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The Marine Corps mission statement is to provide the US with amphibious expeditionary warfare. The issue I see with that is in modern times this mission statement has become obsolete.
Amphibious operations will always be needed, but forcible entry by storming beaches doesn’t work like it did in WWII, long range missiles can counter an entire beach assault with the push of a button. Since we no longer storm beaches, that takes a huge chunk of the Marine Corps mission away. Amphibious invasions today mean bombing the shore and moving forces on shore or inserting through helicopter from a MEU, neither of those require a Marine Corps as bombings can be handled by the Air Force and Navy and helicopter insertions require helicopters (Army, Navy, and Air Force) and infantry (Army).
The Marine Corps is still an expeditionary force in readiness. There are MEUs afloat as we speak that can “park” anywhere in the world ready to conduct combat operations and handle limited scale warfare within 18 hours. The issue here is that MEUs are never called upon to be used as a “first to fight” tool for the US. Special operations forces are always first to fight, Army Airborne units and specialized units such as the 10th Mountain are either second or invade along side the Marine Corps. If something went down in North Korea right now expect to hear special operations forces and Army Airborne units were first to assault, followed by a MEU.
I understand the Marine Corps isn’t supposed to fill a direct niche, to break it down the Army handles land warfare, the Navy handles maritime warfare, and the Air Force handles air superiority, I know there pretty much isn’t anything else to fill. But historically the Marines have filled an important role, we have always needed a force in readiness and the ability of forcible entry, especially from sea. But that role is no longer valid as there are plenty of other and better forces in readiness (special operations/Airborne) and forcible entry doesn’t really exist in modern warfare, especially from sea. To top it off when it comes to straight Army vs Marine infantry you can throw out propaganda but statistics show the Army is better.
So what is the modern/future purpose of the Marine Corps? Am I missing something? Do you think the role the Marine Corps plays is nearly as important as other branches, or are they reverting back to their pre-WWII days where they were “those other military guys” like when they were guarding ships. This question certainly isn’t intended to bash on the Marines, just get a better understanding of their role in modern times and how necessary they are in todays conflicts.
Thanks in advance.

http://news.yahoo.com/navy-depending-dolphins-keep-strait-hormuz-open-150106787.html
The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open
By John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy has a backup plan to save one-fifth of the world’s daily oil trade: send in the dolphins.
[RELATED: Iran’s Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz Isn’t Entirely Empty]
The threat of Iran closing the strait has reached a fever pitch, reports today’s New York Times, with U.S. officials warning Iran’s supreme leader that such moves would cross a “red line” provoking a U.S. response. Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis, “The immediate issue [for the U.S. military] is to get the mines.” To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn’t heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: mine-detecting dolphins.
[RELATED: This Crisis with Iran Is Exactly Why We Have Oil Reserves]
“We’ve got dolphins,” said retired Adm. Tim Keating in a Wednesday interview with NPR. Keating commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain during the run-up to the Iraq war. He sounded uncomfortable with elaborating on the Navy’s use of the lovable mammals but said in a situation like the standoff in Hormuz, Navy-trained dolphins would come in handy:
KEATING: They are astounding in their ability to detect underwater objects.
NPR’s TOM BOWMAN: Dolphins were sent to the Persian Gulf as part of the American invasion force in Iraq.
KEATING: I’d rather not talk about whether we used them or not. They were present in theater.
BOWMAN: But you can’t say whether you used them or not.
KEATING: I’d rather not.
The invasion of Iraq was the last time the minesweeping capability of dolphins were widely-touted. “Dolphins – – which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable minesweepers,” reported The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2010, the Seattle Times reported that the Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in the San Diego Bay alone. They are taught to hunt for mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. According to a report in 2003, the dolphins only detect the mines. Destroying them is left up to the Navy’s human divers. Still, the mammals are large enough to detonate a live mine, a prospect that doesn’t delight animal rights groups.
[RELATED: Iran Spooked the Oil Market by Saying It Would Close Off the Hormuz Strait]
[RELATED: Report: U.S. Warns Iranians Via ‘Secret’ Back Channe]
When this was an issue in 2003, lobbying for the rights of dolphins was much more politically sensitive given that scores of U.S. men and women were being sent into battle as well. “We’re not going to second-guess the Navy at a time of war,” said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society. “But we don’t support the use of marine mammals for military use.” According to the Chronicle, the two groups emphasized that “they were not placing the lives of animals above those of troops. But they questioned the ethics and wisdom of using wild animals to ensure safe passage through hostile waters.” Petitions have also been sent to the Defense Department protesting their use:
[Since] forces regard the Navy dolphins as enemy dolphins, there might be attempts on the dolphins lives. There is also the risk of indiscriminate killing of wild dolphin populations because any dolphin can potentially be an enemy dolphin. Also, the inherent danger that a dolphin may be injured or killed in mine-hunting operations remains a very real threat.
