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Sad day for USMC: Marine Corps eliminating its elite scout sniper platoons
- Thread starter Reptile
- Start date
They may change the POI for a new MOS. But I doubt it will change much.
The new MOS is still a recon MOS. Just like the Scout Sniper MOS required a previous infantry MOS, I would wager that the new Recon Sniper MOS will require a prior Recon MOS. It’s all still recon.
My point overall is that while yes, they are retaining a sniper capability somewhere in the Corps, the retained capability is not going to even remotely cover down on where the previous capability provided effects.
It’s not like they’re keeping the same capability, just storing the bullets elsewhere. Recon already had sniper capabilities. They’re not getting it new. The USMC is keeping the recon sniper capabilities and ditching the scout sniper capabilities. It is an overall reduction of capability. Not a transfer.
Edit: I do respect your opinion, and you’re right that the sky isn’t falling. The Corps will adapt and still work fine. But there will be a gap in capabilities and I think this is short sighted, just like after every other major war when they’ve done this.
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Now it is being codified as an MOS and will get a new POI to go along with it.
Infantry battalions have more than enough ways to kill available to them and still will when the snipers are gone. I would posit that I would rather see snipers in line companies so as to embed in whatever the USMC uses for weapons squads. Adding a sniper to an SBF would be more useful than a random separate platoon that may or not be available.
I cry about every lost capability, but at the end of the day the capability isn't lost. It is just moved to folks who can use it more effectively. The infantry leaders of the USMC decided to remove it from the battalion and I seriously doubt they didn't receive input from across the infantry formations in the service. It was a conscious decision based upon focusing that platoon, and it will likely pay off. If not, it is easy enough to restart it as the service will retain the capability and instructors.
Rarely have I seen an infantry battalion commander say that he doesn't know how to kill something. I don't think this will change.
Infantry battalions have more than enough ways to kill available to them and still will when the snipers are gone. I would posit that I would rather see snipers in line companies so as to embed in whatever the USMC uses for weapons squads. Adding a sniper to an SBF would be more useful than a random separate platoon that may or not be available.
I cry about every lost capability, but at the end of the day the capability isn't lost. It is just moved to folks who can use it more effectively. The infantry leaders of the USMC decided to remove it from the battalion and I seriously doubt they didn't receive input from across the infantry formations in the service. It was a conscious decision based upon focusing that platoon, and it will likely pay off. If not, it is easy enough to restart it as the service will retain the capability and instructors.
Rarely have I seen an infantry battalion commander say that he doesn't know how to kill something. I don't think this will change.
I very seldom mention another branch of service, but this was a pretty good indication of how Marines feel about him.
General Berger, Wounded But Recovering
By Michael Baxter January 23, 2023Marine Corps Gen. David H. Berger remains at an undisclosed White Hat hospital as he recovers from grievous wounds sustained during his brush with CIA kidnappers, a source in Gen. Eric M. Smith’s office told Real Raw News.
The general, he said, endured the following wounds during his week in captivity:
Lacerations to the face
Blunt force trauma to the torso, arms, and legs
A shattered kneecap
Multiple contusions
Three broken ribs
The kidnappers had strapped him to bed while beating him black and blue. His left eye was swollen shut. His right ear looked like a cauliflower and his face mashed potatoes. Miraculously, CT and MRI scans showed no sign of brain damage or internal injuries. The sadistic agents, our source said, seemed skilled at attenuating use-of-force to torture and cripple the general without rupturing his kidneys or spleen or collapsing his lungs. Nonetheless, he spent several days in such excruciating pain that even a self-administered morphine drip gave him only moments of relief.
He has already undergone surgery to repair his broken kneecap, and his ribs will mend with time.
“A lesser man would’ve prayed for death,” our source said, “but not Gen. Berger. He’s been conscious and has been debriefed. He said his abductors never interrogated him, never asked him a single question, just beat the living shit out of him for fun. They also kept him sedated so he couldn’t break free. According to the surviving CIA goon, they were waiting for Secretary of State Lloyd Austin’s people to pick him up.”
As reported, the surviving spook told NCIS investigators that he and his posse were “off the reservation” and operating without Langley’s approval when they abducted Gen. Berger. He insisted that Lloyd Austin had issued a bulletin calling for the general’s arrest and promised a sizable reward if they captured Berger alive and intact. He said the bounty was $2,000,000, which they had planned to split. He denied partaking in the beating of Gen. Berger and said he had tried to dissuade his comrades from pummeling the general half to death, as they risked accidentally killing him and compromising their chances of getting the reward.
NCIS thus far has been unable to prove or disprove his claim, but Generals Berger and Smith are confident Lloyd Austin had a hand in the operation. When Smith told a weary but Lucid Berger about the surviving spook’s assertions, Gen. Berger recounted Austin’s Dec. 6 ultimatum that all senior White Hat officers surrender by Dec. 22 or face the consequences.
Gen. Berger admonished himself and said he’d been sloppy. “I should’ve been more careful,” he said when Gen. Smith visited him at the hospital. “They’ll be watching you too now. When able, I want to see the bastard you caught.”
Gen. Smith, our source said, told Berger it was “payback time.”
“It’ll take a while, but General Berger is expected to recover fully. He isn’t happy. If Austin and CIA Director Burns coordinated this, they’d be hell to account,” our source said.
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i have consulted with a superior intelligence - bing - and the outcome was inconclusive:
is General Berger good or bad?
Sent message. is General Berger good or bad
Searching for: General Berger
Searching for: General Berger
Searching for: General Berger good or bad
Searching for: General Berger good or bad
Generating answers for you…
Generating answers for you…
General David H. Berger is the current Commandant of the United States Marine Corps123. He has served in various command and staff positions, including operations in Haiti and Iraq123.
Whether he is good or bad depends on your perspective and criteria. Some sources praise him for his leadership and innovation4, while others criticize him for his force design plan and lack of communication567.
What are you interested in knowing more about General Berger?
AI supreme does not seem to be sure, yet.
Here we go again. After WW2 they did away with snipers then again after Korea and again after Vietnam. In 1977 the Corps decided to reinstate the sniper program and opened it up to all expert qualified shooters throughout the USMC. If the shooter was good enough they would go to MCB Quantico where the new school would be located and after graduation would advance to the Fleet. Program has worked all these years. Now this Commandant not only downsides the Corps he recently did away now with the Combat Engineers.
