"Preparing for a China war, the Marines are retooling how they'll fight," the Washington Post revealed on Friday the preparations of the newly formed regiment with the goal of "striking China."
According to the Washington Post, instead of launching traditional amphibious assaults, these nimbler groups are intended as an enabler for a larger joint force. Their role is to gather intelligence and target data and share it quickly, as well as occasionally sink ships with medium-range missiles, to help the Pacific Fleet and Air Force repel aggression against the US and allies and partners like Japan and the Philippines.
The aspiration is for the new formation to be first on the ground in a conflict, where it can gather information to send coordinates to an Air Force B-1 bomber so it can fire a missile at a Chinese frigate hundreds of miles away or send target data to a Philippine counterpart that can aim a cruise missile at a destroyer in the contested South China Sea, according to the report.
However, experts believe that the reality of the mission is daunting.
Though the Marines are no longer weighed down by tanks, the new unit's Littoral Combat Team, an infantry battalion, will be operating advanced weapons that can fire missiles at enemy ships up to 100 nautical miles away to help deny an enemy access to key maritime chokepoints, such as the Taiwan Straits and Luzon straits, the report said.
But a single naval strike missile weighs 2,200 pounds, and resupplying these weapons in austere islands without runways requires watercraft, which move slowly, or helicopters, which can carry only a limited quantity at a time, the Post quoted experts as saying.
Additionally, the Marine Corps' weaponry and equipment are lightweight, designed for amphibious operations. If transitioning from land to sea, these lightweight assets may face challenges, the expert said.
However, conducting attacks on maritime targets primarily from land-based positions also necessitates considering their own defensive capabilities. Apart from requiring heavy firepower, they need robust anti-aircraft and missile defense capabilities. Therefore, it is essential to assess whether the Marine Corps possesses sufficient capabilities in this regard, indicating that significant changes are needed in military equipment and personnel training.
Another critical issue is the ongoing competition between the US Army and the Marine Corps for roles, budgets and functions. If the Marine Corps insists on transformation, these disputes with the US Army will intensify, making the regiment's implementation more challenging, the expert warned.
This article was originally published by Global Times.