What changes have the Marine Corps made in the Divisions?
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  1. #1

    What changes have the Marine Corps made in the Divisions?

    I was reading an article about the China Marines,2nd Battalion 4th Marine Regiment,and they were part of the 1st Marine Division.Is there no longer a 3rd Marine Divsion?I was talking to a young Marine the other day,and I told him the Marine Detachments are a thing of the past.He said no we are still on ships,but I told him yes that's true but the MarDets became a thing of the past,and that the Navy took over the security and brig work.Freed up some Marines to ship to Afghanistan for 4 or 5 tours.It's only my opinion,but I say leave the Afghanistan people to their own affairs.Heck they don't even want us there.Steps off soap box!
    Semper Fi


  2. #2
    josephd
    Guest Free Member
    Yes there is still a 3rd Marine Division, based out of Okinawa, as is 4th Marine Regiment. But each of the 3 battalions in 4th Marine Regiment are part of 1st Marine Division for historical and now logistical purposes.(I know this doesn't really make sense but I am not really sure of all the history behind it and why they keep it that way)


  3. #3
    In Vietnam the 3/26 Marines, part of the deactivated 5th Marine Division operated with us as part of the 1st Marine Division as our reserve battalion. If Mongoose or FistFu see this post they can add much more as they were with the 3/26. We in the 1st Marine Division fondly looked at them as our little brothers.


  4. #4
    Mongoose
    Guest Free Member
    We were deactivated at the end of WW2. 3/26 IS 5TH Marine Division. Reactivated for V.N., We were under OPCOM of the 3rd. Div. until summer of 68. Then was under OPCON of 1st Div. as reserve bn. till we stood down in 70 or 71. Had to baby-sit the 5th. on more than one occasion. We led the way for every Regt. in the Ist. Div. and got little of the glory.


  5. #5
    What Billy is saying is that the 3/26 followed the Fighting 5th Marines (most decorated regiment in the entire history of the Marine Corps) everywhere so they'd be close when they tried to crash in and share in all our kills. I'll never knock the 3/26 as some of them were pretty good Marines.

    They were kind of like the farm team for the 1st Marine Division.


  6. #6
    Mongoose
    Guest Free Member
    Russ is to modest! What he's failing to mention is that in Dec. of 68, there would have been one less bn. in the 5th., if not for India and Kilo Co. of the 3/26. It's sad when you have to use the farm team to win the game.


  7. #7
    Was not the 26 Marines with the 3rd Marine division and the 27 Marines with the 1st division. I do know that the 5th 175mm guns was with 3/12 and one plt of 5th 8inch was with 3/12 also.


  8. #8

    This will burn your azz

    Marines To Lose 12 Aircraft Squadrons, 4 Infantry Battalions (UNCLASSIFIED)

    The Marine Corps has finalized its plans for restructuring its force around a 182,100-person end strength that will result in steep cuts to aircraft squadrons, battalions and other parts of the force, and the service has briefed Congress and affected parties, a top Marine official said today.

    Marine Corps leadership decided to reduce the service's flight capability, going from 70 flying squadrons to 58, and cutting all three wing support group headquarters, according to information released today by the Marine Corps Combat Development Command. The service will drop from 27 infantry battalions to 23 -- eight infantry regiments to seven -- 10 tank companies to eight and 15 light armored reconnaissance companies to 12.

    Marine logistics groups will be reorganized to adjust to the new force structure, and, despite not being able to accommodate the five region-specific Marine Expeditionary Brigades the Marine Corps had envisioned, leadership built three joint task force-capable MEB command elements for contingencies that may arise, MCCDC commanding general Lt. Gen. Richard Mills said during a telephone conference with reporters today.

    Mills said the cuts were difficult, but his team spent more than a year studying the capabilities the Marine Corps of the future would need to have and how to come down from a surge-level force as the war in Afghanistan winds down. Marine Corps Commandant Gen. James Amos did not suggest a number for the end strength, Mills said, but after arriving at 186,000 as an ideal force, budget constraints forced the team to cut a little deeper.

    Assuming that infantry units were at the core of Marine Corps missions, the team went back and analyzed the enablers and determined how many logisticians, engineers and more were really needed to support the infantry, Mills said. On the aviation side, the Marines found duplications of missions, allowing for further cuts there.

    As promised, the new force will also boost the Marine Corps' cyber and special operations capabilities, with more than 250 Marines being added in the cyber realm over the next several years and 821 being added to Marine Corps Special Operations Command, Mills said.
    Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina will face the steepest cuts, losing 5,800 Marines, including some at nearby Marine Corps Air Station New River . MCAS Cherry Point in North Carolina will lose 2,100. In California , Twentynine Palms will lose 2,500, MCAS Miramar will lose 1,200 and Camp Pendleton will lose 2,300.

    Mills said the cuts were not made with the assumption that any other service would make up for lost capability. However, he said the Army and Marine Corps were in talks lately about how to continue working closely together even after the war in Afghanistan ends. He cited the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle as one example of similar needs in equipment being a good starting point for inter-service cooperation, and Mills said that they were working on joint doctrine for areas like forcible entry. Joint training exercises are being planned that would incorporate amphibious and air assault phases, but Mills declined to give a time line for when those exercises could start.

    In drawing down to this new force, no Marine will be forced to end his or her contract early, which was a primary concern for Amos, Mills said. The Marine Corps is still looking at options for voluntary early separation, though Mills said he didn't think that would be needed. Marine Corps spokeswoman Maj. Shawn Haney told Inside the Navy last week that Amos would look at the personnel drawdown plan after his last congressional testimony this week, and that more details could be available as soon as the end of this month.



  9. #9

  10. #10
    Yep! Let's cut the military so we can give more to entitlement programs, and to make sure everyone is covered by Scumbag Health plan..

    The Govt. needs to make sure that the Marines who are charged with the heavy lifting in any war or conflict is reduced in size and equipment. Makes sense to me! Not!


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