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From: stevel@u2.calgary.hp.com (Steve LaCourse)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Why need US Marines vs US Army?
Message-ID: <1990Dec21.030119.11014@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 21 Dec 90 03:01:19 GMT
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From: stevel@u2.calgary.hp.com (Steve LaCourse)
Being a non-American, I have trouble understanding the need for the US
Marine Corps. I would be interested in hearing some justification for
maintaining an elitest organization within the armed forces when the 
capabilities provided by the Marines can be handled by the
Army/Navy/AirForce.

For the sake of initiating some discussion, I see some wasted effort
from an organizational standpoint in maintaining a redundant
group that is mostly self-sufficient (ground troops, air support
and naval mobility) when the Army, Navy and Air force can supply all of
the above. 

As a perhaps rather radical example of this approach,
in WWII, the Waffen SS was an unneccassary burden on the
logistics of the German armed forces by in reality requiring the 
maintenance of two armies. (Of there were political issues in this
case and NO implication is being made in parallelling the Marines with the
Waffen SS other than from a military organizational point of view).

What really is the mandate of the US Marine Corps?




stevel@hpcpdcz
Calgary, Alberta