EFV Decision Is Emblematic Of Broader Assault On Marine Missions

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recently recommended cancellation of the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV), a program the Marine Corps was funding to replace its decrepit fleet of Cold War amphibious vehicles. Gates cited the high cost of EFV as the main motivation for his decision, but EFV termination is actually part of a broader effort to rein in Marine Corps spending by diluting future warfighting requirements. I have posted an analysis at forbes.com explaining what is really going on, and what it means for the future of the Marine Corps. It argues the Obama Administration has embraced an unrealistic concept of littoral operations that may unnecessarily put the lives of thousands of Marines at risk by failing to provide adequate protection in a future conflict. The main reason for espousing this wrongheaded approach to future operations is so money can be shifted from amphibious warfare accounts to other activities deemed more important. The analysis can be found here.