U.S. to Cut 12,000 Personnal, All Tanks and Most Artillery From Marine Corps

The U.S. Military is planning deep cuts to the Marine Corps' current manpower and combat inventory, which will include 12,000 personnel and many of its high end weapons systems. These cuts will reduce expenditures -  a much needed measure as the overall defence budget comes under growing strain - but are also reportedly intended to optimise the service for duties in the Asia-Pacific region to as part of the Pivot to Asia initiative targeting China and North Korea. The cuts will see all of the Marine Corps’ battle tanks retired without replacement alongside over 75% of its artillery units, and will also reduce the number of high end aircraft deployed. The service will reduce the numbers of F-35B vertical landing capable stealth fighters and V-22 Osprey helicopters it previously planned to field - which were two of its most costly pieces of hardware. The Marines’ fleet of Sikorsky CH-53 heavy lift helicopters will also be cut.

Marine Corps Commandant David Berger has been the architect of the restructuring of the Marine Corps, with an official statement from the service stating: “The Marine Corps is not optimised to meet the demands of the National Defense Strategy. In the summer of 2019, the Marine Corps began force design activities focused on adapting capabilities to properly shape the Marine Corps’ contributions to naval warfare and the joint force… These planning efforts led to a modernised design which incorporates emerging technologies and significant changes in force structure to deliver a Marine Corps the nation needs by 2030.” The Marines are set to receive a number of new military facilities in the Pacific region, and restructuring of the force is expected to optimise it for missions such as conducting beach landings. North Korea has no marine units of its own, but its special operations forces divisions are the largest in the world and are trained to conduct beech landings and other similar operations. China's own marines have recently begun to receive specialised new Type 15 battle tanks specially designed for amphibious landings among other advanced weapons systems, and will be able to deploy from new Type 075 Class assault ships comparable to the American Wasp and America Class ships used by the U.S. Marine Corps.