Back in 2003, Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the San Diego-based Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, cast aside the skepticism about how the dolphins were treated:
By nature, dolphins are naturally reliable and trustworthy animals who seem to enjoy pleasing their human handlers, LaPuzza said. When they are released into the ocean for missions, “they come back to the handler, the trainer” ashore or on a ship.

http://news.yahoo.com/navy-depending-dolphins-keep-strait-hormuz-open-150106787.html
The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open
By John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy has a backup plan to save one-fifth of the world’s daily oil trade: send in the dolphins.
[RELATED: Iran’s Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz Isn’t Entirely Empty]
The threat of Iran closing the strait has reached a fever pitch, reports today’s New York Times, with U.S. officials warning Iran’s supreme leader that such moves would cross a “red line” provoking a U.S. response. Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis, “The immediate issue [for the U.S. military] is to get the mines.” To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn’t heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: mine-detecting dolphins.
[RELATED: This Crisis with Iran Is Exactly Why We Have Oil Reserves]
“We’ve got dolphins,” said retired Adm. Tim Keating in a Wednesday interview with NPR. Keating commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain during the run-up to the Iraq war. He sounded uncomfortable with elaborating on the Navy’s use of the lovable mammals but said in a situation like the standoff in Hormuz, Navy-trained dolphins would come in handy:
KEATING: They are astounding in their ability to detect underwater objects.
NPR’s TOM BOWMAN: Dolphins were sent to the Persian Gulf as part of the American invasion force in Iraq.
KEATING: I’d rather not talk about whether we used them or not. They were present in theater.
BOWMAN: But you can’t say whether you used them or not.
KEATING: I’d rather not.
The invasion of Iraq was the last time the minesweeping capability of dolphins were widely-touted. “Dolphins – – which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable minesweepers,” reported The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2010, the Seattle Times reported that the Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in the San Diego Bay alone. They are taught to hunt for mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. According to a report in 2003, the dolphins only detect the mines. Destroying them is left up to the Navy’s human divers. Still, the mammals are large enough to detonate a live mine, a prospect that doesn’t delight animal rights groups.
[RELATED: Iran Spooked the Oil Market by Saying It Would Close Off the Hormuz Strait]
[RELATED: Report: U.S. Warns Iranians Via ‘Secret’ Back Channe]
When this was an issue in 2003, lobbying for the rights of dolphins was much more politically sensitive given that scores of U.S. men and women were being sent into battle as well. “We’re not going to second-guess the Navy at a time of war,” said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society. “But we don’t support the use of marine mammals for military use.” According to the Chronicle, the two groups emphasized that “they were not placing the lives of animals above those of troops. But they questioned the ethics and wisdom of using wild animals to ensure safe passage through hostile waters.” Petitions have also been sent to the Defense Department protesting their use:
[Since] forces regard the Navy dolphins as enemy dolphins, there might be attempts on the dolphins lives. There is also the risk of indiscriminate killing of wild dolphin populations because any dolphin can potentially be an enemy dolphin. Also, the inherent danger that a dolphin may be injured or killed in mine-hunting operations remains a very real threat.
Back in 2003, Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the San Diego-based Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, cast aside the skepticism about how the dolphins were treated:
By nature, dolphins are naturally reliable and trustworthy animals who seem to enjoy pleasing their human handlers, LaPuzza said. When they are released into the ocean for missions, “they come back to the handler, the trainer” ashore or on a ship.

http://news.yahoo.com/navy-depending-dolphins-keep-strait-hormuz-open-150106787.html
The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open
By John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy has a backup plan to save one-fifth of the world’s daily oil trade: send in the dolphins.
[RELATED: Iran’s Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz Isn’t Entirely Empty]
The threat of Iran closing the strait has reached a fever pitch, reports today’s New York Times, with U.S. officials warning Iran’s supreme leader that such moves would cross a “red line” provoking a U.S. response. Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis, “The immediate issue [for the U.S. military] is to get the mines.” To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn’t heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: mine-detecting dolphins.
