The National Interest, a U.S. diplomatic and security journal, published an article stating that “Marines are preparing to take on China (if necessary)
The point: The U.S. Army’s 1st and 2nd Landing Support Battalions have participated in some of the bloodiest battles in the Pacific, and now they’re back.
With their sights set on the Pacific and possible close-quarters battles with the Chinese (Communist) nations, the U.S. Marines have drawn on past experience to reactivate the 1st and 2nd Landing Support Battalions, according to the article. Although the U.S. Marines were considered the U.S. expeditionary force, these two battalions would represent the vanguard in the event of another conflict anywhere west of Hawaii.
Lt. Col. Randall L. Nickel, commander of the 2nd Landing Support Battalion, laid out in a statement how the U.S. Marine Corps has adapted to better meet challenges not seen in generations.
Nickel explained, “The rebuilding of the 2nd Landing Support Battalion comes at a time of significant change within the U.S. Marine Corps. Smaller landing support units are critical to achieving distributed force throughput and sustained security,”
“Whether accomplished by amphibious ships in coastal areas or by airdrop, landing support to Fleet Marines is critical to ensure mission accomplishment.”
Past, Present, Future
The U.S. Marine Corps activated the 1st and 2nd Landing Battalions in 1942 and 1941, respectively. The two battalions participated in some of the Marines’ most storied battles of World War II, including the battles of Okinawa, Guadalcanal, Saipan, Tarawa and Tinian, where they worked to provide a sense of order to an otherwise hellish and chaotic landing operation.
Photo: U.S. Marines raise the second flag on Mount Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Feb. 23, 1945.
A turning point for the U.S. Marine landing battalion was the landing on Guadalcanal, where the fog of battle and heavy casualties led to some landing logistics Marines mixing with Marine infantry and heading inland rather than supporting the landing on the beach.
Photo: U.S. Marines disembarking on Guadalcanal
To correct this confusion, the uniforms of the landing battalions were slightly modified to visually distinguish them from Marine infantry: a small red patch was sewn onto their pants and hats to keep them on the beach and prevent them from being called to the front lines. Today’s landing marines use this same red patch.
Unlike their World War II predecessors, this generation’s landing support battalions must coordinate landing operations from ship to shore and from the air. The rebooted support battalion brings together the various landing elements “into one.
The Landing Marines will support “the operations of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force and other Marine Air-Ground Task Forces to enable the distribution of equipment, personnel and materiel by air, ground and sea.”
Postscript
The U.S. Marine Corps is in the midst of a sea change. In recent months, the Marine Corps has begun activating all of its tank battalions, significantly reducing its artillery inventory and deploying new amphibious vehicles that bring Marines from ship to shore. Despite all these changes, one thing is certain: The Marine Corps’ little red badge is back and here to stay.
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