Army leaders have already figured out that one way in which they might make an important contribution to joint capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region is by providing air and missile defenses. Ground-based defenses against manned and unmanned aircraft are an Army specialty, and the Army has led national missile defense efforts since the Nike-Hercules program was begun in the 1950s. Although sea-based defenses such as the Navy's Aegis system typically provide greater flexibility, warships can't be everywhere and some threats are better addressed from land-based locations.Sounds like trouble huh? Read the whole thing but then ask yourself this. At least the Army has the Patriot. What does the Marine Corps have?
However, the Army shot itself in the foot just as the shift to conventional threats was commencing by dismantling its plans for future air defenses. Having invested billions of dollars with allies in developing next-generation systems that could remedy the deficiencies of its Cold War air defenses, it decided just as those programs were coming to fruition that overhead threats were not a priority. That decision contradicted the findings of its own warfighters in Iraq, who warned as far back as 2003 that cruise missiles made by China and other countries were able to circumvent the aging Patriot air defense system.
If my quick Google search is correct, 17 LAV-AD's (equipped with Stinger missiles and 25mm gatling gun) and stinger teams.
That's pretty jacked up.
Like Thompson says. Warships can't be everywhere...and neither can Marine Air. Especially if its been snatched by Theater Air Commanders for operations elsewhere. If the current fad for jointness is any guide, we'll lose Marine Air faster than a school boy loses his virginity in a whore house.
Imagine this scenario.
An MEB is taking up defensive positions ... an enemy force is sending out warships, subs and aircraft in what looks like a rehash of the Battle of Midway. Of course the Navy leaves to deal with the incoming threat. Along with them goes the Air Force (remember Air-Sea Battle) and the MEB commander is left with only his helos.
Unfortunately for this guy, a deliberate attack on his positions is part of a secondary effort supported with high flying H-6K's, attack UAVs and helicopters.
The MEB can handle threat tanks, artillery and infantry with relative ease. High flying threats are something else entirely.
Unless I'm wrong (and I standby waiting to be corrected) enemy air power can fly out of reach of current Marine air defense and pummel our positions. What limited anti-air assets we do have can be identified and either avoided or neutralized by sacrificing a few UAVs to discover their positions.
Either we start planning now to integrate Army Air Defense Units with our MEB's and higher or we need to create credible anti-air units.
Stinger missiles and LAV-AD's aren't credible. We had a possible answer (but even it was a stop gap) with the SLAMRAAM. It got canceled.
What do we do. What do we do?
