Should Army and Marines (or components of) consolidate?

The branches are structured for a reason. The Marines work for the Navy and such need to stay that way. There is a big difference between all branches and we all serve a purpose

NO! NO! NO! F**k NO!

No. The Marines are a vital part of our Naval Force. That has always been first and foremost.

Then-Commandant General Vandegrift, commander of the 1st Marine Division on Gualcanal and a holder of the MOH, answered this question in testimony to the Congress post-WWII. Go listen to his speech...

No!

It’s not the fact the Army could take on the role of the marine corps it’s the fact of size and accountability. The Army already lost its Air Corp because it was too much of a logistical nightmare to handle. If you don’t segmeant the responsibility and assets across different departments and limit funding to each you will have a higher operating cost and a much larger margin of error. There already is a huge problem in both branches of tracking gear and keeping things up to date. If you roll the corps into the army the problem will only get worse because we won’t be reduceing man power or removing equipment, only adding more burden into one system.

Let’s not forget the Marines are the departmeant of the Navy. All you would be doing is moving the Marines to be a department of the Army causing the army to split its budget off in to its new asset and force the navy to do cross accounting with the army to accommodate for its travle needs. Every time two branches have to share money things get slower and more paper work needs to be created which is worse for readiness. From a supply chain view it would be a bad choice to consolidate the two. If you are looking to cut cost we need to look at uniform weapon systems and tech contracts across the whole DOD and even the possiblity of having one combat uniform altogether. Things like this will save millions and cut back and redundant contacts across the DOD.

We know our history and in battle we absolutely believe that we cannot be beaten and God bless you if you do because we won't quit we won't give in and we won't run if you integrate us you will lose that

No I'm sure my response is emotional and that is the point Marines do not join the corps to get money for college or learn a trade or get a bonus we join because we want to be warriors in the highest sense

No I've served in both and there is a separation in mindset and training method. Just like the green berets have a different mission from the seals the Marines and Army have separate mission sets that each is uniquely suited and trained for. While you could consolidate those missions you would end up with a force that was not as effective at either.

There is a valid argument to both sides of this debate. But if we are talking logistics and not tradition and pride in a specific service branch here are some things to consider. Initial training of troops. What is the mission we are going to train them for? Both Army and Marine initial training prepares them to serve as infantrymen. They are ground fighters whose mission is to take the battle to the enemy and overcome whatever gets in their way. Not a problem to combine the two at this level and set a standard all are required to meet. But that should be the standard for all services. Outside of that what is the plan for specialized units within a combined service? As stated, the Army and Marines serve two different functions on many levels. How will this effect special operations units? Are you going to remove combat units from the Navy and Air Force and pull all special operations type units into one service? Each branch has its own units of elite warriors with specific skills for specific missions. Wasn’t that the whole idea of a special operations command to combine these units under a central command to utilize as needed for specific missions? You only address the Army and Marines in your question, but how would Seals and Para rescue fall into to a single ground force operation? I agree that politics and logistics among the branches is a challenge and makes the mission harder at times, but when you consider the specialized training and equipment that goes into preparing people for the task we expect them to do these differences are important. A simple way to look at it is this. Any doctor can treat the common cold, but would you let any doctor work on your spine? Marines are a specialty unit and train for specific type missions. The Army, while capable of meeting the same objectives, has a different mission, larger command structure, and a lot more moving parts. Can we have one service? Yes. But within that service you are always going to have the specialized units whose training and equipment makes them the right choice for a specific task. In the end won’t you simply eliminate one specialized fighting force to replace it later with another? And in the process kill an institution that has left its mark on the fabric of this country. Let the Army be the Army and let Marines be Marines. Both have earned the honor of the uniform they wear it with pride.