Marines' Afghanistan Plan Sparks Debate -- Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post
A bid by the Marine Corps to take responsibility for the primary U.S. military mission in Afghanistan is generating a heated debate inside and outside the Pentagon, with some senior officers arguing that the Marines are ideally suited for the Afghan war while others contend that the move would undermine the counterinsurgency strategy there.
Gen. James T. Conway, the Marine Corps commandant, has raised the idea of the Marines shifting from Iraq to Afghanistan in meetings with the military's Joint Staff and the office of Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates. "It's just started to be discussed at senior levels," said Col. David Lapan, a Marine spokesman.
Gates yesterday played down the discussion, saying he has not yet seen any proposals. "It's . . . extremely preliminary thinking on the part of, perhaps, some staff people in the Marine Corps," Gates said during a trip to London. "I don't think at this point it has any stature."
The Marine Corps is enthusiastic about a possible move to Afghanistan, with senior officials saying yesterday that its integrated air, ground and logistics units are tailor-made for the dispersed fighting in rugged terrain...
Links:
USMC Distributed Operations - Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory
MAGTF's Rule - Abu Muqawama
A Marine Corps Move to Afghanistan Raises Questions - Westhawk
Marines Want Out of Iraq, Into Afghanistan? - Danger Room
Marines to Take Over Afghanistan? - PrairiePundit
Marines or State Department: Who Does Afghanistan? - Captain's Journal
Marines to Afghanistan? - OPFOR