Should Army and Marines (or components of) consolidate?

I see many troopers and Navy personnel such as Marines talking about elite. While I will stay away from that subjective subjects such as the 75th Ranger Regiment, an elite organization which is not talked about outside the Regiment. There is a reason for that.

First the Marines designed and have executed their job with élan. They are a contingency organization. They have a unique capability. Power projection via the USN.

The Army is a campaign planner and executer. If the lodgment is made by the Department of the Navy's infantry (wink) than the Army moves in as it becomes the executive agency for long term logistics and carries out the arduous task of securing COUNTRIES not just seizing an runway, dam or port.

In summation the Army has something the Marines cannot do for long term and the Army does something the Marines cannot do. Each has their place and has been a pretty good team for about 230+ years.

I do believe most Marines are acceptable as they as close to Rangers as the Navy has.


No Bullsh%t. In all seriousness the way the services are being chipped away at we cannot do without each other. The Marines and the Army CANNOT exist without the other. We will all probably be at some last stand together before 2016.

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US Marine Detachments at US Army TRADOC posts, camps and installations have been integrated as far back as 1976 when I was a Private. As an NCO instructor, my raters and endorsers were Army and Marine NCOs.

There were operational barriers and limitations between the services. In my era, the most influential would be a Marine Det Commander because he/she has the authority to pull the Marine Detachment out from the US Army post, camp and/or installation, leaving the Army to fill the gaps.

Certain jobs are not transferrable.

US Embassy Security duty is a Marine thing. Sorry Army...

Absolutely not. Traditions and all aside that would defeat the purpose of the Marines. Yes we started as amphibious warriors, essentially soldiers on ship, but that wasn't the purpose. Air, land, sea... the reason for the three is because we can do it all. The Corps in recent years has been used to fight wars; however, this is against its original design.
A smaller, tougher, quicker, and ever ready fighting force that will power through the toughest, bravest, and beat our enemies have. We were meant to fight key battles and take targets nobody else can or is willing to take. So no, the army and marines should not consolidate. OOH-fukin-RAH!

I don't think that thay should consolidate it's two different schools of thinking and that's a good thing keeps the enemy guessing and that's a good thing in my book

No offense to any other branch, but since the Marine Corps falls under the Depart of the Navy, I would make more sense to join those two.

No. You cannot sit Tradition aside. Stay as is. At the same time because of todays mission it would take on a costly retraining and cross training program.

I'm sure it said think objectively traditions and camaraderie aside so let's talk about what the Army and the Marine Corps brings to the table as separate branches and if it's a good idea to be one

If you are going to do that you may as well do away with all of the Service Departments (DON/DOA/DAF). It would cut a lot of fat and waste from the system.

The US Military would then retain it branches along strict mission lines:
If it floats it belongs to the Navy
If it flys (even off of a boat) it belongs to the Air Force
expeditionary forces - Marines even if they are on a ship
Occupying forces - Army

Servicemen would be servicemen and thus free to move about the branches but like today MOS and Officer designations would be used to dictate career path in their specialty.

No.

Naval infantry is wholly different than regular land warfare.

Granted the logistics and some of the support services that aren't already handled by the Navy could be farmed out to the Army.

It would be better to consolidate certain functions within a particular service and then assign personnel to provide those services to whatever branch requires them.

Absolutely not. While both are ground combat oriented the similarities end there. I have several friends who are Marines (once a Marine always a Marine), and while I'd be happy to have them beside me in a fight, we are different to the core.

Without trying to advocate one branch or the other, fundamental differences exist, in tactics, culture, and mentality. Both are effective, but different. Merging them together would create a less diverse and more easily defeated military.