[RELATED: This Crisis with Iran Is Exactly Why We Have Oil Reserves]
“We’ve got dolphins,” said retired Adm. Tim Keating in a Wednesday interview with NPR. Keating commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain during the run-up to the Iraq war. He sounded uncomfortable with elaborating on the Navy’s use of the lovable mammals but said in a situation like the standoff in Hormuz, Navy-trained dolphins would come in handy:
KEATING: They are astounding in their ability to detect underwater objects.
NPR’s TOM BOWMAN: Dolphins were sent to the Persian Gulf as part of the American invasion force in Iraq.
KEATING: I’d rather not talk about whether we used them or not. They were present in theater.
BOWMAN: But you can’t say whether you used them or not.
KEATING: I’d rather not.
The invasion of Iraq was the last time the minesweeping capability of dolphins were widely-touted. “Dolphins – – which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable minesweepers,” reported The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2010, the Seattle Times reported that the Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in the San Diego Bay alone. They are taught to hunt for mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. According to a report in 2003, the dolphins only detect the mines. Destroying them is left up to the Navy’s human divers. Still, the mammals are large enough to detonate a live mine, a prospect that doesn’t delight animal rights groups.
[RELATED: Iran Spooked the Oil Market by Saying It Would Close Off the Hormuz Strait]
[RELATED: Report: U.S. Warns Iranians Via ‘Secret’ Back Channe]
When this was an issue in 2003, lobbying for the rights of dolphins was much more politically sensitive given that scores of U.S. men and women were being sent into battle as well. “We’re not going to second-guess the Navy at a time of war,” said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society. “But we don’t support the use of marine mammals for military use.” According to the Chronicle, the two groups emphasized that “they were not placing the lives of animals above those of troops. But they questioned the ethics and wisdom of using wild animals to ensure safe passage through hostile waters.” Petitions have also been sent to the Defense Department protesting their use:
[Since] forces regard the Navy dolphins as enemy dolphins, there might be attempts on the dolphins lives. There is also the risk of indiscriminate killing of wild dolphin populations because any dolphin can potentially be an enemy dolphin. Also, the inherent danger that a dolphin may be injured or killed in mine-hunting operations remains a very real threat.
Back in 2003, Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the San Diego-based Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, cast aside the skepticism about how the dolphins were treated:
By nature, dolphins are naturally reliable and trustworthy animals who seem to enjoy pleasing their human handlers, LaPuzza said. When they are released into the ocean for missions, “they come back to the handler, the trainer” ashore or on a ship.

http://news.yahoo.com/navy-depending-dolphins-keep-strait-hormuz-open-150106787.html
The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open
By John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy has a backup plan to save one-fifth of the world’s daily oil trade: send in the dolphins.
[RELATED: Iran’s Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz Isn’t Entirely Empty]
The threat of Iran closing the strait has reached a fever pitch, reports today’s New York Times, with U.S. officials warning Iran’s supreme leader that such moves would cross a “red line” provoking a U.S. response. Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis, “The immediate issue [for the U.S. military] is to get the mines.” To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn’t heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: mine-detecting dolphins.
[RELATED: This Crisis with Iran Is Exactly Why We Have Oil Reserves]
“We’ve got dolphins,” said retired Adm. Tim Keating in a Wednesday interview with NPR. Keating commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain during the run-up to the Iraq war. He sounded uncomfortable with elaborating on the Navy’s use of the lovable mammals but said in a situation like the standoff in Hormuz, Navy-trained dolphins would come in handy:
KEATING: They are astounding in their ability to detect underwater objects.
NPR’s TOM BOWMAN: Dolphins were sent to the Persian Gulf as part of the American invasion force in Iraq.
KEATING: I’d rather not talk about whether we used them or not. They were present in theater.
BOWMAN: But you can’t say whether you used them or not.
KEATING: I’d rather not.
The invasion of Iraq was the last time the minesweeping capability of dolphins were widely-touted. “Dolphins – – which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable minesweepers,” reported The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2010, the Seattle Times reported that the Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in the San Diego Bay alone. They are taught to hunt for mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. According to a report in 2003, the dolphins only detect the mines. Destroying them is left up to the Navy’s human divers. Still, the mammals are large enough to detonate a live mine, a prospect that doesn’t delight animal rights groups.
