fly in, jump out of and just let it crash where ever it stops. Throw away disposal air platforms for the Army. Oh wait, we tried that once, Gliders. Mine will be better though, they will be self powered and we would actually jump from them, not wait for them to crash.

[COMMAR]

It there's a second ground army isn't one of them redundant?

Come to think of it, the USMC might want to pay attention to that idea as well. They started life as the Navy's infantry and have more or less morphed into a defacto second ground army. Case in point: SEAL snipers taking out pirates when one of the USMC's historic missions was.....sharpshooters in the rigging.

No, Rifleman does not have a good pt, he uses that to point out role & mission when those are the 2 things he leap frogged over to try & make his point.

If it was simply a matter of surgical shooting, there were 9 Marine Scout-Snipers on the Boxer who could've easily taken those shots but that would over look the fact that dedicated Hostage Rescue is not a Marine Corps Role or Mission.

Not to mention disregarding the long & difficult song & dance of setting up those 3 shots. Something only a Dedictated HR team could've done.

Dedicated HR is not a mission the USMC is interested in.

So what you saw was a Dedicated HR Unit, using the sound HR tactics of time, deception, & irritation to make something very difficult look easy. Not 3 SEALs who were "secretly" airdropped in to encroach Marine sharpshooting territory.

[Culpeper]

If it was simply a matter of surgical shooting, there were 9 Marine Scout-Snipers on the Boxer who could've easily taken those shots but that would over look the fact that dedicated Hostage Rescue is not a Marine Corps Role or Mission.

I had no idea there were already snipers on the destroyers. If so, you're correct the USMC snipers could have completed this mission, considering the final action that was needed to end the situation. Monday morning quarterbacking on my part. The SEALs were brought in for HR, which is one of their jobs. Nobody knew at the time, I'm sure, that it would boil down to 30 yard single shots to end the standoff. I concur with your statement. Apples and oranges.

[COMMAR]

I had no idea there were already snipers on the destroyers. If so, you're correct the USMC snipers could have completed this mission, considering the final action that was needed to end the situation. Monday morning quarterbacking on my part. The SEALs were brought in for HR, which is one of their jobs. Nobody knew at the time, I'm sure, that it would boil down to 30 yard single shots to end the standoff. I concur with your statement. Apples and oranges.

Not on the Destroyers but on the Boxer, an Amphib that showed up about 12hrs after the Halyburton.

They are part of the MEU's STA Plt. But 9 Snipers, 8 Scout-Snipers and their SS Qual'd Plt Sgt, a Gunny, have been assigned to support the Anti-Piracy Ops throughout the AO & were on scene at the time.

Taking the shots, sure they could've easily taken the shots.

But to manage & manipulate the Hostiles like that to make the shots so easy, no.

There are only 2 other units in the US who could've handled the entire Op w/that much skill and they are both dedicated to HR.

[Distiller]

Of course the mission would be high risk. Just find something that's worth it. And the regular size of an insertion would probably be limited to a battalion, with multiple insertions in multiple locations a possibility.

I would see it primarily as "deep dash" capability, perfect for non-linear operations. Cavalry style. It would bring its own unique capabilities, as do the paras, the air assault units, &c.

Using them for dash-grab-hold operations might also be possible but the basic idea behind picking them up again is to be out before the enemy can concentrate anything meaningful against you.
Just him knowing that the capability exists might influence his planning and actions.

Re the comment on Gavin. Times may have changed. UAVs make persistent regional ISR possible, stand-off ISR gives the bigger picture over longer periods. Landings are not made into the darkest fog of war any more, decreasing the risk. This idea is not for division sized formations, though. This is "small wars" council.

(PS: I apologize for writing BMP instead of BMD.)

[Ken White]

There are only 2 other units in the US who could've handled the entire Op w/that much skill and they are both dedicated to HR.

"That much skill," perhaps. Adequate skill, OTOH, is very different thing.

This tendency to make war too complex unless one is especially trained as opposed to well trained is not wise.

There's a point where the situational and discrete location need for specific combat capability outstrips the ability of even the US to provide special purpose units or people in adequate quantities to fulfill the potential requirements.

Creating SMUs as a patch to cover poor individual and unit training is potentially dangerous.

[COMMAR]

"That much skill," perhaps. Adequate skill, OTOH, is very different thing.

This tendency to make war too complex unless one is especially trained as opposed to well trained is not wise.

There's a point where the situational and discrete location need for specific combat capability outstrips the ability of even the US to provide special purpose units or people in adequate quantities to fulfill the potential requirements.

Creating SMUs as a patch to cover poor individual and unit training is potentially dangerous.

Right I totally I agree, which is why the Corps never bought into so narrowly focused Units. I was acknowledging the Professionalism in how it was handled.

But, switching back, that is what made the Force Recon DAPs so effective. In taking the IHR Mission, they maintained the Shooting & Assault Techniques & Standards of the SMU's. But they did this w/out being so narrowly focused that they could not still support the mission of the MAGTF Cmdr, like a Dedicated HR Unit.

They took the necessary elements to remain Proficient in IHR and used those standards to elevate their other missions. This was something noted in the JSOU's report.

It noted that the Reconnaissance Element of the DET had a Direct Action & Reconnaissance capability on par with any Tier I SMU. But it could seemlessly blend w/any Conventional Unit that it supported.

Also K.I.M. you probably know this but others may not, they maintained these high standards while rotating most Marines in & out of Force Recon to the Recon & Infantry BNs every 4-5yrs.

[Distiller]

The Russians take good care of their air/mech formations and add capabilities, and as they have a clear mind in these things I again say the U.S. should look into such a capability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1EJjxD0XTc
5:30 till 5:50.