Drawdown

There are fewer than 300 Marines left in Afghanistan’s once most violent district

By gpingersoll on May 2, 2014 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Drawdown

By Hope Hodge Seck FOB Sabit Qadam—The Sangin district of Helmand province once was known as one of the most combat-intensive regions in Afghanistan. The gains made in the area—pushing the insurgents back and making the region more secure for civilians—proved costly in Marine lives, particularly during 2010 and 2011. Three years later, while the Taliban do still maintain a presence here, it’s now the Afghan National Security Forces who patrol and engage with the enemy, as is the case throughout Helmand province. The Marines still remaining here, a contingent of fewer than 300 from Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 7th…

Amos: Marines not likely to go straight from boot camp to battlefield

By Hope Hodge Seck on February 14, 2014 Battle Rattle, Boot camp, Commandant, Deployments, Drawdown

Marine Corps commandant Gen. Jim Amos sat down for an interview with Leatherneck Magazine recently, which is freshly out in the magazine’s February edition. The interviewer, Arthur P. Brill Jr., asked Amos if one of the dire consequences he predicted would result from shrinking the Corps to 174,000–having to ship troops straight from “the drill field to the battlefield”–was really likely to happen. The answer: not terribly, but conditions will still be more constrained with a smaller force. Leatherneck: You testified recently that Marines could go straight from boot camp to combat without giving them precombat training. Would you really do that?…

Flying Nightmares, Shadow Warriors deactivate due to force restructuring

By Hope Hodge Seck on July 25, 2013 Aviation, Battle Rattle, Camp Lejeune, Drawdown, Force Structure Review

As the drumbeat of force restructuring beats on in the Marine Corps, more units are folding up their colors. Back in 2011, the Marine Corps laid out a plan for deactivating and realigning units to bring the Corps down from 202,000 to a “middleweight” force of 182,000, and much of that restructuring is going on right now. Out at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma, Marine Attack Squadron 513 became the first Av-8B Harrier Squadron to deactivate on July 12. “The Flying Nightmares” embarked on their last deployment last December, joining with the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit for a float aboard…

ISAF will still lead embeds with U.S. forces

By Dan Lamothe on January 29, 2013 Afghanistan, Drawdown, Embedded journalism, Infantry

Earlier this week, Politico reported that the media embed process would be led by Afghanistan’s Ministry of Defense within a matter of months. Turns out, that’s partly true. As my colleague Jeff Schogol reports this morning, the International Security Assistance Force will continue to oversee the embed process for reporters wishing to work alongside U.S. and coalition forces downrange. The MOD will be put in charge of embeds this spring — but only for journalists wishing to embed directly with Afghan forces. That’s no small distinction. While the war in Afghanistan has shifted to put Afghan National Security Forces in…

Behind the cover: The Corps’ war on plump Marines

By James Sanborn on November 26, 2012 Battle Rattle, Behind the Cover, Drawdown, Manpower, Marines, Medical, Military appearance

This week’s Marine Corps Times takes a look at the Marine Corps’ intense efforts to bring all Marines in line with the service’s body fat standards. After the growth to 202,000 Marines ended, leadership cracked down on fat Marines, and thousands were assigned to the Body Composition Program in 2010. But with the drawdown now underway and competition at its peak, those numbers have fallen steadily each year since. Other services, which have also re-emphasized fitness standards, have seen even more dramatic results than the Marine Corps, with significant increases in the number of soldiers, sailors and airmen getting the…

Three Marine battalions yield to one in northern Helmand

By Dan Lamothe on September 19, 2012 Afghanistan, Drawdown, Infantry, Kajaki, Sangin

More than 1,000 Marines with 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines, have returned from Afghanistan to Camp Pendleton, Calif., since Friday, the culmination of their seven-month deployment in northern Helmand province. As this Marine Corps news release points out, the unit was based primarily in Musa Qala and Now Zad districts, teaming with other units as part of Regimental Combat Team 6. Other infantry units in that RCT this summer included 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, out of Camp Lejeune, N.C., and 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, out of Twentynine Palms, Calif., both of which photographer James J. Lee and I visited this spring…

Current phase of Marine drawdown in Afghanistan nears completion

By Dan Lamothe on August 24, 2012 Afghanistan, Camp Leatherneck, Drawdown, Infantry

The next major phase of the drawdown of Marine forces in Afghanistan is nearly complete. Thousands of Marines have returned from Helmand province in the last few weeks, leaving behind a smaller force that is focused primarily on partnered security force assistance with Afghan National Security Forces, rather than offensive operations. Marine officials declined to say how many Marines remain, but have acknowledged previously that there could be as few as 7,000 by October. The overall number of U.S. forces in Afghanistan this fall is expected to drop to 68,000, the approximate same number as when President Obama ordered a…

Behind the Cover: Jobs after the Marine Corps

By Dan Lamothe on July 30, 2012 Awards, Behind the Cover, Drawdown, Washington

The job market is struggling, just as the Marine Corps undergoes a drawdown of forces that will reduce the size of the service from 202,100 Marines in 2010 to 182,100 by fall 2016. What’s a Marine to do, then? This week’s Marine Corps Times cover story explores the options that are on the table in a new transition assistance program the White House and Defense Department have planned for all troops leaving military service. It has similarities to a program the Corps rolled out earlier this year, but there are definitely differences, too. Marine and Pentagon officials are now in…

Behind the Cover: Drawdown promotion freeze

By Dan Lamothe on July 24, 2012 Afghanistan, Behind the Cover, Drawdown, Infantry, Manpower

The Marine Corps’ ongoing reduction in forces means many things to our readers — including fewer promotion opportunities in many military occupational specialties and expanded incentive programs to leave the service. This week’s Marine Corps Times weighs in on both of those issues. The main cover story outlines the ranks and jobs where the Corps’ promotion system is jammed up, and what the service is doing to fix it. We also lay out the details in the fiscal 2013 version of the Voluntary Enlisted Early Release Program, which will allow eligible enlisted Marines to leave the service up to a…

Marine Corps numbers in Afghanistan left fuzzy

By Dan Lamothe on July 11, 2012 Afghanistan, Drawdown, Infantry

The top Marine commander in Afghanistan and Helmand province Gov. Mohammad Gulab Mangal briefed media at the Pentagon today, addressing the evolving mission there as Afghan forces take the lead in providing security. Many issues were addressed. Improved governance, for one. Expansion of the Afghan National Army, for another. Even the Afghan government’s plan to stir up commerce in Helmand was discussed, a wrinkle that hasn’t received much press. Two basics weren’t covered, however: How many Marines are there presently in Afghanistan, and how many will be left this fall? Both numbers are unclear, now that the U.S. is in…

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