[RELATED: Iran Spooked the Oil Market by Saying It Would Close Off the Hormuz Strait]
[RELATED: Report: U.S. Warns Iranians Via ‘Secret’ Back Channe]
When this was an issue in 2003, lobbying for the rights of dolphins was much more politically sensitive given that scores of U.S. men and women were being sent into battle as well. “We’re not going to second-guess the Navy at a time of war,” said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society. “But we don’t support the use of marine mammals for military use.” According to the Chronicle, the two groups emphasized that “they were not placing the lives of animals above those of troops. But they questioned the ethics and wisdom of using wild animals to ensure safe passage through hostile waters.” Petitions have also been sent to the Defense Department protesting their use:
[Since] forces regard the Navy dolphins as enemy dolphins, there might be attempts on the dolphins lives. There is also the risk of indiscriminate killing of wild dolphin populations because any dolphin can potentially be an enemy dolphin. Also, the inherent danger that a dolphin may be injured or killed in mine-hunting operations remains a very real threat.
Back in 2003, Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the San Diego-based Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, cast aside the skepticism about how the dolphins were treated:
By nature, dolphins are naturally reliable and trustworthy animals who seem to enjoy pleasing their human handlers, LaPuzza said. When they are released into the ocean for missions, “they come back to the handler, the trainer” ashore or on a ship.

http://news.yahoo.com/navy-depending-dolphins-keep-strait-hormuz-open-150106787.html
The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open
By John Hudson | The Atlantic Wire
If Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy has a backup plan to save one-fifth of the world’s daily oil trade: send in the dolphins.
[RELATED: Iran’s Threat to Close Strait of Hormuz Isn’t Entirely Empty]
The threat of Iran closing the strait has reached a fever pitch, reports today’s New York Times, with U.S. officials warning Iran’s supreme leader that such moves would cross a “red line” provoking a U.S. response. Iran could block the strait with any assortment of mines, armed speed boats or anti-ship cruise missiles but according to Michael Connell at the Center for Naval Analysis, “The immediate issue [for the U.S. military] is to get the mines.” To solve that problem, the Navy has a solution that isn’t heavily-advertised but has a time-tested success rate: mine-detecting dolphins.
[RELATED: This Crisis with Iran Is Exactly Why We Have Oil Reserves]
“We’ve got dolphins,” said retired Adm. Tim Keating in a Wednesday interview with NPR. Keating commanded the U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain during the run-up to the Iraq war. He sounded uncomfortable with elaborating on the Navy’s use of the lovable mammals but said in a situation like the standoff in Hormuz, Navy-trained dolphins would come in handy:
KEATING: They are astounding in their ability to detect underwater objects.
NPR’s TOM BOWMAN: Dolphins were sent to the Persian Gulf as part of the American invasion force in Iraq.
KEATING: I’d rather not talk about whether we used them or not. They were present in theater.
BOWMAN: But you can’t say whether you used them or not.
KEATING: I’d rather not.
The invasion of Iraq was the last time the minesweeping capability of dolphins were widely-touted. “Dolphins – – which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable minesweepers,” reported The San Francisco Chronicle. In 2010, the Seattle Times reported that the Navy has 80 bottlenose dolphins in the San Diego Bay alone. They are taught to hunt for mines and drop acoustic transponders nearby. According to a report in 2003, the dolphins only detect the mines. Destroying them is left up to the Navy’s human divers. Still, the mammals are large enough to detonate a live mine, a prospect that doesn’t delight animal rights groups.
[RELATED: Iran Spooked the Oil Market by Saying It Would Close Off the Hormuz Strait]
[RELATED: Report: U.S. Warns Iranians Via ‘Secret’ Back Channe]
When this was an issue in 2003, lobbying for the rights of dolphins was much more politically sensitive given that scores of U.S. men and women were being sent into battle as well. “We’re not going to second-guess the Navy at a time of war,” said Naomi Rose, a marine mammal scientist with the Humane Society. “But we don’t support the use of marine mammals for military use.” According to the Chronicle, the two groups emphasized that “they were not placing the lives of animals above those of troops. But they questioned the ethics and wisdom of using wild animals to ensure safe passage through hostile waters.” Petitions have also been sent to the Defense Department protesting their use:
[Since] forces regard the Navy dolphins as enemy dolphins, there might be attempts on the dolphins lives. There is also the risk of indiscriminate killing of wild dolphin populations because any dolphin can potentially be an enemy dolphin. Also, the inherent danger that a dolphin may be injured or killed in mine-hunting operations remains a very real threat.
Back in 2003, Tom LaPuzza, a spokesman for the San Diego-based Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, cast aside the skepticism about how the dolphins were treated:
By nature, dolphins are naturally reliable and trustworthy animals who seem to enjoy pleasing their human handlers, LaPuzza said. When they are released into the ocean for missions, “they come back to the handler, the trainer” ashore or on a ship.