thedrifter
11-09-02, 10:41 AM
By Otto Kreisher
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
November 7, 2002
WASHINGTON – As he nears the end of his abbreviated term as Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James L. Jones expressed pleasure Thursday with the status of his service and its improved relations with the Navy.
Jones, who will leave his service post in January to become the first Marine to serve as NATO's supreme allied commander, pointed to that assignment, Marine Gen. Peter Pace's selection as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other recent events as evidence of the Corps' positive image among Pentagon leaders.
"I think the Marine Corps itself, as an organization, has a lot to do with where Gen. Pace and I wound up," he said.
Jones also noted the assignment last year of Brig. Gen. James Mattis as the first Marine to command a Navy-Marine amphibious force – Task Force 58 in Afghanistan. Mattis now is commanding general of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
And he cited the choice this week of Maj. Gen. John Sattler, commander of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C., to head a new multi-service command of about 800 other troops in the Horn of Africa.
"This is much more the global war on terrorism, searching for al Qaeda, looking for terrorist cells," than preparations for Iraq, the commandant said.
Sattler is expected to work from the Pacific Fleet command ship Mount Whitney, but the troops likely will operate in Djibouti, Yemen and perhaps other countries in the region.
Although the Corps is busy with current commitments and preparation for a possible war with Iraq, Jones said there were no indications his Marines feel overworked.
He noted an 18-year high in officer retention and the fact that only one month into the fiscal year, "we already are approaching 50 percent of our goals in enlisted retention."
"That means they like what they're doing and are not being stretched," he said.
Jones also was enthusiastic about the improved cooperation with the Navy.
"I spent most of my young life fighting for Marine Corps programs ... fighting against the blue suits (Navy), if you will, all the while maintaining an air of collegiality," he said with a laugh.
"We have left those days and I'm hopeful we have left those days forever."
He cited the agreement to integrate Navy and Marine fighter aircraft units, Navy support for Marine missions of projecting forces ashore from the sea and for ships and weapons designed for those expeditionary missions.
"These are confidence-building measures that are going to dramatically change the way the Navy and Marine Corps see each other and work together," he said.
Jones said he was "quietly optimistic" about the future of the troubled Osprey program and expressed appreciation for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's decision to let the on-going flight test program prove whether the tilt-rotor aircraft is suitable for combat operations.
Rumsfeld said Monday he expected to include funds for the Osprey in next year's defense budget, "based on the expectation, or the hope, or the possibility at least, that it would sail through its test program."
Jones, who spent much of his youth in France, greeted reporters at a breakfast with a cheery "bon jour" as if practicing for his future duties with NATO, where French is the official second language.
He will leave the top Marine job nearly seven months early to start the normally three-year tour in Brussels. He will be relieved as commandant by Lt. Gen. Michael Hagee, commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.
Sempers,
Roger
COPLEY NEWS SERVICE
November 7, 2002
WASHINGTON – As he nears the end of his abbreviated term as Marine Corps commandant, Gen. James L. Jones expressed pleasure Thursday with the status of his service and its improved relations with the Navy.
Jones, who will leave his service post in January to become the first Marine to serve as NATO's supreme allied commander, pointed to that assignment, Marine Gen. Peter Pace's selection as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other recent events as evidence of the Corps' positive image among Pentagon leaders.
"I think the Marine Corps itself, as an organization, has a lot to do with where Gen. Pace and I wound up," he said.
Jones also noted the assignment last year of Brig. Gen. James Mattis as the first Marine to command a Navy-Marine amphibious force – Task Force 58 in Afghanistan. Mattis now is commanding general of the 1st Marine Division at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
And he cited the choice this week of Maj. Gen. John Sattler, commander of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune, N.C., to head a new multi-service command of about 800 other troops in the Horn of Africa.
"This is much more the global war on terrorism, searching for al Qaeda, looking for terrorist cells," than preparations for Iraq, the commandant said.
Sattler is expected to work from the Pacific Fleet command ship Mount Whitney, but the troops likely will operate in Djibouti, Yemen and perhaps other countries in the region.
Although the Corps is busy with current commitments and preparation for a possible war with Iraq, Jones said there were no indications his Marines feel overworked.
He noted an 18-year high in officer retention and the fact that only one month into the fiscal year, "we already are approaching 50 percent of our goals in enlisted retention."
"That means they like what they're doing and are not being stretched," he said.
Jones also was enthusiastic about the improved cooperation with the Navy.
"I spent most of my young life fighting for Marine Corps programs ... fighting against the blue suits (Navy), if you will, all the while maintaining an air of collegiality," he said with a laugh.
"We have left those days and I'm hopeful we have left those days forever."
He cited the agreement to integrate Navy and Marine fighter aircraft units, Navy support for Marine missions of projecting forces ashore from the sea and for ships and weapons designed for those expeditionary missions.
"These are confidence-building measures that are going to dramatically change the way the Navy and Marine Corps see each other and work together," he said.
Jones said he was "quietly optimistic" about the future of the troubled Osprey program and expressed appreciation for Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's decision to let the on-going flight test program prove whether the tilt-rotor aircraft is suitable for combat operations.
Rumsfeld said Monday he expected to include funds for the Osprey in next year's defense budget, "based on the expectation, or the hope, or the possibility at least, that it would sail through its test program."
Jones, who spent much of his youth in France, greeted reporters at a breakfast with a cheery "bon jour" as if practicing for his future duties with NATO, where French is the official second language.
He will leave the top Marine job nearly seven months early to start the normally three-year tour in Brussels. He will be relieved as commandant by Lt. Gen. Michael Hagee, commander of I Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Pendleton.
Sempers,
Roger